by Willow Banks, Psy.D.

We are halfway through the year, which is hard to believe. It seems like the board just met for our January retreat to plan for the year ahead. In June, we met for an in-person board meeting and agreed that going forward we should do so quarterly. Being together strengthens us as a group and reminds us why we stay committed to our work for NCSPP. We’ve also had requests from our membership to have more in-person offerings, and while we are only holding virtual courses at the moment, we are planning a gathering in late summer for our membership at the Oakland Museum to enjoy the food trucks and music while we get better acquainted with one another.

An exciting announcement came at our June board meeting, as well. Although we started the year without a candidate for President-Elect, a board member stepped up to take that position. Candice Turner, Psy.D., our Outreach, Membership, and Liaison Division chair, has several years of experience on the board, making her an excellent choice to be our next President. She knows the operations and mission of NCSPP well, and she brings enthusiasm and fresh ideas to her role on the board. We are excited to have her leading us next year. Because most positions on the board are a two-year commitment, we have seen lots of turnover in years past, yet more than half of our current board members have stayed past their two-year mark, allowing us to mature as a working group. The sense of cohesion that we’ve been able to establish on our board feels very important - some of our organizational goals, particularly those aimed at increasing diversity and equity, require a longer-term commitment, and continuity helps greatly. We have other volunteer openings within NCSPP. However, if you’re not in a position to volunteer yet and would like to participate in a meaningful way in our community, consider contributing a piece of psychoanalytically informed writing to the fort da journal. The fort da committee does a wonderful job of supporting and guiding their contributors through the editorial process, making this an especially good opportunity for those submitting their writing for the first time. Learn more about fort da here: https://www.ncspp.org/fortda.