www.redwoodpsych.org 1

RPA DIALOG

MARCH/APRIL 2014 VOLUME 21 NUMBER 2

REDWOOD PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

A Chapter of the California State Psychological Association

P.O. Box 15209 Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Calaveras Big Tree State Park Arnold, CA

www.redwoodpsych.org 2

RPA Executive

Committee officers and

support staff

President:

Greg Thigpen, Psy.D.

(707) 494-6462

Vice-President:

Jeannie LeMesurier, Ph.D.

(707) 326-5666

Secretary:

Linda Baggett, Ph.D.

(707) 321-3604

Treasurer and CPA Chapter

Rep: Michael Pinkston,

Ph.D. (707) 575-7230

CE Coordinator:

Carol Weser, Ph.D.

(707) 526-2288

Newsletter Editor:

Joe Puentes, Psy.D.

(707) 583-9663

Disaster Response Committee

Chair: Richard Zimmer,

Ph.D. (707) 526-7720 x326

Ethics Committee:

Ann Strack, Ph.D., Jeff Kahn,

Ph.D., Michael Pinkston,

Ph.D., & Juliet Dantin, Ph.D.

President’s

Column Greg Thigpen, Psy.D.

Over time, it has become clear to me that many of us in the field

of psychology are challenged by all the changes we need to keep

up with, and by the many roles we must occupy. For many RPA

members, being in this profession means dealing in some fashion

with record-keeping, computer security, phone calls, marketing,

billing, and compliance issues, to name a few roles and tasks we

take on in order to maintain a thriving practice. All of this before

we’ve met with or evaluated a single client or patient.

This need to “wear many hats” professionally reminds me of a

conversation I had years ago with an executive at a major

corporation. He explained that (colloquially speaking) his

specialized role was to look down the road and over the horizon,

and help his company and prepare for future trends. Other

specialists were in charge of lobbying and engaging with various

entities, while still others were tasked with taking care of

employee needs.

Speaking personally, I sometimes find myself wishing longingly

for the sort of support and guidance provided in that

corporation…until I realize it’s available to me, and to all of us.

This came to mind for me when reflecting on the recent

presentation on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), co-sponsored by

the Marin Psychological Association, Napa Psychological

Association, and our own Redwood Psychological Association.

A large contingent of RPA members attended the presentation,

given by Michael Ritz (representing CPA’s Division 1, Clinical

and Professional Practice) and Amanda Levy (Director,

Government Affairs). By way of analogy to the corporation

referenced above, one could say that Michael Ritz took on the

“looking down the road” role, while Amanda Levy provided

details on both the ACA/Covered California rollout, and on the

advocacy that CPA provides, and that members can provide

themselves.

(cont. p. 3)

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(President’s Column, cont’d)

Since many RPA members asked (on this listserv and elsewhere) for details of the presentation, I will

briefly present them here in bulleted form. (For informational handouts on this event in Marin and more on the impact of ACA, you can go to http://aca.cpapsych.org.)

Among the highlights of Amanda Levy’s talk (and audience comments) were:

The projection that there may be as many as 5 million newly insured Californians through the

Covered California program, all of them with mental health benefits

The possibility that some of the insurance plans created to accommodate the new enrollees may not

offer the same payments to psychologists as previous plans did, or may not have drawn many

providers, resulting in “skinny panels” and long waits before enrollees can get in to see someone.

Psychologists were encouraged to report problems with insurance to either of the two state agencies that regulate insurance practice in California: Department of Insurance and Department of Managed Care. Ms. Levy also encouraged CPA members to report these issues to her since CPA has an ongoing relationship with both of those agencies and is in a stronger position to use multiple complaints from its members to advocate for us, our profession, and our clients.

Ms. Levy underscored the need for psychologists to advocate with their legislators for their professional future, quoting former APA President Kathleen Nordal, who said "No one else is fighting the battles for psychology.....and don't expect them (legislators) to."

In his portion of the presentation, Michael Ritz pointed to the need for psychologists to be aware of

trends in the field, and to use existing or attainable competencies to broaden practice opportunities.

Among the point he covered were:

The movement toward Accountable Care Organizations (groups of doctors, hospitals, and other

health care providers, who come together voluntarily to give coordinated high quality care)

The opportunity for psychologists to help organizations to evaluate effectiveness

The opportunity for psychologists to integrate themselves into a medical setting

The importance of matching oneself (stage of career, willingness to work in a new way) with the

opportunities coming down the road

In all, the presentation (and the opportunity to socialize afterward in a sunny courtyard with fellow

RPA members) provided a heartening reminder that we psychologists are not alone in our practices. I

want to give thanks to the presenters, to the other chapters who co-sponsored the presentation, and to

the many psychologists around the state whose CPA dues support people like Amanda Levy, Michael

Ritz, and the many other sources of support we have at the CPA.

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RPA Calendar of Events

April 16th

, 2014: April CE Event NEW TIME: now 6:30pm at Union Hotel on Mission Blvd in Santa Rosa, 1.5 CEs

optional. All are welcome to arrive at 6 for socializing and networking. $27 for

dinner if registered by April 14, $35 after pre-registration discount date. Online

registration at: http://redwoodpsych.org/calendarDetail.asp?eid=128 Questions?

Contact Carol Weser at humanone@sonic.net.

Presenter: Shoshana Bennett, author, Pregnant on Prozac , Postpartum Depression

For Dummies , Co-Author, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Kids, Co-Author, Beyond the

Blues, A Guide to Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postpartum Depression.

“Mood Disorders in Pregnancy and Postpartum” Clinicians will gain a working knowledge of the six mood disorders which occur in

pregnancy and postpartum (depression, panic, posttraumatic stress, obsessive

compulsive disorder, psychosis and bipolar), will learn how to successfully screen

their clients, assess their needs and provide appropriate intervention. Etiology of the

disorders, risk factors, barriers to treatment, and collaboration of the professional

team will be discussed, as well as conventional and alternative treatment modalities.

May 7th

, 2014: Annual Spring Networking Social Event TIME: 6-7:30pm, Riviera Ristorante at 75 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa, CA

Come to meet and reconnect with other RPA members at our annual spring

networking social event. Appetizers and wine will be provided.

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New member introductions:

Hon. Patricia A. Gray (Ret.) J.D. M.A.

I am a pre-doc psychology intern and also a trained

professional mediator. I have 30 years experience

as a lawyer and judge. I returned to school to better

understand the psychology of relationships and

communication. I work primarily with couples that

are divorcing and want an alternative to expensive

long-term litigation and attorneys. I have two

offices, Santa Rosa and St. Helena.

Sylvia Shirikian, Psy.D.

Hello everyone! I am a forensically trained

psychologist, new to the Santa Rosa area. I have spent

the majority of the last ten years working within court

ordered and correctional settings with a small non-

forensic private practice. I am exited to be in beautiful

Sonoma County and look forward to developing a

collegial network.

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I occasionally have a member ask me why we

still need an RPA Ethics Committee if our

committee stopped censoring members for

unethical behavior over 15 years ago. I

assume that those of you who are CPA

members know that the CPA Ethics Committee

also no longer censors its members for ethical

violations although the APA Ethics Committee

still does so for its members.

My first response to this question is to say that

when a psychologist is in trouble with the

Board of Psychology (BOP) or is charged with

illegal behavior, it is very important that the

psychologist who finds themselves in that

situation is able to say that they were aware of

potential ethical issues, thought about those

issues sooner rather than later, and had in fact

documented that they sought our members of

an ethics committee to discuss those issues and

receive consultation.

As a CPA member you can of course choose to

seek that consultation from CPA Ethics

Committee and/or your RPA Ethics

Committee. The RPA Ethics Committee

includes myself, Dr. Juliet Dantin, Dr. Ann

Strack, and Dr. Jeff Kahn. Our newer RPA

members may not be aware that all 4 of us have

been members of RPA for many years where

we have each served in several leadership

positions including President. We have also all

worked in a wide variety of clinical settings

including private practice.

Ethics Corner

By Michael Pinkston, Ph.D. (RPA Ethics

Committee Member)

We regularly consult with each other on ethical

issues that members bring to us or that we

encounter in our own practice.

We rotate every 2 months as the primary

member who is offering consultation to RPA

members and you can find that rotation

schedule in your most recent newsletter

available on the website or on the Ethics Page

which is also on our website.

I also like to tell people that the other main

reason we need an RPA Ethics Committee is to

occasionally bring up ethics issues to the

membership since the BOP is expecting us all

to stay well informed on ethics if we want to

keep our license. During the last year members

of our committee have discussed two ethical

issues that we have seen come up frequently

and this has resulted in articles in our

newsletter or posts to our listserv. If you do

not recall seeing them, we encourage you to

revisit those posts on those issues by using the

links associated with them below.

(1) How we identify ourselves and our

credentials when we promote our services to

the public -

http://www.redwoodpsych.org/RPANewsletter/

april2013web.pdf (page 9) - this issue was later

incorporated into a larger policy adopted by

the RPA Board in fall 2013 related to the way

individual members identify themselves and

promote services on our website.

(cont. p. 7)

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(Ethics Corner, cont’d)

(2) How we protect privacy of clients and others when we make comments on our listserv - The

RPA Board has had a Listserv Guidelines for many years that was most recently updated in fall 2012

and can be found on the Listserv page of our website. Although some of our guidelines can be

considered etiquette common to most listservs that is likely to cause more members to want to

continue using the listserv, others are related to liability protection for RPA, and one in particular

relates to the ethical issue of protecting privacy of clients or potential clients. The following link is

actually the CPA Ethics Committee Guideline related to protecting privacy which we have shared on

the listserv several times this past year since we believe it is so clearly written:

http://www.cpapsych.org/associations/13260/files/files/ethics/EC(2013)Guidelines_for_Client-

Patient_info_listservs.pdf

Some of us had been attending workshops on the subject of digital ethics since at least 2010 and at

those events we would hear that APA had a task force working on APA Telepsychology Guidelines.

Those guidelines were finally adopted and published by APA in December 2013. If you have not

seen them, I want to refer you to an excellent summary and introduction by Dr. Keely Kolmes found

at http://www.cpapsych.org/associations/13260/files/files/ethics/2013-n6-Kolmes.pdf in CPA’s The

California Psychologist. Dr. Kolmes is a member of CPA Ethics Committee and I have seen her do

an excellent all day workshop on this topic. The full version of the APA Telepsychology Guidelines

is at: http://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/telepsychology.aspx

RPA Ethics Committee Offers Consultation

Our Ethics Committee welcomes questions about ethical issues in your practice. Juliet

Dantin, Ph.D., is available during the month of April to consult with you about any

ethical concerns you may have. Ann Strack, Ph.D., is your consultant for the months of

May and June.

Juliet Dantin, Ph.D. (829-5355) – Mar./Apr.

Ann Strack, Ph.D. (762-6216) - May/June

Jeff Kahn, Ph.D. (546-4349) - July/Aug.

Michael Pinkston, Ph.D. (575-7230) – Sept./Oct.

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Announcements and Ads

SONOMA OFFICE FOR RENT: Professional

office available with other health care

professionals (Psychotherapists, Physical

Therapists, Body workers). Handicap

accessible. Ample off street parking. Ideal

location in downtown Sonoma next door to

Wells Fargo Bank and across the street from

Safeway. Includes waiting room with water

feature and music, staff and client bathrooms,

small fridge and microwave. Office with both

own private external entrance as well as internal

entrance into hallway. WiFi and high speed

internet available. $550.00/month. (707) 938-

0226. Contact: Dr. Jerry Silver

PETALUMA OFFICE SUBLET: 1 to 2

days/week. This is a spacious and charming

office in an historic Petaluma house. Nicely

furnished and comes with a semi-private waiting

room. Located just a block from old downtown.

Days/times are flexible. Call Jeffery Martin,

Ph.D. at 707-544-0345 or email at

pelicanday@aol.com.

CO-ED PROCESS GROUP IN

PETALUMA This is a long-term group for

people who share the goal of building and

maintaining close relationships. Thoughts and

feelings in the here and now of weekly sessions

are the basis for insight, interpersonal

exploration, and authenticity. Wednesdays,

3:00-4:30 in Petaluma, $40/session. For more

information, call or email Rebecca Stadtner at

707-227-6511 or rstadtner.phd@gmail.com.

HANLON MEDICAL BILLING: Specializing

in Behavioral Health billing, HIPAA compliant

protecting your sensitive patient information.

Extensive experience dealing with Medicare.

References available. 707-695-3596

hanlonbilling@mac.com

Directions/address sent out in November

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We need volunteers to help with

the Holiday Party (set-up and clean-up teams). I f you are

i n t erest ed i n volun t eer i ng t o help wi t h t h i s year ’s

par t y , please con t act Peggy O’Toole, Ph .D., At

rpanewslet t er@redwoodpsych .com or any of t he RPA

of f i cers.

Directions/address sent out in November

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We need volunteers to help with

the Holiday Party (set-up and clean-up teams). I f you are

i n t erest ed i n volun t eer i ng t o help wi t h t h i s year ’s

par t y , please con t act Peggy O’Toole, Ph .D., At

rpanewslet t er@redwoodpsych .com or any of t he RPA

of f i cers.

COUPLES & FAMILY LAW MEDIATION:

Hon. Patricia A. Gray, (Ret.) JD, MA, Couples

& Family Law Mediation. Phone: (707) 889-

4066 & (707) 595-0141. Email:

patriciagray@vom.com. Two Locations: 1335

Main Street, Ste. 103, St. Helena CA 95474 &

149 Stony Circle, Ste 210 Santa Rosa CA

95401.

DREAM TRAINING FOR

PSYCHOTHERAPISTS: Meredith Sabini,

Ph.D., 2 Fridays 2–5pm: April 4 and 18 , 6

CEs, $150. Fee includes CE certificate. Open to

licensed therapists of any theoretical/clinical

orientation. Graduate students welcome at half

price. Registration: You may register by phone

or email. You will receive confirmation. The

Dream Institute, 1672 University Ave,

Berkeley, CA, phone: (510) 845-1767, &

email: dreaminstituteca@gmail.com. Meredith

Sabini, PhD, is an analytically-trained

psychologist in the field since 1972. She

practiced individual psychotherapy 1977-1997,

then became a CE provider and Dream

Consultant. She directs The Dream Institute of

Northern California.

NOVATO OFFICE FOR RENT: Available for

Rent: Therapy Offices in Northern Novato.

Three-office suite with friendly, collaborative

therapists. Rates start at $207/full day. Half-day

rates: $111 a.m., $116 pm. Available most

weekdays and weekends. Terrific location for

wide geographic area; two minutes from Hwy

101, San Marin/Atherton exit. Professionally

soundproofed. New paint, carpet, furniture.

Accommodates moderate-sized groups. To

visit or photos, please contact Diane Harnish,

PhD, at 415/924-4252 or email

dianeharnish@mac.com. (Cont. p. 9)

www.redwoodpsych.org 9

Announcements and Ads

EMDR TRAINING FOR CLINICIANS:

Complete training over four weekends in

Alameda. Saturdays and Sundays: March 8 and 9,

April 5 and 6, May 3 and 4, May 31 and June 1,

2014. Non-profit, agency and pre-licensed

discounts available. BBS and CPA approved for

47.5 CE Credits. This all inclusive training meets

and exceeds EMDR International Association

standards. Sonoma Psychotherapy Training

Institute, Andrew M. Leeds, Ph.D. Director of

Training, EMDRIA and EMDR Europe

Approved Trainer. Full details at

http:/www.sonomapti.com/basictraining.html or

call (707) 579-9457.

EMDR CONSULTATION GROUP: Face to

face consultation group sessions with Andrew M.

Leeds, Ph.D. EMDRIA Approved Consultant

meet EMDRIA standards for group consultation.

We discuss case formulation, treatment planning

issues, and how to enhance outcomes during the

reprocessing phases of treatment. We meet the

first (or occasionally the second) Thursday of the

month from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM at my office in

downtown Santa Rosa. For more details

http://www.andrewleeds.net/training/EMDRconsu

ltation/localgroupconsult.html or call (707) 579-

9457.

MI CONSULTATION GROUP: Starting a new

Motivational Interviewing (MI) consultation group. The

aim of the group is to provide a space for clinicians to

discuss the use of MI across a broad range of clinical

issues. Clinicians working with populations that tend to

be highly ambivalent/resistant to change are especially

invited. All levels of expertise in MI are welcome.

Hope to meet one evening per month in Santa Rosa.

Please contact Joe Puentes, Psy.D. by email at

drjoepuentes@gmail.com.

Submitting Ads and Announcements to the

RPA Dialog:

Items are free to members and cost non-members

$40. Each item is limited to 100 words or less.

Our next newsletter will be delivered in

September. Deadline for submissions is August

25th

, 2014.

Send your ad in the body of an email (no

attachments). Submissions will be acknowledged

with a return email.

Please submit items to the Newsletter Editor: Joe

Puentes, Psy.D., at drjoepuentes@gmail.com

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

April 16th

, 2014

“Mood Disorders in Pregnancy and Postpartum”

6:30pm at the Union Hotel, Santa Rosa, CA

Presenter: Shoshana Bennett, Ph.D.

May 7th

, 2014

Spring Networking Event

6-7:30pm at Riviera Ristorante, 75 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa, CA

Redwood Psychological

Association

P.O. Box 15209

Santa Rosa, CA 95402