A Message from SITAR President, Emily Ansell_
SITAR President Emily Ansell
Yale University
Things are
revving up for our next conference in Park City, Utah! The submission deadline
has passed and we are busy finalizing the program and decisions will be sent
out soon. We are pleased that this year the SITAR conference coincides with a
celebration of the career of Dr. Lorna Smith Benjamin. All SITAR attendees are
invited to attend this one day event free of charge. Details on this event are
included elsewhere in the newsletter and further details will be available
online soon at our website. Dr. Benjamin was one of the founding members of
SITAR and her work, including the SASB model and the development of
Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy has played an important role in many of
our members’ research and treatment approaches. This event will feature
presentations by researchers who have expanded upon Dr. Benjamin’s work and
offer opportunities for informal discussions. We are excited about this
juxtaposition of these two events and the multitude of opportunities for our
members to hear about interpersonal research, assessment and treatment. We are
very pleased to note that our keynote speaker will be Dr. Lisa Diamond, a
Professor in the Department of Psychology. A previous recipient of funding from
the William T Grant foundation, Dr. Diamond’s work has focused on the
psychological and biobehavioral processes underlying intimate relationships
including sexuality and developmental processes.
As the conference program is finalized, the lineup confirms the effectiveness of our continued emphasis on graduate student involvement in the society. There are numerous student submissions and applicants for student travel funds and the Wiggins award. The interpersonal field continues to grow in the next generation of researchers! Students are coming from four countries and numerous universities and many have applied for student travel funds. Our travel funds come from generous member donations. To facilitate the ease of making a contribution, you will find an opportunity to make a donation to the graduate student travel funds during the new online registration process. These funds have been vital in the past years in assisting students in attending the SITAR conference and have had visible payoffs in the number of students repeating their attendance. Previous recipients of the funds have continued their involvement in SITAR beyond their graduate careers and now serve on committees for SITAR, demonstrating how these donations have had real, long lasting effects on the development and life of the organization. I hope members will continue to donate what they can to help our student members attend this year’s conference.
As the conference program is finalized, the lineup confirms the effectiveness of our continued emphasis on graduate student involvement in the society. There are numerous student submissions and applicants for student travel funds and the Wiggins award. The interpersonal field continues to grow in the next generation of researchers! Students are coming from four countries and numerous universities and many have applied for student travel funds. Our travel funds come from generous member donations. To facilitate the ease of making a contribution, you will find an opportunity to make a donation to the graduate student travel funds during the new online registration process. These funds have been vital in the past years in assisting students in attending the SITAR conference and have had visible payoffs in the number of students repeating their attendance. Previous recipients of the funds have continued their involvement in SITAR beyond their graduate careers and now serve on committees for SITAR, demonstrating how these donations have had real, long lasting effects on the development and life of the organization. I hope members will continue to donate what they can to help our student members attend this year’s conference.
Mark Lukowitsky
Associate Newsletter Editor
I distinctly remember the impact SITAR had on me when I was a graduate student. There are many new opportunities (Graduate Student Representative, Graduate Student Social and the Wiggins Award) that have been added since then. I sincerely hope that every student will remember their experiences at SITAR and continue to remain involved as they move forward in their careers. Related to this, I would encourage us to start thinking about how to expand our offerings to help retain member involvement throughout their careers. What else can our organization provide to help this? If any members have suggestions, I would encourage them to contact me via email or phone. Alternatively, stop me at the conference and chat - I hope to see you there!
Finally, I am excited to announce that Nicole Cain has been selected to be the new editor of the newsletter (this is her first issue) and will be assisted by the new Associate Editor, Mark Lukowitsky
Finally, I am excited to announce that Nicole Cain has been selected to be the new editor of the newsletter (this is her first issue) and will be assisted by the new Associate Editor, Mark Lukowitsky