OPAGS Upcoming Events

Erin Frick is a full-time psychologist and Coordinator for Group Services at Counseling and Wellness Services of Wright State University. She completed her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at the School of Professional Psychology of Wright State University in 2005. She has been actively involved in mindfulness meditation practices personally and professionally since 2004 and has completed an 8-week intensive training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

“Want to shift out of autopilot so that you truly experience your life? Ever find that you lack the vitality and focus to live each moment to its fullest? With the explosion of interest and research in mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed clinical practices in the field of psychology, it is essential that future psychologists become familiar with the concept of mindfulness. Together, we will review the principles of mindfulness practice and get a glimpse into the meditation practice that is used to cultivate mindfulness. In doing this, you will begin to see how mindfulness can be an important tool in your personal and professional life”.

Dr. Michelle Pride received her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Michigan State University and completed her internship at the Colorado State University counseling center. Dr. Pride describes herself as a multicultural, feminist therapist who has specialized in working in a university setting. Currently, Dr. Pride holds a staff psychologist position at Ohio University’s Counseling and Psychological Services where she also co-leads the sexual assault survivor's group and serves as the group coordinator for the center.

Dr. Pride will be speaking about the treatment of sexual assault survivors on college campuses. She will offer guidance and suggestions to students in how to most effectively engage survivors of a sexual assault who present for psychological services.

Dr. John E Queener is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling at The University of Akron. He teaches graduate courses in Counseling Psychology and Counseling. He writes and publishes research in the areas of multicultural issues, culturally specific interventions, and resistance to multiculturalism. He is a member of the Concerned Faculty of Color in the College of Education at the University of Akron. He is also a member of the Association of Black Psychologists, and the American Psychological Association. He is the current president of the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists. He is an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Black Psychology and serves as a consultant for Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Administration Medical Center and the Lorain County Board of Mental Health. He currently serves as the lead psychologist for Minority Behavioral Health Group. Minority Behavioral Health Group is a non-profit organization founded to serve the mental health needs of African Americans and other under-served populations. He has been the recipient of several awards for his efforts to increase diversity in the mental health field and higher education.

Dr. Queener will be speaking about the challenges and rewards that may come in counseling diverse groups of clients.

Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury, Ph.D., is a bilingual pediatric psychologist currently employed at Metro Health Medical Center, the public county hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He also holds an appointment as a Senior Instructor in the Department of Pediatrics and is clinical faculty in the Department of Psychology at Case Western Reserve University. His clinical interests lie in Autism Spectrum Disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, and Hispanic children and families. He has served as the first Member-at-Large Diversity representative for APAGS, Chair of APAGS Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns, and the APAGS representative to the Ethics Code Revision Task Force. While on APAGS, he co-authored a survival guide for ethnic minority graduate students. He is a past chair of the APA Committee on Early Career Psychologists. Currently, Dr. El-Ghoroury is the chair of the Public Education Campaign for OPA, and is a member of the APA Board of Professional Affairs. He is also the ECP representative to the APA Task Force to revise the Model Licensure Act. Dr. El-Ghoroury will be speaking about licensure laws and ethics and how these affect the early psychologist. He will also give tips on finding your optimal job as a psychologist.

Suzanne LeSure is a past President of OPA and the current APA Council Representative for Ohio. Suzanne is also the Chair of Psychology and Psychiatry at Medina General Hospital and also acts as Assistant Professor at the Northeastern Ohio College of Medicine. Further, she is the Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Comprehensive Psychological Services in Medina, Ohio, where she manages an outpatient behavioral health practice.

Suzanne’s discussion today involves the recent debate regarding treatment of detainees and the APA Council’s position as such.

Registration: You must RSVP to Sarah Jensen in order to attend at: jensen.5@wright.edu. Please note: If you RSVP and do not show you will be invoiced by OPA and still have to pay for the event.

OPA Annual Convention - Building a Psychologically Healthy Society: Theory, Research and Practice
Save the dates - October 29-31, 2008
Concourse Hotel & Conference
4300 International Gateway
Columbus, OH 43219

Workshops and presentations will include special topics for graduate students. In addition, a poster session held during the convention provides an opportunity for graduate students to present their research and win prizes!

Ohio Psychological Association of Graduate Students (OPAGS)
2007 Workshop Wrap-up

WHEN: Saturday, April 21, 2007 - 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
WHERE: Kelley Auditorium, Alter Hall Xavier University Campus, Cincinnati
COST: Pre-registration - $10/Same-day registration - $12
**Registration includes breakfast, lunch, parking and materials**

THE USE OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING IN TREATING SUBSTANCE ABUSE - Dr. Marjorie McKelvey Isaacs
Dr. Marjorie McKelvey Isaacs is a Clinical Psychologist who is currently in private practice. She received her clinical training from Wright State University with further training in art therapy from University of Louisville. She has over 15 years of experience working within the mental health field, and in addition to her private practice, she teaches meditation techniques to children.

Dr. McKelvey Issacs will discuss the use of motivational interviewing, currently one of the best forms of treatment for substance abuse. She will discuss its use in eliciting behavior change and will describe the differences between it and more conventional treatment approaches for substance abuse. Students will learn how this technique attempts to increase the clients’ awareness of the potential problems caused, consequences experienced, and risks faced as a result of the behavior in question.

FROM MANGO STREET TO COLLEGE DRIVE: LATIN@ COLLEGE STUDENT VOICES IN A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE CAMPUS - Ernesto R. Escoto, PhD & Ana C. Berrios-Allison, PhD, LPC
Dr. Ernesto R. Escoto received his PhD in counseling psychology from New Mexico State University. Currently, Dr. Escoto holds a Senior Staff Psychologist Position with counseling and consultation service at The Ohio State University and has provided mental health and diverse-workforce management consulting services in Columbus, OH.

Dr. Berrios-Allison, originally from Lima, Peru, pursued her graduate studies in the counselor education program at The Ohio State University. She has extensive experience with career counseling, individual and group counseling, academic advising, teaching, and consulting for various university career services nationwide. She has been recognized for her cultural activism as the recipient of numerous research grants and leadership awards.

Dr. Escoto and Dr. Berrios-Allison’s presentation will examine a practical response to the Latin@ / Hispanic college student needs, as they cope with issues of adjustment and transition to college life in a predominantly white institution. The institutional and cultural climate that the students encounter will be explored and the influences of acculturation level, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity will be discussed. A video telling of the stories of Latin@ / Hispanic students will be shown and samples of various types of formal and cultural-specific interventions will be discussed.

PROBLEMATIC SUPERVISION…WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT? - Dr. Carrie Murphy
Carrie Murphy, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist on the child and adolescent team at Tri-County Mental Health and Counseling Centers in Athens, Ohio where she currently provides direct clinical service and supervision and has had both pre-and post-doctoral formal supervision training. She has particular interest in bringing issues of self-awareness and cultural sensitivity into supervision, as they are especially critical to her practice in rural Appalachian areas and otherwise underserved areas.

Dr. Murphy will speak about the supervision process and difficulties that may arise during it. She will offer guidance and suggestions to students in how to deal with these difficulties in a constructive and productive manner.

CULTS, COERCIVE INFLUENCE, & TERRORISM: CLINICAL APPLICATIONS - Dr. Paul R. Martin
Dr. Paul Martin and his wife Barbara founded Wellspring Retreat & Resource Center in 1986. Since that time his work as a counselor, educator and victim advocate has helped over 800 clients permanently free themselves from the powerful influence of cults and other abusive groups. In 1992 he received the John G. Clark Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Cult Studies. A pioneer on the cutting edge of terrorism, mind control, and cult issues for years, Dr. Martin's work has culminated in a unique approach known as "The Wellspring Model". Dr. Martin is a cult survivor.

Dr. Martin will speak about the influence of cults and mind control on terrorism and their clinical applications.

MEDITATION, RELAXATION, AND MINDFULNESS FOR THE CLIENT AND FOR THE THERAPIST - Dr. Rick Reckman
Dr. Reckman is a past president of the Ohio Psychological Association. He has been meditating on a daily basis for 34 years. He teaches clinical psychology doctoral students at Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati in an adjunct role.

Dr. Reckman’s program will include the teaching of a meditation practice and an explanation of when this practice and relaxation techniques can be used to help clients. He will talk with students about mindfulness practices and their applications in treatment. He will also engage students in practicing mindfulness methods to help them stay focused during sessions and in everyday living.

OPAGS DIVERSITY EXHIBIT
The OPAGS Workshop will also feature a diversity exhibit that can be viewed anytime during the day. The exhibit will highlight various diversity themes including: disability, multiracial identity development, the use of art in ethnic identity development, counseling southeast Asians, immigration, homosexuality in youth and "lookism" to name a few!

OPA Annual Convention - Transitions: Learning, Growth and Change Through the Lifespan
Quest Business Center
Columbus, Ohio
October 24-26, 2007

Ohio Psychological Association of Graduate Students (OPAGS)
2006 Spring Institute Wrap-up

WHEN: Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 9:00am – 3:30pm
WHERE: Kelley Auditorium, Alter Hall, Xavier University Campus - Cincinnati, Ohio

SELF CARE FOR THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL (Dr. Rick Reckman)
Dr. Rick Reckman is the current chair of the Membership Committee of OPA and an OPA Past-President. He currently teaches part-time at Xavier University and has a special interest in assisting students in the transition from graduate school to the practice of psychology.
Dr. Reckman will speak about the importance of self-care for graduate students as they complete their academic work and become practicing clinicians. He will offer guidance and suggestions to promote relaxation and well-being throughout one’s career.

SEX THERAPY 101 (Dr. Jill Bley)
Dr. Jill Bley is a clinical psychologist and is certified by the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. She is a founder of Women Helping Women/Rape Crisis Center and a Sex Therapy Clinic, both of which are located in Cincinnati.
Dr. Bley will offer an introduction into sex therapy and discuss how one becomes a sex therapist. She will also address subspecialty areas of sex therapy such as sexual addictions/compulsions, genital pain disorders, sexuality and disabilities.

MORE THAN JUST POLITICS (Dr. David Hayes)
Dr. David Hayes is a clinical psychologist and is currently the President-Elect of OPA. David’s work has focused largely on state and federal advocacy, earning him OPA’s Distinguished Service Award and APA’s Karl Heiser award for advocacy.
Dr. Hayes will speak broadly about current issues in legislation that are applicable to graduate students in psychology. In particular, he will discuss and explain current legislation regarding licensure and how changes in legislation may impact graduate students.

WORKING WITH LOW INCOME CLIENTS (Dr. Charles Kapp)
Dr. Charles Kapp is currently the Vice-President of Northkey Community Care Children’s Intensive Services, an inpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents, where he has had extensive experience in working with low income children and families.
Dr. Kapp will address the stereotypes associated with low SES individuals and will discuss the challenges in working with this population, including how to provide service while still maintaining an economically prosperous clinical practice.

PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY (Dr. Gerald Strauss)
Dr. Gerald Strauss currently chairs OPA’s advocacy committee and is an OPA Past-President. Dr. Strauss will discuss the current debate surrounding prescriptive authority for psychologists. This lecture will include a history of the prescriptive authority movement, APA’s current stance, state-by-state differences, current legislation and future directions for this movement.

9:00 - 9:30 am	Registration and Breakfast
9:30-10:20 am	Self Care for the Young Professional (Dr. Rick Reckman)
10:30-11:20 am	Sex Therapy 101 (Dr. Jill Bley)
11:30-12:20 pm	More Than Just Politics (Dr. David Hayes)
12:30 - 1:15 pm	LUNCH / OPAGS BOARD ELECTION VOTING
1:15-2:05 pm	Working With Low Income Clients (Dr. Charles Kapp)
2:05-2:20 pm	BREAK
2:20-3:10 pm	Prescription Authority (Dr. Gerald Strauss)
3:10-3:30 pm	Announcement of Election Results / Wrap-up