SECOND CALL FOR NOMINATIONS!

In 2014 we are electing a president elect, treasurer and three councilors.  The president elect will spend two years in that position then two years each as president and immediate past president.  The treasurer’s term is four years and neither the president nor the treasurer can serve consecutive terms.  

Each councilor will be elected to a three-year term to which he or she can be reelected.  

We need at least two candidates for each position and are asking for your suggestions. Your input is essential if we are to obtain the best leaders to represent you for the next three to six years.  Don’t be shy!  Feel free to nominate yourself as well as a colleague. 

The new deadline for the submission of candidates is March 20th.   Send your nominations to any one of the four members of the nominations and elections committee.  We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Thank you for your contribution to the governance of the Academy.

Warmly,

Margaret Nichols, chair, drmnichols@gmail.com

Ronnie Koenig, rkoenigphd@gmail.com

Heads Up Regarding Summer Workshop Registration Process

As we enter our very first trial of online registration for Summer Workshop, our committee has struggled to address the ongoing issue of attempting to be fair to everyone.

     

Online registration will begin at 12:00 noon EDT on Monday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day - Good luck).  Assuming you are planning to register online yourself, be clear that others will be sitting at their computers awaiting the clock striking 12:00.  Workshops will automatically fill as your AAP friends enter their preferences.

     

We wanted to respect those of you who are less comfortable with the computer by allowing you enough time either to fax or to mail your registration to central office.  This will ensure that you have an equal chance to get the workshops of your choice.  

     

To that end, here’s how it is going to be done:

The brochures will be mailed no later than Monday, March 3.  As stated earlier, at 12:00 noon on March 17, online registration will open.  If you are not registering by computer, to avail yourself of the best chance of getting what you want, plan to mail or fax your registration so that it will arrive at central office before that date. Jessyca will begin entering the registrations in the order that they have been received at 12:00 noon on March 17. Your chances of getting your preferences will be as good as those members who are doing their own typing.

Please note: If you wish to pay by check, you must MAIL your registration to central office (address will be on the registration form).

In the unlikely event that the Postal Service fails us (it's happened before), and you do not receive your brochure by Friday, March 14, then we would suggest that you call an AAP computer savvy friend and ask for their help to get you registered online.

We hope this works.

Hugs and Kisses,

The Summer Workshop 2014 Committee

SUMMER WORKSHOP PROGRAM NOTES

In a few short days you will be receiving the beautiful hard copy of your AAP SUMMER WORKSHOP 2014 brochure. The workshops you will find for your selection will cover a wide range of subject matter, format and presenters. Both Kay and I have tried to assemble a program that represents the best that our Academy has to offer. 

I recently had a conversation with an esteemed older member (not Ray) who shared with me that he had decided to return to therapy and, to his surprise and to mine, had decided to work with a younger therapist. This was after very careful consideration and after consulting other well qualified therapists. 

Upon reflection, his decision captured for me an aspect of a fundamental ethos of AAP, namely, that of being willing to try out thoughtfully something not immediately endorsed by prevailing standards or practice, but based on wide clinical experience, mature wisdom, and a willingness to try something different.  His decision was careful and quite deliberate. Our discussion reminded me of how Kay and I tried to approach the putting together of this summer’s program of offerings. We wanted to:

• Pay close attention to the self-care of the therapist
• Introduce new content areas while respecting more traditional schools of thought and practice
• Experiment with therapeutic and training experiences that would take place out of doors
• Introduce first-time presenters and new pairings of presenters for our experiential workshops

We hope that you will find making choices difficult because there will be so many enticing possibilities from which to choose.

See you in June!

Hallie Lovett

Voices 50th Anniversary Issue

In celebration of our 50^th year, our Winter 2014 issue will feature the Best of Voices.  We are in need of nominations for your favorite articles, poems, photos, graphics, cartoons from Voices.   

We are looking for selections from “way back” as well as those more contemporary or current.  We hope this will be a project that includes our entire community, as well as our Voices Editorial Review Board and our editors.  

In addition, we hope that this issue will be an issue our readers will want to share with friends and colleagues, through gifts and special orders, in celebration of the Academy’s contributions to psychotherapy.  

Please nominate your favorite selection from Voices to Kristin Staroba (Kristin.staroba@gmail.com  or Penelope Norton psynorton@aol.com.     

Getting to Summer Workshop--and a Warmer Place?

Had enough?  I remind you that you're a lot less likely to have snow and sleet in the gorgeous North Georgia mountains in June, and that now is the best time to plan your transportation to Summer Workshop, especially if you're going to fly.

  

If you are flying:  The two closest airports are Atlanta and Asheville, both about 2½ hours driving time from the resort.

If you choose Atlanta, you will have a special option:  riding on one of our special AAP charter buses!  And based on early inquiries, we have decided to add an additional feature to enhance your total passenger experience: a warm, reliable parental figure at the wheel!  Same great price--$65 round trip!

         

People have begun putting in their preliminary reservations already, so we urge you to begin figuring out your flights.  Official bus registration will be a section of your registration form in the workshop brochure. To guarantee a spot on the bus, you must register by May 15.

                 

The buses will leave Atlanta airport at 12:30 and 2:30 Wednesday, arriving at the resort at 3:00 and 5:00.  To catch one, you should plan to arrive at the airport before 11:30 for the 12:30 bus, and before 1:30 for the 2:30 bus.  

   

On Sunday there will be buses to the airport departing at 7:30 AM and 10:00 AM, arriving at the airport at about 10:00 and 12:30.  You should book a return flight for after 12:00 for the 7:30 bus and after 2:30 for the 10:00 bus.  Again, the buses will cost just $65 round trip.

If you are driving:  directions will be provided in the workshop brochure.

Questions?  General reassurances?  Contact Dan Mermin at

               djmermin@gmail.com or 828-713-8813.

Activities for Summer Workshop 2014

Awesome activities will be offered at Brasstown Valley Resort. We hope that you come early and/or stay after to take advantage of these unique and regional offerings.  As winter winds down, we invite you to envision all of the activities you may enjoy in June.

Equani Spa:  This spa is saturated with Cherokee traditional treatments that offer peace, tranquility and healing unique to their native culture and heritage. Regular spa services are also offered.  Located on sacred Cherokee land, the spa treatments are presented in a tasteful and elegant way. Two examples of native offerings are: 

• • The 7 Clan Ritual: a highly detoxifying experience geared to stimulate circulation and balance. It begins with a European dry body brushing to stimulate the lymph system and is followed by a purifying massage  
• • The Way of the Circle Ritual: a massage and a body masque combined in one treatment. Dead Sea Mud-infused oil is used and at the end while the body is in a cocoon, a head massage is performed to complete the circle.”

Joyce Dugan, the Former Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the first woman ever elected to this position, highly endorses this Spa. She offers Wa-Do (thank you) to all who had a part in creating this sacred space. (Photo used by permission from Brasstown Valley.)

Hiking:  There is onsite hiking, and the trails are well marked and provide hiking levels from beginner to advanced. These trails can be enjoyed before, during and after the conference.  There are many offsite hiking options. Transportation is provided by the resort for a low fee. If you are driving, the hotel provides maps.

• Brasstown Bald, is Georgia’s highest mountain. It rises 4,784 feet above sea level. From the top, you can see four states, and on a clear day, you can see Atlanta. 
• Blue Hole Falls and High Shoals Falls, are located down a 1.2 mile hike on High Shoals Trail. At the bottom, a viewing platform of Blue Hole Falls is followed by High Shoal Falls.
• Anna Ruby Falls, a beautiful waterfall is accessible via a half mile trail. This site offers a view “rare” twin waterfalls which join at the base to form Smith Creek which flows into Unicoi Lake.
• Three other areas for hikers and nature lovers to explore include:  Walasi-Yi, Helton Creek Falls and Vogel State Park.

The Ridges Resort and Marina:  Just 20 minutes by car from the Resort, the marina offers pontoon boats, ski boats, jet skis, canoes, kayaks, fishing boats and a party-sized captain assisted pontoon boat. You might consider this option for a family peer group outing or a committee meeting option. Reservations can be made directly via www.theRidgesresort.com. 

Winery:  There is a local winery, the Crane Creek Vineyard, just minutes away from the resort. This winery offers tours, wine tastings and of course a breathtaking scenic view of the mountain vineyard.

Onsite:  With a full gym onsite and an indoor/outdoor pool with two jacuzzi’s, the resort at Brasstown offers many opportunities for activity and/or relaxation. Both tennis and golf are available and both include scenic views of the mountains. The tennis courts are nestled in a peaceful, secluded natural environment. The golf course covers hills, valleys and creative twists and turns. Deer graze on the course. The beauty of the mountains is also very delightfully distracting. 

The stable at the bottom of the resort grounds provides guided Trail Rides for the beginner to the advanced rider. The horses are equipped with western saddles. One hour and two hour guide-led rides are available which provide an opportunity to view the beautiful scenic vistas from the vantage point of horseback. The resort jacuzzi will come in handy after a trail ride for any post-horseback soreness.

We hope that you are enticed to enjoy this beautiful area of the country.

Wa-do (Cherokee thank you) for your presence at this awesome conference!

ARE YOU REALLY TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF?

At AAP we tend to take our personal interactions very seriously. We set aside ample time for relationship issues in process groups, family groups, our own therapies, supervision, and peer groups. How many of us are as diligent about taking time for care of our bodies? Consider these recommendations for the minimum requirement for exercise for various age groups.

EXERCISE

40s Rx: One hour of weight training 3 days a week if you do your whole body at once (4 days for half an hour if you split it up), plus 45 minutes of cardio 5 days. Take one day off.

50s Rx: 4 to 6 cardio sessions a week, 20 to 40 minutes, with an intensity that lets you answer a simple question but not chat, plus half an hour of weight training twice a week, 8 to 12 reps of each exercise, or 15 to 20 using lighter weights. Stretch afterward.

60s Rx: 3 days a week of challenging but not exhausting cardio, (a slow jog), plus 3 days of weight training, lighter weights, more controlled movements combined with slow, sustained stretching. Walk whenever possible, and do daily balance exercises.

Now, truthfully, are you consistently doing this amount of exercise on a routine basis?

NUTRITION

Please don’t skip reading this section. I challenge you: for one week, before Summer Workshop, keep track of what you eat.  Make an honest assessment of how you are taking care of your nutritional needs and how you are using (or abusing) food. The cost of ignoring what we are doing to our bodies can be very high in terms of chronic disease and long term wellbeing. In The China Study, Dr. T. Colin Campbell details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The New York Times has recognized the study as the “most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.”

Campbell's conclusions include recommendations for plant based rather than animal based foods, caution against considering vitamin supplements a panacea for good health, and an understanding that genes, on their own, do not determine disease but can be activated by environmental influences, especially nutrition.

STRESS REDUCTION 

We all understand that our profession is stressful, and that meditation, yoga, chanting, Qi Gong, and other activities can lower stress. Yet how many of us include one or more of these activities in our daily lives?  Personally, I am doing somewhat better in the areas of exercise and nutrition, but often eliminate meditation or yoga on busy days, even though I know that when I practice daily, I am more focused, relaxed, and definitely less stressed.

BE CHANGED. FOR GOOD

To offer participants the opportunity to examine various aspects of self-care before and during the summer workshop, our committee has included opportunities throughout the conference to examine, experience, and change in ways that lead to a healthier lifestyle.

For those who want to examine their relationship with food, Jane Baxter will be leading a two day workshop called: Spiritual Depletion, Overeating, and the Need to Mend Fragmentation. She will address how the stress of being a therapist can lead to a sense of depletion, which can result in using food as an unwanted crutch. We are also working with Brasstown Valley Resort to offer healthy choices for food selections at meals. 

The resort provides opportunities for exercise which include a fitness room, hiking trails, and horseback riding. On Thursday morning, Sharman Colosetti will hold a class in the pool in HiYo combining stretching and water aerobics. Kay Loveland and Frances Compton present a workshop: Dare Greatly: Vulnerability, Risk, and Change to introduce you to golf and tennis.  We will have fun while learning ways that you might have inhibited yourself from sports participation due to shame or frustration. 

And then there’s the AAP dance! Invite yourself to risk dancing with some new partners.  Have you always wanted to jitterbug with Don Murphy, twerk with Vivian, or boogie with Jim Bird? Now is your chance to be daring.

The 2014 Summer Workshop Committee excitedly invites you to join us for health, learning, and fun at the Brasstown Valley  Resort, June 18-22, and challenges you to BE CHANGED. FOR GOOD.