Also during 2015, DCPA held 4 Social Events, 10 Monthly Book Club meetings, 11 meetings of the Mindfulness and Psychotherapy Study Group, and 2 very Special Events, with celebrated guest speakers. In April the internationally renowned organizational psychologist Dr. Michael Maccoby gave a stimulating presentation on Strategic Intelligence, after which all retired to a nearby restaurant for dinner and continued conversation with the delightful Dr. Maccoby.  October saw the Inauguration of the new Center for Learning and Professional Development (CLPD) and its newly-constituted Division, the Mind, Body, & Spirit Institute.  American University Professor and expert in Conflict Resolution, Dr. Abdul-Aziz Said, celebrated the Center and its new Institute with a thought-provoking presentation. It is anticipated that the Center will promote continued expansion of our Association to include more areas of special interest, additional divisions, and more programming of interest to more of our members. The very capable Ron Simpson, B.Sc., currently our Director of Communications and Marketing, has been appointed Executive Director of the Center.

Two additional new appointments reflect DCPA’s expanding capability to provide services to our members and our community: Jade Wood, MA, LMFT is our new Disaster Response Network Coordinator, linking us to APA’s (and the Red Cross’) Disaster Response Network. Samira Paul, B.Sc., has been selected to attend the APA State Leadership Conference as DCPA’s Diversity Delegate.

This past year has seen critical developments for the profession of psychology, both nationally and locally, and your DCPA has been there, representing District psychologists and making your voice heard via public letters, surveys, listservs, and representation to local and national organizations that impact our profession. When the Hoffman Report regarding APA Leadership’s involvement in facilitating the use of torture in government interrogations was published, DCPA kept you informed, posting to our website the Report, numerous articles, and the responses of other psychologists and organizations. Our Member Listserv facilitated discussion and response, culminating in an open letter to APA Leadership expressing the reaction and views of D.C. psychologists. Ongoing follow-up to the Hoffman Report into the forthcoming year is now being planned for our Membership and for future recommendations to APA.

On other fronts, DCPA has been active in establishing a liaison with the DC Board of Psychology to stay abreast of regulatory developments, and has provided consultation to the DC City Council on proposed bills affecting our profession and those whom we serve. For example, DCPA was asked by the City Council to comment on the proposed Death with Dignity Act, a bill regarding assisted-suicide for terminally ill patients. The bill was posted to the Membership Listserv and your comments were solicited. After consideration of comments and other available information, DCPA submitted its opinion to the Council in a letter from our President, Dr. Stephen Stein.

In August, DCPA was awarded a $45,000 grant from APA to assist in investigating and advocating for the removal of barriers to access to psychological services for DC Medicaid recipients. Most recently, thanks to our newly acquired status as an APA-approved sponsor of continuing education credits, DCPA has been named Lead Co-Sponsor of the Multi-State Summit on Alternative Practice Models and Integrated Care, to be held in DC in May 2016.