Since the SPSSI New York regional group formed back in 1984, it has hosted 10 or more activities each year for our 400+ regional members and their guests to gather. Thanks to Justin Belsley, Manager of Programs and Operations at SPSSI, many of these diverse activities—conferences, symposia, lectures, field trips—appear online at www.spssi.org/ny .   

One benefit of SPSSI-NY activities is to promote local teaching and mentoring, by bringing experienced professionals together with early-career psychologists and students unfamiliar with SPSSI or social issues psychology. In SPSSI-NY gatherings, it is typical for a 60-minute lecture to segue into another 60 minutes of one-on-one discussion, as experts and students enjoy exchanging views. In fact, students often join SPSSI after a local event. From 2002-2025, a total of 358 people registered for a one-year trial membership in SPSSI following a SPSSI-NY activity. Our Fall 2025 SPSSI-NY activities are described below.  

Conference.  On November 10, 40 undergraduates joined a forum on “Graduate school in psychology” at Fordham University, where Dinesh Sharma chaired a panel of six experts who advised students on successful career preparation.  

Lectures.  On November 11, over 30 students participated when Professor Kevin Ambrose invited noted forensic psychologist Jemour Maddux to speak on “Personality assessment in forensic practice.”  Also on November 11, Professor Karen Siedlecki hosted 30 students for a public lecture on “Dementia and family care-giving” by Francesca Falzarano (University of Southern California). 

Travelers.  Some SPSSI-NY activities give a City-wide audience to experts traveling through New York City.  On November 15, Gevorg Gharibian from the Republic of Armenia spoke on “How do we promote child welfare in Armenia?” On November 23, Ana Arveladze from the Republic of Georgia spoke on her sports psychology work, “Positive psychology for peak performance.” (video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5OIbH_M5OE ) 

Collaboration. On December 7, SPSSI-NY partnered with Margaret Brady-Amoon, President-Elect of the NYS Psychological Association, to co-host a public forum on “The history of psychology in New York City,” featuring three speakers: Harold Takooshian (Fordham), Carolyn Springer (Adelphi), and Philip Yanos (John Jay College), the author of “Exiles in New York City.”  

Looking ahead to 2026, SPSSI-NY hopes to host a webinar with the Psychology Coalition at the United Nations (PCUN) on 23 April 2026, and a panel or two at the 54th Hunter Psychology Conference in April.  Since the island of Manhattan marks its 400th anniversary in May of 2026, SPSSI-NY plans a large public forum on the fascinating history of psychology in Manhattan, which is home to 10 of the world’s largest universities. SPSSI-NY welcomes suggestions and local hosts for future activities. For details, contact takoosh@aol.com.

On November 10, 2025 at Fordham, 35 students heard advice from 7 experts on Dr. Dinesh Sharma's forum on "Graduate school and careers in psychology."