T he National Multicultural Conference and Summit (NMCS) was held in January 1999 in Newport Beach, California. Hosted by the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Division 17, Counseling Psychology; Division 35, Society for the Psychology of Women; and Division 45, the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues, the two-day series of keynote addresses, symposia, and forums brought together some of the most well-known multicultural scholars and practitioners in the field to (a) examine state-of-the-art issues in ethnic minority psychology; (b) facilitate difficult dialogues on race, gender, and sexual orientation; (c) forge multicultural alliances for political action and advocacy; and (d) develop strategies for multicultural organizational change. The events of the summit are considered historic and revolutionary for several reasons.First, the idea for the NMCS arose from the election of the first Asian American president of APA (Richard Suinn) and the realization that five other persons of color were elected presidents of their respective APA divisions (Divisions 17, 35, 36, 44, and 45). l As individuals were chosen for leadership positions, we were presented with a three-year window of opportunity to make a meaningful difference in ethnic minority issues in the profession of psychology. For many years, the members of Divisions 17, 35, and 45 have been influential in addressing issues of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and other forms of prejudice and discrimination. Each of us saw a clear need to spearhead change by bringing together outstanding psychologists who have worked in the areas of race relations, diversity, and multiculturalism. Never before in the history of APA has such a large number of multicultural experts been brought together to assess the current state of psychology with respect to its relevance to culturally different populations. In addition to the presenters, over 500 other psychologists and graduate students from throughout the nation attended the event.

This article summarizes the results from the Intervention Work Group of the Competencies Conference: Future Directions in Education and Credentialing in Professional Psychology. The generic charge presented to the Intervention Work Group was "to address issues related to interventions." The Intervention Work Group identified four competency components of knowledge, skills, and abilities: (a). foundational competencies; (b). intervention planning; (c). intervention implementation; and (d). intervention evaluation competencies. A fifth component that included "practice management" was labeled as "others." Each component is discussed, including competencies that were deemed an essential knowledge, skill, and/or value. A discussion of training for intervention competence and assessing that intervention competence is included. Future directions for the science and practice of psychology in the intervention arena are summarized. This is one of a series of articles published in this issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology. Several other articles that resulted from the Competencies Conference will appear in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice and The Counseling Psychologist.

The successful termination of the psychotherapy relationship is each psychotherapist's goal. Yet, a number of circumstances may arise that interfere with the successful completion and termination of treatment. This article addresses both termination and abandonment and illustrates the applicable guidelines and standards from the American Psychological Association's (2002) Ethics Code. We conclude with 12 recommendations for proactively addressing termination and abandonment consistent with professional standards and each patient's best interests.

The authors suggest that the career assessment of ethnic minority women presents some special challenges for the career counselor. We contend that multicultural counseling should become a part of the career counseling process. The authors present a Career Counseling Decision Tree, a Multicultural Career Counseling Checklist for Counselors and a Career Checklist for Clients. It is hoped that these assessment instruments will facilitate the career assessment of ethnic minority women.

Highlights the current emphasis on student feedback in the review and evaluation of units/modules at higher education level for quality audit purposes. Expresses the view that, while this is unquestionably desirable and necessary, other stakeholder perspectives are essential to create a balanced picture – in particular, the professional judgments of academic staff. Explains how the principle of peer review informed a pilot project at Sheffield Hallam University, in which two groups of academic staff from different units within the same broad subject area reviewed and evaluated each other’s units. Reports on the background and motivation for the project and on the setting up and management of the review process. Identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the process based on feedback from the participants. Indicates some of the cultural and procedural lessons learnt from the project and suggests ways of taking the process forward.