AGM 2014 Summary

This year’s meeting and conference, held at the Victoria Inn, was well-attended by 50 members of the Manitoba Psychological Society. Four educational sessions were offered:

An Ounce of Prevention:
Common Ways Psychologists Get Themselves into Ethical Trouble and How to Avoid Them. 
Dr. Bruce Tefft, C.Psych. and Dr. Jaye Miles, C.Psych.

Perking up Your Private Practice — Ideas from MPS’s Business of Practice Directorate.
Dr. Moira Somers, C. Psych.

You (Almost) Have Your Degree. Now What?:
Transitioning from Student to Professional
Dr. Leah Enns, C.Psych. Cand. and Dr. Heather MacKenzie, C. Psych. Cand.

Disability, Decisions, and the WCB: How the Heck does it All Work?
Dr. Cam Stacey and Dr. Burton Abbot

As well, a meeting of public practice psychologists to discuss compensation issues was held. Feedback about the quality and relevance of the sessions was excellent.

For the first time, MPS offered a Student Poster Competition and excellent posters from 11 students were on display. Judges Dr. Don Stewart, Dr. Trish Furer, and Dr. Norah Vincent indicated that the quality of the posters made their decision a challenging one. Ms. Sara Petty was the winner of the competition and of a prize of $150.00.

Another first was the Art Raffle, with contributions from talented psychologists and from our Administrative Assistant, Heidi Tucker. Proceeds from the raffle went to the Student Awards fund, and were used for the prized for the Student Poster Competition.

Finally, at our Business Meeting, we were most fortunate to have Deputy Chief Thorne of the Winnipeg Police Service as our Keynote Speaker. Deputy Chief Thorne gave an interesting and relevant talk, in which he addressed issues related to police involvement with prevention and community interventions, and concerns related to police handling of individuals with mental health issues. He provided an enlightened professional approach to the topics at hand and also was gracious in adding a very personal and engrossing perspective.

Many thanks to all of the volunteers involved and to the many members who attended this year’s meetings. We look forward to your feedback about this year’s event and suggestions for our upcoming meetings.