Anne Talbot, Psy.D.
Welcome to 2017! Our state association faces enormous challenges this year that our actively committed board of directors has already prepared to face. As your new president, I am unequivocally inspired to work with such an impressive group of colleagues who are sharply focused in their efforts on your behalf.This year, members of our Board represent a broad range of practice interests and experience – from NPA past presidents to newer psychologists with fresh perspectives. Be assured we are working intently to put this collective experience and interest to work on behalf of all psychologists in Nebraska and the public you serve.
With that in mind, we have listened closely to requests for more frequent communication from us. In the last few years we have moved away from a printed newsletter in favor of electronic communication through the website, the listserv, email blasts, and social media such as Facebook and Twitter. We have a broad range of membership with differing patterns of use of those forms of communication, so we are continuing to modify our methods. We are committed to reaching all of you in the best way we can.
I look forward to engaging with you as your new president. I plan to be accessible and receptive, and while I do indeed have a busy clinic practice, I will respond to you as quickly as I can. Additionally, our Executive Director, Carmen Skare, is efficient, congenial, and highly responsive, and we are proud to have her at our organizational helm.
I have been involved with various professional associations throughout my career. Even so, as a resident of western Nebraska, (and I mean western — far past North Platte, in a different time zone, and with a direct view of Wyoming!), I felt far away from NPA’s activity, and I initially declined to participate. Then about ten years ago, I was persuaded by Shannon Black, Ph.D., NPA Past President and former resident of the panhandle, to run for election as a board member. In my newly elected board position, I was quickly astounded by the quality, commitment, and gravitas of the board membership. All of my training and work experience had come from far and wide with no connection with much of the rest of Nebraska, let alone Lincoln and Omaha, so my appreciation for the NPA leadership was a welcome surprise.
What I am saying here is that active participation in your state association, will in no way be a waste of your dues payment or your investment of time. I can also say, that if you want even more out of the association and a voice in how we work, you have a responsibility to pitch in and serve with us.
As we face the many challenges to our professional practice and to the provision of mental health services in Nebraska, (please see our blogs from Legislative and Professional Affairs for details), our first task in 2017 is to work very closely with the state legislature on our advocacy efforts. The most urgent of these is our continued fight for non-discriminatory psychology regulations, which have been stalled for seven years by successive HHS and executive branch administrations. This impediment to our practice affects academic appointments, as well as clinical positions in public and private sectors.
Other challenges we face with HHS include the breakup of Medicaid into a three-headed integrated managed care model, the transfer of Behavioral Health to the adult and juvenile justice, and the Nebraska Supreme Court ruling on coverage of treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
NPA leaders have been closely and actively involved in all of those areas. As we commit to keeping you more informed of our activities on your behalf, we would like to ask you to commit your support to us. Renew your memberships, and tell your colleagues to do the same. Please also tell us directly what you’re interested in and visit with us about how you can help!
According to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, there are 530 fully licensed psychologists in Nebraska with an additional 46 provisionally licensed psychologists around the state. As the only association working on behalf of our profession, our goal is to have all psychologists in Nebraska contributing to their professional organization and working with us.
Your membership dues pay to keep the association running; including the infrastructure, website, mailings, and legislative lobbying. The only paid staff position is our part-time Executive Director. The Board of Directors is an all-volunteer board whose members receive no reimbursement for the time they put in working for you.
NPA has five committees that require only association membership – Legislative, Professional Affairs, Continuing Education, Academic Affairs, and Membership. The Membership Committee has recently expanded to include membership communications. The sixth standing committee is the Ethics Committee whose members are elected to three-year terms. A separate committee has been established for the pursuit of prescriptive authority (which is not funded by dues payments). We encourage you to volunteer your skills and talents by participating on the committee(s) of interest to you.
In addition to membership renewal and your active participation, please also attend the high-level conferences and workshops we have scheduled this year. Dan Ullman, Ph.D., has done an outstanding job of organizing these events, and has summarized them for you (click here).
Many thanks to all who have already renewed your membership, and also to those who have been in touch! I very much look forward to working with all of you, and promise to do all I can to advocate for you and for our profession over the next two years!
Anne Talbot, Psy.D.
NPA President
To contact Dr. Talbot, or any NPA Board Member, visit the Leadership Page of NPA’s website.
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