Group Therapy, New GSAPP Band, Big Hit at Alumni Gala

The GSAPP Alumni Organization—Rutgers University Spring 2009—Volume X—No. 1 

Group Therapy, New 

GSAPP Band, Big Hit at 

Alumni Gala 

Stephanie Sasso, Psy.M. 

n April 5, 2008, the GSAPP Alumni Organization hosted 

its 15 th O Anniversary Gala at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli 

Museum on the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus. Only a 

few weeks prior, Geraldine Oades-Sese, Ph.D., Assistant 

Professor in the School Psychology Program, organized a group of 

musically inclined students to form a band to play at this and other 

GSAPP functions. The band, dubbed Group Therapy, included a 

drummer, keyboard player, two guitarists, and several singers. 

Oades-Sese offered her sister‘s band to back the students and support 

them in their preparations. She also opened her home to the 

group, which engaged in a series of whirlwind practices to prepare 

for the alumni event. The students also met on their own to put 

together a set list which would appeal to students, faculty, and 

alumni. Group Therapy received prominent billing for the special 

anniversary event, which included dinner and dancing. 

With over 100 people attending, including alumni, current 

students, faculty, and friends, turnout for the 15th Anniversary Gala 

was excellent. Both faculty and students credited the band with 

helping to generate enthusiasm and especially for bringing more 

current students out for the event. Many reported they went to see 

their friends perform, but also enjoyed the opportunity to network 

with alumni and spend time with faculty outside the school context. 

All the attendees seemed to agree it was a special evening which 

drew together the entire GSAPP community. 

Despite the short rehearsal time, the band put together a 

top-notch performance and was regarded as a highlight of the event. 

Students delighted in the opportunity to not only see their fellow 

students and professors performing, but alumni and students alike 

enjoyed watching faculty cutting a rug on the dance floor. Faculty 

performers included Oedes-Sese on drums, Susan Forman, Ph.D. of 

the School Psychology program on piano, and a special appearance 

by Dean Stanley Messer, Ph.D., singing ―Dr. Freud.‖ Other vocalists 

included students Nadia Lemp, Alycia Scott-Igoe, Gavin 

Kenny, and Diana Ong. Student musicians David Kieval and Scott 

Kraiterman on guitar, Matt Strobel on drums, and Naama Nebenzhal 

on piano were other members of the band who played that 

night. Band members ranged from first year to forth year, and represented 

both the clinical and school psychology programs. In addition, 

Alumnus Charles Mark, Psy.D. joined the band on saxophone. 

Group Therapy’s performance was a unique and rare opportunity 

for students to come together to share talents and interests 

outside of psychology. Band members agreed that GSAPP stu- 

GSAPP students Gavin Kenny, Alycia Scott-Igoe, Diana Ong, Nadia Kemp, 

Scott Kraiterman and David Kieval. See additional photos on page 5-6 

dents‘ schedules are so hectic, it is typically impossible to 

schedule ongoing clubs or groups. 

Many students, including those involved, were pleasantly 

surprised that this type of collaboration had been possible. 

Oades-Sese and other faculty encouraged the band to stay 

together to perform at additional GSAPP functions, and the 

band members themselves, having enjoyed the experience, 

were determined to continue meeting. 

In This Issue… 

Continued on Page 6 

Alumni Speakout 

The Rewards of My Other Life as a Volunteer Psychologist 

Rachelle Gold Psy.D. ’86 ........................................ 5 

Looking Beyond Fee-for-Service Reimbursement 

Frederick Rotgers, Psy.D. ‘83, ABPP ....................... 7 

From GSAPP 

Group Therapy, New GSAPP Band, Big Hit at Alumni Gala 

Stephanie Sasso, Psy.M. 4th year clinical ............... 1 

Dean’s Letter 

Stanley Messer, Ph.D.. ............................................ 2 

From the Alumni Organization 

Rutgers Restructures Alumni Relations 

Caroline Mossip, Psy.D ‘83. ..................................... 6 

President’s Message 

Lucy Takagi, Psy.D. ’06 ........................................... 2 

Memo From the Editor 

Jeffrey Axelbank, Psy.D. ’92 .................................... 3 

Focus on Alumni 

Interview with Sudha Wadhwani, Psy.D. ‘00 

Diana Ong, Psy.M., 3rd year clinical ........................ 4 

Ruediger Lemp 

http://gsappweb.rutgers.edu/alumni

PAGE 2 


President's Message 

Dear Alumni, 

t is an honor and a privilege to address you as the 2009 

President of the GSAPP Alumni Organization (AO). I 

have been with the GSAPP AO since 2000 when Sandy 

Harris was Dean of GSAPP, and it has always provided me with 

a network forum where I can ask questions and also work with 

and learn from others. I am pleased to serve as President to help 

foster the welcoming spirit and generosity in connectedness that 

I‘ve enjoyed as a member. 

GSAPP has over 800 graduates, people from all colors, 

races, cultures, genders, and languages. The link connecting this 

large pool of graduates is the school itself. It is our diversity of 

human experience, knowledge, and culture that we need to bring 

together. In recent years, the GSAPP AO, with the support and 

guidance of Dean Stanley Messer, has sponsored numerous 

events in an attempt to educate alumni and to foster networking. 

Bonnie Markham and Caroline Mossip have worked diligently 

as past presidents to successfully broaden the vision of the 

GSAPP AO. The Career Continuum events, the celebrations at 

the Zimmerli Museum, and the wine-tasting gathering in Pennsylvania 

are just a few. Unfortunately, under the dim financial 

situation impacting Rutgers and the rest of us, such events are at 

risk of extinction at the present time. Many changes have occurred 

as a result of a tighter fiscal year. As of 2008, anyone 

who graduates from GSAPP automatically becomes a member 

of the GSAPP AO, without paying membership dues. The lack 

of membership dues signals the need for fundraising to support 

the GSAPP AO but does not extinguish the opportunities for 

connectedness. 

For the first time in history, a GSAPP alumna has been 

inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni. This 

induction is the highest honor bestowed by Rutgers upon an 

alum. Dorothy Cantor will receive this honor on May 2, 2009. 

On May 3, 2009, her accomplishment will be celebrated among 

GSAPP alumni during a brunch at the Life Sciences building, 

two blocks away from GSAPP. Additionally, during the same 

May 3 rd I 

ceremony, the Peterson Prize will be presented to Jeffrey 

Lackner; the Alumni Organization Award for Distinguished 

Career Achievement will be awarded to Fred Rotgers and the 

Alumni Organization Grace Smith Award for Meritorious Service 

will be given to David Panzer. Please come and join us in 

congratulating all the winners! Check our listserv, web site, the 

GSAPP Gazette, and the enclosed flyer for more details. 

As we embark into a new and economically challenging 

era, I would like to invite your involvement. I ask both junior 

and senior alumni to consider all the ways in which you 

could potentially participate. You could join the GSAPP AO 

Board itself or volunteer on one of its committees to help complete 

specific projects. You could participate in our active 

listserv, attend our events, or even write articles for the newsletter. 

And senior alumni should also think about becoming supervisors 

for GSAPP‘s Psychological Clinic. I welcome your input, 

and if you have a unique idea about getting involved that is 

http://gsappweb.rutgers.edu/alumni/ 

The GSAPP Alumni Organization—Rutgers University 

From GSAPP 

A Letter from the Dean 

Dear GSAPP Alumni, 

I 

would like to take this opportunity to bring you up to date 

on what is happening at GSAPP. As a result of a decrease 

in the State‘s revenues and University resources, 

each unit was asked to prepare a budget with givebacks for next 

year (e.g., possible cuts in staff lines, faculty lines, operating expenses, 

etc.). We were faced with a difficult choice: either forego 

hiring for the vacant faculty positions (formerly held by Barbara 

McCrady and John Kalafat), and likely lose them forever, or convince 

the central administration that we could afford to hire because 

of increased GSAPP revenues. The main way in which we 

could increase revenues was to admit more students, which is 

what the faculty decided to do. Instead of aiming at an incoming 

class of 30 for Fall 2009, we will admit 36 students. This will 

require more work on the part of faculty, increase the need for 

more Clinic clients and supervisors, and will affect class size. 

The good news is that the pool of student candidates is deep 

enough (over 500) to ensure maintenance of our standard of excellence. 

Just as important, we were then able to hire two outstanding 

faculty members, one in clinical and one in school psychology. 

Each was the unanimous first choice of its departmental 

faculty. One of the advantages of going ahead with hiring at this 

time was that many universities have hiring freezes and so we 

were in a buyer‘s market. 

To introduce them briefly, Shireen Rizvi is a graduate 

of the University of Washington and a protégé of Marsha Linehan. 

She is an expert in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Borderline 

Personality Disorder (BPD), giving workshops around the 

country in this increasingly important, evidence-based modality. 

Shireen has conducted research on PTSD and maladaptive shame 

in BPD. She is currently on the faculty of the New School and 

will be on board starting in September. Anne Gregory, a clinical/community 

graduate of UC Berkeley is doing research in the 

areas of school consultation, prevention programs and services, 

and systems approaches to school psychology delivery. One of 

these lines of research is to understand the over-representation of 

African-American students in suspension and expulsion rates in 

high schools as a function of teacher practices and school policies. 

She is coming to us from the University of Virginia and 

will start in January 2010. 

Turning to a different topic, Mary Chrow, GSAPP‘s 

first ever development officer, interviewed a sample of alumni 

last year and learned that, in the view of many, GSAPP has been 

hiding its light under a bushel. In response, we have set up a 

committee of alumni and faculty, spearheaded by alumna Roz 

Dorlen, to examine GSAPP‘s marketing and communication 

practices. This will include a review of all the ways in which 

GSAPP communicates with its various constituencies and then 

figuring out how to improve upon them. For example, the 

GSAPP website increasingly has become our window to the 

world. Is it doing all that it should? I encourage you to visit the 

website (http://gsappweb.rutgers.edu) because you will see big 

improvements there already, thanks especially to our computer 

Continued on Page 3 Continued on Page 7

Spring 2009—Volume X—No. 1 


Memo from the Editor 

Jeffrey Axelbank, Psy.D. 

here is a lot going on at GSAPP and among alumni, 

and all the activity is reflected in this issue. While it 

is a trying time, there is also reason for excitement. 

As Dean Stan Messer writes (page 2), GSAPP has managed to 

preserve faculty positions through slightly increased enrollment, 

a trade-off that will have less deleterious impact than 

the (potentially permanent) loss of faculty lines. And the new 

faculty he introduces in his letter promise to be wonderful 

additions to GSAPP. 

We have a new Alumni Organization (AO) President 

and, judging by her President‘s Message (page 2), Lucy Takagi 

brings energy and commitment, combined with a long 

history with the AO, to the task. She takes over at a critical 

time when alumni will play an important role in the GSAPP 

marketing plan that is being developed, and also when the 

structure of Rutgers Alumni relations are changing. I am 

looking forward to her leadership! 

Speaking of the changes afoot for RU alumni, Caroline 

Mossip (page 6) provides a detailed account of what has 

transpired to create the new RU Alumni Association. For the 

GSAPP AO, this results in a fundamental shift in funding (the 

AO now has to be self-supporting instead of getting funds 

from the Alumni Federation), though a benefit is that all 

graduates can be members without the levying of dues. Read 

her story for the full picture, implications, and what the AO 

Board is planning. 

Diana Ong‘s interview of alumnus Sudha Wadhwani 

(page 4) paints a vivid protrait of Sudha‘s energy and wideranging 

involvement in both a college counseling setting, and 

multi-cultural outreach (not to mention motherhood!). As 

Diana puts it, you will feel ―exhausted and overwhelmed‖ 

upon reading about Sudha‘s frenetic pace! But the interview 

seems to have had an impact on both of them, with Sudha‘s 

update indicating that she has been prioritizing and focusing 

her energies accordingly, and Diana expanding her own activities. 

We spend most of our professional lives figuring out 

how to make ends meet and earn a living. Rachelle Gold 

(page 5) points out the benefit, both personally and professionally, 

of volunteering your services. She describes a rich 

experience in Chicago of community involvement that has 

allowed her to contribute to the larger world and express her 

values, at the same time that she has deepened her connection 

to the field by supervising students, teaming with other professionals, 

and serving clients. 

This year the AO is issuing its second ―Distinguished 

Career Achievement Award‖ to Fred Rotgers. His extensive 

career activities will be honored at the GSAPP Brunch on 

May 3 rd T 

(see insert), but his insight and creativity are evident 

in his article, ―Looking beyond Fee-for-Service Reimbursement‖ 

(page 7). In it, he proposes promising avenues for psychologists 

to gain more reliable and steady income, at the 

same time we could lend our expertise to new areas. 

GSAPP Alumni Organization 

Executive Board 2009-10 

http://gsappweb.rutgers.edu/Alumni/ 

Officers 

President: Lucy Takagi (‘06) 

Past President: Caroline Mossip (‘83) 

Secretary: Open 

Treasurer: Martha Temple (‘04) 

Dean ex-officio 

Stanley Messer 

Newsletter Editor 

Jeffrey Axelbank (‘92) 

Newsletter Production 

Atara Hiller (clinical) 

PAGE 3 

I am saving the best for last, and who would not agree 

that the formation of a GSAPP student band is not the most important 

recent development at the school? Stephanie Sasso‘s account 

(page 1) of the formation of Group Therapy and their debut appearance 

last year made me wish I could have been there to hear 

and see it. Not only that, it made me wish that I was back at 

GSAPP now, so that I could have my moment in the spotlight. 

Fortunately, we‘ll all get another chance to dance to their sound at 

the GSAPP Brunch on May 3 rd . Save the date!! 

The only low note of this issue is the disappearance of the 

Class Notes section. No one submitted any material, so that feature 

will be put on hold until next edition. Please send me any 

personal or professional news so that we can share it with fellow 

alumni next time. Also, we always need other material for the 

newsletter. Articles can be brief and informal and should be sent 

to me at axelbank@rci.rutgers.edu. 

President’s Message 

Continued from Page 2 

not mentioned here, please share it with me, and maybe we can 

make it happen. GSAPP AO meetings for 2009 will occur on Sundays 

on the following dates: June 7; September 13; and December 

6 (Snow Date: December 13). We meet in the conference room on 

the second floor of GSAPP from 9:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. I am 

really looking forward to getting to know you at our AO meetings 

and/or on May 3 rd at our celebratory brunch. 

With a hug, 

Lucy Takagi, Psy.D. 

2009 GSAPP AO President 

lucytakagi@yahoo.com 

Members-At-Large 

Dorothy Cantor (‘76) 

Peter DeNegris (‘04) 

Elaine Garrod (‘92) 

Frank McSweeney (‘83) 

Tamara Latawiec (‘08) 

Rebecca Stark (‗08) 

John O‘Connor (‗00) 

Student Representatives 

Kaja Stevenson 

(organizational) 

Karen Lenard (school) 

Chelsea Hetrick (clinical) 

Joe Cooper (clinical alternate) 

Olga Diamantis (school alternate) 


PAGE 4 

Focus on Alumni 

Sudha Wadhwani 

Diana Ong, Psy.M. 

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in our series of student interviews 

with alumni. It has been selected from among the interviews 

students conducted as a project for Dan Fishman’s Professional 

Standards, Ethics and Career Development course. 

Diana’s interview of Sudha took place in May 2008 during 

Diana’s second year at GSAPP. The updates at the end bring us 

up to date and demonstrate the impact the interview had on both 

the student and the alumni. 

F 

or the class project, I chose to interview Sudha Wadhwani 

because I share her interest in multicultural issues and college 

counseling settings. I was also interested in learning 

more about how she balances career and personal life, a topic I 

heard her speak about at the GSAPP Minority and International 

Student Alumni Dinner. 

Sudha maintains many professional roles: psychotherapist, 

community psychologist, supervisor, trainer, teacher, and 

consultant. She has a full-time position as Staff Psychologist and 

Outreach Coordinator at the Montclair State University Counseling 

and Psychological Services (CAPS). There, she provides 

individual therapy with university students using a CBT/ 

integrationist approach with a multicultural perspective, and runs 

an international students support group and parental loss support 

group. She is also involved in the training program at Montclair 

CAPS, supervising an extern/practicum student and training externs 

to do outreach. 

Sudha sees herself as a community psychologist, a role 

she plays as the Outreach Coordinator. She collaborates with 

organizations on campus such as in the International Students 

Office, residential life, professors, and the Dean‘s Office, receiving 

requests for presentations and workshops from them and 

delegating these requests to CAPS staff members. 

In addition to her work at CAPS, Sudha teaches a graduate 

multicultural counseling course at Montclair State, has a private 

practice where she sees predominantly young adults, and has 

a diversity consulting practice in which she consults to non-profit 

human service agencies such as schools, day care centers, and 

food banks. Sudha is also on several committees: the New Jersey 

Psychological Association (NJPA) diversity committee and is a 

co-coordinator for APA Division 27, the Society for Community 

Research Action-Community Psychology (SCRA). One of the 

projects she is currently working on is coordinating a conference 

for SCRA. Sudha herself has also presented at several conferences. 

Along with all these professional roles, Sudha says that 

part of her identity is being a full-time mom, so her children play 

a big part in how she organizes her time. She explained that the 

main reason she is willing to have such a busy schedule right now 

is that in two year‘s time, she hopes to be able to work part-time 

to spend more time with her children. 

Sudha found many aspects of her training at GSAPP 

helpful. First, she said that she had many mentors at GSAPP 

from whom she continues to seek support today. Second, she 

noted that while the classes at GSAPP gave her good founda- 



tional knowledge, she found the experiential aspects of her 

GSAPP training to be incredibly valuable. She had rich clinical 

and community psychology experiences from practicum sites 

such as Morristown Memorial Hospital, Mike Petronko‘s Anxiety 

Disorders Clinic, St. Martin‘s Center (an inner city health clinic), 

and the Rutgers College Counseling Center. Seeing clients at the 

GSAPP clinic gave her even more intensive supervision, which 

she found helpful. 

When asked about the less useful elements of GSAPP, 

she wondered if Comps had to be as stressful as they were. Instead 

of taking exams, she suggested that students could produce 

something that contributes to their career development. For example, 

she heard that some doctoral programs require students to 

publish an article as a requirement to receive the Master‘s degree. 

Sudha said that her identity as a South Asian woman is a 

major influence on her professional roles. As a psychologist 

from a minority background, she believes that it is important to 

build multicultural competence in the field and to reach out to 

minority communities whose members are less likely to seek 

mental health treatment due to stigma. This overlaps with her 

identity as a community psychologist and serves as a drive to do 

outreach, present at conferences, write, publish, and teach. 

In terms of advice for students, Sudha‘s first recommendation 

is to network: make contacts and stay in touch with everyone, 

including supervisors and mentors. Along the same lines, 

she recommended doing an internship in the area in which we 

would like to settle down. She suggested doing a formal post-doc 

after internship because it can be hard to find a job without being 

licensed, and it provides a means to get supervised hours for obtaining 

licensure. Finally, she advised us to keep growing, and 

honing our skills, through continuing education. 

I felt exhausted and overwhelmed hearing about Sudha‘s 

busy schedule. The sense I got, though, is that these activities did 

not pile up without her realizing it. Rather, the choices that she 

has made are intentional and well thought out. She has decided 

what is important – her role as mother and her dedication to multicultural 

issues through community psychology. She prioritizes 

these and then arranges other aspects of her life around them, 

such as teaching and presenting at conferences. 

As a member of several minority groups, I too feel myself 

pulled in several directions – I hope to be a psychotherapist 

while also reaching out to underserved communities, and at the 

same time have a family life. I had a hard time imagining what 

that would look like and so it was enlightening to hear Sudha‘s 

experiences and to hear how she balances it all. 

Sudha’s Update: Since my interview with Diana, I have done 

some professional and personal reflection, and have had a few 

epiphanies that have led to some positive changes in my personal, 

family, and professional lives. My first epiphany: I will not be 

―PTA Mom of the Year and that is OK‖! I cannot go to evening 

meetings that take away from my time with my kids. What I 

CAN DO is volunteer in a purposeful way that increases my time 

with them – like volunteering in the classroom and for field trips, 

etc. – or that utilizes my specialties (e.g., multicultural programming) 

in ways that can directly benefit their education. Coming 

to this realization has been very liberating. My other epiphany: I 

love being an Outreach Coordinator at a university counseling 

center and it is my calling! My job gives me the opportunity to 

Continued on Page 5



The Rewards of My Other 

Life as a Volunteer 

Psychologist 

Rachelle Gold, Psy.D. 

P 

rofessional satisfaction can come in unexpected ways. 

For the last six years, I have been a volunteer psychologist 

at a remarkable community institution in Chicago, 

―The ARK‖. What began as a means of reestablishing my career, 

following a move to my hometown after years of living in New 

York City, has become an essential part of my professional life, 

which also consists of a private practice and involvement in other 

community organizations. 

During the transition period after my move, when I was 

trying to make professional connections, learn about local mental 

health resources and explore work opportunities, I sought and 

welcomed suggestions. One of the best came from a long-time 

resident of my neighborhood who told me, ―volunteer at The 

ARK.‖ Having grown up in Chicago and returned often to visit 

family and friends, I had a general awareness of The ARK as an 

agency that provided various services to the needy in the Jewish 

community and attracted a cadre of volunteers. I followed up on 

my neighbor‘s advice and discovered that volunteers were not 

only encouraged, but were necessary for the delivery of services 

and integral to The ARK‘s mission of creating an environment in 

which community members can support and help others. 

The ARK began in 1971 through a grass-roots effort and 

over the years has grown to provide a wide range of services and 

programs, all free of charge. These include health care, a food 

pantry, homeless shelter, thrift shop, legal services, vocational 

and financial assistance, spiritual enrichment, holiday programs, 

social services, a mental health clinic and a day treatment program 

for people with chronic mental illness. The ARK is able to 

offer this abundance of services because of the large number of 

experienced professionals who volunteer their time. This is especially 

true in these difficult economic times. 

I am one of a multidisciplinary group of licensed mental 

health professionals who volunteer to provide psychotherapy 

through a ―psychological services‖ program coordinated by a 

paid staff member who has been with the ARK nearly since its 

founding. I work with two clients in therapy. One has long history 

of mental health problems, and the other was recently homeless. 

In support of our work, the other volunteer therapists and I 

are invited to a monthly supervision group, led by a beloved retired 

psychiatrist who has been a volunteer for more than a decade. 

The group helps satisfy a desire for the collegial support and 

sharing that I miss as a private practitioner. I am fortunate also to 

have become involved in The ARK‘s training program for graduate 

students in psychology and social work. Currently I lead a 

weekly supervision group for three bright, dedicated students. 

The students also receive individual supervision from ARK volunteers 

in their respective disciplines. 

My private practice is certainly stimulating, challenging 

and gratifying. However, my connection to this wonderful 

agency, and the bond with its community of volunteers, have 

PAGE 5 

enabled me to give of myself in unique ways that enhance my 

personal and professional life. I feel privileged to be able to use 

my profession to express my values, above and beyond my regular 

work as a psychologist. For GSAPP alumni with similar inclinations, 

I highly recommend the kind of involvement I have 

described. You will be deeply (though not financially) rewarded. 

Sudha Wadhwani 


do both clinical and community work, I am never bored, and I 

am always learning. Prior to GSAPP, I was Assistant Director 

of Community Outreach Services at a community non-profit. 

Recently, I started a new, multidisciplinary, clinical outreach 

program on campus called the ―Agents of Change Empowerment 

Certification Series‖, a collaborative community intervention on 

campus to reach students who typically do not seek counseling 

services. I am also involved in a committee to start a national 

college outreach organization and develop national outreach 

standards. 

I have come to realize that my career has come full 

circle and my professional journey, with all its winding paths, is 

now coming together and making sense. I am looking forward 

to seeing where the next point in my juggling act of career and 

motherhood takes me! 

Diana’s Update: One of the lessons I learned from the interview 

is that it is possible to be engaged in many different projects, but 

that the key to doing so is to be clear of one‘s priorities. Since 

the interview, I have taken up several new activities that reflect 

my various interests, such as doing outreach work with Asian 

American students, starting an LGBTQ support group, and 

learning how to assess and treat older adults with Parkinson‘s 

Disease and anxiety symptoms. It has been a challenging juggling 

act and I am continually trying to find that elusive balance, 

which as Sudha noted to me recently, is an ongoing goal towards 

which to aspire. 

GSAPP students Nadia Lemp, Gavin Kenny, Alycia Scott-Igoe, Diana Ong, and 

Scott Kraiterman perform with Group Therapy 

Ruediger Lemp 


PAGE 6 

Rutgers Restructures 

Alumni Relations 

No More Dues; Alumni Groups Must 

be Self-Supporting 

Caroline E. Mossip, PsyD 

R 

utgers University recently made fundamental 

changes to its relationship with its alumni. These 

changes present the GSAPP Alumni Organization 

(AO) with significant challenges. Alumni groups such as the 

AO can no longer collect dues, and will not be receiving funding 

from a central source. As such, the AO now needs to be 

selfsupporting. 

In September 2006, Rutgers President Dr. Richard L. 

McCormick appointed a Task Force of university and alumni 

representatives (including GSAPP Alumna Dianne Clarke- 

Kudless, PsyD) to develop recommendations to strengthen the 

relationship between alumni and the university. 

The Task Force considered input from consultants in 

alumni relations (who reviewed alumni structure in other universities, 

interviewed Rutgers officers, deans, staff members 

and volunteer leaders, and conducted a survey of undergraduate 

alumni), and from a study by the Rutgers University 

Alumni Federation (RUAF - the former organizing body of 

alumni organizations). In addition, they held a forum with 

alumni associations and RUAF leadership, where representatives 

(including the GSAPP AO President) were invited to provide 

feedback on the data gathered during the planning stage. 

The most important recommendations to come out of 

the Task Force was the concept of a new single alumni association, 

the Rutgers University Alumni Association (RUAA), encompassing 

all three campuses (New Brunswick, Newark and 

Camden) and all alumni. Existing alumni groups (such as the 

AO) can continue to exist under the new structure, together 

with new alumni interest groups that may form in the future. 

The RUAA was officially formed in April 2008. All GSAPP 

graduates are now members of the RUAA, as well as being a 

member of the GSAPP Alumni Organization. 

An important aspect of the Task Force recommendations 

was that dues paying should be eliminated. It was noted 

that in the system as it had existed, the majority of alumni were 

not dues payers. The Task Force wanted to promote inclusivity, 

not the exclusivity which they felt a dues system supported. 

As the Task Force wrote, ―We feel strongly that all Rutgers 

alumni should automatically belong to its alumni body, enjoy 

the same rights and privileges, and share the same responsibilities 

for the institution.‖ 

Another import recommendation was the restructuring 

of Alumni Relations, and the financial support of Alumni Relations 

though a line item in Rutgers‘ budget. The Vice President 

for Alumni Relations now has a seat on the University 

President‘s Cabinet. President McCormick has noted that the 

university has a ―commitment to bring alumni relations to the 

highest levels of governance.‖ The Vice President for Alumni 

Relations, together with the new RUAA, leads alumni relations 

at Rutgers University. 



Dr. McCormick also noted ―the important roles that professional 

and graduate school alumni play in the university.‖ He 

wants to ―ensure that all aspects of alumni relations include this 

important constituency and provide programming to meet their 

specific professional needs.‖ This was brought out by graduate 

school representatives meetings held with the Task Force. Graduate 

school alumni (including myself), indicated that our alumni 

have specialized interests and needs, such as for continuing professional 

education and networking, which should be addressed in the 

new alumni structure. 

All alumni groups, including ours, must now be selfsupporting, 

since we will not be funded by the RUAA or the Department 

of Alumni Relations. Under the new structure, we cannot 

collect dues, nor can we solicit donations in lieu of membership 

dues for our operating budget. Your alumni board recently 

met to discuss how the new structure will affect the GSAPP AO. 

Suggested approaches to support operating expenses include 

charging event, program or participation fees, having subscriptions 

for newsletters or publications, and adding fundraising components 

(auctions, selling items) to our programs. An area that is 

actively encouraged under the new structure is fundraising for 

scholarships. We presently have our GSAPP AO Scholarship, 

which helps to support an entering GSAPP student who has an 

outstanding record of accomplishment. GSAPP also has the Academic 

Excellence Fund (Dean‘s Fund) which helps to support special 

educational opportunities for current students. Your GSAPP 

AO will continue to develop fundraising ideas for supporting 

scholarships that benefit GSAPP students. 

The whole idea of the new alumni structure is to provide 

all alumni with opportunities to become more engaged with the 

university once they have graduated. Whether this will actually be 

the case, only time will tell. Your AO is committed to continue to 

serve the needs of GSAPP alumni, whatever the future may bring. 

Group Therapy 


Rehearsals were continued, organized by Scott Kraiterman, with a 

group of committed students, several of whom played earlier this 

year at the welcoming picnic for new students. After meeting infrequently 

during the summer, the band is currently rehearsing and 

working on expanding its set list. They are excited to perform 

again, but also enjoying the opportunity to put the pressures of 

graduate school aside for a few hours and play music. While no 

specific dates have been set, the Alumni Organization reports the 

band will definitely be playing at 2009 events. 

GSAPP students Gavin Kenny, Alycia Scott-Igoe, Diana Ong, and Nadia Lemp 

Ruediger Lemp



Looking Beyond Fee-for- 

Service Reimbursement 

Frederick Rotgers, Psy.D., ABPP 

Editor’s Note: Fred Rotgers is the recipient of the 2009 

GSAPP Alumni Organization’s Distinguished Career Achievement 

Award. He is currently the Program Director for the 

Clinical Psychology PhD program at Walden University. 

A 

s a student at GSAPP, I had the great good fortune 

to have as mentors some of the giants in the field of 

behavior therapy: Cyril Franks, Arnold Lazarus, 

Terry Wilson, Dan Fishman. Networking with them opened 

doors for me professionally that I could not have imagined 

when I first began applying to GSAPP. Cyril opened the door 

for me to both private practice and forensic practice, as well as 

to scholarly work, first as a book reviewer, then as co-editor of 

Dan Fishman‘s book Paradigms in Behavior Therapy. I‘ve 

since gone on to publish several books of my own, edit a major 

journal in addiction, my specialty, testify as an expert witness 

in dozens of cases and, after having been in private practice, 

turned my attention to the training of professional psychologists. 

I‘m now that odd duck—a PsyD who directs a PhD program! 

Unthinkable back in the day! 

When I began in practice there was no such thing as 

managed care. Psychologists were reimbursed by clients out of 

pocket, or by unmanaged insurance. In the early 1990s managed 

care arrived and, as we all know, life changed for practitioners 

in both private and agency settings. The practice of 

professional psychology, particularly psychotherapy, was 

changed dramatically. For those psychologists whose practices 

consisted primarily of doing psychological testing, matters became 

even worse, with many third party payers refusing to pay 

for more than a minimal battery, if they paid for any testing at 

all. This situation has continued, with few changes, until now, 

with levels of reimbursement frequently failing to keep pace 

with rising costs and even the pace of inflation. The passage of 

mental health and substance abuse treatment parity legislation 

promises to alleviate this situation somewhat, but the traditional 

fee-for-service model of psychological practice is now 

being re-examined by many professional psychologists. 

One of the privileges I have had in recent years is to 

be the Liaison for APA Division 50 (Addictive Behavior) to 

the APA Practice Directorate‘s Committee for the Advancement 

of Professional Practice (CAPP). In that capacity I have 

had the opportunity to sit in on discussions at the forefront of 

the APA Practice Organization‘s (APAPO) efforts to improve 

both the quality of practice and the quality of practitioners‘ 

lives. I want to mention two ideas that have come from discussions 

at CAPP that I find interesting. 

The first is more of a philosophical shift: for practitioners 

to begin thinking outside the fee-for-service reimbursement 

model toward a salary model. That means, rather than 

basing our income solely on uncertain payments from clients or 

third parties, we look toward more stable sources of income 

that can reduce the uncertainty and variability in practice. One 

PAGE 7 

example, drawing on one of the APAPO‘s initiatives—The Psychologically 

Healthy Workplace Initiative—would be to negotiate 

fixed income contracts with businesses, large and small, to help 

them build and maintain a workplace that promotes employee psychological 

and physical health using basic psychological research 

and principles that have been around for years. 

Another example of how this new thinking might work is 

a practice with divorce coaching as the focus. In divorce coaching, 

the psychologist acts, not as a mediator (another role that psychologists 

often play in divorce proceedings), but as a coach who 

assists the couple, their attorneys and the court in developing a 

collegial and functional (as opposed to the frequently adversarial 

and dysfunctional) approach to issues such as property division 

and child parenting. The psychologist contracts with a third party 

(the court, attorneys) to provide services on a salaried basis, rather 

than fee for service. While this model is not without difficulty, it 

has the advantage that, once contracts have been set, the practitioner 

knows what his/her income will be for the duration of the contract. 

As practitioners, we need to keep pace with changing 

times. Most of us grew up assuming that fee-for-service practice 

(whether we, or the agency we worked for, collected the fees) was 

the primary model for practice, and aspiring to become practitioners 

within that model. As we all know now, times have changed, 

and are still changing. I think it‘s time we all began to think outside 

the traditional boxes and develop new, viable avenues for 

psychological practice. Not doing so will damage both ourselves 

and our profession! 

Letter from the Dean 


specialist, PK Broderick and our associate dean, Jennifer Leon. 

In addition, the committee will examine the Gazette, the Alumni 

Newsletter, our brochures (mostly non-existent), and ways in 

which we are (or are not) reaching potential candidates for admission. 

If you have ideas that you would like to share, please contact 

Roz at dorlen@mindspring.com. 

In January I had the great pleasure of meeting with 

alumni who live in the Boston area at a dinner in the lovely apartment 

of recent alumna, Susan Schnur, and her husband, Len 

Fishman. It was truly inspiring to learn of the great accomplishments 

of our alumni. We will be posting on our website some 

information and photos about this delightful evening. 

In brief, GSAPP is moving ahead despite the challenges 

of the downturn in the economy. We continue to maintain our 

high national standing by attracting first rate students and faculty. 

As always, if you would like to communicate with me, I can be 

reached at smesser@rutgers.edu or at 732-445-2000 x110. 

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to Caroline 

Mossip who has just stepped down from her post as President 

of the GSAPP Alumni Organization for the superb job that she has 

done. I also want to thank Lucy Takagi for taking on this position 

and to ask all of you to consider ways in which you can offer her 

your support. 

With best wishes, 

Stanley Messer 

Dean, GSAPP 


PAGE 8 


The GSAPP Alumni Organization is pleased to announce 

the publication of its commemorative booklet, 

“Sharing the Vision.” 

 


GSAPP Commemorative Booklet and DVD 

This 75 page booklet documents the founding of GSAPP and the Psychological Clinic. 

Filled with information that is available nowhere else, it includes many photographs, 

both historical and recent. As you turn each page you will see familiar faces and read 

about fascinating people who transformed their ideas into reality. 

The booklet includes a unique DVD containing interviews with many of those 

who were there at the beginning of GSAPP, including Don Peterson, Stanley 

Moldowsky, Morrie Goodman, Peter Nathan, Stanley Messer, Ruth Schulman, 

Sandra Harris, Robert Weitz, Dorothy Cantor, and others, which is fascinating 

to watch. 

Those who attended the October 2005 "Sharing the Vision" event should have already 

received their copy of the booklet in the mail. If you attended the event and have not yet 

received a copy, please contact Caroline Mossip, PsyD at cemossip@alumni.rutgers.edu. 

If you would like to purchase a copy, please send a check in the amount of $75 (payable to 

GSAPP Alumni Organization) to: GSAPP Alumni Organization, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway 

NJ 08854-8085. Please indicate the address where you would like the booklet mailed, 

and it will be promptly sent to you. 

GSAPP ALUMNI ORGANIZATION 

152 Frelinghuysen Road 

Piscataway, NJ 08854 

 

NON-PROFIT 

ORGANIZATION 

U.S. POSTAGE 

PAID 

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ 

PERMIT NO. 69

Group Therapy, New GSAPP Band, Big Hit at Alumni Gala

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