Below are highlights of division programming at the 2014 convention in Washington, D.C. A full schedule (e.g., presenters, discussants, times, locations, other programming, etc.) provided by APA is available to download or view/print from the following link:

Full Summary (PDF)

Given the expense of the location, attendees should book APA-sponsored hotel rooms ASAP. You can find information about lodging at http://www.apa.org/convention/

Wizdom P. Hammond, PhD, MPH
Title: Psychology and Public Health: A Research Program of African American Men's Health

Dr. Hammond will discuss her unique research program blending psychology and public health. Dr. Hammond is a recent White House Fellow and worked with the department of defense. Most recently, she served as an Assistant Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education (HBHE) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Gillings School of Global Public Health and a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center faculty member. Her community-based domestic research examines the impact of neighborhood, healthcare, and socioeconomic resources on racial health disparities, with an emphasis on vulnerable Black males. She has published numerous scientific articles and book chapters. In 2009, she gave invited expert testimony to the President’s Cancer Panel about racial/ethnic minority healthcare experiences. Prior to her positions at UNC, she was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar at the University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley. She is an American Psychological Association (APA) Minority and Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow who received a Ph.D. and M.S. in Clinical Psychology and M.P.H. in HBHE from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. In recognition of outstanding dissertation research, Dr. Hammond received APA’s Division 51 Loren Frankel Award. Dr. Hammond obtained her B.A., summa cum laude, in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she received the Thurgood Marshall, Malcolm-King Leadership, and Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program Alumnae of the Year awards.

It is my pleasure to formally announce the titles of the symposia, conversation hours, and skill-building sessions that were accepted for this year’s APA convention in DC. This year we have a wonderful program made up of presentations that cover the gamut of topics focused on at-risk men, men’s health, the history of the psychology of men and masculinity, and novel approaches to working with men. For full information on each presentation, including chair/author names, discussants, dates, and times, please download the full program summary.

Title: Gender in the 2010s: Female, Male, & Transgender Issues and Perspectives*
Brief Description: Discussion will begin with brief identification of issues at the forefront of gender research, practice, and advocacy. It will be followed by discussion that includes feminine, transgender, and masculine perspectives. *Approved for CE credits.

Title: Reducing Violence and Increasing Prosocial Behavior by Supporting Healthy Masculinity Development
Brief Description: Through experiential activities the audience will explore influences impacting the socialization of males in the U.S. The facilitators will lead the group through the integration of the theory with skills to effectively reduce violence among males.

Title: Men’s Health: New Research Directions
Brief Description: This program will present recent quantitative and qualitative research on men’s health. First, it will synthesize the results of two recent studies on the relationship between masculinity constructs and men’s health, which found that some masculinity constructs act as risk factors while others serve as protective buffers, and which evaluated a multiple mediator model. Second, it will report results of a qualitative interview study with obese men participating in a newly developed ‘male-friendly’ program in the UK. Third, it will present new findings on curvilinear relationships between the drive for muscularity and health behaviors.

Title: Men's Groups in Action: Diverse Contexts, Perspectives, and Populations
Brief Description: This symposium highlights how diverse male participants respond to various types of men’s groups. The variables of ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, and culture will be discussed in the context of therapeutic work with men.

Title: Parenting of Men with Co-Occurring Intimate Partner Violence and Substance Abuse Histories
Brief Description: This symposium will review results from three studies that interview men directly and observe them with their children to examine factors associated with parenting and how IPV and SA may impact parenting of men with these issues.

Title: “A New Psychology of Men” (Basic Books, 1995): A Twenty Year Perspective
Brief Description: “A New Psychology of Men” (Basic Books, 1995; and still in print) has been cited as “the most salient publication” in the new psychology of men (Cochrane, 2010, p. 45). The 2014 convention marks the 20th anniversary of this influential volume. In this unique panel, the volume’s Co-editors, selected chapter authors, and others newer to the field look back over the past 20 years to offer their perspectives on where the field has gone since 1995, what has been accomplished, and where does the field need to go from here.

Title: Connecting research to practice in multifaceted ways with male veterans*
Brief Description: This symposium discusses three practice-oriented research studies aimed at improving the health and well-being of military veterans through focusing on affective meaning in life, improving sleep quality, and implementing a suicide prevention program. *Approved for CE credits.

Title: New Applications and Research of the Men’s Center Approach
Brief Description: This symposium features the Men's Center Approach to helping men live healthier lifestyles through community-based interventions, promoting cancer screenings, and utilizing spirituality as a pathway to help-seeking in diverse populations of men.

Title: Reducing Health Disparities: Psychology’s Role in Improving the Health of Boys and Men
Brief Description: Disadvantaged boys and men disproportionately experience poor health and early death. An APA Working Group on Health Disparities in Boys and Men propose recommendations to reduce stress, violence, trauma and substance use in this population.

Title: Difficult dialogues in clinical practice with boys and men: Masculinity, gender and social justice*
Brief Description: Boys and men do gender in ways that restrict their emotional and social development. This presentation will discuss how to facilitate difficult conversations about masculinity and power with boys and men in schools, prisons, and college campuses. *Approved for CE credits.

Workshops By Division 51 members

“Women Counseling Men: Practicing Male-Friendly Therapy"

4 CE units - Saturday August 9th 1-4:50 p.m.
Presenters:  Terri Morse LMHC & Holly Sweet Ph.D.

This introductory workshop examines how men may view and utilize therapy and discuss how gender norms may impact female therapist/male client dyads. Through role playing, video clips, case studies, and didactic presentation, participants will explore a variety of male-friendly therapeutic interventions. Challenges female therapists may face will be addressed, including negative counter-transference and dealing successfully with aggressive, sexist, narcissistic, sexualizing, or emotionally restricted men. Special attention will be paid to the role that shame may play in men's lives, as well as how to set healthy boundaries with male clients while remaining empathic to their struggles.  Some scholarships may be available for graduate students.  To apply, contact Dr. Holly Sweet (). Pricing information available here.

I will make sure that any announcements and updates are displayed here and on the website in the coming months leading to the convention. If you have any question, please feel free to contact me.

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far, and let’s have a great convention!

Ryon C. McDermott, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Professional Studies
Combined Clinical and Counseling Psychology PhD program
University of South Alabama
University Commons 3600
Mobile, AL, 36688