August 2025 | Newsletter Updates
2026 SPA Convention| Assessment Throwdown | SPA Awards | Grand Rounds | JPA Special Issue | SPA Grants | Expert Insights | Community Events & News | Job Postings
2026 SPA Convention
Proposal Deadlines Vary
We're accepting workshop, general convention programming, and poster proposals for the 2026 SPA Convention in Toronto! This is a great opportunity to showcase your research and other findings with the personality and psychological assessment community. Click on the button below to submit your proposal(s).
- Workshop Deadline: August 12
- General Convention Programming Deadline: October 6
- Poster Deadline: November 9
Assessment Throwdown
Deadline EXTENDED to August 15
The Assessment Throwdown is for doctoral trainees in clinical, counseling, or school of psychology. The deadline to sign up for the competition has been extended. The 2 hour virtual competition will be held on October 15. For more information, please click here.
SPA Awards
Deadline is August 25
We're accepting Award nominations now through August 15! Help us recognize and celebrate those who've gone above and beyond with contributing to the personality and psychological assessment field. Click on each award to learn more and submit a nomination.
- Bruno Klopfer Award
- John E. Exner Award
- John R Graham Award for Distinguished Mentorship in Personality Assessment
- Marguerite R. Hertz Memorial Award
- Samuel J. and Anne G. Beck Early Career Award
- SPA Mid-Career Award
- Mary S. Cerney Student Paper Award
- Distinguished Service & Contribution to Personality Assessment Award
SPA Grand Rounds
The wait is over! Season 2 for Grand Rounds starts next month in September. You now have the option to register for individual sessions or all sessions with one registration. Click on each title below for more information.
- September 3 | Bridging Neuropsychology with Psychoanalytic Treatment Planning
- October 1 | Assessment of Dissociation
- November 5 | Multimethod Assessment of Psychosis: What the Clinician Needs to Know
- December 3 | Collaborative Suicide Risk Assessment
- January 7 | The Early Memories Procedure as an Assessment and Therapy Tool that Fosters Therapeutic Change
JPA Special Issue on DEISJ
Deadline for Call for Papers is September 30
We are excited to announce a call for submissions for a landmark Special Issue of the Journal of Personality Assessment, focusing on DEISJ in Personality Assessment. The overall aim of the special issue is to fill the gap between the increasing recognition of the importance of diversity and inclusion for assessment psychology and the relative lack of personality assessment research and guidelines in this area. We believe that fostering an inclusive field is not only a moral imperative but also a catalyst for innovation, creativity, and excellence.
SPA Grants
Deadline for all Grants is October 15
| Grants | Award Amount | Supports | Open to |
| Dissertation Grant | Up to $800 | Approved dissertation research in personality and psychological assessment. | Graduate Students |
| Student Research Grant | Up to $500 | All types of research in personality and psychological assessment. | Undergraduate and Graduate Students |
| EISJ Grant | $500–$10,000 |
Support research that advances equity, inclusion, and social justice, as defined by SPA’s EISJ track and terminology. |
All Levels |
For more information on each grant, please click the button below.
Expert Insights Virtual Conference
October 23–25
Our Fall virtual conference is back! Join us for Expert Insights and hear from some of the top experts in the field. The schedule is now available to help you determine your attendance. Click here to learn more or the button below to register.
Community Events & News
- Training: Wartegg Level 1 Training: A virtual training sequence for the Crisi Wartegg System (CWS) will begin in September 2025! The CWS is an empirically validated and standardized methodology (administration, scoring, interpretation) for the clinical use of the Wartegg Drawing Completion Test (WDCT)—an easy, efficient, and non-overwhelming performance-based personality measure that can be completed in 5-10 minutes and is appropriate across the lifespan. The CWS is recognized as a valid performance-based personality test that can be used for certification in Therapeutic Assessment. The Level 1 workshop focuses on history and statistical foundations, reviews standardized administration procedures, and builds proficiency in the normative scoring system. Following completion of Level 1, clinicians are able to independently administer the test with clients but require consultation for accurate scoring and interpretation. Levels 2 and 3 of the training sequence (focused on interpretation) are further described in the attached flyer. Online registration can be made at: https://sc-cca-com.3dcartstores.com/.
- Call for Nominations: APA is seeking nomination for the Advocacy Coordinating Committee. Applications will be accepted through September 2, 2025. For more information, please click here.
- Call for JPA Special Issue: JPA is calling for submissions focusing on DEISJ in personality assessment through September 31st. Click here for more information.
- Call for Manuscript: Dr. Lisa Suzuki is seeking manuscript submissions as a guest edits for the Journal of Intelligence on how culture impacts cognitive assessment. Submissions will be accepted through September 15. For more information, please click here.
- Call for Assessment Special Issue: Assessment is requesting proposals for a special issue dedicated to Artificial Intelligence in Psychological Assessment. For more information, please click here.
- Call for Participation: The ISR is pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative designed to foster stronger relationships and deeper scientific exchange among our member societies:
Spotlight & Science: A Cross-Society Presentation Series
This online series will feature one society at a time, offering a space to briefly introduce its work and context, and to share a scientific contribution with the wider ISR community. Each session will last approximately 60 minutes and include:
-
A short presentation about your society (history, activities, regional focus)
-
One selected research study, clinical or forensic case, or ongoing initiative
-
Open dialogue and exchange with participants from other societies
For more information, please click here.
-
- Joint Letter: APA coordinated a letter that was sigened by many researchers, educators, and acadmics of the United States regarding the continued decline in public trust in scientists. A copy of the letter can be found here: https://unitedsciencealliance.org
- Request to Contact Policymakers: APA has also organized this action alert to allow individuals to contact policymakers to stop proposed policy changes at NIH that would harm the ability to continue to do research: https://www.votervoice.net/APAAdvocacy/Campaigns/121382/Respond
- Training: Rorschach Supplementary Scales Training with Dr. Jason M. Smith. This four half-day workshops on zoom will take place on Nov. 6, Nov. 13, Nov. 27, & Dec. 4, 2025. Click here for more information.
- Training: Complete Crisi Wartegg System (CWS) Online Training Sept.–Nov. 2025 with Drs. Emiliano Muzio and Alessandro Crisi. Click here for more information.