Welcome!

It is with great pride that we acknowledge New Jersey's important decision to designate May as "Mental Health Awareness Month" (MMHA) to raise public awareness of mental health to remove the stigma, fear, and misunderstanding about mental illness and thereby encourage treatment. (P.L. 2017, Joint Resolution No. 9, approved July 13, 2017 Senate Joint Resolution No. 62).  In 2019, NJPA expanded the May is Mental Health Awareness Month to include April, which is nationally designated as Minority Health Month.   

This year, our focus is on #Know: helping the public recognize the signs of emotional and psychological distress, #Go: understanding the expertise psychologists possess, and #Grow: discovering the potential of learning and growing oneself towards an enhanced life. 

May 3:  Five Northeast Counties Association of Psychologists (NCAP) members, Drs. Caridad Moreno, Stephanie Coyne, Yolanda Hawkins-Rodgers, Nansie Ross, and student board member, Kellie McClain, appeared on WCTV to talk about mental health.  They answered questions ranging from How do psychologists differ from other mental health professionals? to insurance (parity) crisis intervention, childhood trauma, resources, and much more.  Watch here: 

May 19: Mental Health Awareness: Building Blocks of Resilience, a community event organized by the Northeast Counties Association of Psychologists (NCAP) and hosted by Mayor John Birkner, Jr., will be taking place at the Westwood Community Center. It includes a panel of NJPA members Robert McGrath, PhD, and Stephanie Coyne, PhD, and the Director of Community Resources for Bergen's Promise, Kathryn Werheim, MA, MPA who will discuss a variety of topics such as self-care, healthy coping with life's problems, stress management, mind/body connection, crisis intervention, when to seek professional help and how to find it, and community resources for families with or without insurance. Our representatives will also have a table at the event with informational flyers, Mental Health Awareness key chains and ribbons, and NJPA brochures for attendees. We are grateful for the hard work of the NCAP Outreach Committee who put this this program together, engaged the speakers, located a town that would host the event, and invited other organizations to exhibit. They have ten mental health organizations requesting a table at the event!  Read the flyer here. 

Video Contest: 

May is Mental Health Month! 

VOTING HAS ENDED!  VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO VIEW THE ENTRIES!

Our #GetPsyched is our mental health video campaign is now closed but voting is still open! We challenged NJ communities to focus on #Know, #GO, #Grow, to help spread the word about the signs of mental distress, where to find help, and working on bettering one's life.   We looked for short videos that would help change attitudes towards mental health and help create a movement that brings everyone together to collectively work to end stigma and discrimination and embrace acceptance and inclusion.  Top 3 videos with the highest total number of views will be awarded the following prizes (these prize amounts may also increase over time): 1. First Place: $225.00 2. Second Place: $100.00, 3. Third Place: $75.00

Public E-Newsletter:  Look for our public e-newsletter to be released this month to our 2,500 subscribers including NJPA members and non-members.  This issue focuses on parents/caregivers and childhood.  Thank you to our Editor-in-Chief, Michelle Miller, PsyD, the Editorial Board, and NJPA members Susan Esquilin, PhD, Eric Herschman, PsyD, Leslie Becker-Phelps, PhD, Michelle Pievsky, PhD, Deana Stevens, PsyD, and Carla Andrews, PsyD for authoring articles! 

Are You Ready for the June 2019 License Renewal? 

New this year, you will have to attest that you have completed your 40 (four of which must be about domestic violence) continuing education requirements to renew your license. You also need to organize and store records of your continuing education. The Board of Psychological Examiners will perform audits on randomly selected licenses to determine compliance with the continuing education requirements. 

Click here to read all about Rules and Regulations.  NJPA members can submit a request here for assistance locating certificates earned from 2017 to present.

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