A message from SAPA President, Sandra Gallagher Ph.D.

I would like to dedicate my year with SAPA to resilience and ask that each of us reflect on how we demonstrate and support resilience in our own lives, the lives of those we love, and the lives of those we are privileged to work with. If I may, I’d like to share a quote….

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.  (Helen Keller)

A focus on strengths, positive psychological states and virtues is one of our finest aspirational professional values and functions. Consider that the instillation of hope, support for autonomy, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-knowledge, moderation, self-control, and wisdom are the cornerstone of what we foster in our clients. In addition, social support is one of the best empirically-supported resilience factors of which we know. Thus, consider that belonging to SAPA and sharing fellowship with your colleagues, is one great way to foster your own resilience.

Welcome to SAPA and all the best in 2010!