Wyoming Psychological Association 2022 Fall Conference
Saturday, Sep 10, 2022 - Sunday, Sep 11, 2022
8:00am - 5:00pm
Please join us for the Wyoming Psychological Association 2022 Fall Conference at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming!
The Event will be held on-site in Cody at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West as well as available online remotely via Zoom events!
- All COVID-related guidelines from the State of Wyoming and the Wyoming Department of Health will be followed. These guidelines include social distancing guidelines, mask use, and food handling requirements.
- Each day starts at 8am with breakfast.
- The sessions begin at 9am.
- There will be frequent breaks (food/snacks).
- All official events will be recorded.
- Ten (10) hours of CEUs will be awarded for successful attendance/completion of all Saturday and Sunday presentation requirements (Certificates will be available at the conclusion of the workshop via email).
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there are now about 6.5 million adults over 65 years of age living with dementia, which is about 1 in 9 Americans age 65 and older. It is currently estimated that this will grow to about 12.7 million by the year 2050. While the incidence rate is actually on the decline, we are still facing a substantial silver tsunami of disease burden as the baby boomer generation continues to age.
Dementia is an umbrella term that refers to a significant loss of neurocognitive functioning that is severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. The most common causes of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disease, Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s diseases, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, hippocampal sclerosis, and mixed pathologies; and there are numerous other congenital and acquired conditions that cause dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
Our understanding of dementing conditions has rapidly evolved over the last two decades, and we are now on the cusp of very promising therapeutics that can directly alter the underlying neuropathologies in Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common cause of dementia. But, what does that mean for psychology? In the age of biomarkers and infusion therapies, is there still a place for psychologists and neuropsychologists in the identification and care of patients with dementia and their families/care partners?
The short answer is YES! For the long and more interesting answer, please join us at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody on September 10th and 11th to learn more about diagnosis, early identification, and psychological care for these profound conditions.
Here is the Preliminary Agenda for Saturday, September 10, 2022 from 8:00am – 5:00pm
and Sunday, September 11, 2022 8:00am – 12:00pm
Saturday 8:00am – 9:00am Breakfast in Kuyper Dining Pavillion – Main Level and On-site registration
Dr. Rodney A. Swenson, Ph.D., ABN
Futuristic Applications of the Boston Process Approach to Emergent Cognitive Decline
Saturday 9:00am – 12:00pm Coe Auditorium – Lower Level
Dr. Swenson is a Board-Certified Neuropsychologist who has practiced Neuropsychology for the last 37 years. Dr. Swenson is a Fellow of the National Academy of Neuropsychology as well as a Fellow in the American College of Professional Neuropsychology. He holds the rank of Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dr. Swenson is active in teaching medical students, residents, and graduate psychology students and was awarded in 2008 with the Dean’s Recognition Award from the UND Medical School for his commitment to teaching. Dr. Swenson has authored approximately 55 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters addressing issues in dementia and mild cognitive impairment and was co-editor of a book entitled “Vascular Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Advancing an Integrated Approach”. Most recently, Dr. Swenson was part of a team invited to publish a series of papers in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease on digital applications to assessment of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Currently Dr. Swenson has been consulting on projects looking at leveraging Digital Assessment to identify cognitive biomarkers in patients with emerging neurodegenerative decline. Part of that work lead to validation of the Digital Clock Drawing Test, a device that was recognized by TIME magazine as one of 2021’s 100 best inventions of the year.
WPA Membership Meeting and hosted luncheon for all attending at the Coe Auditorium/Lower Level/Tile Map Area(LUNCH PROVIDED FOR ALL)
Dr. Rodney A. Swenson, Ph.D., ABN
Continuation Saturday 1:30am – 4:30pm
Dr. Swenson concludes with closing Q & A and evaluation
Sunday, September 11, 2022
Dr. Tamarra Crawford, PhD
Psychological Care: The Structuring and Palliation of Neurocognitive Disorders for Patients and their Caregiver Networks
Tamarra Crawford was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas within a multicultural oriented Creole family. She pursued her graduate studies at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology while working at the Older Adult and Family Center, under mentorship of pioneer researchers and clinicians in evidenced based care and diverse practices in geropsychology. Following internship at Sharp Mesa Vista MH hospital in San Diego, and a fellowship at the Palo Alto VA, Dr. Crawford began the first leg of her career at the Durham VA for 8 years, assigned to their Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) team. In the winter of 2014, Dr. Crawford was a part of the first group of psychologists to pursue and receive an ABPP in Geropsychology. In 2015, when she saw an opportunity to live and work at the Sheridan VA here in Wyoming, she and her family decided to move back toward family in the Southwest and West, to a place that offered great public schools, snow, and ice skating. At the Sheridan VA, she was initially assigned to both the Nursing Home Care Unit and Home Based Primary Care. With expansion of the Home Based Primary Care service, she is now fully dedicated to that team and has contributed to an introductory book chapter on in home mental health care of older adults based upon her HBPC experiences since her fellowship in 2006.
Wrap-Up/Evaluations/Certificates
Hotel rooms are available at the Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Cabins as well as Moose Creek Inns and Suites. Be sure to mention the WPA Fall Conference.
All COVID-related guidelines from the State of Wyoming and the Wyoming Department of Health will be followed. These guidelines include social distancing guidelines, mask use, and food handling requirements.
Event Location
Buffalo Bill Center of the West720 Sheridan Avenue
Cody, WY, 82414