Fostering the business interests and professional development of the psychology community.
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Greetings Colleagues,
We are pleased to report that our recent webinar was a great success. There were over 75 attendees. Reviews of Dr. Drew Sturgeon's presentation Psychological Treatments for Chronic Pain and Headache were glowing. Many participants requested further training from Dr. Sturgeon on this subject. WPS will explore various options and keep you updated. WPS will continue to host high quality presentations. Membership provides discounts on event tuition and other benefits. Best, Stefan Petrmichl and the WPS admin team. |
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Member Spotlight: Robert Fabiano, Ph.D. |
Robert Fabiano’s path to psychology began in an unexpected place: as a struggling high school student. During his senior year, he enrolled in a psychology course, and what began as curiosity quickly turned into passion. The subject not only captivated his interest but also helped him make sense of his own challenges and experiences. It was, as Bob describes, “love at first sight.”
He carried that passion into college, declaring psychology as his major. But the transition wasn’t smooth. After three semesters, Bob found himself on academic probation. A turning point came when he discovered William Glasser’s Positive Addiction. Inspired by Glasser’s concepts of healthy habit formation, Bob made bold changes: transferring to a new college 400 miles from his peer group, spending time in the library and the gym, and surrounding himself with serious students. The transformation paid off, and the principles he learned about behavior and mindset continue to shape his work as a clinical psychologist today.
Now in his 34th year of practice, Bob leads PAR Rehab Services, a Lansing-based clinic specializing in clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology. His career reflects both perseverance and passion, combining decades of experience with a commitment to helping others through evidence-based practices like CBT.
Outside of his professional life, Bob is deeply connected to the outdoors. He loves hiking and photographing wildlife, especially reptiles like alligators and snakes. Bob’s creativity extends into music as well; as part of The Off the Couch Band. He has helped raise nearly $1 million through 16 benefit concerts for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, the Alzheimer’s Association of Michigan, and Michigan Disability Services.
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Practical Tips for Therapeutic Change |
Chi Gung, Tai Chi and Related Practices Part 2 by Dr. Lawrence Perlman This is a continuation of last month's practical tips piece.
Advanced Practices: Push Hands
Once people have mastered the forms, they may advance to two person exercises, known as Push Hands (Toi Sau). This begins with the people facing one another in forward stances with their arms extended and wrists touching, always maintaining contact. They warm up by shifting their weight forward and back, while keeping contact and feeling the opponent’s energy. This morphs into making circles in different configurations while trying to feel the opponent’s energy and the times when they are off balance or overextended. When the opponent can no longer neutralize the push, they move their feet or fall over.
There is a fixed sequence of movements in Push Hands that derive from movements in the forms. (These are: ward off, roll back, cover, change direction, press, separate hands, and push.) The goal is to deflect 100 pounds of energy with one ounce of strength; to take the opponent’s energy and turn it back on them; to only give them emptiness when they try to push you off balance. (This has been likened to pushing a sheet on a clothesline that provides no resistance.) All of the work in push hands involves the lower body. The players sit into their stances and move their bodies back and forth in synch with one another. The mark of an expert is how solid their stances are. One can easily tell how skilled a player is by the firmness of their stances.
When one person gets off balance, overextended or moves their feet, the set ends and the process is repeated. Push Hands progresses from a fixed pattern of rhythmic movements in synch with one’s opponent to free form exercises and moving pushes, while always circling one another and maintaining contact. This is the equivalent of sparring in Tai Chi.
Look for Tai Chi teachers and practitioners in your area keeping in mind these principles. |
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Behind the Silence: Understanding Men’s Hidden Struggles Doug Carpenter, Psy.D. November 7th, 2025 | 12PM to 2PM |
This webinar has been approved by the University of Detroit Mercy, which is our partner in the offerings of Continuing Education activities.
This webinar explores the complex psychological, relational, and societal challenges facing men today. Participants will examine how cultural concepts of masculinity influence identity, coping strategies, and help- seeking behaviors. The webinar addresses the lasting psychological and relational effects of male sexual abuse, the impact of fatherlessness, the lack of male mentorship, and the role of social isolation in men’s mental health. Attention will also be given to aging-related health and psychological concerns unique to men. Participants will gain deeper insight into men’s experiences and develop strategies for more effective therapeutic engagement and support.
Registration for this event is now open!
Non-members pay $60 per person and Members pay $40 per person. Membership costs only $75 yearly. Click here to become a member |
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Dr. Carpenter is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Michigan. He and his spouse, Mary A. Carpenter, LMSW are the founders of Insight Counseling Services. Dr. Carpenter has a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Forest Institute of Professional Psychology; earned a Master of Science in Counseling and Substance Abuse Rehabilitation from Pace University, and has an Associates of Arts in Theological Studies from Kent Christian College.
He has a keen ability to translate academic psychology and sound clinical research into clinical practice and in his writings. He has extensive study and therapeutic skills in the area of gender role conflict, shame, sexual abuse and trauma, and chemical and behavioral addictions. |
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Upcoming Winter Events - Sexual Health & Sex Therapy Including Ethical Challenges – Pamela Landau | January 9th, 2026
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| Licensed Clinical Neuropsychologist |
Neuropsychology Partners, PLLC is seeking a licensed clinical neuropsychologist to join a growing neuropsychology practice with offices in Ann Arbor and Novi, Michigan. Duties include providing comprehensive psychological, neuropsychological and forensic evaluations across the age spectrum. The applicant will need to have completed an APA accredited doctoral program, be fully licensed in the state of Michigan, and have at least two years of clinical experience beyond their APA accredited internship. Both contractual and full-time positions are available. Salary and compensation are highly competitive and include performance-based bonuses. Teaching and opportunities for therapy are available.
Please send letter of interest and resume to Alfred Mansour, PhD amansour@neuropsychologyllc.com. |
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Schedule: Flexible with a hybrid (in office/from home) work schedule
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
Benefits: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance Education: Doctorate (Required)
License/Certification: Michigan Licensed Psychologist (Required) |
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Research Study on Interoception |
We are a small group of interdisciplinary therapists doing a study of therapists and educators who use interoception in their work, whether formally or informally. Interoception is a person's knowing what they feel, physically or emotionally. Our study aims to better understand therapists’ and educators' experiences at facilitating interoception in clients or students. We wish to bring together insights from different disciplines to build a more integrated understanding of interoception as it relates to therapeutic intervention, to inform training, to support practitioners and to generate questions for further research. The study involves a 20-minute online survey with Survey Monkey. Participation is voluntary. The study has IRB approval via Fielding Graduate University. If you have questions about the study or survey, please email us at interoceptivepractice@gmail.com.
Here is the link for completing the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NJ2G6J8
Andrew Orosan-Weine, Ph.D. (Ann Arbor Center for the Family)
Ira Glovinsky, Ph.D. (MI)
Deborah Sussman, OT, Ph.D. (NY)
Patricia Sweeny Toboni, MS, CCC-SLP (CA) |
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Child Psychologist / Clinical Neuropsychologist |
PAR Rehab Services, a private outpatient behavioral health clinic located in Lansing, Michigan is recruiting for a child psychologist/clinical neuropsychologist to work in our Lansing office. The primary focus is conducting diagnostic psychological and neuropsychological evaluations with a strong emphasis on child, adolescent and life span expertise. The referrals represent a broad range of child and adult diagnostic disorders including neurological, neurodevelopmental, traumatic, psychiatric, and psychological. Candidate will conduct psychological and neuropsychological evaluations, biosocial intakes, patient care conferences, and consultation with other health care and behavioral health specialists as needed.
The position includes a fully staffed administrative team, psychometry staff, and clinical therapists. PAR Rehab Services offers a competitive salary, health and dental benefits, 10 paid holidays, vacation accumulated based upon years of employment, 401K, continuing education allowance, and productivity metric based bonuses.
PAR Rehab Services has a 34+ year presence in the Lansing area serving a broad geographic range of 8-10 counties. We have close working relationships with Michigan State University Colleges of Human and Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan Medicine/Sparrow Hospital, State of Michigan departments, county courts, and hundreds of physicians and health care providers. |
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