The President, shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, and consistent with the rules and procedures of the Board of Trustees, shall have broad authority to: oversee the operation of the Corporation, promote the purposes and goals of the Corporation, establish the agenda for meetings of the Board of Trustees, be the chair of the Executive Committee, be responsible for reviews of the operations of the Executive Officer and Central Office, represent the Corporation to other organizations and the public, coordinate the work of the officers of the Corporation, make appointments to committees, and have such other powers and duties as may be assigned by the Board of Trustees.

 

Unbeknownst to all of us, 2020 quickly became a challenging and controversial year.  Some of you experienced unexpected adversities caused by the pandemic.  With the rapid spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), and the incredible speed at which things were changing around us, the ABPP continually adapted our operations and business so that Specialty Boards and the ABPP could continue to conduct business.  Many of our colleagues stepped up and contributed additional time and innovative ideas during these incredibly difficult times.  Despite these unprecedented times, the American Board of Professional Psychology persevered and continues to be in good standing.  The pandemic never deterred our efforts to certify Specialists; Specialty Boards continued to administer oral examinations, albeit remotely. 
 
During 2020, mental health clinicians were faced with changing their method of service delivery from providing face-to-face services to using telepsychology.  Likewise, Specialty Boards were confronted with pivoting from face-to-face examinations and in-person meetings to some form of remote interaction.  Despite the pandemic, candidates continued to pursue board certification.  By mid-year 2020, most Specialty Boards were using some form of remote examination while others were exploring ways to do this, and Specialty Boards had changed to remote meetings to conduct business.  During the Specialty Board Presidents’ calls, I was genuinely impressed and grateful for the camaraderie exhibited by Specialty Board Presidents who unselfishly assisted other Boards with establishing a remote style of oral examinations that fit their needs.  During our December Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees described remote oral examinations as successful and noted the need to continue the option of offering remote examinations post pandemic.  Thus, the Board of Trustees approved Specialty Boards offering remote evaluation post pandemic, as they see fit.  Kudos to those that led this charge and were instrumental in making the changes.  By doing so, the ABPP certified two hundred and twenty-four new Specialists during this pandemic. 
 
The Executive Committee and Central Office Staff had been conducting business remotely for several years.  So, this transition was less difficult.  Yet, we were still challenged with conducting business with Specialty Boards, i.e., PCRs.  Under the guidance of Dr. John Piacentini, the Standards Committee was able to successfully complete three PCRs remotely. 
 
Historically, ABPP has not made public statements related to social events. Yet, given the significance of the social unrest in 2020, the ABPP made an exception.  As noted on our web page, “Valuing diversity is what institutions and members of a community do to acknowledge the benefits of their differences and similarities.  The American Board of Professional Psychology purposefully works to build sustainable relationships among people and institutions with diverse members.”  Consequently, the Board of Trustees could not ignore the social unrest in 2020 and authorized the ABPP to make a public statement in response to these social events.  The public statement regarding ABPP’s position on the current social unrest was posted on the front page of ABPP’s website and on the ABPP Facebook page.  Although the statement has been moved to the Diversity page on our website, the ABPP remains steadfast that the dignity of all people, regardless of age, race, gender identity, ethnicity, political affiliation, or sexual orientation will be respected, and it is the cornerstone of our longstanding commitment to foster all cultures belonging in our organization.
To date, we have fifteen specialty boards, and one subspecialty.  During our December 2020 meeting, the Board of Trustees heard the formal proposal from the Serious Mental Illness (SMI) group.  After thoughtful consideration and discussion, the SMI group has been authorized to begin the implementation phase of affiliating with ABPP.  Following the 2019 Board of Trustees meeting, we approved Addictions group for consideration as a specialty, and this group will be presenting their formal proposal to begin their implementation during the 2021 mid-year meeting.  Forensic Neuropsychology also submitted a brief proposal to be recognized as a subspeciality, and the Board of Trustees will hear their proposal during the 2021 mid-year meeting.  Psychopharmacology submitted a proposal to be considered as a Specialty, and the ABPP agreed to hear their proposal during the Mid-Year Board of Trustees meeting.  Our organization is clearly continuing to grow.  Reflecting on my eleven years on the Board of Trustees, I continue to be awed by the commitment, creativity, and devotion of Trustees, and their dedication to their respective specialty boards.  I am looking forward to working with such an esteemed group of colleagues for another year.
 
Moving forward, our President-elect, Dr. Brenda Spiegler, a Board Certified Neuropsychologist, brings a wealth of expertise and dedication that will provide incredible leadership for our future.   As a Canadian, she also adds an international perspective to our organization.  Dr. Sylvia Marotta will remain as our treasurer, Dr. Frost will remain as our recording secretary, and Dr. Piacentini will continue in his position as past president.  All four contribute their unique perspective and wisdom to the Executive Committee.  In this regard, our organization is prepared to positively impact the culture of professional psychology and fulfill ABPP’s mission. 
 
Approximately 4% of licensed psychologists are board certified.  During my tenure as President, my goal is to increase this percentage.   My priority is to continue reaching out to licensed psychologists eligible for board certification.  This includes early career psychologists and clinical directors of psychology programs, internships, and postdoctoral fellowships.  We will continue to lean on the ABPP Foundation to disseminate scholarships to individuals applying for board certification.  Additionally, Dr. Spiegler and I are reaching out to Canadian Psychologists to educate them about board certification and assist Canadian Psychologists in pursuit of becoming board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology. 
 
I am happy to announce that ABPP continues to evince financial security.  In fact, we are more financially secure than in previous years.  Through the hard work of our Executive Officer, Dr. David Cox, Dr. Sylvia Marotta-Walters (our treasurer) and the Board of Trustees, ABPP’s financial situation is robust.  The American Board of Professional Psychology Foundation, a separate non-profit organization, continues to support ABPP and its mission by providing various scholarships to individuals pursuing board certification.  During 2020, Central Office realigned central office job responsibilities.  My overall goal is to continue to improve this organization and prepare for the future.   
 
Over the past year, we made a few changes to improve our organization.  First, a webinar task force was developed to explore opportunities for ABPP to offer webinars for continuing education credits.  A proposal was approved by the Board of Trustees and we will move toward offering continuing education via a webinar.  To standardize our elections process, a task force was developed to explore our current nominating procedures.  The task force developed procedures for nominations and campaigning for positions on the Executive Committee.   The Human Resources Task Force became a standing committee and will assist the Executive Committee with overseeing staff hiring, performance reviews, compensation/bonuses, disciplinary procedures, and other relevant functions identified by the Executive Committee.  Finally, we recognize that IT is our future.  The Executive Committee is exploring ways to continuously monitor and update our IT Platform.
 

Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a
way that will lead others to join you.

 
I continue to challenge The Board of Trustees and all Specialists to actively participate in planning for the future of our profession by encouraging eligible licensed psychologists to pursue board certification.  ABPP’s future is bright, and I am optimistic for this organization.  I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to collaborate with the members of the ABPP Board of Trustees, the specialty boards, the academies, all ABPP board certified specialists, the ABPP Central Office staff, and other relevant constituency groups over the next year.  I encourage you to contact me with feedback, and I welcome a dialogue with you about issues regarding our organization. 
 
Please feel free to contact me at pietzchristina@gmail.com with your feedback and suggestions.
 
 Christina Pietz, PhD, ABPP
President, American Board of Professional Psychology
Board Certified in Forensic Psychology