I have been a member of NPA since 2000. I joined for several reasons. I wanted to stay connected with colleagues in the field. I appreciate the advocacy work that NPA does and it is a wonderful way to stay connected with changes that effect our practice of psychology. I have enjoyed attending continuing education programs where I not only learn, but also love to see other people in the field.

How long have you been a member of NPA, and why did you join? I joined during my internship year in 2018 and have been active ever since. I had a supervisor turned mentor, who is also an NPA member, who felt I would benefit from being involved with the Legislative Committee given some of my experiences, interests, and long-term career goals. She sponsored my membership, and I loved the experience from the very beginning.

How long have you been a member of NPA, and why did you join? I joined NPA in 1987 when I moved from Minnesota to Omaha to become the Student Counseling Director at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Previously I was a licensed psychologist and Director of Counseling at the University of Minnesota, Morris. UMM is a public liberal arts college, so the move to UNMC was quite a change in my work environment. NPA membership helped me to meet other psychologists in Omaha and across the state of Nebraska. It also provided access to excellent continuing education programs.

How long have you been a member of NPA? I became a member shortly after my internship in 1993.

 Hope Thilges is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Training Program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) and member of the Pediatric Health Lab, directed by Dr. Timothy Nelson.

 How long have you been a member of NPA? I joined NPA as an early-career psychologist, encouraged by my supervisors and professors who emphasized that professional involvement was not optional, it was part of being a psychologist. At the time, I saw NPA as important, but I did not yet appreciate how central it would become to my professional identity.

Anne Talbot, PsyD and her generous dedicated driver and husband, Dave Calkins How long have you been a member of NPA? I joined the Nebraska Psychological Association about 30 years ago, shortly after earning my psychologist license—midlife, mid-career, and ready for a new chapter. By then, I’d already spent more than a decade working in health professions, so joining NPA felt like the natural next step in staying engaged and connected in the field.