8-Hour Introduction to R-PAS for Previous
Users of Exner’s Comprehensive System (CS)

 

Gregory Meyer, Giselle Pianowski, 
Donald Viglione, and Luciano Giromini

This 8-hour online workshop by Gregory J. Meyer, Ph.D., Giselle Pianowski, Ph.D., Donald Viglione, Ph.D., and Luciano Giromini, Ph.D. is for people with prior experience using the Rorschach and it introduces the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS). R-PAS grounds Rorschach use both on strong empirical support and on an appreciation of the task as providing an in vivo sample of perceptual and verbal problem-solving behavior obtained in a standardized context. The latter allows for personality inferences to be based on observed performance rather than self-description, which in turn allows valid scores to provide relevant information that complements and increments over self-report. R-PAS emphasizes scores where there is a clear link between the psychological processes associated with the perceptions and behaviors coded in the microcosm of the task and inferences about parallel psychological processes associated with the perceptions and behaviors that make up personality characteristics expressed in everyday behavior. 

We start the workshop by briefly describing the scientific rationale and procedures for R-PAS. We then address administration, the scoring and calculation of variables, normative referencing, a standardized format to present the results, and interpretive inferences. As time allows, we also briefly describe the large array of free training resources that are available to R-PAS account holders. We illustrate the practical features of R-PAS by applying the system to a clinical case. Although, the workshop is largely didactic, we provide time for questions, comments, and discussion with those in attendance. This workshop is focused on using R-PAS and should be helpful for practitioners, instructors, and researchers. Attendees should have some familiarity with Rorschach-based assessment and should read the first three chapters of the first or second edition of the R-PAS manual before attending the training (Meyer, Viglione, Mihura, Erard, & Erdberg, 2011).
 

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Friday

1. List two of the five main problems that R-PAS aimed to fix.
2. Describe how internationally collected data on “fit” and “frequency” contributed to the R-PAS Form Quality tables.
3. Describe how to code four variables from three of the more complex coding categories (Determinant, Cognitive, and Thematic codes).
4. Identify how coding Oral Dependent Language differs from coding all other variables.

Saturday

1. Identify three of the resources available to account holders on the R-PAS site designed to facilitate learning administration, coding, or interpretation.
2. Demonstrate interpretation skills via a case interpretation.
3. Identify when it may be beneficial to consider Complexity Adjusted scores for interpretation.
4. Describe the role of non-normed idiographic response information for informing interpretation.
5. List two resources available to help develop skill with interpretation.

Agenda: 

Day 1 – Friday (12 to 4 pm EDT, 4 to 8 pm UTC; with Greg and Giselle)

12:00 pm to 12:30 pm: Why the Rorschach and why R-PAS? 
12:30 pm to 1:00 pm: Basic Administration Practices and Techniques
1:00 pm to 2:30 pm: Principles of Coding
2:30 pm to 3:00 pm: Clarification Techniques
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm: Protocol Level Scores, Normative Benchmarks—Case Context

Day 2 – Saturday (12 to 4 pm EDT, 4 to 8 pm UTC; with Don and Luciano)

12:00 pm to 1:00 pm: Scoring program, Output, and Interpretive Framework-Case Context
1:00 to 3:30 pm: Case Interpretation
3:30 to 4:00 pm: Summary, Questions, R-PAS online support

Fees: The cost for the webinar is $200. Students (40% off), university instructors (20% off), and clinical supervisors (10% off) may request a discount code prior to completing registration by contacting us at info@r-pas.org. Students should submit proof of academic enrollment or an unofficial transcript, while instructors and supervisors should submit some documentation attesting to their role. Discounts are not available after registration is completed and partial refunds are not available if you do not apply relevant discount codes in advance. Thus, if for some reason it appears your discount code is not working, contact us before completing the registration.

Cancellations: You may cancel and receive a full refund minus a $25 processing fee up to seven days before the start of the event.

Continuing Education Credit:  Participants are eligible for 8 hours of continuing education credit. The program must be completed in its entirety with sign-in each morning and sign-out each evening in order to qualify for this credit (i.e., partial hours cannot be accommodated). CE Fee: There is an additional $15 charge to obtain a CE certificate. If you wish to receive CE, please select this option when registering. 

This program is co-sponsored by the Society of Personality Assessment (SPA) and R-PAS. SPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. SPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Facilitators: 

Gregory J. Meyer, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toledo, where he has been since 2003. Before this, he was at the University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was the director of the inpatient and outpatient Psychological Assessment Service. He was the Editor of the Journal of Personality Assessment from 2002 to 2013. His research focuses on psychological assessment, with an emphasis on the integration of personality assessment methods. Much of his work has addressed performance-based measures of psychological processes, most notably with the Rorschach. With more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, he has made many contributions to the published literature in this area, as well as in psychometrics and assessment more generally. He regularly provides invited lectures and trainings internationally. On four occasions, the Society for Personality Assessment recognized him with Distinguished Contribution Awards for articles in the published literature. He also received the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Assessment Psychology by the Assessment Section of Clinical Psychology (American Psychological Association, Section IX, Division 12). He is a Fellow of Division 5 (Evaluation, Measurement, & Statistics) of the American Psychological Association and of the Society for Personality Assessment. In addition to co-authoring the manual for the Rorschach Performance Assessment System, he co-edited a casebook entitled Using the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS).

Giselle Pianowski, Ph.D., is a psychologist, researcher and professor in personality and personality disorders assessment. She conducts her work on the development and investigation of psychological measures, primarily focusing on the role of the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) in the multimethod assessment. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at the Universidade São Francisco, Brazil and serves as an R-PAS Research Assistant.

Donald J. Viglione, Ph.D., ABAP, is a Distinguished Professor at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University and past director of both the Ph.D. and Psy.D. programs in clinical psychology there. He has more than 30 years of experience teaching the Rorschach and has more than 80 publications. His assessment research focuses on the Rorschach and includes work on malingering, trauma, violence, children, and psychometric issues. He has offered Rorschach workshops internationally and is a Fellow of the Society for Personality Assessment. 

Luciano Giromini, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the University of Turin. He worked for several years in San Diego, California, with Donald Viglione, Ph.D. - one of the co-founders of the R-PAS method - and contributed to the development of the R-PAS method by publishing numerous key articles. His articles on the relationship between human movement responses to Rorschach and the activity of mirror neurons have been published in international journals of the highest quality (e.g., Biological Psychology) and have received prestigious international scientific awards (e.g., the Mary Cerney Award 2012 , promoted by the Society for Personality Assessment). In addition, Luciano Giromini is part of the R-PAS Research and Development Group, consulting editor for the Journal of Personality Assessment and a senior reviewer for the administration proficiency exams using the R-PAS method. Given the scientific contribution made by the field of personality assessment, in 2013 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services decided to grant Luciano Giromini an O-1 visa, "Alien of Extraordinary Ability in the Science of Personality Assessment", i.e., a US visa issued solely for scientific merits.