🍂 Welcome to September! 🍂
Honoring our path, lifting our voices, and walking together in wellness
As we step into the fall season, we begin by celebrating the incredible accomplishments of our SIP members at APA 2025 in Denver! Your presence, scholarship, leadership, and cultural grounding made a powerful impact. A special shoutout to our relatives from SIP who received awards, your work is not only seen, but deeply appreciated by our community.
We also want to thank everyone who shared pictures and stories from the conference, your snapshots help us preserve the legacy of Native psychology and document our collective history. If you haven’t yet sent your photos, please do! Help us build our photo archive and historical record. 📸 Send submissions to our team contact us.
🎓 A Warm Welcome to All Psychology Students
Whether you're just beginning your first semester, returning for your second or final year, or diving into the journey of doctoral study, we see you, and we honor your commitment to the healing traditions and scientific rigor of psychology.
To our early career practitioners: we send strength as you begin your path as helpers in your communities and beyond. Your ancestors walk with you.
And to all faculty and professionals, we invite you to share our Student Representative flyers with your students. Let's grow our circle! The flyer is available on our Student Page, and it's a great way to call new students into our Student Section to connect, grow, and thrive together.
Federal Regulations updates for 2025
Turquoise Alert: Arizona's Commitment to Missing Indigenous PersonsIn a significant legislative move, Arizona has passed House Bill 2281, establishing the "Turquoise Alert" system for missing Indigenous persons. This alert system, named in honor of 14-year-old Emily Pike, aims to raise awareness and expedite responses to cases involving Indigenous individuals. It's a step toward healing and justice for families and communities affected by such tragedies.
With the introduction of new legislation limiting EDI programs, experts are shifting toward inclusion-focused approaches to ensure support while balancing diverse needs. Leaders like Tabbye Chavous, PhD, emphasize the ongoing importance of EDI in promoting equitable access and success. Ella F. Washington, PhD, notes that EDI initiatives have faced fluctuations in support over the years, encouraging organizations to stay consistent in their commitment.
To explore more about how EDI efforts are evolving, visit the APA website.
Updates: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY2025 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule on July 10, 2024. Find more info: https://www.apaservices.org/practice/reimbursement/government/cms-federal-rule
Medicare changes in 2025. The final rule on the 2025 Medicare physician fee schedule brings some good news for psychologists and aims to increase access to behavioral health services. https://www.apaservices.org/practice/reimbursement/government/2025-medicare-changes
Extensions of telehealth access options. https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/telehealth-policy/telehealth-policy-updates
Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Final Rules (“Final Rules”) Are Released: Plans and Issuers Must Prepare for January 1, 2025 Effective Date (US). Find more info: https://www.triagehealthlawblog.com/hhs/mental-health-parity-and-addiction-equity-act-final-rules-final-rules-are-released-plans-and-issuers-must-prepare-for-january-1-2025-effective-date-us/
SEPTEMBER RELATIVES' HIGHLIGHTS
SIP Attends the APA 2025 Convention in Denver!!
THE YEAR 2025
SIP ANNUAL CONVENTION 2024
For allies, agencies, organizations, and groups looking to produce a Land
Acknowledgment, we would like to share and amplify existing resources developed by
the Native Governance Center. We would like to urge interested parties to review in its
entirety the Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Guide.
This guide takes you through some steps to developing a thoughtful, respectful, and well-
researched land acknowledgment.
Most importantly, we urge interested folks to take time to review the Beyond Land
Acknowledgement Guide.
This resource outlines some problems with land acknowledgements, including
asking Indigenous collaborators to develop the land acknowledgment, careless or
limited research to inform the statement, and a focus on verbiage and optics rather than
steps towards tangible allyship. This guide then walks readers through developing a
meaningful action plan for Indigenous allyship that moves beyond land
acknowledgment, including a self-assessment and action planning worksheet.
Updated March 27 2025 by Brian McNeill, Ph.D. (Nez Perce and Palouse)