September 2011

Dear HVPA Members:

Under the superb leadership of Dr. Lenore Strocchia-Rivera, 2011 was a year of growth, accomplishment and new beginnings. It was my pleasure to serve on the Board with seven distinguished and engaging Psychologists. After our first Board Meeting, I will share with you the 2012 Board’s visions and goals. First, I want to recap the outstanding work of the 2010-2011Board so that you understand the great foundation that the new Board will be building upon.

1. MEMBERSHIP: On October 25, 2010, HVPA numbered 57 members. Lenore issued a challenge to us to increase that membership to 75 members by September 1, 2011. I am happy to report that, through the efforts of Dr. Cecelia Leonardo, our Membership Chair, and your recruitment, we now have 77 members (assuming all of you who haven’t renewed your membership do get those forms in by October 30!). Dutchess County is home to 48 members, Ulster has 24, and six members are from Orange County. Goal setting works, so stay tuned to learn the membership goals for 2012.

2. COMMUNICATIONS: The achievements of HVPA in Communications and Media were similarly outstanding.

HVPA Website: Dr. Lori Arella, our Communications Chair, led the effort to establish an HVPA Website, which was launched on December 1, 2010. HVPA.org is expanding constantly and the “Find a Psychologist” page, started in January, is updated constantly as members renew and join the organization. In the five month period from April to September, the Website had 1,324 visits and4,904 page views. Lori reports that visits to the Website increase following HVPA’s name appearing in a local newspaper, such as announcement of the Website, publicity for the Psychologically Healthy Community Awards, and columns and articles by HVPA members Dr. Lubna Somjee and Dr. David Crenshaw.

Media accomplishments included regular updating of the HVPA webpage on the NYSPA website; the organization of a tri-county press conference to promote “May is Mental Health Month” activities in our communities; media coverage in the Poughkeepsie Journal, the Times Herald Record, and the Midhudsonnews.com; and press releases for both the Press Conference and the Psychologically Healthy Communities event. From all of this publicity, a Media Contact List is under development, and a task group is already forming to compose and establish guidelines for HVPA articles and publications.

3. PROGRAMS: Dr. Ken Pollock, our Program Chair, planned five excellent programs during the 2011 membership year. Glenn Soberman, explained Advanced Integrative Therapy (AIT) in November 2010 in Poughkeepsie. Lenore Strocchia-Rivera,Ph.D. taught "Working Memory, The New IQ?" in December,2010 in New Paltz. Dan Meyer, Ph.D. and Victor Zelek, Ph.D. educated us about Neurofeedback in January 2011 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Kenneth M. Pollock, Ph.D. lectured about Assessing and Treating Low Sexual Desire in Couples in February,2011 in New Paltz, NY; and Michael Westerman, Ph.D. provided a seminar on Interpersonal Defenses in Psychotherapy in March, 2011 in Poughkeepsie, NY. We also enjoyed one social, a Farewell party for Dr. Arlene Lerner. A number of members have stated their willingness to help plan this year’s events and programs.

4. PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY COMMUNITY (PHC) AWARDS: Our President, Dr. Lenore Strocchia-Rivera had the vision to establish the Psychologically Healthy Community (PHC) Awards as the major “May is Mental Health Month” activity, and as the capstone event for HVPA this year. Following is a summary detailing the impact of this event on the HVPA and on the Orange, Ulster and Dutchess communities.

HVPA received a total of 21 nominations across four categories, all of which were outstanding. The fifteen HVPA members who served as judges had so much difficulty in determining the best in each category that seven Winners and three Meritorious Achievement Honorees were selected.

In attendance at the Event were 120 guests affiliated with 47 different organizations, including 37 Psychologists (of which 30 were HVPA members), 11 Social Workers, two Physicians, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and a Registered Nurse. Other attendees included two people from a large local newspaper, seven elected officials including a Family Court Judge and an Acting Supreme Court Judge, three Executive Directors of large non-profit agencies, the President of our local community college, and the President of NYSPA. The outpouring of support for this event was marvelous. A record number of HVPA members, spouses, and one child of a Board Member, were involved in the establishment of nomination procedures and processes, publicity, reviewing and judging, awards selection, resourcing, and event planning and execution. We had 28 financial sponsors and supporters ranging from individuals to family-owned businesses to a large corporation, with donations from $20 to $1,000.

In terms of publicity, the PHC press release was sent to 12 major organizations and news media outlets in the Hudson Valley, was published in two newspapers, and was heard on the air during the first tri-county press conference for “May is Mental Health Month”. Subsequent to the event, the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie had articles printed about one of its employee receiving a Certificate of Excellence and its agency receiving an Award of Meritorious Achievement. Lenore also went to a Board Meeting of 30 people at the Children's Home to formally present the Certificate of Excellence to the employee who had been nominated. Lenore said this experience probably was one of the most emotionally moving ones throughout the whole PHC process, and I can assure you the Event was a huge success.

Lenore believes in the Five Principles of Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple:

Do what you think matters.

Do it with taste.

Do it insanely great.

Love what you do.

Innovate.

Do it for yourselves. (okay, 6)

The Psychologically Healthy Community Awards event was a model of these principles: It was innovative, and mattered to those of us who accomplished it and to all those who, even in some small way, became acquainted with the concept of Psychological Healthy Communities. The process, invitations, venue, program, and event were accomplished with class and taste. The nominees and winners are insanely great and love what they do, and we did it for ourselves: the Hudson Valley. From all indications, the PHC Awards Program will continue in 2012.

5. FINANCES: Under the able oversight of Dr. Howard Susser, Treasurer, HVPA ended the year with a $580.51 surplus, in spite of hosting the PHC Awards, a fairly expensive event. Last year we collected $3,910 in dues, $80in workshop fees and $6,346 for the PHC event for a total of $10,336. We spent $7290.20 on the PHC event, $1,180 for website development, $525.37 for phone service, and $284.40 for our Yellow page ad. All other expenses were less than $200each. Total expenses were $9,755.49 resulting in the surplus of $580.51. Our bank balance at the end of the fiscal year was $3093.31, and if those of you who haven’t renewed yet do so quickly, we’ll have even more money to do great things in 2012.

2011 was indeed a year of growth, accomplishments and new beginnings. In addition to the Board members mentioned, I want to thank Dr. Barbara Burns, our Secretary, for providing not only great minutes and records, but for being a calming, grounded and wise member of our Board and Organization, and for doing so much behind-the-scenes work, especially for the PHC Event. She was instrumental in getting many members to become sponsors, and in following up on the many small details that made the event a success. I am also grateful to Dr. Joy Dryer, our Immediate Past President, for representing HVPA to NYSPA and other organizations, and for her continued support, effort, guidance and presence this year. As we begin the 2012 Membership Year, I am confident the new Board and the Members of the Hudson Valley Psychological Association will continue to excel.

The 2012 Board Members are:

President: Rebecca Rooney, PhD rarooney@citlink.net 845-294-8442

President Elect: VACANT

Immediate Past President: Lenore Strocchia-Rivera, PhD lsr37@aol.com 845-532-1575

Secretary: Barbara Burns, PhD burns1585@optonline.net 845-266-4926

Treasurer: Howard Susser, PhD hssusser@hvc.rr.com 845-452-5498

Program Committee Chair: Glenn Soberman, PhD glennsoberman@gmail.com 845-255-2443

Communications Committee Chair: Lorinda Arella, PhD drloria@gmail.com 845-797-3642

Membership and Outreach Committee Chair: Hilary Luttinger, PhD hilaryluttinger@msn.com 845-913-5513

Thank you for your membership in HVPA and for the privilege of serving as President for 2012.

Rebecca Rooney, PhD
President, HVPA

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President's Note 1

Dear Colleagues

Last year, HVPA established itself as the foremost proponent of psychological health in the Hudson Valley through the invention of the Psychologically Healthy Communities (PHC) Awards. Less than a year later, the State of New York threatened to lay off all Psychology Interns and to eliminate most mental health positions, including Psychologists. This underscores how fragile is our place in the systems of care in New York State. HVPA needs to change that. Accordingly, our Vision for the Association this year, and as we strategically plan for the next three to five years, is to demonstrate to the Hudson Valley, How Valuable Psychologists Are, so that our Association, and the Profession of Psychology becomes the "go to" place for mental health expertise.

To support this vision, we will be emphasizing initiatives in four areas:

Media: The Website has helped to change how we communicate our message and our contributions, but that's only the beginning! Improved communications, marketing, and our use of the available media, will further increase awareness of our value.

Membership: Our Membership process and policy can be improved and focused to include more Psychologists who work in institutions and in the public sector.

Advocacy: At the PHC Awards event last year, I challenged HVPA Members to contribute even more to the psychological health of the Hudson Valley, and Lenore made the challenge concrete by setting a goal of 1,000 community service hours by May 2012. We all contribute our time and expertise, and we may have already reached that goal. We will now have a section of the Website to keep track of our pro bono service and advocacy efforts.

Fun: HVPA loves to party, and our social and leisure activities can be another way to value Psychology and each other.

At our Annual Meeting on September 18th, a group of our enthusiastic Members brain stormed on these initiatives and a remarkable menu of possibilities for HVPA emerged. Over the next month we will be sharing these ideas in a series of messages about Media, Membership, Advocacy, and Fun. The Board is committed to shaping the brainstormed ideas into a Strategic Plan that will, in effect, set a course for HVPA for the next three or more years. We ask for, we want, and we need your feedback and ideas, and, most of all, your commitment in time, effort, action, and presence. Whatever you're already doing, we want to know about, and whatever you want to do, we want to support you.

Warmly,

Rebecca Rooney, PhD
President, HVPA