The News You Need is your monthly snapshot of the latest updates and opportunities from TPA. Whether it's upcoming events or ways to get involved, this newsletter keeps you informed and connected to the psychology community across Texas.

Table of Contents

• New TPA Member Benefit: FREE CE! Renew or Join Today
• TPA 2025 Annual Conference Wrap Up
• Welcome to TPA's New Executive Director
• Congratulations 2025 Student Research Competition Winners
• Members: We Want to Hear From You!
• Connected Community Conversations

NEW TPA MEMBER BENEFIT: FREE CE!
Renew or Join Today

Membership renewals are open, and it is a great moment for both current and future members to connect with TPA. Whether you are a student, clinician, academic, or early-career psychologist, TPA is your professional home. We are a powerful network committed to advancing mental health policy, professional development, and the science of psychology across the state.

TPA now offers expanded free and discounted continuing education. New this year and included with membership is 1 hour in Human Trafficking Prevention state-required training. Plus, Platinum members will receive up to 3 hours in live Ethics and Professional Responsibility and up to 3 hours in live Cultural Diversity training at no cost.

Plus the core benefits members rely on:

• Peer-to-peer support through an online community where you can ask questions, discover insights, and find encouragement
• Representation and advocacy at the state and federal levels on the issues most important to you
• Practice support benefits, including insurance premium discounts and savings on office and technology services
• Discounts on annual conference registration
• A statewide professional network through committees, divisions, and special interest groups
• Opportunities to present research, discuss emerging findings, and stay informed on developments that impact your work.

Membership brings together psychologists at every stage of practice who want a strong voice in state-level decisions that shape how we practice and how Texans receive care.

Membership runs from January 1 to December 31, so we encourage you to renew as soon as you receive our renewal email so that you won’t experience a lapse in benefits and can enjoy a full 12 months of benefits.

Renew Here →

Join Here →

TPA 2025 Annual Conference Wrap Up

As we close out this year’s annual conference, we want to extend heartfelt appreciation to every psychologist, student, and partner who joined us. Your engagement and energy made this gathering a meaningful reflection of our professional community. Across sessions, workshops, and conversations, you demonstrated the dedication and curiosity that strengthen psychology in Texas. Our time together highlighted not only the depth of expertise across our field but also the shared challenges and opportunities that connect us at every career stage. We look forward to building on this momentum as we continue our work throughout the year.

View Conference Photos →

Mark your calendar for TPA's 2026 Annual Conference, November 12 to 14 in Austin, Texas. Next year’s gathering will push our work even further with fresh content, new connections, and focused conversations that strengthen our profession.

Welcome to TPA's New Executive Director

The TPA Board recently approved strategic changes to the staffing contract with Strategic Association Management (SAM) for 2026. One of these changes includes naming Kelly George to serve as the new Executive Director beginning on January 1. This change is in recognition of Kelly’s outstanding work as the Membership Director over the past year. Mary Beth Kiser, who has served as Executive Director since 2022, will continue to be involved in an advisory capacity. We look forward to this next chapter, and you’ll hear more from Kelly in the new year.

Congratulations 2025 Student Research Competition Winners

Congratulations to the winning students of the Texas Psychological Foundation's Research Competition. Your research, preparation, and presentation elevated the quality of our Conference and highlighted the depth of talent entering the profession. We are grateful to all participants for advancing conversation, strengthening our community, and contributing to the science of psychology in Texas.

• 1st Place: Mathew Avendaño
  Love and Loss: Examining the Impact of Injustice Appraisals on Psychological Outcomes Following Romantic Dissolution

• 2nd Place: Olukemi Dada
  Examining the Protective Effects of Culturally Relevant Coping on the Association Between Community Violence Exposure and Hopelessness among Black Boys

• 3rd Place: Emma Tillery
  Exploring Virtual Reality–Induced Awe in Chronic Back Pain: Results from a Qualitative Analysis

Check Out Their Presentations Here →

Members: We Want to Hear From You!

TPA is launching our annual membership survey, and your input will guide how we shape programming, advocacy, and member benefits in the year ahead.

The survey takes less than 2 minutes, and your feedback directly informs decisions about CE offerings, practice resources, communication, and the issues you want TPA to champion at the state level.

Share your voice and help strengthen our community.

Take the Survey →

Connected Community Conversations

Your peers are sharing timely updates and important professional insights in TPA’s Connected Community. This month’s conversations include:

• A detailed post on recent federal changes impacting student loan programs, along with member questions and reflections about how these shifts will affect graduate and professional training in psychology.
• BHEC’s request for proposals for professional consulting services related to the creation of a psychology occupational licensure examination
• Voices in Practice: What non-clinical skills have been most important in your career?
• Multiple referral inquiries

If you want to stay informed and be part of these discussions, the Connected Community is where your colleagues are gathering. Check out the most recent posts or search through the almost 1500 threads currently posted to the Member Community by logging in here.

Access to the Connected Community is a members-only benefit. To view and join the conversation, become a TPA member today and connect with psychology professionals across Texas.