2023 Annual Report

The Trust is providing the following report to keep our policyholders informed about our activities, insurance and continuing education programs, and plans for the year ahead. Please take a moment to read this summary.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Action Committee

The Trust’s DEI Action Committee was launched in 2022 with the goal of supporting and maintaining The Trust as an organization that prioritizes, supports, and invests in DEI both internally and externally.

Telepsychology Competencies Credential (TCC)

TCC is an educational platform we developed with our partner, the National Register, that enables providers to achieve proficiency in the most common elements of telepsychological practice. From the basics of secure, HIPAA-compliant internet usage to advanced topics on telepsychological service provision to high-risk and other special populations, the Telepsychology Competencies Credential (TCC) is designed to equip those beginning telepsychological practice with a necessary foundation for safe and effective practice, while also supplementing the knowledge for more experienced providers of telepsychological services. A new version is in development and will be released in mid-2024. For more information and the latest updates, visit https://parma.trustinsurance.com/Independent-Learning/Telepsychology-Competencies-Credential.

Risk Management Training Curriculum

We developed a Risk Management Training Curriculum to help fill in the gaps of what is learned in the classroom and complement what is taught to help demystify the challenging areas that often come up for new psychologists. We have recently added a new five-module series focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Risk Management Training Curriculum is a two-part series consisting of 12 modules. Complimentary access to this valuable resource is included with every student and pre-licensure liability insurance policy upon request. This curriculum is also available free of charge to educators to incorporate into their clinical programs. For more information and to view the module descriptions and objectives, visit https://parma.trustinsurance.com/Independent-Learning.

Leadership Development Academy (LDA) Pilot

The Trust State, Provincial and Territorial Psychological Associations (SPTA) Advisory Council has developed and launched a Leadership Development Academy (LDA) 12-month pilot program. When completed, the program will include webinars on Leadership and a guide for developing and implementing an LDA in any state and will include resources such as templates and guidelines for individual SPTAs to tailor their own programs. The anticipated completion date is early 2024.

Forensics Roundtable

Despite oftentimes intentional efforts to avoid legal entanglements, many psychologists will encounter situations that require them to interface with the legal system (e.g., subpoenas for records, requests for testimony or third-party letters, clients involved in lawsuits unrelated to treatment, custody/divorce battles). Such situations not only raise clinician anxiety, but also present potential risks for psychologists and clients alike. We presented a Risk Management Roundtable which focuses specifically on these challenging situations and provides clear risk management strategies for successfully managing such stressful circumstances. The on-demand webinar is free to Trust policyholders and provides 1 hour of CE. For more information, visit https://parma.trustinsurance.com/Workshops-Webinars/Virtual-Webinar-Series/risk-management-roundtables.

National Practice Conference (NPC)

The National Practice Conference 2023 (NPC 2023) returned to the Conrad in Washington, DC, on November 3-5, 2023. This conference is co-developed with our partners, The National Register. NPC 2023 included two pre-conference tracks to choose from, the opportunity to earn up to 10.5 live continuing education credits and exceptional networking events. Our distinguished line-up of keynotes and session instructors are psychologists and risk management experts who covered a wide range of timely issues, including clinical supervision, youth anxiety, ethics and risk management, EFT with African American Couples and more.

The conference is aimed at providing psychologists with the most up-to-date risk management and clinical information. NPC 2024 will return to the Conrad in Washington, DC on November 8-10, 2024. For more information including speaker line-up and the agenda, visit www.nationalpracticeconference.org.

Live and On-Demand Webinars

The Trust continues to grow its library of live and on-demand webinars. The Virtual Webinar Series was initially developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support clinicians. Due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback, the series has grown to be an excellent resource for psychologists covering various topics – from telehealth and risk management to societal issues and clinician self-care.

In 2023 we held 3 Risk Management Roundtables, 4 Telehealth Community Chats, 2 We Hold These Truths, a 2-part Roundtable on PSYPACT, and two partnered webinar series with the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). The live presentations are free to Trust policyholders and provide 1-2 hours of CE. All events will continue to be recorded and made available on-demand for free or a nominal fee on The Trust's online library. These programs have been highly successful, highly rated, and have reached thousands of psychologists. To view them on-demand, visit https://thetrust.learnupon.com, or to register for a future live webinar, visit https://parma.trustinsurance.com/Workshops-Webinars/Live-Webinars.

Risk Management Roundtables

The Risk Management Roundtables consist of several Trust Risk Management Consultants discussing and advising about ethical and risk management issues. Participants are encouraged to raise their own questions and concerns for discussion.

Telehealth Community Chats

Telehealth Community Chats are presented by Trust Telehealth Consultants, Dr. Margo Adams Larsen and Dr. Sara Smucker Barnwell. The Chats focus on the practical “how to” questions related to telehealth, and span themes such as clinical practice, ethical considerations, technical considerations, and risk management.

We Hold These Truths

This series examines how societal issues have historically and continuously impacted people due to their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, language, (dis)ability, age, religious commitment, or political perspective. Our panel of experts offers perspectives on how the field of psychology has traditionally addressed these issues and discusses how the rise of the social justice movement has impacted psychology's current response to these issues.

ABPP Webinar Series

The Trust partnered with the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)  to offer these two informative webinars in 2023:

  • Preparing Psychology for 2050: Building a More Equitable, Diverse, Inclusive, and Representative Leadership with Lynette M. Abrams-Silva, Ph.D., ABPP.
  • Ethics and Professional Boundaries in Mental Health Practice with Gerry Koocher, Ph.D., LP, ABPP.

Workshops

In 2023, The Trust and the state psychological associations presented 26 six-hour continuing education workshops. These workshops are conducted by Trust Risk Management Consultants (known as The Trust Advocates), who are licensed psychologists with extensive legal, ethical and risk management expertise.

Document Library & Quick Guides

The Trust continues to develop free documents, including sample contracts, FAQs, and informed consent forms, designed for psychologists in practice. In addition, we have documents and consent forms available in Spanish for practitioners. Recently added quick guides include information on the HIPAA Privacy Rule’s Patient Right of Access Provision and the HIPAA Security Rule. For access to these resources, visit https://parma.trustinsurance.com/Resource-Center/Document-Library-Quick-Guides.

The Trust Student and Early Career Psychologists (SECP) Committee

The Trust SECP Committee supports the needs and interests of psychology students and early career psychologists while keeping The Trust Board up-to-date on emerging practices and trends in the field. The Committee also provides ideas in areas of marketing, including how to better connect with students and early career psychologists, product development, customer service, and educational resources for The Trust Board to consider.

Please see an interview with three of our SECP Committee members, Drs. Victoria Pietruszka, Princess Drake, and Jodie Gerson, in which they share why they are thrilled to be a part of this diverse team. They talk about how they were supported in their transition from students to licensed psychologists while serving on the committee. To learn more about the SECP committee and watch the latest interview, visit https://www.trustinsurance.com/About/SECP-Committee.

The Trust and Trust Risk Management Services

The Trust remains a leading provider of insurance and risk management programs for psychologists, psychology students, and related individuals in the United States and continued to show growth in 2023. Our insurance programs include The Trust Sponsored Professional Liability Program and Business Office Insurance; financial security programs offering Life, Disability, Office Overhead, and Auto and Home Insurance; and other programs offering Long Term Care Insurance and Retirement Planning Services. Its risk management programs include the Advocate 800 Program’s consultation service, Ethics and Risk Management Continuing Education Workshops and Webinars, and independent learning publications.

The Trust’s Board of Trustees is composed of psychologists with strong ethics, practice, and business backgrounds, along with insurance industry professionals with expertise in malpractice, property and casualty, personal, and other lines of insurance protection. The psychologists are attuned to the discipline and profession; the insurance experts help design coverage that is innovative and broad; and all Trustees and staff work to keep The Trust’s insurance plans financially strong and competitive.

2023 Trustees

Fred Millán, Ph.D., ABPP, NCC, Chair
Katherine C. Nordal, Ph.D., Vice Chair
Stephen E. Young
Josephine D. Johnson, Ph.D.
Jana N. Martin, Ph.D.
Gilbert H. Newman, Ph.D.
John P. Petrila, J.D., LL.M.
Deborah K. Ropelewski, CPCU, AU, ARe
Sara Smucker Barnwell, Ph.D.
Lori C. Thomas, J.D., Ph.D.
Page B. Walley, Ph.D.

The Trust works with highly rated insurance companies to underwrite its insurance programs. The Trust Sponsored Professional Liability, Business Office and Cyber Enterprise Insurance Programs are underwritten by ACE American Insurance Company. In 2016, ACE acquired Chubb, creating the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company, and adopted the Chubb name. The suite of financial security programs offering Group Term Life, Income Protection (Disability) and Office Overhead is underwritten by Lincoln Financial Group; Auto, Home and Renters Insurance is underwritten by Liberty Mutual; Long Term Care Insurance is brokered through Burling Insurance Group; and Retirement Planning Services are provided by UBS.

The Trust’s subsidiary, Trust Risk Management Services, Inc. (TRMS), acts as Broker and Administrator for The Trust’s Professional Liability, Business Office, and Directors and Officers lines of insurance. Brokerage and administration services include policy underwriting, issuance, and lifecycle management; customer service; and technical services. TRMS is fully licensed to do business in all jurisdictions.