Discussing the vision, the mission, and the future in his office in October 2008.

There comes a time for all of us when we begin new chapters in our lives. For me, after long reflection, I have decided that the time has come to write the ending of one chapter and begin a new one. I have decided that 2010 will be the year I transition from the presidency of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

By the time you receive this issue of INSIGHT, a search will be well underway to find my successor—a person who will be a national voice for professional psychology education and an advocate for expanding the benefits of psychology and the related behavioral sciences.

As for me, I won’t be going far. Last year, a number of us here at TCSPP began creating something new and exciting: TCS Education System (TCS ES). A nonprofit organization, TCS ES will allow us to take the models of graduate education first developed here at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and apply them to other disciplines, such as education and human development and health and human services. The System also includes TCS Foundation, which will further connect us to new funding sources for the work that we do in the community both domestically and internationally.

It’s been an honor serving with you over the past decade. They have been the best 10 years of my life. Our work is only beginning, though, and I can’t wait to see where the next chapter takes us.

Michael Horowitz

President

Left to Right: Mr. Hablutzel, Dr. Grip, Dr. Horowitz

This year, The Chicago School hit the Big 3-0. As part of the celebration, we pulled together a panel of Chicago School presidents to share and compare recollections that span the three decades. Joining Dr. Horowitz for the October 9 event were Phil Hablutzel, J.D., the founding president, and Dr. Jeffrey Grip, who served as the school’s third president. Thus, Presidents’ Reflections replace our standing President’s Letter in this issue of INSIGHT. Happy Birthday, Chicago School!

Click on the play button to listen to the entire presidents’ panel discussion:
Listen to the entire presidents’ panel discussion

Phil Hablutzel, J.D.—President, 1979-1983

On The Chicago School’s earliest days In those days, we were a shoestring operation. We began at the Lawson YMCA in four rooms, but the administration at the Y decided we had fixed up the place so nicely, they wanted it for their offices. So we had to move. We found a place on Michigan Avenue; it was built as a showroom for the Studebaker automobile and then remodeled into the Fine Arts Building. Next to my office was the first tuba player of the Chicago Symphony. He would have students sit next to my office and practice tuba. Everybody thought that was terrible, but since I was a tuba player, I loved it.

Dr. Jeffrey Grip—President, 1985-1995

On the Emergence of Diversity as a Distinctive Focus I think it was in 1986 that I hired a woman for the faculty by the name of Elizabeth Davis Russell. Elizabeth was born in Liberia and was very low-key, persistent, visionary. She talked to me about creating a center for intercultural clinical psychology. The board approved it and a year later, she came to me and said ‘let’s have an intercultural psychology conference.’ That was really the emerging of the intercultural focus. It became an identity of The Chicago School that was distinctive.

Dr. Michael Horowitz—President, 2000-present

On Beginning the Expansion Beyond a Single-Program School When we developed the I/O (Industrial and Organizational Psychology) Program, we didn’t have resources for a lot of outside people. And so I turned to Nancy Newton (long-time faculty member), who through her career had gone into organizational consulting, and didn’t want to be an administrator again. I went to her house and I said ‘You’re Plan A for continuing The Chicago School as an independent school. And Plan B is that there is no Plan B.’ And she said she’d do it for a year. We discussed what number of students would be needed to start a new program with. We said if we get six students, we will start this new degree program. We got 15 and never looked back.

Dr. Horowitz addresses the Niagra Foundation in downtown Chicago, speaking about psychology and the economy.

A lot has happened since the last issue of INSIGHT went to press. We witnessed a historic election and another peaceful transition of one presidential administration to the next. Moments like these are typically greeted by waves of optimism and renewal. The last six months were different though. Melancholy news of economic distress filled airwaves, newspapers, web browsers, and 24/7 cable news channels. All of us in the psychology community are seeing the results. As the financial and housing markets sink, reports of anxiety and depression rise.

Our profession has changed since the last major economic recession. Buried in all of the sour news of financial collapse and government bailouts last fall was a positive story that affects us all. On October 3, 2008, Congress passed, and the president signed, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Act.

It was a major victory for millions of Americans living with mental illnesses who for years faced unfair discrimination. For the longest time, we endured a system where if you had an ailment that involved any other organ—heart, liver, kidney, etc.—the case was there for insurance companies to help. However, if you had a condition such as schizophrenia, which affects the brain, it was nearly impossible to get the same level of coverage. This has now changed. Research tells us that physical health and emotional health are connected. When you’re diagnosed with a mental condition, should it be viewed as less of an urgent matter or receive less treatment than, say, a broken arm or a heart condition? Of course not. Our health care system needs to look at both mind and body to help us get better and live longer lives. This bipartisan bill is pushing us in the right direction. It’s a victory as well for the students, alumni, and faculty who serve our profession, not to mention a validation of how far we have come in our efforts to advocate for more attention to mental health issues.

In the short term though, the troubling economic cycle of cause and effect will surely continue—this issue of INSIGHT is devoted to the topic. But the news is not all gloomy. It was Einstein who said that “in the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” Resilience against hardship brings out the best in people. History teaches us that in hard times, a stronger sense of community emerges; people and families come together. Materialism dips and altruism rises. As psychologists, we can play a role in keeping this positive momentum going. We can help individuals cope and organizations realign, to become better in the face adversity. Communities, people, and companies need our training and skills now more than ever.

Dr. Michael Horowitz

What I like to say about psychology is that it is about life, that it directly impacts—and is impacted by—all aspects of the human experience. This is one reason that The Chicago School can continue its rapid-fire evolution. There is no end to the possibilities before us.

As much can be said about applied behavior analysis, the focus of this issue’s cover story. ABA gets a great deal of attention as a treatment for autism—the only evidence-based therapy that has been shown to eliminate the diagnostic label in children who are treated early and intensively. But, as you will read on the pages that follow, ABA is about much more than autism. It’s about education at all levels and with all populations; it’s about workplace efficiency and professional growth; it’s about improving performance in any arena, and about helping people with a vast array of injuries and disabilities. Behavior analysts like to say that anything that involves human interaction is fodder for ABA.

This program, like all of our programs, exemplifies what is extraordinary about The Chicago School. We never allow ourselves to be contained by the artificial barriers of the here and now. We continue to evolve, to find new applications for the profession we love, new opportunities to use our expertise, our resources, and our vision to make a difference. I believe that we have come to a time in our three-decade history when that difference should be anything but ordinary, when our impact should be felt throughout our community, indeed around the world.

When you read INSIGHT, you will get a taste of a few of the endeavors that are underway at The Chicago School. When people ask how we can move so fast, I point to all of you. I never cease to be inspired by the ground-breaking accomplishments of our alumni, or by the entrepreneurial spirit of our faculty and staff. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to look at some of their stories on our website. It has been rewarding to hear from the people who have chosen to share, with a worldwide audience, stories of their Chicago School experience. 

We are who we are, and where we are, because of you. Thank you, and happy holidays.