We are writing on behalf of the Special Task Group (STG) on Mentoring International Students of the Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. The STG consists of 18 internationals from 9 countries, and was initiated by Dr. Puncky Paul Heppner, the current President of the Society, in an effort to welcome and promote the involvement and development of the international students in our field. Having been an international student for several years in the U.S., we understand the unique challenge facing international students who are establishing their professional identity in another country. Through the work of this Special Task Group and people like you, we hope to make our Society an even more welcoming place for international students and to help to facilitate your professional development as future counseling psychologist.

Specifically, we are planning the following activities for you:

• We are establishing a network to promote communication and dialogue about issues facing international students in counseling psychology. This is a wonderful opportunity for international students to get more involved in the Society and to connect with other international students in our field.

• In the 2005 APA annual convention, we will hold convention activities specifically tailored to the needs and professional development of international students (e.g., roundtable discussions to help you learn about the many interest groups in the Society, convention orientation sessions to help you get the most out of the convention).

• We are also planning several other programs (e.g., mentoring program) for international students.

In order to establish our network and to achieve the goals of this Special Task Group, we really need your help and to hear from you!!! First, we want to identify as many international students studying in counseling psychology as possible. If you are an international student, please email our Communication and Publicity subcommittee: Pius Nyutu <pnnmqc@mizzou.edu> or Yi-Jiun Lin <yl4xf@mizzou.edu> and provide us with your contact information (see the attached form). If you are interested in being a consultant for international students for professional development issues, please complete the same form and forward it to Pius or Yi-Jiun. We would really appreciate your help!

Please help us to spread the word and forward this message to the international students you know who may benefit from the work of our Special Task Group. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Yu-Wei Wang, Ph.D., STG Co-Chair
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Email: ywang@siu.edu

Oksana Yakushko, Ph.D., STG Co-Chair
Assistant Professor
Department of Educational Psychology
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Email: oyakushko2@unl.edu