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 Jana N. Martin, Ph.D.
My involvement with Division 42 began many years ago with the marketing committee, and I have been hooked on 42 since then! I am more than honored to be nominated for President-Elect. I have enjoyed serving as member and Chair of the Marketing and Public Education Committee and, with the help of many, designed the member benefit brochure, Going Public with Your Private Practice: Using Public Education Materials to Enhance Your Practice. I also wrote and presented a distance learning module for Division 42 on practice building and have presented at APA for the Division on tips for early career and seasoned practitioners. Currently, I am Chair of a 42 Task Force on Health Care for the Whole Person. I am an APA Fellow by Division 42 nomination.
Throughout my graduate training and work as a psychologist for 24 years, I have believed in and participated in team and association efforts and have delighted in serving in many leadership positions. I served as Chair, Professional Affairs Committee, Mississippi Psychological Association; President and 10-year Board member, LA County Psychological Association (LACPA); President, California Psychological Association (CPA); Chair, Marketing Committee, CPA; and Public Education Campaign Coordinator, American Psychological Association (APA) for 7+ years. I have also served in many leadership roles with various community organizations. I believe that my leadership experiences have served and prepared me well for the office of President-Elect of Division 42.
Independent practitioners continue to face challenges in the public’s awareness of how psychology improves and enhances functioning on an individual basis, in collaboration with other professionals within and outside of the health arena, and in society at large. If psychology’s primary role in health care and other critical life and work tasks is more visible and respected, the public benefits, and practitioners will see their practices flourish, their fulfillment increase, and their skills put to good use. Additionally, practitioners can truly be more “independent” and will not have to be forced into a model of practice which does not fit their individual training and strengths.
Division 42 with its focus on advocacy for practice, addressing member needs, providing tools to enhance practices, and professional collaboration is THE division to move the independent practice of psychology forward. The Division has a wealth of resources in its membership, has a demonstrated record of listening to needs of members, and has the ability to connect resources with those needs so that the public and other professionals know the value of psychology, and practices are strengthened. Creatively sharing practice building tips and collaborative models, providing members with tangible benefits, and supporting and integrating public education efforts with marketing strategies are steps to movement forward. Central to my activities as an independent practitioner and a leader in the profession is positioning psychology so that it can emerge as a necessary and vital leader in health care, in business, in education, and in the community. I would appreciate the opportunity to lead the movement of psychology forward as President-elect of Division 42.
 Virginia Theo-Steelman, Ed.D.
I’m honored to be a candidate for President of Division 42 and I hope you’ll consider giving me your number one vote.
As a lifelong practitioner in private practice and member of Division 42 I am committed to advancing those issues crucial to preserving our unique heritage. Each of us brings something special to practice. Having been a board member of NHPA for eight years where I participated in numerous committees I created and chaired the Personnel/Human Resources Committee while also serving as New Hampshire’s representative to APA Council for six years. I am very cognizant of the many obstacles facing the independent practitioner. Division 42 has a singular role in advancing and supporting its members – those of us “in the trenches.” If elected, I intend to continue to protect and promote the opportunities for all independent practitioners. Being an independent practitioner has been my life.
Currently I am a board member of Division 31 and a member of the APA Committee on Rural Health. Having the opportunity to participate in these agenda has influenced the perspective I bring to the table. Being in a leadership role in state psychological associations allows me to stay connected to fellow clinicians, sharing our concerns as well as enjoyments. Those clinicians who practice in rural areas need to be recognized for the contributions and sacrifices they are making by choosing to offer professional skills and training to an underserved population.
What further informs the agenda I will bring to the presidency are two important matters. I was very fortunate to be elected to the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI). All of the APA committees whose responsibilities are the populations in the diversity spectrum are subsumed within BAPPI. The experience of being a board member whose mission was to advance the agendas of those serving the several minority populations was eye-opening, humbling and yet incredibly and personally fulfilling. Another experience that informs who I am is the clinical population I have worked with over my career. I have worked with adolescents in correctional settings who frequently were less delinquent than neglected, emotionally disturbed, or abused. From those earliest days spanning my professional life I have generally, although not exclusively, worked with clients who have suffered societal injustices, trauma, and abuse.
This is a brief overview of who I am and what I hope to contribute as President of Division 42. I welcome your inquiries and would appreciate your support for my candidacy. Thank you – Ginny Theo-Steelman, Ed.D.
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