LISTSERV GUIDELINES

A popular benefit of membership is the opportunity to engage in discussion with other members on our listserv. All CSPP members are included unless they choose to opt out.

To provide our members with a sense of community within CSPP, the listserv is open to any matter that may be of interest to the general membership, other than confidential information. Acceptable topics include announcements or recommendations about conferences, books, articles, films, etc.  Also fine are requests for office space, cleaning companies, private items/theater tickets for sale, etc. However, as the Connecticut chapter of the APA, Division 39, we are subject to APA’s listserv guidelines, and it is very important that we all comply with them. 

If you have any questions, please contact our Listserv Manager: Jian Chen

Every email on the listserv should be written with the intention of contributing to a healthy community, one that is founded on concern and respect for others and for the privacy rights of our patients. To that end, we expect  listserv members to refrain from:

1. Derogatory, critical or insulting comments about other members, including personal attacks during a robust debate about ideas.
2. Publicly airing grievances toward another member. (When a member has a personal disagreement and/or grievance with another member, that should be communicated privately, via back-channel or by phone).
3. Using diagnostic language in response to a request for resources for a clinical situation which is presented with minimal clinical information.

WHEN REFERRING A PATIENT:

1. Please include in the Subject Field:
   *  The type of expertise sought
   *  The geographical location
   *  The age of the patient, if necessary
   *  The insurance carrier, if applicable
   *  [Example: “Referral: adolescent, Fairfield County, Aetna”]
2. To ensure confidentiality, requests for referrals must be limited to:
   *  The type of expertise sought
   *  The geographical location of services sought
   *  The particulars of an insurance provider (if a specific insurance company is needed)
   *  The age and gender of the patient, if relevant
   *  Any other patient information and/or descriptors must be GENERIC and kept to an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM.
   *  Provide your name and contact information for responses, and request that all responses be made directly to you    ("backchanneled").
   *. [Example: “Seeking a therapist for an adolescent with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Has a history of trauma.” Parents would like to use Aetna but are willing to pay out-of-pocket. Please back-channel me at: cspp.member@gmail.com".
3. Responses to such a request should be "back-channeled", which means sent directly to the sender (Click “Reply to Sender”, do not click “Reply to All”). Other members who are also interested in receiving the responses, can email their interest directly to the sender. 

INFORMATION AND/OR FEEDBACK ABOUT LOCAL RESOURCES AND CLINICIANS:

Discussing the relative merits of a facility or practitioner via the listserv exposes us to liability. For these reasons, we ask that you share such feedback directly with the person who sent the inquiry by “backchanneling”.

PUBLICATION ANNOUNCEMENTS:

As a non-profit organization, we are legally prohibited from engaging in for-profit activities or engaging in any form of political endorsements. Furthermore, the APA forbids posting full text articles, so if a member has a publication to share with other members, they need to provide the link from which the article can be accessed. While we are precluded from engaging in any commercial use of the listserv, the APA has sought to avoid being heavy-handed. For example, an individual author of a publication of professional interest to others on the listserv is not precluded by the policy from simply announcing the publication of a book to the list (as opposed to a de facto advertisement) and providing a link to another site where commercial information could be available. In short, we are trying to balance the benefits of information exchange among members with our legal obligations and need to protect an important APA asset, its tax-exempt status.

POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS: 

Any electioneering or endorsing a political candidate could affect our status as a tax-exempt organization. We are not permitted to use this forum for any communication that could be construed in any way as support for or opposition to any candidate for a federal, state or local public office. The Federal law providing for the American Psychological Association's tax-exempt status absolutely forbids the use of APA resources or facilities, including this forum, in any way that would even appear to support or oppose such a political candidate.

Please note:  The Listserv Manager is responsible for adding new members and deleting lapsed members from the CSPP listserv; and for monitoring the content of the listserv to ensure that all members adhere to the listserv guidelines (found on the CSPP website). If a member violates the guidelines, the Listserv Manager will follow these procedures:

1. An email will be sent to the person to highlight the violation.
2. If they violate a second time, they will be warned that a third time will end in a 30-day suspension.
3. If they violate a third time, they will be suspended from the listserv for 30 days.
4. After the 30-day suspension, they will be added back to the listserv.
5. If they violate a fourth time, they will be removed from the listserv.