BCPA Annual Convention 2022


              
              



Greg Neimeyer PhD headshot
Dr. Claire Sira

Presenting:
Keynote Talk
Psychological Innovations to Remain Relevant
Friday, Nov 18 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
UBC Robson Square  (Hybrid format)

When the pandemic forced professionals to shift to online service delivery, Dr. Sira had to decide whether to shift with the times or struggle keeping the status quo. As she watched how the next generation of youth interacted with the world, Dr. Sira saw a strong need to change the way psychologists interacted with their clients. By looking outside of traditional psychology for inspiration and examples, she recognized innovation would come in different forms. Through a successful 15 year history of working on a hospitalbased team and having a private practice, she has provided individual treatments to help clients recover from catastrophic injuries and adjust to difficult experiences as a neurorehabilitation psychologist. Innovatively, she now delivers her expertise through video and skill building programs online, while partnering to bring a technical and administrative savvy to her practice.




              
              
Greg Neimeyer PhD headshot
Dr. Greg Neimeyer

Presenting:
Understanding the DSM-5-TR in the Era of the ICD-11: Diagnostic Developments for the Practicing Professional
Sat. November 19, 9:00 AM - 12:15 PM
UBC Robson Square  (Hybrid format)

Dr. Neimeyer is professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida, where he has taught doctoral courses on psychodiagnosis and psychopathology for over 30 years. He is an internationally recognized trainer and consultant on the ICD and the DSM.  A Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Div. 17), Dr. Neimeyer is also a previous chair of the Executive Board of the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs in the United States and has served as the Graduate Coordinator and Director of Training of the APA-approved doctoral training program in psychology at the University of Florida.  Dr. Neimeyer has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including a family practice medical center, VAMC, university counseling center, and in private practice. The author of over 200 scholarly journal articles and 10 books, Dr. Neimeyer is a recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Personality and Career Research.  His teaching and mentoring have received numerous recognitions, culminating in his induction into The Academy of Distinguished Teacher Scholars as a lifetime member. He currently serves as the Director of the Office of Continuing Education in Psychology and the Center for Learning and Career Development at the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C.


              
              
Lisa Cohen
Dr. Lisa Cohen

Presenting:
Novel Approaches to Suicide Assessment: How Do You Evaluate Actual Risk?
Thur. November 17, 12:00 - 01:00 PM
On Zoom

Dr. Lisa J. Cohen is clinical professor of psychiatry at the Carl Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, working at the Mount Sinai Beth Israel location. Dr. Cohen has long been involved with clinically relevant research in a wide range of topics relevant to psychiatry and psychology. Her more recent research domains have included suicide, personality pathology, childhood maltreatment, as well as pedophilia and minor attraction. She has previously researched opiate addiction, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. She has also written on psychological assessment. Dr. Cohen is an author on over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and three books. Her most recent book, The Psychotherapy of Personality Disorders: Emergent Systems Theory as an Integrative Model was published in 2022 (Lexington Books). Dr. Cohen received her PhD in clinical psychology from the City University of New York and performed her pre-doctoral internship at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City. She received her undergraduate education at the University of Michigan, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology and another one in Fine Arts. 




              
              
Lisa Cohen
Dr. Lesley Lutes

Co-presenting:
Assessments for Mental and Behavioral Health in Primary Care: No, They Are Not 8-Hour Assessments!
Fri. November 18, 01:30 - 02:30 PM
UBC Robson Square (Hybrid format)

Dr. Lesley Lutes is a Professor of Psychology, Director of Clinical Training, and Director of the Center for Obesity and Well-being Research Excellence at the University of British Columbia - on the Okanagan Campus.  Dr. Lutes is a clinical psychologist whose area of research is in behavioral medicine: developing innovative treatment approaches focused on lifestyle behavioral change, and improving mental health and well-being. Dr. Lutes received her honours undergraduate degree from Concordia University in Quebec, her Masters in Health and Exercise Science from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, her Phd in clinical psychology from Virginia Tech in Virginia, and completed her pre-doctoral residency in behavioral medicine at the University of Florida. Dr. Lutes has received over $7 million in grant funding to date, published over 70 peer reviewed papers, and completed over 100 national and international presentations to date – winning an international award for her work on small changes. In addition to her research, she is currently the Co-Director of Public Advocacy for the BC Psychological Association and recently completed her role as President of the Canadian Clinical Professional Psychology Programs. Since coming back to Canada in 2015, where she was born and raised, she has been passionate about helping change healthcare policy in BC, and integrating evidence-based models of care into primary care networks in order to improve the physical and mental health and well-being of individuals, improving physician wellness, and decreasing healthcare costs.




Greg Neimeyer PhD headshot
Melanie Nelson

Presenting:
Beginning Approaches to Culturally Relevant Practice with Indigenous Populations
Fri. November 18, 2:45 - 6:00 PM
UBC Robson Square  (Hybrid format)

Melanie is Samahquam (St’at’imc Nation) and Squiala (Stó:lō Nation), and has experience as an Indigenous Education and Inclusive Education teacher for students k-12 working in mainstream, adapted, modified, and alternate settings. Elder Gerry Oleman (Tsal’alh First Nation, St’at’imc) has been Eldering for her since November 2017, sharing traditional approaches to wellness while she receives Western training. Currently completing her doctoral studies in the School and Applied Child Psychology (SACP) program at UBC, her dissertation is a collaborative project with a local Nation exploring how their youth identify and access mental health supports in schools and community. She is a practicing clinician working with First Nations communities and has previous experience working in schools and doing not-for-profit work. She begins a tenure track position as an assistant professor in the SACP program at UBC with a focus on Indigenous youth mental health in schools in January 2023. 



              
              
Michael Saini

Dr. Michael Saini

Presenting:
Rating the Quality of Parenting Plan Evaluations in the Context of Separation and Divorce: A Critical Review of the Empirical Evidence
Sat. November 19, 2:45 - 6:00 PM
UBC Robson Square  (Hybrid format)

Professor Michael Saini holds the endowed Factor-Inwentash Chair in Law and Social Work.  He is the Co-Director of the combined J.D. and M.S.W. program with the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto.  His scholarship addresses the advancement of children and families’ wellbeing in systems governed by law. He has over 200 publications, including books, book chapters, government reports, and peer-reviewed journal articles. In 2019, He was awarded AFCC’ Stanley Cohen Distinguished Research Award, sponsored by the Oregon Family Institute.


              
              
Simon Elterman
Dr. Simon Elterman
Co-presenting:
Assessments for Mental and Behavioral Health in Primary Care: No, They Are Not 8-Hour Assessments!
Fri. November 18, 1:30 - 2:30 PM
UBC Robson Square  (Hybrid format)

Dr. Simon Elterman is a registered psychologist who has years of training and experience in primary care behavioural health. This includes graduate training in Oregon and Washington as well as years of experience on the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver in Primary Care Behavioural Health. He is one of the co-authors of the PCPsych proposal, which is the current proposal in government to fund higher-paying psychology positions in Primary Care Networks in BC. He is a member of the Advocacy Committee and Board of Directors of BCPA.

              
              
Yossef Ben-Porath
Dr. Yossef Ben-Porath

Presenting:
An MMPI-3 Overview with Case Illustrations
Thur. November 17, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
On Zoom

Dr. Ben-Porath is a Professor of Psychological Sciences at Kent State University. He received his doctoral training at the University of Minnesota and has been involved extensively in MMPI research for the past 37 years. He is a co-developer of the MMPI-3, MMPI-2-RF, and MMPI-A-RF and co-author of test manuals, books, book chapters, and articles on the MMPI instruments. Dr. Ben-Porath is a board-certified psychologist (American Board of Professional Psychology- Clinical) whose clinical practice involves supervision of assessments at Kent State’s Psychological Clinic, consultation to agencies that screen candidates for public safety positions, and provision of consultation and expert witness services in forensic cases.

                  



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