Hello ABPP colleagues,
It has been a tumultuous year in our world and in many of our individual lives. These circumstances throughout the globe certainly have an impact on us as well as our clients and patients. The work that we do as psychologists is genuinely meaningful and of great consequence as we engage the diverse challenges of our clientele, our colleagues, and the planet. All through this I hope that you are safe and in good health.
We have been active in the ABPP leadership space, including presidents and representatives of Specialty Boards (SB), the Board of Trustees (BOT), the Central Office (CO), and our committees and task forces. A few of the various highlights from this year are below:
Specialty Boards are working diligently to provide best practices / effective processes for new candidates, as well as with our current specialists.
- IT has consolidated information tools for specialty boards and ABPP has launched the Maintenance of Certification process.
- The ABPP Artificial Intelligence Task Force continues to progress and look for ways to engage and educate our specialists, as well as be responsive to their needs and interests.
- The Finance Committee continues its judicious planning for and efficient use of our financial resources to support strategic priorities, including IT and action items produced from Listening Sessions (detailed below). Opportunities have been provided for the BOT and SBs to be involved and learn about ABPP’s financial planning, assumptions, principles, and decision making.
- Our Communications and Marketing Committees are sustaining their efforts to engage and communicate with specialists, as well as the broader community of psychologists and mental health professionals, through branding support and guidelines, continuing education opportunities, informational content about board certification, and ABPP’s quarterly publication, On Board with Professional Psychology.
- The Central Office staff continue to be responsive and professional in their support of our specialists, applicants, and other constituents of the ABPP.
An Update on ABPP’s Priorities and Goals
As mentioned in my previous Presidential Letter to our community, my approach as I serve in this role is to do the following:
Honor the Past → Be Clear Eyed about the Present → Take an Optimistic and Developmental Stance about the Future
As a way of operationalizing this, I referenced initial priorities during my tenure, including participating in Listening Sessions, which occurred earlier this year. I want to share the outcomes from these sessions as we sharpen, integrate, and enhance ABPP’s priorities.
A series of Listening Sessions were conducted during January through March 2024 with the BOT, Liaisons, ABPP Foundation, and Specialty Board Presidents representing their specialty boards, each identifying their interests, questions and concerns. In total, fifty-four individuals were engaged in these Listening Sessions.
Broad themes were distilled and presented back to participants of the Listening Sessions. The overall themes that emerged included:
- Value Proposition for ABPP
- Engaging and Encouraging (and Supporting) Early Career Psychologists
- Specialty Boards: Interests, Concerns, and Issues
- Board of Trustees Functioning
- Central Office Functioning
- Technology and Artificial Intelligence
- Establishing a Social Media Presence
Once the BOT and Liaisons reviewed the listening session themes (and corresponding details), they brainstormed ideas / goals for the ABPP 5- and 10-years into the future, as well as potential actions to address the above themes.
Those action items (which numbered in the hundreds) were then analyzed and clustered into the following Focus Areas for implementation:
- Profession and Marketplace Presence / Influence
- CO / BOT Functioning / Development
- ABPP Organizational Efficiency and Effectiveness
- Specialty Board(s) Development / Cross Pollination
- Stakeholder Engagements / Partnerships
- Specialists Community Involvement
- Financial Transparency and Understanding
- Marketing / Branding and Social Media
- Effective Utilization of Technology
Detailed information about the Listening Session themes, 5- and 10-year prospective goals for the future, and action items, and Focus Areas can be found here.
How You Can Be Involved
Each Focus Area’s action plans will be coordinated by an ABPP Executive Committee member and current specialists are invited to express their interest in participating and / or providing input for these areas. Some Focus Areas (or aspects of them) already have a committee and / or task force actively involved in addressing their respective priorities. Specialists are also invited to contribute their ideas for consideration, some of which may be reviewed by an existing committee or task force.
If you have interest in participating and / or have ideas for assisting in implementing the prioritized actions, please contact your Specialty Board President.
My sincere appreciation for all that have been involved to date and those who are interested in engaging in these activities in the future.
The holidays will soon be with us. My best wishes to you for a safe, reflective, and inspirational period.
J. Rick Day, MBA, PhD, PsyD, ABPP
Board Certified in Clinical Psychology and Organizational & Business Consulting Psychology
President of the American Board of Professional Psychology
Correspondence: drjrday@drjrickday.com