Chapter IX. Educational Affairs

This is Chapter IX of the Council Policy Manual, which contains the current policies of the American Psychological Association. The organization of the manual follows the same major subject headings and sequence that is used in the agenda books of the Council of Representatives. Council actions are listed in chronological order with the earliest dated policies coming first. The table of contents of the Council Policy Manual, including all the chapter headings and all the items of the Council Policy Manual, can be found here.

1971

Steps should be taken under APA auspices to accomplish the following goals for improving the teaching of psychology at the precollege levels:

a) development and continuing revision of psychological curricula for elementary and secondary school levels in cooperation with other behavioral, biological, and social science disciplines, as appropriate;

b) collaboration with other behavioral, biological, and social science disciplines to assess the value and determine the feasibility of an interdisciplinary approach to teaching about the behavior and nature of man;

c) development and continuing revision of guidelines for the training of teachers to use the products of curricular development efforts.

Further, APA should support the establishment of a clearinghouse of information on precollege psychology and the development of means to disseminate such information.

Steps should be taken under APA auspices to accomplish the following goals for improving the educational process:

a) encouragement of closer cooperation among psychologists in research related to the educational process in the translation of present knowledge into education related action;

b) improvement of procedures for dissemination of these results to educational administrators, teachers, future teachers, and others who may find them useful, this improvement to be manifested in part by changes in our undergraduate programs.

Further, APA should take official steps to reaffirm its belief that the role of the teacher is a crucial and significant one in society, such steps to include systematic efforts to support and improve teacher education in general.

1976

Council voted approval of the recommendation that because the doctoral degree is the entry level, persons with master's degrees may aspire to full professional training; therefore, departments awarding doctoral degrees should be encouraged to include programs for persons whose formal education has been interrupted at the master's level or persons who must pursue part time education.

1976

Inasmuch as it is to the advantage of psychology and society to provide for a change of specialty or the development of dual specialties as to encourage unique contributions that might be made by psychologists with broadly diversified backgrounds, Council adopts the following as official policy of the APA:

We strongly urge psychology departments currently engaged in doctoral training to offer training for individuals, already holding the doctoral degree in psychology, who wish to change their specialty. Such programs should be individualized, since background and career objectives vary greatly. It is desirable that financial assistance be made available to students in such programs.

Programs engaging in such training should declare so publicly and include a statement to that effect as a formal part of their program description and/or their application for accreditation.

Psychologists seeking to change their specialty should take training in a program of the highest and, where appropriate, exemplified by the doctoral training programs and internships accredited by the APA.

With respect to subject matter and professional skills, psychologists taking such training must meet all requirements of doctoral training in the new psychological specialty, being given due credit for relevant course work or requirements they have previously satisfied.

It must be stressed, however, that merely taking an internship or acquiring experience in a practicurn setting is not considered adequate preparation for becoming, for example, a clinical, counseling, or school psychologist when prior training has not been in the relevant area.

Upon fulfillment of all formal requirements of such a training program, the students should be awarded a certificate indicating the successful completion of preparation in the particular specialty, thus according them due recognition for their additional education and experience.

This policy statement shall be incorporated in the guidelines of the Committee on Accreditation so that appropriate sanctions can be brought to bear on university or internships training programs that violate paragraphs 4 and/or 5 of the above.

1977

The title "Professional Psychologist" has been used so widely and persons with such a wide variety of training and experience, that it does not provide the information the public deserves.

As a consequence, the APA takes the position and makes it a part of its policy that the use of the title "Professional Psychologist," and its variations such as "Clinical Psychologist," "Counseling Psychologist," "School Psychologist," and "Industrial Psychologist" are reserved for those who have completed a Doctoral Training Program in Psychology in a university, college, or professional school of psychology that is APA or regionally accredited. In order to meet this standard, a transition period will be acknowledged for the use of the title "School Psychologist," so that ways may be sought to increase opportunities for doctoral training and to improve the level of the educational codes pertaining to the title.

The APA further takes the position and makes part of its policy that only those who have completed a Doctoral Training Program in Professional Psychology in a university, college, or professional school of psychology that is APA or regionally accredited are qualified independently to provide unsupervised direct delivery of professional services including preventive, assessment, and therapeutic services, The exclusions mentioned above pertaining to school psychologists do not apply to the independent, unsupervised, direct delivery of professional services discussed in this paragraph.

The chairpersons of the Education and Training Board, the Board of Professional Affairs, and the Board of Scientific Affairs, and one additional member of each of these boards, are requested to serve as an Ad hoc Task Force on Master's Level Issues. Specifically, the task force is charged with reviewing the range of issues encompassed in master's level education with respect to: (1) the quality of such education; (2) the numbers of people being trained; (3) posteducational opportunities and employment patterns of persons with master's degrees; and (4) the desirability and feasibility of APA's formally accrediting such programs.

Current MA members of the APA, and MA licensed psychologists, having met earlier standards of the profession, are to be regarded as comparably qualified through education, experience, examination, and the test of time, as are present and future doctoral psychologists, and shall be entitled under APA guidelines to hold the title of "Psychologist." It is not the intent of this policy statement to take away nay of their accomplishments or status.

1977

Guidelines for the Use of Human Participants in Research or Demonstrations Conducted by High School Students

High school students planning to use human participants in research or demonstrations are urged to become thoroughly acquainted with the American Psychological Association�s Ethical Principles in the Conduct of Research with Human Participants. The potential problems of such research may not be immediately evident to those doing research for the first time. Among specific guidelines for the use of human participants in research or demonstrations conducted by high school students are the following:

1. All research and demonstrations involving human participants should be properly supervised by a qualified school authority.

The supervisor should assume the primary responsibility for all conditions of the experiment. The following requirements should be fulfilled:

a. The supervisor should be familiar with the relevant literature concerning previous work done in the student�s chosen area. When possible, the student should also review and summarize appropriate reading material.

b. A written preliminary outline of the student�s plan of study, to include a statement of possible outcomes of the project and a description of how the student plans to accomplish the objective of the study, should be submitted and be available for the evaluation by relevant school authorities. Such an outline should include the general and specific purposes of the research or demonstration and a justification of the methods to be employed.

2. Participants should not be exposed to physical or mental risk.

High school students should not undertake procedures involving human participants that are likely to harm the participants. Participants should not be subjected to any risks greater than the ordinary risks of daily life. To assure compliance with this guideline, high schools are encouraged to form student-faculty committees that examine all research or demonstration proposals from the point of view of the APA�s Ethical Principles in the Conduct of Research with Human Participants, to assure that risks do not exceed the ordinary risks of daily life. Such committees might be constituted at the classroom level, across classes, at the department level, or school-wide.

3. Agreement to participate should be obtained from all participants.

The individual conducting the project should obtain each participant�s agreement to participate, based on a full understanding of what that agreement implies. Obtaining agreement involves providing a full explanation of the research or demonstration procedures with special emphasis on aspects of the project likely to affect willingness to participate. All questions asked by any prospective participant should be answered directly, honestly, and completely. Participants who are too young or for other reasons cannot comprehend the project should be excluded, or proxy consent should be obtained from parents or guardians; the principle also applies to the siblings of the person conducting the project. A clear and fair agreement that clarifies the responsibilities of both should exist between the individual conducting the project and the participant. All promises and commitments included in that agreement should be honored by the person conducting the project. Such a formal agreement may not be necessary in some studies of public behavior, but in such studies it is especially crucial the participants� rights not be infringed.

4. Participants should have the right to refuse to participate.

Potential research participants have the right to refuse to participate and the right to withdraw from participation, for cause, at any time during the course of the research or demonstration procedures. The person conducting the project should explain this right to all potential participants prior to the commencement of the research or demonstration procedures. The person conducting the project should also provide opportunity for withdrawal with minimum discomfort during participation, particularly if a group activity is involved.

Protection of this right requires special vigilance when the individual conducting the project is in a position of influence over the participant. For example, students in lower grades than the person conducting the project should not be pressured into participating and should not be publicly identified if they decline to participate in a particular experiment, survey or demonstration. Under no circumstances should potential participants be exposed to ridicule, force, or excessive group pressure.

5. The student should deal with possible undesirable consequences for participants.

The supervisor should discuss with the student possible undesirable consequences of the project that should result in at least a temporary halt in the project. In the event that unanticipated undesirable consequences are detected by the individual conducting the project, he or she should halt the project if it is still in progress and notify the supervisor or other appropriate school authorities.

6. The anonymity of the information gathered should be preserved.

In certain projects, a participant may not wish the person conducting the project to disclose the results of the study in a way that individually identifies the participant. Only with the participant�s full agreement can the person conducting the project disclose identifiable information about that participant to any other individual. A plan for protecting the anonymity of the information gathered should be a part of the procedure for obtaining initial agreement to participate. The person conducting the project should make every effort to maintain anonymity, but participants should be made aware that in some cases it may be difficult or impossible to maintain full anonymity about all of the information obtained. Formal agreement to participate may not be necessary in some studies of public behavior, but preservation of anonymity is as important in the observation of public behavior as it is in other research or demonstrations. In public situations, information should not be collected in such a way that individuals are identifiable.

It is suggested that persons conducting projects encourage potential participants to read these guidelines. To ensure a careful reading and adequate understanding of these guidelines, persons conducting projects may wish participants to sign a statement such as that below.

I have read the Guidelines for the Use of Human Participants in Research or Demonstration Conducted by High School Students. I have received satisfactory answers to my questions concerning this research or demonstration. I understand that every effort will be made to protect the anonymity of my responses although it cannot be guaranteed. I understand that I may withdraw from this research or demonstration without penalty at any time.

Name
Signature
Date

1981

Guidelines for the Specialty and Training and Certification of Secondary School Teachers of Psychology (originated in 1978)

Psychology is a broadly diverse field that has been rcognized as a scientific discipline since the 1870s. Its content ranges from social science topics akin to sociology and anthropology to natural science foci related to biology and physiology. The thread uniting the filed has two strands: a concern with behavior and reliance on empirical and evidential methods.

Accordingly, all secondary school teachers of psychology should have a firm and broad grounding of the empirically based principles of behavior and a thorough grasp of the evidential approach to the study of behavior. Appropriate preparation for secondary school teachers of psychology is a plan of study offered at an accredited college or university. Because those seeking certification as secondary school teachers of psychology may have followed different educational paths, alternative plans to obtain certification in this area are proposed.

Recommended Courses of Study Leading to Certification

Plan A

This plan would consist of a coherent set of courses that provides systematic study in the areas* of general psycholog, experimental psychology, social psychologiy, physiological psychology, personality, and history of psychology. It would also include courses on methods of invetigation that focus on research design, statistics, and assessment and evaluation of the individual. Students who have successfully completed such a set of courses would have adequate depth and breadth of training in psychology to permit them to function as competent teachers of psychology at the secondary school level.

* It is not the intent of the APA to recommend specific courses carrying these titles. Rather, these guidelines are designed to assist teacher training institutions and state certification agencies in identifying areas of study that will give secondary school psychology teachers a thorough and broad preparation in with the content and the methods of psychology.

Plan B

In recent years, colleges and universityies have experimented with curriculum designs that differ from the more traditional approach to Plan A. An alternative route to certification must be provided for students in these programs, who by virtue of different course titles, interdepartmental courses, and the like, would not have the same areas of study. These candidates should qualify for certfication, provided they show training equivalent to Plan A on an area-by-area basis.

Plan C

Candidates who do not qualify under Plans A and B may be certified by demonstration of competence and knowledge equivalent to that indicated in Plan A as appraised through a specific plan such as the following: (a) examinatin aranged through a psychology department of an accredited college or university or (b) standardized test in psychology (e.g., GRE Advanced test in Psychology) pased at a level acceptable to the psychology department of an accreditited college or university.

Comment

These guidelines offer a model plan of study that is likey to provide candidates for certification with sufficient knowledge of psychology to teach in the secondary school. They also signal that a haphazard collection of introductory psychology, psychological foundations of education, mental health, and social studies methods courses does not in itself assure sufficient depth and breadth of background for a secondary school teacher of psychology.

Because student interest tends to be high in areas such as psychopathology, developmental psychology, and counseling psychology, secondary school teachers of psychology should be urged to seek additional study in these areas, but primary concern, and certification requirements, should remain focused on the basic content and methods of the field. Additional courses in such areas as psychopathology, developmental psychology, and counseling psychology will not necessarily give the teacher any technical competence to function as a professional psychological counselor to students, other teachers, or parents. Persons with the training outlined in Plan A (or its equivalent) would be competent only as classroom teachers dealing with the subject matter of psychology.

All secondary school teachers, regardless of their field need courses in areas of study that will help them be sensitive to the needs of adolescents. These courses should be considered part of the professional preparation of all teachers and not part of the specialty training of secondary school teachers of psychology.

There are many different way to organize the content of secondary school psychology courses. For example, some experts recommend presenting psychology as a subject-matter field, much like biology, physics, or anthropology. Others, with equally compelling reasons, would organize the course content around concepts of human development, particulary adolescent psychology. Both foci represent appropriate ways of presenting the subject matter of the field, depending on the needs of the particular school and curriculum in which the course will be offered. These and other options make it difficult to set specific guidelines for the classification of psychology in the secondary school as a social science, natural science or behavioral science. Teacher trainers and certification officers should be guided in decisions about classification by consultation with appropriate groups, such as faculty of psychology departments at colleges and universities in the state. Regardless of the classification, however, all secondary school teachers of psychology should have a thorough and broad preparation in both the content and the methods of psychology.

The American Psychological Association endorses the idea that a well-constructed methods course in the candidate�s intended teaching field is a necessary part of the professional preparation of secondary school teachers. The course should prepare teachers to set forth clear educational objectives for students and identify appropriate teaching methods to attain these objectives.

Recommended for Implementation

Although there are currently many thousands of of secondary school teachers of psychology, relatively few of them teach psychology full-time because the demand for fill-time psychology teachers is small, and it may well remain small for some years to come. Thus, training and certification in psychology alone is not realistic or practical in most cases. However, the American Psychological Association wishes to recommend the following to Secondary School State Certification Boards in order to implement Plans A, B, or C as described in these guidelines:

Regardless of the field in which a teacher is certified (e.g., social/behavioral sciences or natural sciences), a separate endorsement with specific requirements in psychology should be added to the existing certificate.

Under this recommendation, secondary school teachers of psychology would be fully prepared and certified to teach some other specialty as well psychology.

In addition, these guidelines are intended to apply to the training and certification of any teacher of psychology in any secondary school, with regard to the fraction of time spent teaching psychology.

1982

The American Psychological Association holds that respecialization education and training for psychologists possessing the doctoral degree should be conducted by those academic units in regionally accredited universities and professional schools currently offering doctoral training in the relevant specialty, and in conjunction with regularly organized internship agencies where appropriate. Respecialization for purposes of offering services in clinical, counseling, or school psychology should be linked to relevant APA approved programs.

1984

The bachelor's degree is not sufficient preparation for teaching psychology at the postsecondary level. The doctoral degree is the preferred requirement, and the master's degree in psychology the minimum requirement, with the exception of students enrolled in doctoral programs in psychology.

1985

The four year baccalaureate program in psychology is fundamentally a liberal arts curriculum. Neither vocational nor preprofessional training should be a primary goal of undergraduate education in psychology. This position is consistent with the finding of the 1961 Michigan Conference, chaired by W.J. McKeachie and John E. Milholland, which concluded that 'a basically liberal arts curriculum is best for students who plan to go on to professional training, to graduate work in psychology, or directly into a vocation.' The American Psychological Association should not prescribe specific course requirements for the undergraduate major in psychology. Such an action would seriously intrude upon the academic freedom of departments and faculty members.

However, it is agreed that APA should continue to monitor undergraduate education in psychology by means of periodic surveys. By this means APA and its Committee on undergraduate Education in Psychology can continue to weigh the possibility of developing guidelines or models for the curriculum.

1986

Principles of Good Practice in Continuing Education

(Document is not on file in APA or available on the Council on the Continuing Education Unit site.)

1991

Ethical Guidelines for the Teaching of Psychology in the Secondary Schools

1992

Council voted to reaffirm its 1960 endorsement of the Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure of the American Association of University of Professors. Council also voted to reaffirm its 1986 endorsement of the Guidelines for Conditions of Employment of Psychologists developed by CAFCOE and to encourage periodic review and updating of that document as warranted by changes in the field.

1992

Resolution on Representation of Graduate Students within Programs and Departments Responsible for Educating and Training Students of Psychology

WHEREAS the American Psychological Association (APA) has not yet articulated a policy on an appropriate role for psychology graduate students in the governance of programs and departments responsible for educating and training students of psychology;

WHEREAS two surveys (APAGS, 1989; 1991) suggest that the 20,000+ constituents of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) place increased programmatic and departmental representation (e.g., input into curricula; representation on training committees) at the top of their agenda;

WHEREAS survey data (APAGS, 1991) suggest great variation in the scope and nature of graduate student representation within departmental and program governance, with some psychology programs and departments mandating voting representation by graduate students, while other programs and departments allow little or no input by their graduate students;

WHEREAS the Accreditation Handbook (1986) acknowledges that students within departments and programs of psychology "can play important roles in program planning, development, execution and evaluation...their involvement in leadership and administrative functions, as appropriate to their status as students, can be an excellent source of training and development for their professional careers" (p. 10);

WHEREAS the unique perspectives of graduate students can help departmental and program administrators and faculty evaluate and refine their education and training programs;

WHEREAS graduate students are not separate from, but an integral part of an education and training "team" whose performance is affected by their well-being;

THEREFORE be it resolved that the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association endorses the principle of meaningful participation by graduate students in the programmatic and administrative decisions that affect them. Programs and departments responsible for educating and training students in psychology are thus encouraged to develop guidelines that explicate the means through which students have appropriate input.

The Council of Representatives requests an update on the issue of graduate student representation within departments and programs responsible for educating and training students of psychology in three years.

1993

Council approved a motion that provides for all APA high school teacher affiliates to automatically become members of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS).

1994

Principles for Quality Undergraduate Education in Psychology

1994

Resolution on Teaching Enhancement Programs for Graduate Students

WHEREAS the quality of teaching is a major factor in current higher education reform initiatives;

WHEREAS changing student demographics, increased demand for accountability in higher education, and rapidly changing technological advances in instruction and equipment techniques demand greater teacher competence in these areas;

WHEREAS the increased use of part-time faculty members for the purposes of alleviating the shortages incurred during periods of heavy student enrollments constitutes a faculty with few teaching resources, who teach the largest numbers of students, and who also have a high potential for student impact;

WHEREAS there is an increasing need to be aware of ethical behaviors in teaching;

WHEREAS over the last 25 years there have been a plethora of articles about the inadequacies in the preparation of college teachers and the assessment of instructional needs;

WHEREAS effective programs for preparing psychologists/graduate students for teaching already exist;

WHEREAS over 70% of psychologists engage in teaching activities in the classroom, in workshops, or in supervision activities during their careers;

WHEREAS the vast majority of psychology faculty have had little or no formal training for their role as teachers; and

WHEREAS having access to effective teaching skills early in the psychology career has beneficial effects on the growth of those teaching skills, the teachers' attitudes towards teaching, and the subsequent combined beneficial impact upon students;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the American Psychological Association encourages all graduate programs in psychology to offer a teaching enhancement program to graduate students. Such programs could include, but would not be limited to: coursework in the psychology of teaching and learning; mentoring with an exemplary teacher; supervised experience in teaching; and participation in teaching discussion groups.

1994

In accordance with existing Committee of Accreditation policy that all interns should receive appropriate stipends and that all internships can be full or half time, Council reaffirms the existing APA policy on half time internships by acknowledging, supporting and facilitating compliance with and implementation of this policy.

In addition, in the geographic areas where there is a shortage of half time internships, Council encourages the development of half time opportunities to meet such needs.

1994

Resolution on Attracting Ethnic Minority Students to the Study of Psychology

WHEREAS the general population of the United States is projected to change within the next generation and become a pluralistic society;

WHEREAS there is a current and projected under representation of ethnic minority students, faculty, practitioners, and researchers in the field of psychology;

WHEREAS the educational pipeline requires recruitment and retention efforts across the spectrum of education from pre college to entry into the field of psychology;

WHEREAS psychologists in education will need to become increasingly conversant on issues relevant to an increasingly diverse student population and pluralistic society; and

WHEREAS the lack of ethnic minority representation and focus impacts the relevance of psychology to prepare students to function in a diversified society and to provide appropriate services;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that APA places a high priority on issues related to the education of ethnic minorities. These issues include planning appropriately diverse curricula, promoting psychology as a course of study and career option as well as recruitment, retention, advising, and mentoring of minority students at all levels of education.

1996

A Taxonomy for Postdoctoral and Continuing Education and Training in Psychology

1996

Procedures for Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology

1998

Resolution on the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) Reciprocity Agreement

WHEREAS the evolution of the discipline of psychology is best served if the profession can recognize and adopt clear and reasonable standards for practice, and

WHEREAS it is in the public interest that patterns of education, training, licensure and credentialing be coherent and orderly, and

WHEREAS it is also in the public interest that the practicing psychologists be able to move from jurisdiction to jurisdiction without undue impediments to the pursuit of their careers, and

WHEREAS each state and provincial board must nonetheless continue to be vested with the autonomous authority to act in the best interest of its citizenry,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of Representatives endorses the principle of reciprocity for licensed psychologists and supports efforts to accomplish this.

1998

Use of the Term "Clinical� in Specialty and Proficiency Titles

That the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) may consider any new specialty or proficiency that incorporates the modifier ?clinical? in its title if the petition for recognition of that specialty or proficiency was received by CRSPPP on or before January 1, 1998; and Council may act upon the recommendations forwarded by CRSPPP pertaining to such petitions.

That subsequent to January 1, 1998, new specialty or proficiency petitions for recognition using in their titles modifiers that duplicate existing general practice specialty designations (i.e., clinical, counseling, school, industrial/organizational) will not be accepted for review by CRSPPP with the use of such title.

That, consistent with recommendation #1, the proficiency Geropsychology, approved by Council at the February 1998 meeting, be allowed to retain the modifier �clinical� in its title, such that the name of the proficiency shall be �Clinical Geropsychology.�

That the term "Health Service Psychologist� or "Health Service Provider in Psychology" be the preferred term in language used to describe practicing psychologists or professional psychology students in relation to statutes, rules or regulations, and commercial policies that pertain to eligibility for health services reimbursement and health professions education and training. In using that term, or for instances in which other language is already used (e.g., use of the term "clinical� as a modifier for "psychologist� or "psychology�) and change in that language is unlikely, it is further recommended that language used in the interpretive rules or implementing regulations be consistent with the definition of psychologists as health service providers approved by the Council of Representatives in February 1996, as follows:

Psychologists who are duly trained and experienced in the delivery of preventive, assessment, diagnostic, and intervention services relative to the psychological and physical health of consumers based on: 1) having completed scientific and professional training resulting in a doctoral degree in psychology; 2) having completed an internship and supervised experience in health care settings; and 3) having been licensed as psychologists at the independent practice level.

Or, as recently accepted by the Health Care Financing Administration, in defining the term "clinical psychologist� that was in that agency�s regulatory language, to the following effect:

A clinical psychologist is an individual who holds a doctoral degree in psychology; and (2) is licensed or certified, on the basis of the doctoral degree in psychology, by the state in which he or she practices, at the independent practice level of psychology to furnish diagnostic, assessment, preventive, and therapeutic services directly to individuals.

That the APA be consistent in its use of the term "specialty� or "specialties� in publishing information about APA member interests, educational background, or teaching, research, and practice focus, reserving use of those terms for reference to formally recognized professional practice specialties in psychology.

2000

Specialty in Professional Psychology: Behavioral Psychology

2001

Specialty in Professional Psychology: Forensic Psychology

2001

Proficiency in Professional Psychology: Psychopharmacology

2001

Proficiency in Professional Psychology: Psychological Treatment of Alcohol and Other Psychoactive Substance Disorders

2002

Specialty in Professional Psychology: Forensic Psychology: Family Psychology

2002

Memorandum of Understanding between the APA and CPA for Concurrent Accreditation of Doctoral Training Programs and Predoctoral Internship Training Programs in Professional Psychology

2003

Proficiency in Professional Psychology: Sport Psychology

2003

Proficiency in Professional Psychology: Assessment and Treatment of Serious Mental Illness

2003

Industrial and Organizational Psychology as a Specialty in Professional Psychology

2003

Clinical Neuropsychology as a Specialty in Professional Psychology

2004

Developing and Evaluating Standards and Guidelines Related to Education and Training in Psychology: Context, Procedures and Criteria

2004

Health Psychology as a Specialty in Professional Psychology

2005

Standards and Criteria of the Sponsor Approval System

2005

Clinical Geropsychology as a Proficiency in Professional Psychology

2005

Guidelines for Education and Training at the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Level in Consulting Psychology/Organizational Consulting Psychology

2005

National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula

2005

Biofeedback: Applied Psychophysiology as a Proficiency in Professional Psychology

2005

Clinical Child Psychology as a Specialty in Professional Psychology

2005

Counseling Psychology as a Specialty in Professional Psychology

2005

Clinical Psychology as Specialty in Professional Psychology

2005

School Psychology as a Specialty in Professional Psychology

2006

American Psychological Association Approval of Sponsors of Continuing Education for Psychologists Policies and Procedures Manual

2006

Psychoanalysis in Psychology as a Specialty in Professional Psychology

2006

Need for Diversity in Accreditation

That the Council of Representatives recognizes the spirit of compromise implicit in the Accreditation Summit agreement and specifically commends the group for its recognition of the importance of ensuring inclusion of individual and cultural diversity as noted in the overarching principle from the Summit report:

The Commission on Accreditation (CoA) is committed, to the fullest extent possible, to support diversity in all aspects of the accreditation enterprise. The CoA offers strong encouragement for, and a continuing expectation that, all organizations and groups will nominate individuals representing cultural and individual differences and diversity. The CoA will continuously monitor the nomination and appointment process to insure its ability to maintain diversity on the Commission and will report annually on the diversity of the CoA and its panels to its various publics (Accreditation Summit Report, p.3)

The Council also strongly encourages solicitation of nominations for the Public Interest Individual and Cultural Diversity seat from the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest, the ethnic minority associations, and other relevant organizations.

2006

APA Policies for Accreditation Governance

2006

Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major

2006

Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology

2007

That the Council of Representatives approves the following changes in Domain A: Eligibility of the Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology (bracketed text to be deleted):

A. Doctoral Graduate Programs

Domain A: Eligibility

As a prerequisite for accreditation, the program�s purpose must be within the scope of the accrediting body and must be pursued in an institutional setting appropriate for the doctoral education and training of professional psychologists.

1. The program offers doctoral education and training in psychology, one goal of which is to prepare students for the practice of professional psychology.

2. The program is sponsored by an institution of higher education accredited by a nationally recognized regional accrediting body in the United States [or, in the case of Canadian programs, the institution is publicly recognized by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada as a member in good standing].

Further, Council requests that staff work with the Canadian Psychological Association in revising the Memorandum of Understanding to allow for the discontinuation of concurrent accreditation.

2007

Resolution in Support of Education for Sustainable Development

We, the undersigned United States disciplinary associations, declare our commitment to education for sustainable development. In response to the planetary challenges of the 21st century, we believe that the engagement of the academic disciplines is critical to advancing the broad goals of sustainable development.

The concept of sustainable development emerged in the 1980s in response to a growing awareness of the need to link economic and social progress with environment responsibility. Sustainable development offers a framework for understanding and addressing the most urgent problems of our time. It recognizes that challenges such as global warming, wasteful consumption, environmental degradation, poverty, and violent conflict are interdependent and that interdisciplinary solutions � involving economic, social, environmental, and political dimensions � are required.

The United Nations has declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014. As stated by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the lead agency for the Decade: �The international community now strongly believes that we need to foster - through education - the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future. Education for sustainable development has come to be seen as a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term future of the economy, ecology and equity of all communities. Building the capacity for such futures-oriented thinking is a key task of education.�1

We herein commit to the following actions in support of education for sustainable development:

1. We will improve our understanding of education for sustainable development through collaboration with other organizations and promotion of programs/projects within our associations.

2. We will share resources and support innovations in education for sustainable development with our members.

3. We will work with other organizations to help the public become both literate about our sustainability challenges and more engaged in addressing solutions.

4. We will encourage our members to identify and pursue linkages between their disciplinary expertise and related issues in sustainable development and to collaborate with other disciplines and specialties for cross-fertilization of ideas and problem-solving around sustainability.

5. We will practice institutional social responsibility and take action to minimize the negative environmental, social, and economic impacts of our organizational activities.

1UNESCO 2003, United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (January 2005 - December 2014), Framework for a Draft International Implementation Scheme, p.4.

2008

Principles for the Recognition of Specialties in Professional Psychology and Principles for the Recognition of Proficiencies in Professional Psychology