2004 Annual Reports for Boards and Committees

BOARD FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

Mission Statement

The Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) shall consist of not fewer than ten members elected for three-year terms. Nine of the members must be members of the American Psychological Association. The tenth member shall be a public member appointed by BAPPI for up to a three-year term. The mission of BAPPI shall be to encourage the generation and application of psychological knowledge on issues important to human well being. It shall have general concern for those aspects of psychology that involve solutions to the fundamental problems of human justice and that promote equitable and just treatment of all segments of society. BAPPI shall encourage the utilization and dissemination of psychological knowledge to advance equal opportunity and to foster empowerment of those who do not share equitably in society's resources. The Board shall be concerned with increasing scientific understanding and training in regard to those aspects that pertain to, but are not limited to culture, class, race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age and disability. The Board shall support improving educational and training opportunities for all persons in psychology and continue the promotion of culturally sensitive models for the delivery of psychological services. The Board shall be sensitive to the entire range of APA activities as they pertain to the mission of this Board and make recommendations regarding ethically and socially responsible actions by APA when appropriate. The composition of the Board shall reflect diversity in terms of ethnic minorities, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities and religion, as well as the range of interests characteristic of psychology in all its aspects.

Membership and Meetings

The members of BAPPI for 2004 were: Patricia Arredondo, EdD (chair), Armand Cerbone, PhD, Diana Slaughter-Defoe, PhD, Michael Duffy, PhD (2004 chair-elect), Irene Leigh, PhD, Allan S. Noonan, MD (Public Member), Ruperto Perez, PhD, Brian Smedley, PhD, and Virginia Theo-Steelman, EdD.

Drs. Arredondo and Theo-Steelman, completed their terms of service on BAPPI on December 31, 2004.

Ongoing Activities

BAPPI agreed to focus on issues related to poverty and its impact on public interest constituencies and interest groups; enhancing diversity within APA governance and staffing; and infusion/integration of the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists (Multicultural Guidelines) as areas of focus during 2004.

Enhancing Diversity within APA Governance and Staffing

In August 2003, the BAPPI submitted a memorandum to the APA Board of Directors (B/D). The memorandum contained recommendations for enhancement of diversity within APA Governance and Staffing and requested that the B/D discuss the recommendations and determine a course of action that would address the issues raised. In response to a request from the B/D, BAPPI formulated and submitted specific recommendations and action for enhancing diversity with APA governance to the B/D at its June 2004 meeting. BAPPI also forwarded a separate memorandum to APA CEO, Norman Anderson with recommendations for enhancing diversity within APA staff, particularly management staff.

At its July 2004 meetings, the B/D and the APA Council of Representatives approved the following:

That the Council of Representatives approves the following affirmative and concrete steps that will enhance diversity representation across the APA governance system:

1. Allocate $3,000 in 2005 to support the costs of a pilot diversity training activity at a C/R meeting and at the Spring or Fall Consolidated meetings. It is recommended that new governance members receive diversity training in order to inform their work in their respective venues. (It is anticipated that the plenary session at the Spring or Fall Consolidated meeting will be extended to accommodate diversity training).

2. Assess the impact of the training on participants to determining whether/how it should be conducted in future C/R and consolidated meetings.

3. Request that all APA governance groups (including the B/D) include a report on diversity training and representation on their respective groups within their annual reports.

4. Encourage Divisions and State Associations to include diversity training in their respective leadership conferences and to make diversity training sessions an integral part of their leadership conference programs on an annual basis.

5. Encourage Divisions and State Associations to incorporate diversity training into their programs and resources. Encourage Division and State Association presidents to have diversity training on their respective Executive Boards/Committees and allow each Executive Board/Committee member to receive the training at least once during his/her tenure.

BAPPI and the Public Interest Directorate are in the process of developing a Multicultural Organizational Leadership workshop as a "pilot diversity training" for the APA governance in 2005. The Council will participate in the aforementioned workshop during its February 2005 meeting. Other workshops are being planned for the APA boards and committees during the Fall 2005 Consolidated Meetings (Round I and II).

Poverty and Socioeconomic Status Issues

In August 2003, a new business item entitled “Establishing a New Committee within the Public Interest Directorate, The Committee on Socioeconomic Status,” was assigned to BAPPI. The main motion of the new business item proposes that a new standing, permanent committee be added to the Public Interest Directorate that will have, as its major focus, attention to psychological issues related to social class. This committee would be called the Committee on Socioeconomic Status and would be staffed by Public Interest Directorate personnel.

After its initial review of the new business item, BAPPI formulated and approved a substitute motion that recognized the importance and impact of Socioeconomic Status (SES) on psychological issues; and charged its continuing committees with taking SES into consideration as they conduct their business. BAPPI referred the item to the public interest committees for comment. The board also asked the public interest committees to examine and report back to the board on how SES issues affect their specific constituencies. BAPPI also approved allocation of some of its convention programming time at the 2004 APA convention to a symposium that examined the impact of SES on mental health.

At its Fall 2004 meeting, BAPPI reviewed the responses from the public interest committees that outlined the degree to which issues of SES are included and integrated into their current activities. The board concluded that SES is not currently being integrated into the work of the individual public interest committees in a uniform manner. The board also concluded that the importance and impact of socioeconomic status on psychological issues requires that it be addressed on an Association wide basis rather than just within public interest. After reviewing feedback responses from public interest committees and other referral groups (Board of Professional Affairs, Board of Scientific Affairs, Board of Educational Affairs and the Policy and Planning Board), at its Fall 2004 meeting, BAPPI formulated and approved a revised substitute motion that requests the formulation of a six-member APA Task Force on Socioeconomic Status. The task force will be comprised of individuals with expertise in this area and be charged with (a) operationally defining the scope, nature, range, parameters and effects of socioeconomic inequalities in the United States; b) psychological issues associated with socioeconomic status; and (c) recommending mechanisms and structures that would more effectively address, on an Association-wide basis, the causes and the impact of socioeconomic inequality. BAPPI will submit this recommendation to the APA Board of Directors at its February 2005 meeting.

Infusing the APA Multicultural Guidelines Throughout APA

The Council of Representatives passed the APA Multicultural Guidelines in August 2002. To date there has not been an association-wide plan put in place to implement the guidelines throughout APA.

The guidelines were developed as an interdivisional project of Divisions 17 (Counseling Psychology) and 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues). The Guidelines were published in the May 2003 American Psychologist. The Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologist (Multicultural Guidelines) can be accessed by logging onto the APA Public Interest Directorate website at http://www.apa.org/pi/multiculturalguidelines/formats.html.

In March 2004, BAPPI was asked to develop recommendations for infusing the Guidelines across the Association. BAPPI asked the public interest committees to submit recommendations to inform the development of BAPPI's recommendations. During its meeting in October 2004, BAPPI reviewed the comments submitted by the public interest committees and discussed methods for infusing/implementing the Guidelines across the Association. During its discussion, BAPPI determined that in order to ensure a wide implementation of the Guidelines it would be important for the entire APA governance system to participate and provide input. To this end BAPPI formulated a main motion that requests the funding and establishment of a Task Force on the Implementation of the Multicultural Guidelines. The task force, as envisioned by BAPPI, will be charged with formulating recommendations for the infusion of the Multicultural Guidelines throughout psychology and will report back to the B/D on a regular basis on the progress of its work. The members of the task force will be appointed by the APA President. The B/D will be presented with these recommendations at its June 2005 meeting.

Diversity

BAPPI works to ensure that diversity issues receive not only the board's attention but also the attention of the Association as a whole. BAPPI's membership is diverse and seeks to represent and advocate for all of the public interest constituencies (ethnic minorities; lesbian, gay and bisexual concerns; children, youth and families; disability issues; older adults; persons living with HIV/AIDS and urban issues). BAPPI encourages the public interest committees to address not only their core issue but to consider issues of poverty and socioeconomic status in their work.

BAPPI is comprised of nine members elected by the APA Council of Representatives and one public member appointed by BAPPI. BAPPI is proud of the diversity within its ranks. BAPPI membership is representative of the public interest constituencies and issues it represents. The board currently has four white/Caucasian members and six ethnic minority members. The board has four female members and six male members.

BAPPI did not have board specific diversity training during 2004 but advocated for diversity related issues during 2004 (see discussion of Ongoing Activities above) and is currently coordinating the Multicultural Organizational Leadership workshops that will take place during 2005. BAPPI will participate in the Multicultural Organizational Leadership workshop being planned for Fall 2005 as a part of the Fall Consolidated Meetings (Round II).

2004 APA Convention

BAPPI sponsored two symposia at the 2004 APA Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii. Both symposia were very well attended.

The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Mental Health, was a dialogue on the impact of socioeconomic status on mental health as it applies to various public interest constituencies (aging populations, persons living with HIV/AIDS, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, children, youth and families and women). Participants were: Diana Slaughter-Defoe, PhD (chair), Bernice Lott, PhD, Allan Noonan, MD, Vickie Mays, PhD, and Forrest Scogin, PhD.

The Implementation of the APA Multicultural Guidelines was a presentation that promoted and explored applications of the APA Multicultural Guidelines. Participants discussed how they have implemented the Guidelines in the areas of research, education and training, organizational development, and policy development, and the effectiveness of their initiative. Participants were: Patricia Arredondo, EdD (chair), Louise Silverstein, PhD, Gregory Hinrichsen, PhD, Nadya Fouad, PhD, Jacquie Resnick, PhD, and Michael D'Andrea, PhD.

Task Forces and Working Group Reports

APA Task Force on Urban Psychology

In February 2003, Council approved the sunsetting of the Committee on Urban Initiatives (CUI) and the establishment of the Task Force on Urban Psychology for one year. Council charged the Task Force as follows:

To highlight the critical role that psychological theory, research, and clinical experience can play in promoting a greater understanding and amelioration of problems associated with urban life. The Task Force will work to raise professional consciousness of an “urban psychology” and highlight the unique and collaborative role that the discipline of psychology can play in this endeavor. The Task Force is committed to generating “strengths-based” perspectives that promote and sustain aspects of urban life that enhance individual and societal development and well-being. Through these efforts, the Task Force will chart directions and make recommendations for enhancing training, research, and practice approaches to improving the quality of life for urban residents, as well as advocacy. The work of the Task Force on Urban Psychology will culminate with the publication of a report/monograph that will address these issues.

Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues

In August of 2000, the Council of Representatives (COR) voted to establish the Ad Hoc Committee on End-of-Life Issues and charged it with providing oversight and leadership in implementing the recommendations of the Report to the Board of Directors from the APA Working Group on Assisted Suicide and End-of-Life Decisions (Report to the Board) (see -http://www.apa.org/pi/aseolf.html ).

Activities & Accomplishments in 2004