Program Chairs and faculty from Antioch’s New England, Santa Barbara, and Seattle campuses attended the 2020 Mid-winter Conference (Conference) of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP). The Conference theme was “Amplifying Excellence in Professional Psychology: Augmenting Social Change and Social Responsiveness in Curriculum, Program Development, and Practice.” Participants explored the role professional schools and programs of psychology play in ushering in the next generation of socially responsive psychologists who can lead social change.
Dr. Kathi Borden, Professor in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program in New England, was awarded an NCSPP Presidential Recognition for Outstanding Service to Professional Psychology Education and Training.
In addition to being honored, Dr. Borden gave a presentation with Karen Studwell, JD, American Psychological Association Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Strategy and Operations, Education Policy Lead. The presentation entitled “Teaching Advocacy in Every Course and Beyond: A 2020 Primer” covered several forms of advocacy. It overviewed the legislative process and how to engage students in legislative advocacy. She was also the content expert co-leading a workgroup to develop guidelines for integrating social responsiveness into doctoral training in the areas of research, evaluation, and ethics,
The Conference programming offered a rich opportunity for discourse on augmenting the curriculum, clinical training, and program development of professional schools and programs. It amplified the variety of mechanisms NCSPP programs use to prepare socially responsive psychologists.
“I found the meeting to be very productive in moving NCSPP, and likely the psychology training and education community forward in efforts to integrate ways to teach students how to use their psychology training to improve mental health through social change,” said Dr. Borden.
Dr. Vincent Pignatiello, Co-Chair and Clinical Faculty of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program in New England, was a part of the assessment and psychotherapy workgroup, which focused on identifying how doctoral curricula could be imbued with social responsiveness.
“Our workgroup seemed effective in developing a deeper awareness of how social responsiveness needs deeper roots within the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of doctoral education,” said Dr. Pignatiello.
Seattle PsyD in Clinical Psychology faculty that attended the NCSPP included Drs. Jude Bergkamp, Chris Heffner, Michael Toohey, and Dana Waters. They presented innovative ideas on how to integrate social justice into core doctoral courses such as Biological Bases of Behavior, Quantitative Research, and Psychometrics as well as Consultation and Supervision.
“Antioch had great representation at NCSPP this past year with seven faculty attending,” said Dr. Jude Bergkamp, Chair of the Seattle PsyD program.
Dr. Bergkamp’s presentation was entitled “To Remediate or Dismiss: The Paradox of Professional Psychology Faculty Roles.” He also organized a volunteer opportunity for MLK day as part of his role on the NCSPP’s Ethnic and Racial Diversity Committee here.
Dr. Sandra Kenny, Chair of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program in Santa Barbara, attended the Conference, which was held in Carlsbad, California.
“The collaboration between the ‘3 PsyD’ programs, as I call it, really started in 2013 when HLC changed some of their accreditation requirements,” added Dr. Bergkamp. “The Chairs of the programs met on a regular basis to discuss APA accreditation issues and share resources. Since that time, the Chairs have changed, but I’ve tried to keep that sense of One University in the foreground. To that end, the Chairs meet on a monthly basis for mutual support. I’m proud of our clinical psychology doctoral programs and honored to work with Vince and Sandra!”
