AMHF Attends Northeast Conference for Teachers of Psychology


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Lynde Kayser

On Friday, October 28, 2011, AMHF attended the 17th Annual Meeting of the Northeast Conference for Teachers of Psychology. This is a group of psychologists, who teach in colleges and universities, dedicated to improving their teaching of undergraduates and graduates. Participants of the group come from a wide range of specialties and interests including developmental, clinical, counseling, organizational, experimental, and many other fields.

I found the Afternoon Keynote Address, by Dr. Wade Pickren, to be especially interesting in view of our recent discussions on the AMHF blog on the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders (DSM V).

Dr. Pickren’s talk followed many of the points brought up by our foundation director, Evander Lomke: not only are there too many diagnoses being created, many of these do not capture the phenomenology of problems experienced by persons who live in non-Western cultures. Dr. Pickren offered some fascinating examples based on his study and travels.

Dr. Janine Buckner (of Seton Hall University) and Carolyn Vigorito (of St. John’s University) presented a workshop on “Defining the Value of Lifelong Learning, in and through the Classroom.” They spoke of ways to help psychology teachers inculcate a mindset of wanting to become lifelong learners after leaving college. This goal fits in nicely with our own aims at AMHF: of disseminating information through books, workshops, and the Internet.

Of special interest to me was the presentation of Marist student Lynde Kayser, “Teaching Psychological Assessment Across the Lifespan for persons with Autism.”

NECTOP is an especially collegial and friendly group and it was a pleasure to be part of their yearly endeavor.


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