Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP) to Host DSM-5 and Cultural Formulation Conference

Media Advisory/Press Release

BOSTON- April 10, 2015 - The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), a leader in educating mental health professionals and the largest graduate psychology program in New England, will host a conference on Friday, April 10, titled DSM-5 and Cultural Formulation: From Theory to Practice in Working with Latino Immigrants. The conference will take place at MSPP, and will focus on the mental health and socio-political issues faced by immigrant Latino populations as well as the implications for mental health services.

"In our diverse community, it is important to consider clients' perspectives from a cultural standpoint," said Nick Covino, president of MSPP. "The DSM-5 has adopted this viewpoint, and it is important that today's mental health clinicians are able to learn from the latest mental health findings."

Presenters will speak to the political and social circumstances of those migrating from Central and South America, highlighting the contrast between the views of Central American refugees versus the mainstream view of the media. The forum will focus on incorporating the DSM-5's changes into the diagnosis of mental health disorders. Keynote speakers include Michelle Contreras, PsyD, Core Faculty, MA, Counseling Psychology Department and Director of the MA in Counseling Psychology in Global Mental Health at MSPP; Nilda M. Laboy, PsyD, Chair, Counseling Psychology Department at MSPP; and Roberto Lewis-Fern&#á;ndezrong>BOSTON- April 10, 2015 - The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), a leader in educating mental health professionals and the largest graduate psychology program in New England, will host a conference on Friday, April 10, titled DSM-5 and Cultural Formulation: From Theory to Practice in Working with Latino Immigrants. The conference will take place at MSPP, and will focus on the mental health and socio-political issues faced by immigrant Latino populations as well as the implications for mental health services.

"In our diverse community, it is important to consider clients' perspectives from a cultural standpoint," said Nick Covino, president of MSPP. "The DSM-5 has adopted this viewpoint, and it is important that today's mental health clinicians are able to learn from the latest mental health findings."

Presenters will speak to the political and social circumstances of those migrating from Central and South America, highlighting the contrast between the views of Central American refugees versus the mainstream view of the media. The forum will focus on incorporating the DSM-5's changes into the diagnosis of mental health disorders. Keynote speakers include Michelle Contreras, PsyD, Core Faculty, MA, Counseling Psychology Department and Director of the MA in Counseling Psychology in Global Mental Health at MSPP; Nilda M. Laboy, PsyD, Chair, Counseling Psychology Department at MSPP; and Roberto Lewis- Fernández, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Director, New York State Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence and the Hispanic Treatment Program.

About Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (becoming William James College)

Founded in 1974 as an independent graduate school of psychology, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, becoming William James College on May 7, is the largest graduate psychology program in New England, offering 13 unique training programs, including organizational and leadership psychology programs, for mental health professionals at the doctoral, master's and certificate levels, each designed to immerse students in both academic study and real-life clinical experience. MSPP has been the leader in educating mental health professionals who are committed to meeting the needs of our most vulnerable populations and is constantly assessing and evolving to meet the needs of a rapidly changing and increasingly diverse society. Our highly skilled professionals care for Latinos, veterans, children and adolescents and families in a variety of settings, including the schools, the courts, the community and the workplace.

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