President's Blog - May 2017

Dear SBSM Members,

It is cliché to say that time flies, but as I complete the final month of my year in my role as president, it seems only yesterday that many of us were together at the SBSM reception at SLEEP 2016 in Denver.

Much has happened over the last year and we have a great deal to celebrate as we soon come together again in Boston on June 4th for our SBSM Program and Reception. This year our reception is held in honor of Richard Bootzin for his legendary contributions to our field and profound impact as a mentor and colleague.

I invite you to join us in celebrating all of the wonderful work and contribution of our members as leaders, practitioners, researchers and students. This was a year of rebuilding and growth for the SBSM. We have expanded our web presence, begun work on a social media strategy, expanded education opportunities to include online courses, and approved a framework for resumptions of BSM certification expanding eligibility to master’s level licensed clinicians. We have launched a monthly newsletter and work is in progress on a number of projects to bring practice resources to our members including a BSM consultation service. As we transitioned from an administrative contract with the AASM to an independent executive director contract with our capable Kathryn Hansen, we have remained financially stable, retained current members, and are growing with the addition particularly of returning, master’s level and trainee members.

The future of the SBSM is bright and comes with many opportunities and challenges. Over the next year the SBSM will continue its implementation plans for resumption of BSM certification. This will involve necessary financial and leadership investment in the formation of an independent non-profit board to manage the exam and certification process. As a young organization that continues to mature, I believe we need to continue work on developing a clearer identity and out of that shape a strategic plan for our future.

I am honored to be able to serve this coming year in the role of past-president and hope to focus particularly on supporting the BSM certification initiative. We are very fortunate to continue our journey as a Society with the exceptional leadership of our Executive Committee and Board of Directors. It is with great pleasure and anticipation that I welcome Jason Ong as our new president on June 6th.

With Best Regards,
Michael Schmitz, PsyD, CBSM
SBSM President