The American Board
Of Psychological Specialties

As 1999 Vice Chairman, Dr Costello was elected in 2000 and in 2001 re-appointed as Chairman for 20 specialty credential certification Divisions:
Forensic Behavioural Science; Child Custody Evaluation; Child Psychology; Counselling Psychology; Education & School Psychology; Forensic Clinical Psychology; Psychotherapy; Family, Marital, Domestic Relations Psychology; Forensic Neuropsychology; Forensic Psychology; Sexual Abuse Psychology; Forensic Psychoanalysis; Forensic Hypnosis; Psychological Assessment; Evaluation & Testing; Substance Abuse Psychology; Rehabilitation Psychology; Psychological Disabilities Evaluation; Psychopharmacology; Trauma & PTSD; Forensic Medical Psychology;

The Australian US Connection

By 1969, Dr Costello patented his Tri-Modality Reading Teaching Toy reviewed by Frank Potter in the Australian Journal of Manufacturers, re-printed in his 1974 FCP London thesis. His novel invention was forerunner to the "Speak and Spell Toy"; a successfully commercial unit used by little "ET" for communicating with American children, featured affectionately in a movie of the same name "ET", by Stephen Spielberg.

Dr Costello's Second Language Word Translator was embodied within the provisional patent but in the Sixties his invention was limited by technology then available, perfected later in the Seventies.

During earlly childhood young Brian learned informally with creativity through incidental cross-cultural learning. This started from age 2 through Radio ABC's kindergarten hosted by Miss Anne Dreyer. As a young child he enjoyed incidental learning, mainly from American & British movies and later, the advent of Australian TV.  Aged six at school, he learned how to pray, PT, number counters, phonics flash cards, singing and even dancing the Minuet and by age ten, Woodwork, Simging, Swimming, Soccer, Phys Ed drill,  Formation marching and ballroom dances like the Palmer Waltz, Pride of Erin, Evening Two Step, Barn Dance and the Tango.  At 11 he joined a Square-dancing Club sporting a Gene Autry sweater and Westerner's scarf in those 'Good ole Golden Rule Days'.  A favourite blue sweater with white freshman arm-stripes he chose but at that age, didn't understand why until seeing one on "Leave it to Beaver" or "My Three Sons". As a boy in the Fifties, Brian learned languages and dialects quite easily from class-mates school and neighbors who migrated to Australia.  Cross-cultural learning started automatically.

Pro Bono Honoraria 1999-01

Following a year as interim-chair, Dr Costello now heads up the International Council of Integrative Medicine, in affiliation with the American Integrative Medicine Association. He chaired US ACFEI Boards with Australian and international liaison for 35 countries:

(a) American Board of Psychological Specialties (20 Psychology Boards)
(b) Certification Specialty Board of Neuropsychology for postgraduate Diplomate Accreditation
(c) Australian Chief Liaison Officer for the American Board of Forensic Examiners. (d) Executive Adviser for Continuing Education.

Democratic Personal Philosophy Applied

In 1982, Dr Costello was appointed with Dr John K Meyer as Co-director of the Cassel Institute San Diego and later established the Cassel Research Centre (Publishing) Australia in 1987. Currently, he isa Member of the National Faculty of the United States Sports Academy which is the world's largest accredited Sports University.

Brian's views in applied international psychology are expressed openly and regularly on matters of benevolence and sometimes, even sharply. Swift reflective reminders are considered pensively while observing human suffering and economic hardship experienced in less happier places as a result of grotesque terrorism. Respectfully and cordially he reminds international publishers and corporate enterprises to practice innovative commerce, as wholesome democratic models. As a non-socialist he challenges excessive profiteering in the light of the trusted dollar bill, contrasted with turbulent economic models. Almost by accident in the Seventies he discovered that Negative Gearing can be achieved by contributions as tax deductions charitable institutions approved and screened stringntly by the Attorney General's office of the Taxation Department..

Following his ICP Munich presentation on Preventive Drugs Health Education, the UN Geneva IYC coordinating committee arranged his itinerary for meetings with Government and NGO's throughout Europe. Non-parochial views are expressed strongly to his colleagues or politicians and likewise are promoted wholeheartedly in his various positions.  Not always is Dr Costello's repartee punctuated with political correctness. Sometimes emphasis is strategic for head-on confrontation. Openly he protests to sham placebo surgery performed on human subjects when otherwise the patient would suffer harm without an appropriate medical procedure. He openly protests against cruelty performed in human organ harvesting. Similarly he opposes indignantly Non-Government Approved pseudo risk factor testing resulting in rebated bowel cancer investigative procedures. Many beurocrats tend to respect his polemic, treating him like a long lost friend while others could regard him with disdain. This is not difficult to reason because in private practice he uses open files for effective communication.  Thirty years ago, somehow he entered "six degrees of separation" a term coined by a movie of the same name.

Occasionally examining medicolegal records, speeches and old documents, he questions erroneous record keeping and archaic data retrieval methods where blatent serial errors have occurred. As a clinical psychologist and forensic examiner he states, "Detailed evaluation sometimes reveals irregular beaurocratic procedures, operating independently as juggernauts". He asserts that, "Accountability and auditing without Golden standards of morality, foster disruptive power seeking psychopathology.  If unchecked, negatively charged superstructures are; alien to befitting the common good."

Similarly as an expert clinician, he advocates professional caution in avoiding psychiatric and psychological "misdiagnosis" whereby DSM IV criteria are not confirmed. For example, diagnosing Attention deficit disorder syndrome when the DSM R-IV reports only 2-3% school children suffer this disorder; and particularly slipshod testing procedures. He states emphatically, "Indelible stigma labels are almost irrevocable in changing a person's future life mission or career. These most unfortunately misdiagnosed patients are observed frequently and forgotten all too often, as illustrated clearly in his NY 1979 APA presentation on misdiagnosis".

The Australian Russian Connection

Curiously in 1990, although without directly applying, Brian was awarded the 4000 Rubels Exhibition 2nd Prize by the Russian Psychological Society's Computer Software Division. Cordially, he was invited to receive the award at the University of the State of Moscow and asked in his acceptance speech, to give a paper on computerized biofeedback and also discuss subliminal techniques at the Russian Sports Psychology Laboratories. With usual good manners and unexpected reciprocity, Brian arranged and sponsored Australia's first advanced professional skills migration from the former Soviet. This achieved the then coveted permanent Australian migration residency for a Russian software psychologist and his family.

Even more curiously but without his knowledge, Brian's planned itinerary included a picnic barbecue excursion, hosted by scientists employed at the closed scientific city of Chernogolovska. Unexpectedly, he almost got into a light-hearted stand-up-fight with their local communist party leader. Puzzled, they questioned how he was "permitted", explaining his appearance was highly unusual, like seeing a visiting spaceman. Because the Closed Cosmonaut City was adjacent to Chernogolovska, they asked sensitively whether he had wandered off and lost his way in the adjoining forest. It was a warm day so Brian was wearing a locally made Pearcedale T-shirt labelled "Pearcedale by Night", considered unusual to say the least by Chernololovsca scientists as barbecue picnic guests.

Fortunately, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs paid for the Melbourne-Moscow return airfare but on arrival in Moscow, Dr Costello's passport was politely confiscated.  He still muses about so many odd coincidences. As an humorous example, on returning from Moscow he received an invoices from ACER Australian psychological test publisher.  Peculiarly his account number is, "COS 007". His Swimming with Dolphins programs are chartered on the "Moonraker" at Sorento.