2007  John Mansdorfer, Ph.D.

2007, the year I was President of SDPA was a year of experiment.  The Association was generally operating at a loss due to the cost of the annual banquet and dance.  While the older members appreciated the event the younger members were not participating at the level we wanted.  To try to encourage more participation while cutting costs we held a cocktail party at the UCSD University Club instead of the banquet/dance.  We also aligned the Association more closely to the California Psychological Association by having a single weekend Conference for members to earn CE credits and discuss Association business.  This was felt to be more efficient than having both a Spring and Fall Conference as in the past.  While these experiments were not totally successful, like any good experiments we learned from them.

2007 was the year that wild fires did so much damage in San Diego County.  SDPA was at Qualcomm Stadium, where individuals and families displaced by the fires were gathered by the County Emergency Response Teams.  The Association provided information about the nature of trauma and how individuals respond to trauma, as well as referrals for those who needed ongoing support.