Action Alert Follow-Up: 22 New York Psychology Interns Funded Due to Your Advocacy!

Dear APAGS Members and Allies of Psychology Graduate Students,

I am delighted and so relieved to report that APA and APPIC recently received official notification on behalf of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that funding for this year’s 22 psychology interns at New York State (NYS) psychiatric facilities would be preserved, regardless of the union’s vote on the contract.

We want to thank those of you who took the time to send a message to Governor Cuomo asking him to retain these internship positions, or for forwarding the October 7 APAGS Action Alert to NYS residents.  It was largely due to your efforts that we were able to restore funding to these interns.  This is a huge relief to the interns, but also demonstrates the power of advocacy and a united message.

Please Thank Governor Cuomo for His Decision

APA would like to encourage NYS residents to thank Governor Cuomo for his decision to preserve funding for the current cohort of interns.  This can be accomplished by writing him a letter at the following address (i.e., The Honorable Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York State, NYS State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224), or by posting a message on his website as detailed below: 

1. Visit the website 

2. Enter your contact information. 

3. For Subject, please enter “Psychology Intern Contracts.” 

4. For Topic, please select “The Economic Crisis” from the drop-down menu. 

5. For the message, please cut and paste the following statement (personalize, as appropriate):
   
   I am writing to thank you for your recent decision to restore funding for 22 psychology interns that was threatened by the pending layoffs. This will enable these students to complete their internship and graduate from their psychology doctoral program on time.  In addition, these interns will be able to continue providing valuable mental health services to underserved populations in New York State.  Once again, thank you for making this wise and much appreciated decision. 

6. Answer a variable verification question (e.g. Is water wet? What season starts with F?). 

7. When ready, click send and the message will be forwarded to the Governor’s office.

This process can take literally one minute to complete.  A simple thank you from a number of constituents may encourage the Governor to continue to make decisions that are favorable to psychology, including about budgeting for these internships in the future. 

Please forward this message widely to encourage NYS residents to offer appreciation to the Governor.

Sincerely,
Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury, Ph.D.,
APAGS Associate Executive Director
American Psychological Association of Graduate Students