Robert J. Resnick (December 16, 1940) is an American psychologist and former president of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

(APA). He was a faculty member at Randolph-Macon College and established one of the first clinics dedicated to the treatment of

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...

. While practicing in Virginia, he was the plaintiff in the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

case that established the autonomy of clinical psychologists.

Biography

Resnick graduated from Nottingham High School in Syracuse, New York. He received an undergraduate degree at Syracuse University, followed by master's and PhD degrees from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

and the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

, respectively. Resnick began his career at the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center is Virginia Commonwealth University's medical campus located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, in the Court End neighborhood. VCU Medical Center used to be known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), which merged with the ...

rising to the rank of Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics and Chair of the Division of Clinical psychology. He founded one of the earliest psychological clinics focused on patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In 1977, Resnick was the plaintiff in a Supreme Court case, ''Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychologists, and Robert J. Resnick, Ph.D. v. Blue Shield of Virginia''. The case established clinical psychology's legal right to autonomous practice and reimbursement. Resnick was a psychology professor at Randolph-Macon College. He received the Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Science and Profession of Clinical Psychology in 1993. He served as president of the APA in 1995. Resnick was an early promoter of prescriptive authority for psychologists. In 2009, he received the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Practice of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation. In 2008, the APA received a petition for a resolution condemning the employment of psychologists in institutions where people are detained in violation of the U.S. Constitution or international law. Resnick wrote the con statement to that petition, expressing concern that the petition was too broad and that it would be difficult to determine which settings violated the resolution. The resolution was subsequently approved following a vote of the organization's membership.

Publications

Articles * Resnick, Robert J. (2005). "Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in teens and adults: They don't all outgrow it." ''

Journal of Clinical Psychology The ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering psychological research, assessment, and practice. It was established in 1945. It covers research on psychopathology, psychodiagnostics, psychotherapy, psyc ...

, 61''(5), 529-533. * Resnick, Robert J., Ax, Robert K., Fagan, Thomas J., Nussbaum, David. (2012). "Predoctoral prescriptive authority curricula: A training option." ''Journal of Clinical Psychology 68''(3), 246-262. * Root, Richard W. and Resnick, Robert J. (2003). "An update on the diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children." '' Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 34''(1), 34-41. Books * Resnick, Robert J. (2005). ''The Hidden Disorder: A Clinician’s Guide to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults''. * Resnick, Robert and Rozensky, Ronald. (1996). ''Health Psychology Through the Life Span: Practice and Research Opportunities''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Resnick, Robert J. Presidents of the American Psychological Association Syracuse University alumni Temple University alumni University of Tennessee alumni Nottingham High School (Syracuse, New York) alumni 1940 births