The North Carolina Psychological Association

North Carolina Psychological Association
Division of Independent Professional Practice
Practice Conference
Saturday, February 9, 2008
The Friday Center - Chapel Hill

Select One Workshop for Morning and One for Afternoon
One Session in Each Time Period is Offered for Continuing Education Credit

PDF of DIPP Conference Flyer

PDF of DIPP Conference Registration Form

WORKSHOP ONE: 9 am - 12:15 pm

What's New in Pharmacotherapy: An Update for Psychologists

Mary Evers-Szostak, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice

It is increasingly critical for psychologists to understand the impact that psychotropic medications have on their patients. Medications are influencing patients' response to psychotherapy and affecting their interactions with their families and workplaces. Full understanding of persons in a bio-psycho-social model requires recognition of the contributions of psychopharmacology. This workshop will provide an update on psychotropic medications and their uses in the treatment of various disorders and with some special populations. It will emphasize the information necessary for psychologists to assist their patients who are using medications in their treatment. Lecture, discussion, and handouts will be used.

By the end of the workshop participants will:
1. be familiar with many of the psychotropic medications that their patients may be using in their treatment;
2. be aware of many of the issues involved in the use of psychotropic medications with some special populations such as children, adolescents, and the elderly; and
3. be better able to communicate with providers who are managing medications for their patients

Dr. Mary Evers-Szostak received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has been practicing Pediatric Psychology in a primary care pediatrics office for nearly 20 years. She also recently completed the advanced psychopharmacology training program at Texas A&M University. Dr. Evers-Szostak is currently a member of the NCPA DIPP Board of Directors and is the RxP chair for NCPA. She has also served Division 55 of APA (The American Society for the Advancement of Pharmacotherapy) as the Chair of the Child/Adolescent Committee, Continuing Education Chair and Chair of the NC Chapter of Division 55.

E-mail, E-Treatments, and Online Self-Help:
How Can Psychologists Use Electronic Resources Responsibly?
The Ethical and Legal Issues

Elizabeth Reynolds Welfel, Ph.D.
Professor and Co-Director of Training, Counseling Psychology
Cleveland State University

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project (2006) 113 million people - 80% of the adult population with Internet access - have searched for health information online. Of these users, 22% (24.9 million people) have searched for information about depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health issues. More than 9 million Americans have searched online for information about drug and alcohol abuse. Nearly one-quarter (22%) of American adolescents with Internet access have searched online for information about depression, drugs, and sex and other mental health issues. Moreover, hundreds of e-therapy sites are in use by consumers and dozens of sites offer online self-assessment of problems ranging from test anxiety to dissociative identity disorder. And such use is no longer significantly limited by ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status as the digital divide shrinks daily.

The advent of such widespread Internet use for health purposes has presented complex ethical and clinical issues for practicing psychologists. For example, the use of e-therapy as a substitute for face-to-face services has provoked energetic debate in the professional literature, and the inclusion of email contact as a supplement to traditional therapy has been highly controversial among practicing psychologists Complicating the picture even further is the recent expansion of online self-help programs such as myselfhelp.com that aim at treating problems such as depression and eating disorders. This workshop offers clinical and counseling psychologists an appreciation of the ethical implications of these innovations and the stance of APA on their responsible use, an analysis of the recent literature on the scope and impact of Internet access on professional practice and client/patient expectations and response to treatment, and a set of practical guidelines for ethical use of electronic communication with clients and the inclusion of Web resources in psychological treatment, and finally the emerging legal regulation of online treatments.

By the end of the institute participants will:
1. be informed about research on the scope of online assessment, online self help programs and resources,         clinical interventions, and consumer practitioner response to them;
2. become knowledgeable about professional and legal standards for electronic communication with clients,     patients, and colleagues with emphasis on issues of confidentiality, consent, and emergency situations; and
3. be offered practical tools for the responsible and ethical use of technology in assessment, client education,     and collegial interactions.

Elizabeth Reynolds Welfel is Co-Director of Training in Counseling Psychology and Professor at Cleveland State University who has been teaching graduate students in counseling and counseling psychology for 25 years. Prior to her appointment at Cleveland State she was a tenured professor in the counseling psychology program at Boston College. She has authored two dozen articles on the ethics of professional practice and her book, Ethics in counseling and psychotherapy: Standards, research and emerging Issues, is in its third edition. Along with Dr. Elliott Ingersoll, she has published The mental health desk reference (2001). Her other books include The counseling process(2005) (with Patterson) and Using test data in clinical practice (2002)(with MacCluskie and Toman). Currently, she is co-editing an APA Press book with Werth and Benjamin entitled, The duty to protect: Ethical, legal, and professional considerations in risk assessment and intervention. She has recently conducted continuing education programs on professional ethics for the American Psychological Association, the Oregon Psychological Association, John Carroll University, MetroHealth Medical Center, Akron General Hospital and numerous other professional organizations. Dr. Welfel received her doctorate in counseling psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1979 and has been a licensed psychologist in Ohio since 1986.

WORKSHOP TWO: 1:30 pm - 4:45 pm

Coding, Billing and Documenting Professional Psychological Services:
Recent Paradigm Shifts and the Impact of the Delivery of Services

Antonio E. Puente, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, UNC-Wilmington

In 2007, eight new codes for the provision, billing and documentation of psychological services were introduced and/or revised. Most include diagnostic services though most of the intervention services have been impacted by clarification of their application and documentation. Policy clarification by Medicare at the national level which is ongoing will be addressed. Specific attention will be provided to the fraud and abuse issues. The impact of present day and future delivery of professional psychological services will be presented.

By the end of the institute participants will:
1. learn coding of professional psychological services;
2. understand the basics and some of the increasing of billing (including coding and diagnosing) third parties;
3. appreciate the importance and methods for documenting services; and
4. more fully appreciate the interface between public policy, financial, and clinical issues.

Antonio E. Puente, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and maintains a private practice limited to clinical neuropsychology. He is past president of several organizations including the North Carolina Psychological Association, the North Carolina Psychological Foundation, and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. He has served two terms as Council Representative for Division 40 on the APA Council of Representatives and is currently chair of the APA Committee for Psychological Testing and Assessment. In addition, he has represented the American Psychological Association since the early 1990's on the American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Panel, helped the AMA develop its new CPT system, and has been on HCFA's Medicare Coverage Advisory Panel. Dr. Puente is a member of NCPA and the Division of Independent Professional Practice.

OR
Me, MySpace, and I:
Clinical Issues in Working with Net Generation Children, Teens and Young Adults

Larry D. Rosen, Ph.D.
Past Chair and Professor of Psychology, California State University, Dominguez Hills
Technology Columnist for The National Psychologist since 1995
International expert in "The Psychology of Technology"

NOTE: This workshop will be an interactive video conference. There is an additional $25 charge to cover video and materials cost.
Never in history have we seen three generations that differ so widely in every area of life. Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (1965-1979) and the Net Generation (1980 on) represent a progression from a life without technology to one where technology is a way of life. Every aspect of daily life finds the Net Generation multitasking with media ranging from iPods to the Internet, from video games to MySpace. Parents, most of whom are Baby Boomers or early Gen-Xers are often perplexed watching their children listen to music, watch television, and do their homework, all while IMing and MySpacing with multiple "friends" some of whom they have never met. Add to this the fact that Gen Xers, who were the first to be introduced to technology at an early age, and older Net Geners who live and breathe technology, have moved into the business world and you have a myriad of issues facing the mental health practitioner. This talk will present a complete picture of these three unique generations focusing on core values -- trust, upbringing, family affiliations, political orientation, communication, relationship to media - and work values including career aspirations, work and family life, workplace motivators, and leadership style. Dr. Rosen's unique background and expertise in child development and "the psychology of technology" and his 20-plus years of research on the impact of technology, have resulted in three books - The Mental Health Technology Bible, TechnoStress: Coping With Technology @Work @Home @Play and Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation which form the basis for a comprehensive model of parenting called TALK which involves both Proactive and Reactive Parenting in dealing with generational differences between parents and their children.

By the end of the workshop participants will:
1. understand the similarities and differences between three generations;
2. learn how to use information about these generational differences to understand conflict between parents and children; and
3. learn how to apply the TALK model of parenting to anticipate potential problems (Proactive Parenting) and to react after problems have occurred (Reactive Parenting).

Dr. Larry Rosen is Past Chair and Professor of Psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills since 1975. He is a research psychologist, computer educator and is recognized as an international expert in the "Psychology of Technology." Over the past 20 years, Dr. Rosen and his colleagues have examined reactions to technology among over 20,000 people in the United States and in 22 other countries. In addition to his three books, he has written many articles for professional journals and writes a technology column for the newspaper The National Psychologist. His most recent research includes an investigation of the impact of MySpace on adolescents and parents and a series of studies on online dating. Dr. Rosen received his B.A. in Mathematics (Summa Cum Laude) from UCLA where he was honored as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego and resides in San Diego, California.
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DATE AND TIME - Saturday, February 9, 2008
8:30 am - Registration and refreshments
9:00 am - 12:15 pm and 1:30 - 4:45 pm - Workshop Schedule

REGISTRATION DEADLINE AND REFUND POLICY
Pre-registration is required. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 1, 2008. A $40 fee is added for registration received after February 1, 2008. You will receive a full* refund for cancellation by Monday, January 28, 2008, a one-half* refund by noon on Friday, February 1, 2008, and no refund after noon on Friday, February 1, 2008. REGISTRATION INCLUDES LUNCH AND BREAKS. *A $40 administrative fee will be charged for all refunds.

FACILITY INFORMATION
The Friday Center is located just off I-40 in Chapel Hill. Use the Highway #54 exit and go approximately one mile toward Chapel Hill. Follow the signs to The Friday Center. Directions will be sent with your confirmation.

SPECIAL NEEDS
If you have special dietary needs (vegetarian, medical problems, etc.) or physical needs please note this on the registration form. This must be received one (1) week in advance of the conference.

CONTINUING EDUCATION INFORMATION
These workshops are sponsored by the North Carolina Psychological Association. These workshops are sponsored by the North Carolina Psychological Association. NCPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer Continuing Education for psychologists. NCPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Each workshop is offered for 3 hours of Category A credit.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT FOR WORKSHOP CREDIT
To receive continuing education credit, you must attend the ENTIRE workshop. No credit will be given to participants who are more than 15 minutes late at the beginning of the workshop. You must be present at the close of the workshop, sign the sign-in/sign-out sheets, and pick up your certificate to receive credit. Please do not ask the staff to be excused early. Thank you.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
NCPA Division of Independent Professional Practice - 919/872-1005 phone 919/872-0805 fax ncpacarol@mindspring.com