World*Go*Round, Vol. 30, No. 4, September, 2003

Letter from the President 

When originally planning to write my first letter as president of ISPA for World-Go-Round I had envisaged that I would have just returned from China full of happy memories of having attended a wonderful colloquium. The exotic location, exciting social events, meetings with friends old and new, and the stimulating papers, symposia and keynote presentations would still be fresh in my mind. Unfortunately it was not to be and instead I am sitting at my desk at home in baking hot weather reflecting on what I am sure would have been an outstanding colloquium. Hopefully we will be able to hold the colloquium in China at some time in the future and, judging for the numbers of applications that we had already received at the time it was cancelled, I am confident that it will be a huge success whenever it takes place.

Still, we now have Exeter to look forward to. You should have received a copy of the first circular by email and it is also available on the website. Therefore you will be aware that Exeter is an excellent choice for the colloquium, set in the heart of the West Country with many attractions within easy reach. I am also confident that the scientific program will be stimulating with a range of internationally known keynote presenters taking part. As many ISPA members may be aware, I have known Bob Burden, the Colloquium Organizer, for 30 years! He is a great friend and colleague and was a very kind examiner for my PhD! As a former President of ISPA he is fully conversant with the running of the organization and this experience should ensure that the colloquium will be a huge success.

But there is more to ISPA than the Colloquium. Since joining the Executive Committee (EC) in July 2001 I have been inspired by the dedication and hard work of each and every member of the EC. Hardly a week goes by without some email discussion taking place – almost as if the EC is engaged in a continuous meeting throughout the year. This make it possible to involve all committee members in making difficult decisions quickly, for example to cancel the China colloquium. However, we can all get buried in the sheer volume of emails and attachments and there have been times when points made in important emails have been overlooked.

There are other areas where ISPA has been extremely active this year. In particular Bernie Stein has done an outstanding job in developing the website. If you have not yet visited it, I strongly urge you to take a look. It is full of information about ISPA, membership, the colloquium – including copies of papers and abstracts – and there are a number of suggested links to other sites that are relevant to school psychology. You can now download membership forms and colloquium registration documents. Fortunately Bernie has agreed to remain in the role of web manager, now that he is no longer the Past President, and he will continue to play a active role in the EC.

A further welcome development has been the setting up of the Speakers’ Bureau. Thanks to Sue Goldman for coordinating the work – again, further information is on the website. Thanks also to the volunteers who have agreed to put their names forward as people who are willing to visit other countries to talk about their area of interest. The range of expertise that exists among ISPA members is impressive and suggests that we have the potential to make a difference in moving school psychology forward in the next few years. For I look forward to the future with optimism There is abundant evidence that school psychologists are in increasing demand, both in the so-called developed countries and in countries where services are not well established. Furthermore, the range of work is broadening from that which has tended to focus solely on the assessment of children and young people who may have special needs to general advisory work, therapy and training of other professionals. Indeed ISPA has been at the forefront of these initiatives in a number of ways. In particular, the work of the International Crisis Response Network has been groundbreaking in providing training, support and materials for countries that have suffered some form of national disaster. Furthermore, ISPA's position on the UN Children’s Rights Committee is further evidence of the role that school psychology, through ISPA, can have. There are countless other examples that I could mention. As a result of their training in applied psychology and experience of working with children, school psychologists can offer unique and essential services to children, families schools and other professionals.

Members of ISPA will be aware that Anders Poulsen has officially retired from being Executive Secretary and that Elisabeth Jacobsen will take his place. But don’t worry – Anders will still be involved with the EC and, most importantly, as editor of World-Go-Round. Therefore we will still benefit from his immense experience and knowledge of running the association. I would like to thank Anders for all the hard work, energy and commitment that he had devoted to ISPA over the years, in good times and bad. Without him the Association would not have survived  and prospered as it has. However, I am confident that under Elisabeth’s stewardship things will be run as efficiently as ever – indeed, as you all know, she has worked alongside Anders for a number of years and so is already on top of the job!

In concluding this, my first letter to WGR as President of ISPA, I would like to say how much I am looking forward to leading the Association over the next two years. As always, there are many challenges ahead but I am confident that the profession of school psychology is in a period of growth and that this presents an important opportunity for ISPA to play a major role in shaping developments throughout the world. I would like to thank Peg Dawson, for being such an inspiring president and role model for me, and Bernie Stein, for encouraging me to apply for President in the first place and for supporting the work of the EC in the past two years.

Finally I would like to formally welcome Nora Katona onto the EC as President-Elect. As a former secretary of ISPA her detailed knowledge of the association will be a huge benefit to us all.

Peter Farrell, President of ISPA
September, 2003