"Profound Changes, Challenges and Opportunity"
posted July 23, 2008

This is an exciting time to be a school psychologist in Georgia. Last years changes to the Georgia special education regulations, implementing the provisions of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), have had a profound impact on the practice of psychology in the schools. Our roles as school psychologists have changed more rapidly and profoundly than at any time in the history of our profession. GASP is here to help school psychologists in Georgia adapt to these changes, and to keep our skills not only current, but on the cutting edge of our profession so that students, their families, and their schools have access to the highest quality services possible.

This past year, the Strategic Planning Committee spent many hours revamping our official Association vision and mission statements, along with the overall structure of the executive board. These are changes that will most likely go unnoticed by the majority of our members. However, we are in hopes that these changes in our guiding principles and structure will help us more effectively advocate for and provide training opportunities for the hundreds of members that we serve. In turn, school psychologists in the state of Georgia will be better prepared to provide the necessary and important services to the youth of our great state.

Throughout this school year, my goal will be to increase the value of membership in the Georgia Association of School Psychologists by focusing on the services we provide to our members. The services we offer currently come in many forms: the educational opportunities provided at our two annual conferences; local workshops coordinated by our ten regional representatives; information and services available through our GASP website; and advocating for our members with legislators and other leaders at both the state and national level. I hope to build and expand upon these services in order to make membership in GASP a truly valuable investment.

In this light, our Fall Conference Co-Chairs, Ginny Hall and Cindy Barber, along with a cadre of assistants, have been working diligently to prepare another fantastic learning opportunity for our members and nonmembers alike. We will once again be converging on the Marriott Savannah Riverfront Hotel for our Fall Conference. The current president of NASP, Dr. Gene Cash, will be providing our keynote presentation. We will also have a multi-day intensive training opportunity on NASP’s PREPaRE curriculum. This program provides training for school personnel in crisis preparation, prevention, intervention, response, and recovery procedures, with a special emphasis on the role of school-based mental health professionals. Additional workshops will be offered by a host of others on a variety of topics. And as always, the city of Savannah will provide our attendees with a beautiful and exciting locale to explore in their free time.

As we finish our summer vacations and look towards the start of another school year, I encourage all members of GASP to look for ways that they can improve upon the services they provide to Georgia’s students, their families, and the staff and faculty members with whom we work.
 

Michael Johnson, MS. Ed., NCSP
GASP President, 2007-2008