Frances Deviney, MS
University of Utah
APAGS-ACT Co-State Advocacy Coordinator, Utah
Do you find yourself repeating research findings back to the TV during the local news broadcasts? Do you ever wish you could find a way to make the basic research you are conducting and learning about in graduate school directly useful to the general public? Do you see laws affecting the practice of psychology changing all around you while feeling powerless to influence those changes? APAGS may provide one answer to all your legislative advocacy and public policy woes.
Over the last several years, I have become increasingly interested in the intersection of psychology, legislative advocacy and public policy. And while my peers and mentors have been very supportive of my explorations into this “new” world (e.g., forging relationships with a local child advocacy organization), my need for peers and mentors during this career altering time are rapidly growing.
At the beginning of the 2000-2001 school year, I became an APAGS State Advocacy Coordinator for Utah. Over the course of the year, and lots of emails, I have been integrated into a wonderful network of peers and mentors who are also passionate about using psychology within the legislative arena. Encouraged and motivated by my amazingly supportive Regional Advocacy Coordinator (Anh Diep of the University South Dakota), I set out to make Utah's student population educated and aware of the power of their psychological expertise.
One exciting activity this year occurred during Utah's 2001 legislative session. Marcie Langley, APAGS Campus Representative at the University of Utah, and I put together “Take 5 for Advocacy” tables each week of Utah's legislative session. Originated by Nancy Amidei of the University of Washington, the main idea behind these tables is to educate and incite discussion, as well as political action, in the psychology faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students at the university -- in less than 5 minutes. Each week, we selected a bill that could be informed or supported by psychological research, developed a fact sheet regarding the bill, and an individual letter that students could sign in support of the bill. Participants at the table not only signed the letters, but often personalized them with their own stories or political viewpoints - and some even learned who their Legislators were along the way!
We covered topics ranging from educational funding and mentoring for long-term foster care children, to a bill on penalties for stalking, to child care funding. Over the course of the legislative session, we were able to send over 800 letters and approximately 2000 emails to our State Legislators. The success of the tables was not only evident in the numbers of students and faculty who participated, but in the passion of so many otherwise “non political” people finding an easy and powerful way to become involved in the legislative process. In fact, our letters were so powerful that they helped push the vote for the foster-care education and mentoring funding over the top. With just a little organization and a great idea, it is surprisingly easy to build a network of politically active peers in your own backyard.
To wind up the year, I was invited to attend the APA Practice Directorate's State Leadership Conference, sponsored by the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP). APAGS' presence at this incredible invitation-only conference has increased over the years as a result of the support of the APA Practice Directorate, including Russ Newman, PhD, JD, Executive Director for Professional Practice, Michael Sullivan, PhD, Assistant Executive Director for State Advocacy, and David Nickelson, PsyD, JD, Director of the Office of Technology Policy and Projects and Special Assistant to the Executive Director; the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice, Chaired by Ronald E. Fox, PhD; and the Committee of State Leaders, Chaired this year by Dan Sanders, PhD. The diligent efforts and lasting impressions of APAGS leaders and advocacy guru's -- Carol Williams, PsyD, APAGS Associate Executive Director, Marcus Patterson, MA, APAGS Chair, and Chris Loftis, MA, APAGS-ACT Chair -- have established APAGS as a valuable resource in the legislative advocacy efforts of APA.
At home, I was enlivened by seeing the power of psychological research impacting legislation on a grassroots level with the “Take 5" tables. At the State Leadership Conference in Washington DC, the marriage of psychology and politics was seamless and electrifying for this political novice! During the course of the conference, I participated in briefing sessions on national issues of patient protection and mental health parity, obtained training in lobbying techniques for hill visits, and learned about trends of the present and future such as on-line therapy and its privacy and efficacy issues. Some of the Utah delegates are even planning on implementing the “Warning Signs” against violence campaign in Utah as a result of one of the conference presentations. Best of all, I was able to network with other APAGS delegates about their strategies for implementing their particular roles, as well as with APA members and staff about possible post-doctoral and job opportunities in the political arena.
The point is this - if you find that you are talking back to the TV during the Sunday morning talk shows, if you debate with your friends and colleagues about how to get our basic research into the hands of the public, or if you proudly admit that you have a “standing nightly date” with Chris Matthews, APAGS has many opportunities for you to satisfy your political obsession by becoming involved in legislative advocacy initiatives at both the local and national levels. Whether late (like me) or early in your graduate studies, learning how to use research to make a difference in legislation could be one of the most rewarding and important experiences of your career.
For more information on the “Take 5" tables, please contact me. If you would like to find out how you can get more involved in APAGS' legislative activities, visit the APAGS Web site at: http://www.apa.org/apags.
