Clinical Science APA Society for the Science of Clinical Psychology III Section III of the Division of Clinical Psychology of Division12 the American Psychological Association Ψ Developing clinical psychology as an experimental-behavioral science Newsletter Winter 2020: Volume 24, Issue 1 SSCP Executive Board Inside The Issue President: Joanne Davila, Ph.D. Stony Brook University Presidential Column J. Davila........................................................................................................2 Past-President: Carolyn Becker, Ph.D. Trinity University Diversity Corner President-Elect: “And Then There Was COVID”: Understanding the Graduate Student Cindy McGeary, Ph.D. Experience from the Perspective of an African American Student During University of Texas Health Science COVID-19 Center D. McDuffie...................................................................................................6 Secretary/Treasurer: Matthew Lerner, Ph.D. Stony Brook University Clinician Perspective Client Attitudes Towards Telemental Health and What We Can Do to Division 12 Representative: Address Them Robert Klepac, Ph.D. University of Texas Health Science H. Brockstein................................................................................................9 Center Student Representatives: Early Career Perspective Alexandra Klein, M.A. “It Won’t Cost You Much, Just Your Voice!”: On Rediscovering A Human Case Western Reserve University Voice in Academia Ana Rabasco, M.A. C. Rodriguez-Seijas...................................................................................12 Fordham University At Large Members: Student Perspective Katherine Baucom, Ph.D. Telehealth in Clinical Psychology: Challenges and Future Directions University of Utah H. Willis......................................................................................................15 Michael Wheaton, Ph.D. Barnard College Introductory SSCP Diversity Blog..............................................19 Postdoc Representative: Amy Stewart, Ph.D. Awards & Recognition.....................................................................20 University of California, Los Angeles Convention Coordinator: Student Special Feature..................................................................29 Rosanna Breaux, Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University Updates from Student Representatives Diversity Committee Representative: A. Klein & A. Rabasco...............................................................................31 Joya Hampton-Anderson, Ph.D. Emory School of Medicine Articles published in Clinical Science represent the views of the authors and not necessarily Clinical Science Editor: those of the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology, the Society of Clinical Psychology, Jessica L. Hamilton, Ph.D. or the American Psychological Association. Submissions representing differing views, com- University of Pittsburgh ments, and letters to the editor are welcome. Clinical Science Vol. 24 (2/3): Fall 2020 2 Presidential Column Joanne Davila, Ph.D. Stony Brook University I will start this Presi- stage for how I have been thinking about what’s dential column by say- happened, and SSCP’s role going forward. Back ing that this has not in September 2019, when I was President-Elect, been the year I thought Tom Olino (our prior APS Convention organizer) it was going to be. told me that I would need to give a Presidential Indeed, I never could address at APS. Somehow, I hadn’t realized that. have predicted what I actually like giving talks, but I didn’t know what I would happen during wanted to talk about and the idea of a Presidential my SSCP Presidency address felt somewhat daunting. So I said to Tom, and how science could “Ugh, do I have to? I really don’t want to... Would be affected. I wrote this I be totally out of line if I didn’t do this?” Tom was column in early Septem- quite surprised by this, knowing me, and he was ber, as I was reflecting very kind in response (and basically said “yes, you on a very difficult six have to”), but I continued to fret (privately) about months. And even in the my talk. Well, then came the COVID pandemic, weeks between when the cancellation of APS, and, of course, the can- I prepared this column cellation of my talk. Fortunately, I’m enough of a and its publication just now, events happened, the scientist to know that I didn’t cause the pandem- timing of which I could not have predicted. ic with my wish to not give a talk, but it certainly is one of those “be careful what you wish for” One of those was the passing of Scott Lilienfeld. situations! Anyway, not to let passive avoidance take over, I wrote my Presidential address and Though I could not have predicted when we would delivered it as an SSCP VCL. And, of course, now lose Scott, it was not unexpected. Sadly, when I really wish that I had been able to give the talk I stepped into the role of President in January, I at APS. knew that it was coming. What I didn’t know was coming last January was that Scott would resign I’ve had a number of moments this past year and sever his relationship with SSCP later in June. when I wished for things, in addition to those That was completely unexpected. I never would related to my Presidential address. I wished have predicted it, nor the content and intensity of the pandemic had never happened. I wished the listserv debate that he initiated. Regardless George Floyd (and all the others) had never been of your take on that debate, I suspect that most of murdered. I wished that we could just go back us would agree that the debate changed SSCP in to the time before all of this. But, of course, we some ways. I also believe that we can find another can’t. And I quickly came to see that we shouldn’t, point of agreement. Whatever your feelings about even if we could, because these events must Scott, I think we can all agree that Scott made be used to teach us about science. The COVID extensive, significant contributions to clinical pandemic, and how it has been handled, reinforc- psychological science, and challenged the field es the importance of science, the importance of to think critically in novel ways. This is why Scott using science to make informed decisions, and received the SSCP Visionary Award (formerly the importance of promoting science to everyone. the Scott Lilienfeld Visionary Award). Though the The blatant racist police brutality in the US has award no longer bears his name (on his request), drawn our attention to, among other things, the that he was the inaugural recipient of it will always structural and systemic racism that exists, includ- be a part of SSCP history. In addition, as you may ing in science and academia. Although it’s easy know from the listserv, the SSCP Board is discuss- to wish this wasn’t true, we would be abandoning ing, in consultation with stakeholders, the best way our roles as scientists if we did so. to honor Scott in the context of his resignation and request. A key aspect of science is questioning. When I was growing up, I was told not to question things, So, now I will continue on with what I wrote in early and particularly not to ask people too many ques- September, reflecting on other unexpected events tions. But I had a lot of questions, and, although it of the year and their effect on science. I’ll start was hard for me to ask them (you can only imag- by telling you a non-scientific story that sets the ine the first time I did therapy!), I wanted to, and I Clinical Science Vol. 24 (2/3): Fall 2020 3 knew I had to. My training reinforced this. So now, I that the quality of the relationships we have with bring this questioning to my own science and to the people, and the extent to which we feel support- endeavor of science itself in light of calls to look at ed and not discriminated against (including in our structural and systemic racism. If we, as scientists, workplace), is related to our well-being, and this don’t question our own science – including, how it appears to be true across racial/ethnic groups. developed, what we value and why, our assump- tions, the theories and methods and samples we My reflections on what has happened in our world use – then we’re not being good scientists. since March 2020 and on the state of relation- ship science (broadly speaking) reinforced two key things that I believe we, as individuals, as an “If we, as scientists, don’t question our organization, and as a field, need to do. One is own science – including, how it devel- to examine ourselves and our science because, oped, what we value and why, our as I noted earlier, questioning is a foundation of assumptions, the theories and meth- science. The other is to build supportive relation- ods and samples we use – then we’re ships with others, because science tells us how not being good scientists.” critical relationships are to healthy functioning, across diverse individuals. Importantly, both of these are central to developing cultural humility My Presidential address was all about question- and to creating an inclusive environment. At the ing. Although not focused on issues related to core of doing so is self-examination and aware- racism, it was focused on other aspects of diver- ness, the examination and awareness of struc- sity in relationship science, including sexual and tures in our life that we have taken for granted, and gender orientation, and diversity in relationship being other-oriented in a way that conveys under- types. In the talk, I questioned key assumptions standing, value, and respect, and allows for the on which the field had been operating, with the building of collaborative relationships (e.g., Duan, hopes of encouraging new ways of thinking about 2020; Hook, Davis, Owen, & DeBleare, 2017). and approaching relationships. Relationship sci- ence also needs to pay greater attention to diver- In the context of this, let me reflect on my SSCP sity with regard to race/ethnicity as well, though I Presidency thus far. In my February 2020 column, am heartened by the work that does exist.