SCCAP Fellows Committee Update

SCCAP Fellows Committee Update

By Martha C. (Marcy) Tompson, PhD
Chair, SCCAP Fellows Committee

By Martha C. (Marcy) Tompson, PhD
Chair, SCCAP Fellows Committee

Our Initial Fellows were announced in Seattle at the APA Conference in August. This exemplary group recommended by the SCCAP Fellows Committee, was positively reviewed by the APA Fellows Committee, and will officially be Fellows of APA/SCCAP in January 2025.

Congratulations to this outstanding group of Initial Fellows:

• Jennifer Hughes, PhD, MPH
• Matthew Lerner, PhD
• Tara Mehta, PhD
• Jonathan Perle, PhD, ABPP
• Martha Wadsworth, PhD.

As noted in our previous newsletter, we also have seven SCCAP Fellows (already APA Fellows in another Division): 

• Diane Chen PhD
• Robin H. Gurwitch, PhD
• Christopher A. Kearney, PhD
• Barbara A. Mowder, PhD
• Kenneth H. Rubin, PhD
• Jenelle R. Shanley, PhD
• Jonathan Woods Weinand, PhD

The Fellows Committee unanimously agreed that each of these Initial and SCCAP Fellows had made outstanding and extraordinary contributions to the field of child and adolescent mental health.

Consider becoming an Initial APA and/or SCCAP Fellow! Applications for the 2025 cycle are due until December 1, 2024. SCCAP Fellow status is less involved and does not require LOR. Please be aware that your APA dues must be up-to-date, and membership in both APA and SCCAP must be current at the time of application. For information on requirements, please visit the SCCAP website.

Featured Fellow: Dr. Cheryl McNeil

Fellow status is a valued honor and recognizes outstanding contributions, with national impact, to Psychology overall and to SCCAP specifically. As Fellows Chair I am taking opportunities to showcase some of our wonderful SCCAP Fellows. This month we introduce (or re-introduce to the many who know her and follow her outstanding work) Dr. Cheryl McNeil, who became a Fellow on January 1, 2024.

After a 28-year career at West Virginia University, Cheryl B. McNeil, Ph.D. is now a tenured Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida. Dr. McNeil obtained her Ph.D. in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at UF in 1989 and is excited to be conducting research at her alma mater. Her academic interests are focused on program development and evaluation, specifically with regard to managing the disruptive behaviors of young children in both the home and school settings. Dr. McNeil has co-authored seven books (e.g., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Second Edition, PCIT-Toddler, Time-out in Child Behavior Management, Handbook of PCIT for Children with ASD, Short-Term Play Therapy for Disruptive Children), a continuing education package (Working with Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Children), a classroom management program (The Tough Class Discipline Kit), and a Psychotherapy DVD for the American Psychological Association (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy).  She has a line of research studies examining the efficacy of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and Teacher Child Interaction Training across a variety of settings and populations, including over 150 research articles and chapters related to the importance of intervening early with young children displaying a range of mental health concerns. Dr. McNeil is a Global Trainer for PCIT International and has disseminated PCIT to agencies and therapists in many states and countries, including Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.