Welcome Message

The North Carolina Psychological Association (NCPA) welcomes you to the NCPA listserv.  This forum can be a tremendous resource, giving you access to the collective experience of NCPA members and other North Carolina psychologists.  Whether you post messages to the list or just like to read the messages posted by others, we hope you find this experience informative, enjoyable and stimulating.  In order for the list to provide the greatest benefit to the largest number of people, we ask that a few guidelines be followed. Please digitally sign the Acknowledgment Page.

Purpose

The purpose of the Listserv is to promote discussion among NCPA on a variety of topics pertinent to professional practice. In keeping with APA Ethical Principles, the discussions should aspire to be beneficial, respect colleagues' rights, dignity, diversity, and do no harm. The Listserv may be utilized for the following types of discussion:

  1. General advice from other members about psychological topics, areas, and issues.
  2. Questions about the business of practice building and maintenance (with the exception of service fees).
  3. Discussion regarding research, publications, and issues pertinent to psychological research and practice.
  4. Inquiries for information about where to refer clients or requests for referrals, and accepting referrals from others.
  5. NCPA events including continuing education workshops, networking events, meetings, etc.
  6. Discussion regarding NCPA supported legislative efforts.

All postings shall pertain to psychologists and psychological issues, and shall be limited to the six general topics listed above.

Procedures of Accessing the NCPA Listserv  

Getting on the Listserv
ALL new members shall review the NCPA Listserv policy and sign the acknowledgment page here by the end of the dues renewal period (August 31).  In the event that members join after dues renewal, they shall have one (1) week to review the policy and sign the acknowledgment.

NCPA staff will add all Sustainer, Investor, Benefactor, ECP, and Lifetime members to the Listserv. 

If you wish to be removed or do not want to participate on the listserv, please email Karen Gray at [email protected]

To send a message to the Listserv, utilize the following email address from your email account on file with NCPA:  [email protected]

To reply only to the original author of the email (not the entire list), click Reply.

To reply to a Listserv message for everyone on the list to see, simply click Reply All.  Your response will go to the ENTIRE list.

Please be mindful that you will receive an email EVERY time someone initiates a message or replies all. 

Policies for Accessing and Use of the NCPA Listserv

To be valuable to all members, good professional judgment is necessary for a successful Listserv. In order to protect the image, reputation, and interests of the association, NCPA has created policies for the use of the Listserv.

NCPA reserves the right to deny access without notice to a member who violates one or more of these policies. Participants are expected to read this document and adhere to the policies contained herein. The reason is to protect the association, our members, and to foster constructive communication. Questions regarding these policies may be directed to the NCPA Executive Director, Martha Turner-Quest.   

Spam, Malware, Viruses, Etc.

There will be no postings of virus or malware warnings/messages or chain letters, even if they purport to support worthy causes. All participants must strive to keep their virus protection programs current. If a virus or hacking of any sort is apparent, staff will immediately suspend the email related to the virus or hacking. The member is responsible for notifying staff (Karen Gray or Martha Turner-Quest) once the virus or hacking has cleared.

Requests to Others on the Listserv:

  1. Emails requesting others to advocate for legislative issues that are not on NCPA’s agenda are not to be placed on the NCPA Listserv, no matter how worthy the cause. If uncertain about the intended posting, email either Karen or Martha.   
  2. Emails requesting the association, the board, or any committee to officially commit to or reject a project or cause should be sent directly to the Executive Director, Martha Turner-Quest at [email protected].  NCPA does not monitor the NCPA Listserv for official requests.

Restrictions:

Failure to follow the restrictions outlined below will lead to an automatic warning sent by staff.

  1. Events posted to the NCPA Listserv must be 1) sponsored or co-sponsored by NCPA or 2) free to the psychologist community. To request approval for event postings, email Karen or Martha
  2. Providing referrals to yourself, your group practice, or any program from which you may benefit financially on the listserv. You may backchannel this information to anyone who has requested it by deleting the ncpal[email protected] email address and type the original author’s email address in its place.
  3. The listserv is not to be used for commercial purposes. When used for evaluating listserv messages, the word "Commercial" means communications whose primary purpose is to advance the business or financial interests of any person or entity, or to directly or indirectly promote a financial transaction for the benefit of the author. Examples of prohibited communications include: advertisements for products or services, notices advertising office space for rent, or direct solicitations to purchase products or services.

Examples of messages that may be of financial benefit to listserv members, but are not prohibited because they do not inure to the financial benefit of the author, include informal job listings or position openings, or discussion of professionally-related products or services where the listserv member conveying the information is not in the business of selling the products or services. Announcements that provide useful professional information to list members but may also have some incidental commercial benefit to the sender (e.g. an author who is a list member merely advising the list of publication of a professional book typically would not be "commercial" for purposes of this restriction).

Postings of formal advertisements on NCPA mailing lists are prohibited. Informal advertising or brief notices of jobs available or available office space are, however, permitted. (An example of an informal advertisement is: "We have an opening for a licensed psychologist in our office. Please email me directly for details.")

  1. Unauthorized distribution of copyright material is prohibited.
  2. Criticism of the NCPA staff is not allowed. Complaints regarding staff performance should be directed to the Executive Director. Complaints regarding the Executive Director should be sent to the NCPA President.
  3. Release of confidential information is prohibited. This includes excessive identifying information of clients.
  4. Emails may not be shared with people outside of the NCPA membership including, but not limited to, forwarding emails, printing and sharing emails, copying non-NCPA members on responses to emails (To, CC or BCC), allowing people to visually view emails in-person, or any other way that non-NCPA members may be able to read the information posted on the Listserv. Exception: Members may only share emails through the methods of forwarding or, if they receive permission from all authors included in the message to be shared. Members need to know they can express themselves freely.
  5. Discussion regarding setting or establishing fees for service (e.g. how much do you charge per hour?) is expressly prohibited, pursuant to federal law.
  6. Use of the Listserv to promote candidacy for affiliate or state-level leadership roles is prohibited. Likewise, endorsements of candidates for local, state, or federal offices or positions are prohibited. (This is regulated by the IRS.)
  7. The Listserv may not be used for any illegal purposes, including but not limited to violation of antitrust or unfair competition laws, violation of intellectual property laws, defamation and libel, or violation of criminal laws.
  8. While NCPA advocacy and legislative efforts may be discussed, broader political discussions that do not explicitly relate to the Association’s legislative priorities are prohibited.

Guidelines for Integrity and Inclusiveness regarding Use of the Listserv:

  1. Differences of opinion are encouraged as long as the discussion is aired in a courteous and respectful manner. Please refer to the APA Ethics Code, specifically Standard 3: http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx.
    1. NCPA is concerned about how colleagues interact on the Listserv. We are concerned about the ethical compliance of our colleagues' professional conduct.
    2. Interactions on the Listserv should benefit one another and do no harm.
    3. Interactions on the Listserv should respect the dignity and worth of colleagues on the Listserv.
    4. Interactions should not harass, demean, or harm others. 
    5. NCPA members should be mindful of their tone, type/font, and choice of words before posting.
    6. Do not make personal attacks on or threats to fellow members.
    7. Any postings, including jokes or comments intended as humor or satire, which denigrate, show hostility or aversion towards or are otherwise offensive to an individual’s sex, race, color, religion or creed, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or family status, age, political view or stance, ancestry or national origin, disability or handicap, are all strictly prohibited.
    8. Disruptive discussions and behavior on the Listserv are not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, conversations not related to psychology.

 

If a member wants to address a concern about behavior on the Listserv that contradicts the guidelines for integrity and inclusiveness, they must contact the current NCPA Board President.  Actions following receipt of the concern will be at the discretion of the NCPA President and NCPA Executive Committee, including but not limited to warnings or advanced suspension. 

Contact information for the NCPA President can be found on the NCPA website ncpsychology.org.

Suspension Procedure

Failure to adhere to the policies may result in removal from the Listserv. Please note that the time frame for accumulating warnings is two years from the date of the first warning. Warnings more than two years old will be disregarded.

  1. A first warning will be sent through email.
  2. A second warning will be sent through email and will indicate that a third action will result in suspension from the Listserv for three months.
  3. After a third action, a suspension email and a mailed letter to the member’s professional email and physical address from the North Carolina Psychological Association will be issued. The member will be suspended from the NCPA Listserv for three months.

After a person has been suspended from the NCPA Listserv for three months, they will be eligible to re-subscribe. A written request must be made to NCPA Board President to be reinstated to the Listserv. If reinstated, prior offenses will be disregarded and the suspension procedure will start again.

In egregious cases, the NCPA President and the Executive Committee (collectively) or the NCPA President (solely) can, without prior warning, immediately suspend a member for actions that are deemed to place NCPA at any considerable risk. It will be determined if the member will remain suspended for a period of time, or be denied reinstatement to the Listserv. If the member remains suspended, he/she will be notified of the suspension time. The member may reach out to the NCPA President at the end of the suspension for re-subscription review and approval.  If the member is not reinstated, they will be provided with a formal response explaining the decision to immediately suspend the member without following the disciplinary steps listed above. If the member wants to appeal, the member must submit a written appeal request to the NCPA Executive Committee.

Disclaimers 

NCPA does not endorse or assume responsibility for the content of messages by individual members posted to the NCPA Listserv. The thoughts, opinions, and positions expressed on the Listserv are solely those of the individual authors and are not endorsed by NCPA, its Boards of Directors, or staff. NCPA assumes no liability for any libelous, misleading, inaccurate, or otherwise improper information; all responsibility and liability for the content of a message rest with its author.

  1. Remember that once you hit “Send,” your message is memorialized and cannot be retracted. Please be mindful of what you are sending, as it is permanent.
  2. Access to the Listserv is a benefit that bears the responsibility of abiding by its policies. NCPA retains the right to deny access to a member who violates the policies contained herein at any time.
  3. Members hold harmless and indemnify NCPA, its Boards of Directors, staff, and all its other agents and representatives, from and against any claims, complaints, or causes of action for any damages, losses, or expenses which arise out of, or are related to, either directly or indirectly: (1) any libelous, misleading, inaccurate or other improper comments a member posts; (2) those that are posted about members by anyone else; and (3) any other use of the NCPA Listserv by members.
  4. Members bear responsibility for keeping email addresses current by keeping their online member profiles current (via Member’s Only page) or with the NCPA staff. The NCPA staff is not responsible for tracking this information.

Questions?

Email [email protected] or [email protected]

Click Here to sign the acknowledgment page.