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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION
N
IO
EWSLETTER
AM
ER AT
IC CI
AN SO
PSY AS
C H O L O GIC AL
DIV
ISIO N 36
A MERICAN P SYCHOLOGICAL A SSOCIATION D IVISION 36 V OLUME 31 N O 4
FALL 2006
W hen preparing this presidential address for the Psychology of Religion division of the
American Psychological Association, I had two goals in mind. The first was to give an
overview of my primary research interest over the past decade, which pertains to princi-
ples of effective clergy-psychology collaboration, and the second was to summarize my
presidential initiative for the past year, which involved efforts to enhance an Islamic pres-
ence within Division 36. Perhaps these two fit together a bit awkwardly, but both goals
seem important enough that I persisted with a talk that combines them.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS with effective collaboration relationships (Benes, Walsh, McMinn, Dominguez, & Aikins,
[ FROM PAGE 1] 2000). As Director of Counseling Services at Catholic Social Services in Lincoln, Ne-
braska, Dr. Benes was responsible for the mental health services for a vast area of 24,000
square miles. She accomplished this by establishing consultation relationships with local
priests, many of whom were able to offer pastoral care services for parishioners with the
support of Dr. Benes’ consultation.
Communication
Once a relationship is established, it is important to maintain communication between
the psychologist and the clergy person. When my colleagues and I asked clergy and psy-
chologists to describe their best experience collaborating with a member of the other
profession, the most common written response had to do with effective communication
(McMinn et al. 2003). We received many comments such as: “[The psychologist] kept
me informed and asked my input with the permission of the client.”
Neftali Serrano’s work at Lawndale Christian Health Center in Chicago exemplifies
the importance of good communication (Serrano, 2005). Dr. Serrano communicated
with leaders from a variety of neighborhood churches and in the process established a lay
ministry program where he brought together and trained volunteers to help with the
spiritual and emotional needs of patients at the community health center. Effective com-
munication with clergy from a variety of ethnicities and denominations was an essential
aspect of Dr. Serrano’s work.
Respect
Clergy and psychologists who work together well demonstrate respect for one another.
When asked to describe positive collaborative experiences, psychologist respondents offer
comments such as “Working with a Rabbi, psychologically-minded, very expert in field,
yet respectful of my expertise as well. Seemed most interested in whatever helps mutual
client.” Clergy respondents offered similar comments, such as, “I worked side by side
with a Christian psychologist in our city. We would get together to discuss cases we
worked together on. Mutual respect was evident” (McMinn et al., 2003).
To understand the importance of respect, psychologists need to know something
about the paradox of respect that clergy face on a routine basis. On one hand, it is quite
common for clergy to be disrespected (Rediger, 1997). This appears to be related to un-
realistic expectations on the part of parishioners, coupled with a
propensity for the media to present clergy in a disparaging way. ...COLLABORATION
On the other hand, many clergy experience what has been called CHARACTERIZED
BY RESPECT...
the “pedestal effect.” That is, parishioners have a sort of rever-
ence for clergy that appears to be excessively respectful. Yet those
who live on a pedestal know there is only one direction to fall. In the context of this par-
adox of respect, it is especially important for psychologists to experience and communi-
cate an appropriate level of respect for clergy, yet without placing them on a pedestal.
An example of collaboration characterized by respect is seen in the parish-based as-
sessment model developed by Amy Dominguez (Dominguez & McMinn, 2003). This is a
three-stage assessment process that allows clergy to have an active voice in every aspect of
the assessment. Though clergy are normally reticent to allow psychologists access to con-
gregations (Lish, McMinn, Fitzsimmons, & Root, 2003), Dr. Dominguez has had success
doing so because of the respect implicit in her model of assessment.
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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 3
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS range of professionals regardless of whether they share the same ideologies. But the clergy
[ FROM PAGE 2] we have studied—albeit a relatively conservative subset of Christian clergy—do not view
this the same way. Chaddock and McMinn (1999) reported evidence that clergy are not
interested in collaborating with psychologists who do not share basic values regarding
faith beliefs. In another study we discovered that the main source of frustration when
collaborative efforts do not go well is related to a lack of shared values and beliefs
(McMinn et al., 2003).
Sara Savage’s work at the University of Cambridge is an example of effective collabo-
ration based on common values and goals (Savage, 2005). Dr. Savage has developed the
Beta course (www.beta-course.org), which is a parish-based program that addresses
questions of importance to both psychologists and clergy. The Beta course focuses on
several questions: What does a healthy relationship look like? How can my church be-
come a more caring community? Why do I find it so hard to forgive? Why am I depressed
and defeated by stress?
Complementary Expertise
For effective collaboration, both the psychologist and clergyperson must recognize that
the other person offers some expertise that they themselves do not have. Preliminary ev-
idence suggests that clergy are quite willing to say that psychologists offer unique expert-
ise that clergy do not have, but the converse is not necessarily true (McMinn et al., 2003).
That is, psychologists do not necessarily think that clergy offer something beyond what
psychology provides. This serves as an obstacle to effective collabo-
ration (McMinn, Chaddock, Edwards, Lim, & Campbell, 1998).
THE MAIN SOURCE
The work of Alex Galloway at Christ Community Health Ser- OF FRUSTRATION
vices in Memphis serves as an exemplar of this principle (Galloway, WHEN
COLLABORATIVE
2005). When Dr. Galloway entered into the largely African Ameri- EFFORTS DO NOT
can community in which Christ Community Health Services is lo- GO WELL IS RELATED
TO A LACK OF
cated, he sought mentoring from pastors in order to best address SHARED VALUES
the needs of the community. This serves as a heartening example AND BELIEFS
of a psychologist recognizing the expertise of clergy.
Trust
The final principle of trust might best be considered a meta-principle. That is, trust is not
merely accomplished by developing a collaborative attitude or set of skills, but it occurs
over time as the other 6 principles are practiced. Thomas Plante’s work (Plante, 1999,
2005) exemplifies the sort of trust that can be developed over a sustained period of col-
laboration. Dr. Plante works with the Roman Catholic Church in a variety of capacities,
including assessing candidates for religious life, evaluating and treating clergy, research,
and writing. Plante has established trust through shared values, long-term commitment
to the Church, and professional competence.
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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 4
Relationship
The panel served as a mechanism to begin some collaborative relationships. Dr. Ali
agreed to speak at the Division 36 midyear meeting in Maryland and her talk was a help-
ful overview of the Islamic faith. Dr. Ali and I hosted a conversation hour at this year’s
APA meeting to discuss with division members how we might enhance an Islamic pres-
ence in the division. Though there is much more to do with regard to developing better
Christian-Jewish-Muslim dialog within the division, the panel helped establish some
good working relationships and an initial conversation.
Communication
The panel discussion, of course, involved communication. It would have been better if we
had the budget and time to meet in person throughout the year but we did not, so we
communicated by email. Still, our communications were meaningful and substantive.
The non-Muslim members of the panel (Michael Donahue and myself) read and com-
mented on Dr. Basit’s book, The Essence of the Quran (Basit, 1997), and Muslim members
wrote openly about ways they experienced uncertainty and tension regarding religious is-
sues and psychology.
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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 5
There was a prayer room available at the APA convention this year, perhaps as a direct
result of the Task Force report. In the future, Division 36 may want to reconsider the
presence of a cash bar at our convention social hour because alcohol excludes some Mus-
lim psychologists from attending.
Complementary Expertise
Some of the Muslim psychologists on the panel expressed openness to learning more
about the psychology of religion, realizing that it is an area of scholarly inquiry that is not
familiar to them. At the same time, psychologists outside the Muslim faith stand to learn
a good deal from the experience of Muslims and Muslim psychologists. For example:
I am very surprised at many of my colleagues’ attitudes toward Muslim clients. Be-
cause they are only familiar with the most extreme issues that the mainstream
media presents, they buy into the idea that all Muslim women are oppressed or that
all practicing Muslims are fundamentalists and when they see a client they try to
free the person of the oppression of their religion. I have experienced some interest-
ing reactions when I tell psychologists that I am a Muslim feminist. I actually had
one psychologist who responded, “Isn’t that an oxymoron?” Interestingly, people
fail to realize that 3 countries that have the largest Muslim populations in the world
(Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan) have or in the very recent past, have had fe-
male heads of state.
➠ C O N T E N T S
PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 6
Trust
One of the panelists stated quite candidly, “When I first joined I was very interested in
Division 36 and its activities, but was explicitly told by APA members that the division
was really solely focused on Christianity and I might not feel welcome there.” To whatever
extent this view of the division is prevalent, it will not promote trust among those inter-
ested in interfaith conversations. Though I suspect it is true that the division is com-
prised predominantly of Christian scholars and clinicians, the purpose of the division is
much broader than any particular set of faith values. If we are to remain relevant to the
APA and broader cultural issues, it will be important to build collaborative alliances with
psychologists studying and representing various faiths.
This presidential initiative was modest in scope, but I trust it is a helpful step toward
enhancing the presence and visibility of the Islamic faith within the APA’s Psychology of
Religion division.
REFERENCES
Basit, A. (1997) The essence of the Quran. Kazi Publications. Chicago: Kazi Publications.
Benes, K. M., Walsh, J. M., McMinn, M. R., Dominguez, A. W., & Aikins, D. C. (2000). Psychology
and the church: An exemplar of psychology-clergy collaboration. Professional Psychology:
Research and Practice, 31, 515–520.
Budd, F. C. (1999). An Air Force model of psychologist-chaplain collaboration. Professional
Psychology: Research and Practice, 30, 552–556.
Budd, F., & Newton, M. (2005). Healing the brokenhearted: Cross and couch together. In
McMinn, M. R., & Dominguez, A. D. (Eds.) (pp. 89-93), Psychology and the church.
Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
Chaddock, T. P., & McMinn, M. R. (1999). Values affecting collaboration among psychologists
and evangelical clergy. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 27, 319–328.
Dominguez, A. W., & McMinn, M. R. (2003). Collaboration through research: The Multimethod
Church-based Assessment Process. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 22, 333–337.
Dowd, E. T., & Nielsen, S. L. (Eds.) (2006). The psychologies in religion: Working with the religious
client. New York: Springer.
Galloway, A. (2005). Psychology at work inside and outside the church: Bridging the gaps
between emotional, physical, and spiritual health. In McMinn, M. R., & Dominguez, A. D.
(Eds.) (pp. 129–135), Psychology and the church. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 7
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS Lish, R. A., McMinn, M. R., Fitzsimmons, C. R., & Root, A. M. (2003). Clergy interest in
[ FROM PAGE 6] innovative collaboration with psychologists. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 22,
294–298.
McMinn, M. R., Aikins, D. C., Lish, R. A. (2003). Basic and advanced competence in
collaborating with clergy. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 197–202.
McMinn, M. R., Chaddock, T. P., Edwards, L. C., Lim, R. K. B., & Campbell, C. D. (1998).
Psychologists collaborating with clergy: Survey findings and implications. Professional
Psychology: Research and Practice, 29, 564–570.
McMinn, M. R., Meek, K. R., Canning, S. S., & Pozzi, C. F. (2001). Training psychologists to work
with religious organizations: The Center for Church-Psychology Collaboration. Professional
Psychology: Research and Practice, 32, 324–328.
Plante, T. G. (1999). A collaborative relationship between professional psychology and the
Roman Catholic Church: A case example and suggested principles for success. Professional
Psychology: Research and Practice, 30, 541–546.
Plante, T. G. (2005). Psychological consultation with the Roman Catholic Church: Integrating
who we are and what we do. In McMinn, M. R., & Dominguez, A. D. (Eds.) (pp. 73–80),
Psychology and the church. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
Rediger, G. L. (1997). Clergy killers: Guidance for pastors and congregations under attack.
Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Savage, S. B. (2005). Psychology serving the church in the United Kingdom: Church consultancy
and pastoral care. In McMinn, M. R., & Dominguez, A. D. (Eds.) (pp. 113–119), Psychology
and the church. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
Serrano, N. (2005). A psychologist-pastor: A bridge for churches at a Christian community
health center. In McMinn, M. R., & Dominguez, A. D. (Eds.) (pp. 145–149), Psychology and the
church. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
Weaver, A. J., Samford, J. A., Kline, A. E., Lucas, L. A., Larson, D. B., & Koenig, H. G. (1997).
What do psychologists know about working with the clergy? An analysis of eight APA
Journals: 1991–1994. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28, 471–474.
A N N O U N C E M E N T
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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 8
R alph L. Piedmont, Ph.D. is the new President for Division 36, taking over duties from
Mark McMinn, who now moves into the role of Past-President. Lisa Miller will be en-
tering as the Division’s new President-elect.
Ralph received his doctorate in Personality Psychology from Boston University in
1989. He then did a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Aging with Drs.
Paul T. Costa, Jr. and Robert R. McCrae. Here he acquired the central core to his research
career: training in taxonometric research and the five-factor model of personality. Cur-
rently, Ralph is a full professor in the Pastoral Counseling Department at Loyola College
Ralph L. Piedmont, Ph.D.
in Maryland. He serves as their director of research for the doctoral program. His current
research interests in spirituality center on his instrument: the Assessment for Spirituality
and Religious Sentiments (ASPIRES), a measure of Spiritual Transcendence and Reli-
gious Involvement. This scale captures aspects of the individual independent of estab-
lished personality constructs. The Spiritual Transcendence measure captures a
non-denominational measure of spirituality shown relevant for cross-cultural and cross-
faith research.
Ralph’s wife Rose is an important collaborator in much of his work. Together the cou-
ple have two children, Joanna (16) and Dominic (11) and represent two of Ralph’s most
important works. When not teaching or doing research, Ralph very much enjoys tennis,
swimming, trap shooting, and numismatics.
President’s Report
G reetings! I hope this newsletter finds all things well on your end. Now that we have
gone “electronic” in our format, this has created the opportunity to add more diverse
content to the Newsletter. Hopefully, we will use this space wisely, and you the member-
ship will find the new format informative and relevant. As we move forward, I hope that
you will give us feedback on what you like, and don’t like, about the document.
When I first joined Division 36 back in the early 1990s, I found the division to be an
organization that seemed marginalized in APA. We were relatively small (about 1,200
members), and it seemed that the professional interests of our group were not considered
of much value in the larger APA governance structure. Issues about religion and spiritu-
ality just did not seem to have many supporters. Over the years this has certainly
changed.
First, our membership has grown to over 2,400 members, with about one third stu-
dents. Interest in the Division continues to grow. We have also become more relevant to
APA over the years as both the political landscape has evolved and with a rapidly growing
research literature demonstrating the value of numinous
constructs for understanding people and the lives they are
leading. Members of our division have written numerous
books for the APA publication label, and all have been re-
markable successes. These works have galvanized a broad
interest in the work we do and there is no indication that
this attention will ebb anytime soon. Given the many so-
cial and political issues that APA has been confronting,
our Division has played an important role in crafting
APA’s responses. There is no doubt that the value of the
Psychology of Religion is becoming increasingly recog-
nized, and its presence more actively sought. New President receiving the gavel.
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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 9
NEW PRESIDENT Second, an important benchmark of this growth has been the interest by APA in cre-
[ FROM PAGE 8] ating a journal for our division. This past year Mark McMinn and I have been in dia-
logue with the publications department at APA about launching a new title. Given the
huge success of our books, APA was (and continues to be) very eager to explore new ven-
ues for our content. As you may already know, APA conducted a survey of our member-
ship to plumb interest in a new journal and the response was overwhelmingly favorable.
At the annual convention in New Orleans, the Executive Committee voted unanimously
to launch an APA-sponsored journal for our Division. Although the financial relationship
must yet be determined, it is clear that the Division will have complete editorial control
over the publication. Ultimately, the journal will be a significant revenue stream for Di-
vision 36, enabling us to provide more outreach to our membership. The journal will be
available to our members as part of their membership dues. We hope to have the first
issue published in the Spring of 2008.
The creation of an APA-sponsored journal signals the beginning of a new era for our
Division. On one level it is recognition of the increasing amount of quality research and
professional interest in this area. Further, it is an acknowledgment of the importance of
this type of work and the need to provide for its widest possible dissemination. This is an
important step towards receiving organizational acceptance and full membership into
the scientific community.
Third, as our Division begins to enter a new, more mature phase, another initiative I
have is for our Executive Committee to formulate a 5-year plan. We need to step back
and ask, “Where do we wish to move towards in the coming years?” and “What do we
wish to accomplish?” We need to think more programmatically about ourselves and
begin to chart a course that makes sense for us. The growing energy needs to be har-
nessed and directed. I hope by this time next year we will be able to publish here an
“Agenda for Action” to guide us in the coming years. If you have any thoughts on this
topic, please feel free to contact me (my e-mail address is below).
Finally, another initiative that I wish to pursue (although it is not a new one) is the
Mid-Year Research Conference on Religion and Spirituality. Jointly sponsored by the Di-
vision and the Pastoral Counseling Department at Loyola College, this event has emerged
over the past four years as an informative, highly enjoyable confer-
ence. This past year, over 275 professionals attended from across the
U.S. and around the world. The conference is uniformly rated high
by attendees, who see it as a high quality research conference that pro-
vides an intimate environment where professionals can discuss issues
of mutual interest. The conference is affordable and provides a unique
venue for learning more about current work in the field. I would like
to issue a personal invitation to all members to attend the 2007 Con-
ference (scheduled for March 1–3) in Columbia, Maryland. Not only
is it a great way to gather new information (and CEU credits are pro-
vided at a very reasonable rate), but it also helps support the Division
Conference Poster Session
and promote its visibility in the scientific community. Please consider
submitting a poster, paper, or symposium for the conference. We have
added a pre-conference workshop day (on March 1st), and we are looking for individu-
als who would like to present a content session or workshop. We have 3- and 6-hour ses-
sions available. Let me know if you are interested (rpiedmont@loyola.edu). To learn more
about the conference log on to: http://www.loyola.edu/pastoralcounseling/myc/ .
I hope you agree that these are very exciting times to be a member of Division 36.
There is so much happening and more activities than ever before. I hope you will find
many opportunities for involving yourself in the Division. The more active participants
we have, the more dynamic and stimulating the experience will become! r
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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 10
T he August Council meetings went smoothly under the sage leadership of Gerry
Koocher, and several Council decisions are of note. In this report I will emphasize the
highlights of the meeting, but if you are interested in a more comprehensive under-
standing of the proceedings please email me (pwatkins@mail.ewu.edu) for a draft of the
minutes.
The financial status of the Association looks good again, although we are not as likely
to see the large surpluses that we have had in recent years. The budget for the coming
year looks to be a “break even” budget, but a decision made by Council following budget
approval has the potential of putting us into the red for the year. However, this measure
would not produce a large deficit. One of the financial issues that came to the fore was
that our ramp up dues program for encouraging new members to join APA could prove
to be financially costly to the Association in upcoming years. This is the dues program
that required new members to pay a relatively small proportion of the full dues fee for the
first few years of their membership, with their dues increasing to the full amount in sub-
sequent years. Council passed a more fiscally responsible dues schedule for new mem-
bers. Personally, I feel that the new schedule is more reasonable both for the Association
and for retaining new members. Although the previous program required fairly low dues
for new members initially, the ramp up in subsequent years came in big chunks, and I
feel we would have lost quite a few members because of these large increases. The new
program passed by Council has a more gradual increase in dues for new members. In
sum, it is projected that our income and expenditures for the coming year should be
about equal, and because of the surplus of recent years, along with excellent assets and in-
vestments, the financial outlook of APA appears to be sound.
There was also encouraging news on the technological front: APA’s web page will get
a thorough overhaul, so that soon you should not have to go out to Google to find what
you need on the site.
Another highlight was a mentoring program that APA is establishing called “Center-
ing on Mentoring”. This initiative is viewed as a way of “personalizing” APA, both in the
Association as a whole and within the divisions. There will be a mentoring web site, as
well as an upcoming issue of Professional Psychology devoted to this project. It seems to
me that our division is somewhat ahead of the game in this matter, as there appears to be
excellent grassroots mentoring within the division, as well as our mentoring award.
Perhaps one of the most interesting issues of the meetings was the PENS report fol-
low-up and a motion presented to the Council against torture. This discussion was pre-
ceded by an interesting presentation by Lt. General Kevin Kiley, Surgeon General of the
U.S. Army. Dr. Steven Reisner, senior faculty at Columbia University’s International
Trauma Studies Program, presented a response to Dr. Kiley’s presentation. The essence of
the PENS report confirms the commitment of all psychologists to “do no harm”, the
starting point for all ethical considerations regarding interrogations. Council then
adopted a Resolution Against Torture. For me, this initiative was an impressive example
of collaboration, as this motion was crafted jointly by several of the divisions for social
justice and the division of military psychology.
A final issue of interest to members of Division 36 concerned the APA accreditation
process. The Committee on Accreditation (CoA) asked Council to approve a motion to
discontinue the current arrangement between APA and the Canadian Psychological As-
sociation to concurrently accredit programs in Canada. The Canadian response to this
motion was at best mixed, with many of the Canadian Council representatives offering
➠ C O N T E N T S
PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 11
COUNCIL REPORT strong opposition to this measure. It became clear to most Council members that this
[ FROM PAGE 10 ] proposal was premature, and so the motion was tabled and sent back to CoA.
My general impression from the August meeting of the Council was that the future
looks bright both for the Association and our division. I want to personally thank you
all for allowing me to serve as one of the Division 36 Council representatives this past
year. Rr
Nominations are now open for election of the following Division36 offices:
• President
• Member-at-Large
• APA Council Representative
Nominations should be placed in a sealed envelope, with a signature over the seal,
and postmarked no later than December 15, 2006.
Nominations should be addressed to: Mark McMinn, Ph.D., Past-President of APA
Division 36, Department of Psychology, George Fox University, 414 N. Meridian Street,
Newberg, Oregon 97132.
Nominations of Division 36 members for Fellow status are invited from any member of
the Division. The minimum standards for Fellowship include: (1) a doctoral degree based
in part on a psychological dissertation or received from a program primarily psycholog-
ical in nature; (2) membership in APA for at least one year and membership in the Divi-
sion through which the nomination is made; (3) active engagement at the time of
nomination in the advancement of psychology in any of its aspects; (4) five years of ac-
ceptable professional experience subsequent to the granting of the doctoral degree; (5)
evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psy-
chology; and (6) nomination by one of the Divisions in which member status is held.
Any of the nominee’s achievements may contribute to the weight of evidence in favor
of the nomination. Most often the primary basis of the nomination is research, but prac-
tice, teaching, public service, administration, or professional activity may serve as well.
Nominations or inquiries about eligibility or the application process may be sent to
the Division 36 Fellows Chair, David Wulff (dwulff@wheatonma.edu) or Department of
Psychology, Wheaton College, Norton, MA 02766. Deadline for nominations is Decem-
ber 15, 2006.
A N N O U N C E M E N T
➠ C O N T E N T S
PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 12
NEW ORLEANS, LA
T he Executive Committee met on Sunday August 12, 2006 from 7:00am-9:00am in the
Hospitality Suite of the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel. In attendance were Mark
McMinn, Patrick Bennett, Marcia Cutting, Jennifer Ripley, Paul Watkins, Jamie Aten,
Lewis Schlosser, Ralph Peidmont, Lisa Miller, William Hathaway, and Stephen Cook. Also
invited to the meeting were two representatives from the APA Journals Office, Will
Schweitzer and Susan Harris.
1) The EC officially endorsed the nominations made by the Awards Committee.
The EC discussed the fact that two of the three awards were given to members
of the same academic institution.
2) Extensive discussion revolved around the launch of a Division 36 journal
through the APA Journals office. Financial terms and questions of content and
ownership were discussed by the Division and APA. It was agreed on between
the EC and APA Journals that the cost of producing the journal would not fall
upon the Division, but rather APA. Once the Journal earns back the start-up
costs, and covers production costs, the bottom line revenues will be shared be-
tween the Division and APA Press (50%/50%) for perpetuity. The journal most
likely will be published quarterly, with 64 pages per issue. Members will be
charged for the journal at the time of paying Divisional dues, with students re-
ceiving the journal at a reduced charge. The motion to officially endorse the de-
velopment of a journal within these terms, owned by the division, with 50/50
revenue split in future revenues was approved by a unanimous EC vote.
3) The Mid-Year Conference, held at Loyola’s Columbia Center was again a suc-
cess. A total of 278 people registered, of whom 49 registered as Division 36
members. The overall conference and session content received excellent feed-
back and evaluation. The budget was nearly balanced, with a small deficit of
$1,233.28. The 2007 Mid-Year Conference was approved unanimously by the
EC.
4) Starting this year, APA is tracking Division 36 membership dues, rather than
collection occurring through the Division. It is anticipated that this will im-
prove the ratio of members who are in good standing (paying dues), potentially
raising the Division revenues by $1,000.
5) The Handbook of Division 36 was developed by P. Scott Richards during his
term as President. Included in the Handbook are detailed descriptions of the
duties of each officer within the EC. The EC gratefully acknowledged this con-
tribution to the Division and unanimously approved the Handbook.
6) Patrick Bennett reported on the Division Newsletter, sharing that the format
and aesthetics of the Newsletter may continue to be developed in upcoming is-
sues. The EC gratefully acknowledged his contribution to the Division through
the crucial job of Editor of the Newsletter.Rr
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PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 13
Kindly send nominations and the nominee’s vita to Prof. Lisa Miller (President-Elect
Division 36) at lfm14@columbia.edu . r
➠ C O N T E N T S
CALL FOR PAPERS
Return this form to Loyola College Brenda Helsing, 8890 McGaw Road Columbia, MD 21045 or fax (410) 617-7644
5th Annual Mid-Year Research Conference on Religion & Spirituality
March 1, 2007 – Pre-Conference Institute
March 2 & 3, 2007 – Conference
Hosted by Loyola College in Maryland Department of Pastoral Counseling & Division 36 –
Psychology of Religion of the American Psychological Association – Columbia Graduate Center, Columbia, MD
_____ Div 36 Member/Affiliate _____Loyola Affiliate _____Non-Member _____ Student (Loyola) _____Student (Div 36)
PAYMENT OPTIONS (please check one): ___Check enclosed ___MasterCard ___Visa ___Amex TOTAL $ ____________
➠ C O N T E N T S
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Type the title in CAPITAL LETTERS on the first line. Skip a line.
2. Type the author(s) and primary affiliation(s) with affiliations placed in parentheses.
Skip a line.
3. Type the Abstract.
• Posters and Papers require a 1,000-word abstract that includes the research question, methodology,
results and interpretation along with any figures or tables (papers will have 15-minute presentation time and
will be part of a larger themed group of papers).
• Symposia require a 300-word overall abstract, plus a 300-word abstract for each presentation, as well as
the name of each presenter. Minimum of two presenters is required. Symposia will be 50, 90 and 110
minutes in length. Please indicate preferred time duration.
4. Type the following information for the primary author at the bottom of the page.
• Mailing address and phone number (with area code).
• Fax number and e-mail address.
• Type of submission: Paper, Poster or Symposium.
• For Papers – indicate if the presenting author is willing to chair his/her paper session, which involves
introducing the speakers in the session to which the paper is assigned.
DEADLINE for Submissions is January 5, 2007. Please indicate if you are a student in your cover letter.
Send Submissions to: Call for Papers – Mid-Year Conference c/o Dr. Ralph L. Piedmont
Loyola College in Maryland, 8890 McGaw Road, Columbia, MD 21045
QUESTIONS: Contact Brenda Helsing, (410) 617-7614 or bhelsing@loyola.edu.
➠ C O N T E N T S
Application for Division 36: Psychology of Religion American Psychological Association
Present Membership Status in APA: ___ Fellow ___ Member ___ Associate ____Student Affiliate ____None*
Status Sought in Division 36: ___ Fellow ___ Member ___ Associate ___ Student Affiliate ___Professional Affiliate
*If you are not currently an APA member, please include a copy of your CV
Institution: ___________________________________________
➠ C O N T E N T S
PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION NEWSLETTER – APA DIVISION 36 – VOL.31, NO.4 17
Our Mission...
Division 36, Psychology of Religion
➠ C O N T E N T S