Spring 1997 - AACP's Educational Activities

xxAACP Newsletter, Volume 11, Number 2, Spring 1997

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AACP's Educational Activities

One of the most significant of AACP's many activities is the work of the Program Committee. For most of its 12 years, AACP has organized and presented educational programs at many national psychiatric meetings. The topics for these program presentations are selected for their relevance to practice and policies affecting community settings and clients.

We always have at least one "official" and usually several additional program presentations at each APA annual meeting and Psychiatric Services Institute. Of course, our winter meetings also involve major presentations by numerous AACP board members. In the last several years, we have consistently provided educational presentaions at NAMI's (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) annual meeting, several conferences put on by the Institute for Behavioral Healthcare (IBH), and have been invited to present at other mental health meetings.

The topics covered in the last few years have included the following:

Managed Mental Health Care in the Public Sector
The Role of Medical Director in Community Settings
Alcohol and Drug and Dual Diagnosis Services
Services for Children, Adolescents, and Families
Geropsychiatric Services
Ethical Issues in Community Mental Health
Acute Care Facilities in Non-Hospital Settings
Violence and Psychiatric Clients in the Community
The Interface Between Mental Health and Primary Care

The impact of our presentations has been multifaceted and significant. Our featured programs at APA, IPS, and our winter meetings have drawn capacity audiences and consistently positive evaluations for years. The mix of highly relevant topics and competent, knowledgeable, and effective presenters has contributed to our excellent educational reputation. The vehicle of program presentations has also allowed us to recruit prominent presenters from around the world to participate in our programs, which has brought them into more direct contact with AACP and its members, thus increasing our visibiltiy and credibility. The sessions have also provided opportunities for less well-known mental health professionals, including mumerous AACP members, to develop their ideas and presentation skills.

We use the opportunity of our educational sessions to promote other AACP activities and products and to recruit new members. The success of these programs is one of several factors which have helped AACP to grow in size and influence.

Anyone interested in submitting program ideas or in participating in future presentations can contact the Program Committee chair, David Pollack (e-mail address: dapollack@aol.com or 710 SW 2nd, Portland, OR 97204). Any AACP member who wishes to have a presentation for upcoming APA or IPS meetings publicized in the Community Psychiatrist newsletter can also contact David. We plan to list such sessions in the newsletter that comes out just prior to each of those meetings.

David Pollack

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