President's Message

It’s with great pleasure that I write this first column as I begin my year as Division 42 President. I am honored to serve in this role and look forward to working collaboratively with you, our valued members, to achieve our shared goals. Division 42 was created to advance the independent practice of psychology. Today, as when the division was founded, we face a number of challenges that require our focused efforts. We must work together to protect independent practice at present and to ensure its vitality and success in the future. One of the primary goals of Division 42 is to assist our members to be more successful in their practices. The many volunteer Board members, Committee chairs and members, and Task Force chairs and members are working actively throughout the year to achieve this goal. We have a vibrant and active division with many ongoing projects and activities that will hopefully benefit you directly in your practices. Along with the Division’s other volunteer leaders I have been working actively this past year on a number of initiatives and activities. This work has been done to build on past successes of the Division and to help ensure a great 2005 for Division 42.

As you have heard this past year from our 2004 President, Ron Fox, we must be active advocates on our own behalf. We must each see ourselves as agents of change. While we are indeed fortunate to have a number of dedicated volunteers who work hard to advance our profession and independent practice, we must each see ourselves as essential components of the formula for success. Without our personal involvement in the profession and active commitment to its success, we will be left on the sidelines as others achieve success. Historically, psychologists are overall a rather passive group. We tend to fall at the bottom of all health professions in political giving and advocacy. While Division 42, the APA Practice Organization, and the Association for the Advancement of Psychology ( www.appnet.org ) are busy working on our behalf, their collective efforts and ability to help us are greatly impacted by how actively we support them. We must generously support these organizations and become active in the political process.

A new means of communication with you, our members, that I initiated in September is the Division’s new monthly e-mail newsgram In Touch With 42. If you haven’t been receiving it please send me your e-mail address at drjbarnett1@comcast.net. I’ll then make sure you receive it each month. To view past issues you may visit the President’s Corner on the Division 42 website [click here]. The goal of In Touch With 42 is to keep you informed of ongoing Division 42 activities and timely news and announcements of relevance to independent practice as well as to share resources with you that may be of help to you in practice.

As independent practitioners we understand that running a successful practice (and business) requires a very active approach in which we proactively work to advance our own success. We must do the same as a profession. Active participation in advocacy, political giving, and professional association involvement are essential for our personal and collective success as independent practitioners. Through our collective efforts we can accomplish great things. We are each an important component in the success of our own independent practices and in the success of our profession.

Division 42 is your Division. It is the home for all practitioners in APA. Whether you are in full-time solo practice, a member of a group, work part-time in practice and part-time in a salaried position, work in the courts, the schools, consulting, assessing, or treating, this is your Division. Division 42 provides you with great resources here in The Independent Practitioner, on our website at www.division42.org, through our convention program, continuing education activities, our PICK 42 niche guides, and other valuable resources. We’ll be adding to them this year with the specific goal of helping to ensure your success in practice. Subsequent President’s columns will share information with you about our ongoing efforts and activities in these and other areas.

As I begin my year as Division 42 President I am acutely aware of how much of a team effort the work of the Division is. We are indebted to all our volunteer Board, Committee, and Task Force members for all their dedication and commitment to our Division and to our futures as practitioners. In particular, I want to single out and thank two of our Board members. As President Elect this past year I benefited greatly from the wisdom, guidance, support, encouragement, and friendship of our 2004 President, Ron Fox, and our 2004 Past President, Jean Carter. They’ve played an invaluable role in helping me to prepare for this year and to build on past accomplishments of the Division.

If you would like to get more actively involved in Division 42, if you have suggestions or questions, or if you would like to discuss any issues related to Division 42 or independent practice please contact me directly at drjbarnett1@comcast.net. I look forward to a great year together.

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