2012 CIRP Strategic Plan and Goals
Central Goals
CIRP’s strategic plan is designed to foster implementation of a set of activities to further APA’s involvement in the promotion and development of psychology in the global world of the 21st Century and support the Association’s aspiration to excel as a principal leader and global partner promoting psychological knowledge and methods to facilitate the resolution of personal, societal and global challenges in diverse, multicultural and international contexts.
The broad goals are captured by seven program areas:
Acting in the world arena. Increasing awareness and opportunities for APA and psychology to be involved in international activities promoting human health, education and welfare, and in international policy arenas.
Fostering psychology in a global age. APA as a learning partner; building capacity.
Increasing international knowledge. Raising awareness of international activities and issues in Psychology to APA and APA members.
Expanding outward. Increasing the depth and breadth of connections among psychologists and psychological organizations around the world.
Welcoming the world. Increasing the number and engagement of APA’s international affiliates and members; working with fellow national psychology associations.
Promoting the value of cross-cultural and multicultural competence for U.S. psychologists. Integrating the study, research, and awareness of cross-cultural and multicultural issues across the Association.
Fostering receptivity to knowledge from outside the U.S. It is CIRP’s position that many colleagues do not see the value of international psychology, are not receptive to learning from outside the U.S. and do not believe that results from outside the U.S. have unique merit. The purpose of this goal is to foster receptivity to knowledge from outside the U.S.
Below, each goal is developed more fully; current activities in service of the goal are listed, and new activities are suggested. The first outcome of the strategic plan is the GOALS initiative.
Goal 1: Acting in the World Arena
(Increasing awareness and opportunities for APA and psychology to be involved in international activities promoting human health, education and welfare, and in international policy arenas).
Psychologists have long been active in the global arena, as visiting faculty, Fulbright Scholars, consultants and experts. Psychology as a discipline has been active in policy arenas through its global organizations (e.g., IUPsyS) and more recently individual member international organizations (e.g., IAAP, IACCP, ICP). The purpose of this goal is for APA to take a more active role through increased contacts with global organizations, and through serving as a conduit to encourage APA members to serve global organizations and to become engaged with global initiatives and activities. This might take place through more active and broad nominations, provision of commentary and expertise, and dissemination of information about opportunities.
Ongoing Activities
U.N. activities
U.N. representative team at U.N. Headquarters: involved in NGO committee structure; active in promoting psychology language and issues in U.N. statements and documents; disseminating psychology through briefings, presentations and other events in conjunction with U.N. conferences and meetings
Psychology Day at the United Nations, focusing on the contributions of psychology to issues before the U.N.
U.N. listserv (disseminate information about U.N. events to psychologists)
International meetings calendar
International conference registration grants
APA international awards
Convention programming
Guidance brochures on international exchanges, research, teaching, consultation
Collaboration with psychologists in U.S. agencies (e.g., USAID) to promote a psychological perspective in global health
Web listing of APA’s international activities
Policy Issues
APA policy on strategic response to international disasters (completed 2010)
New Activities
TBD
Goal 2: Fostering Psychology in a Global Age: APA as a Learning Partner
In the past, APA has played a large role in promoting psychology internationally; APA’s standards have been the model for standards elsewhere in ethics, curriculum development, publications. In addition APA has supported the growth of psychologists and psychology organizations worldwide through capacity building efforts and direct services.
Currently, the enormous growth in psychology programs and numbers of psychologists worldwide may require a different role in fostering the development of psychology.
Ongoing Activities
MOU program (at present, APA has MOUs signed with Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Jordan, Mexico, Norway, South Africa and the United Kingdom)
Small Grants for Program Development for National Associations (fostering capacity building for psychological organizations and psychologists)
International Affiliate Convention Registration Grants
Convention Travel Supplement Grants
Visitor’s Program for national psychology organization officers (see also Fostering Exchange)
Scientific Meeting Support Fund
Promoting regional partnerships with the Interamerican Society of Psychology (SIP), the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA) ; ASEAN Regional Union of Psychological Societies (ARUPS); Caribbean Region
First Street Accord (mutual recognition agreement U.S.-Canada on accreditation processes)
Policy Issues
APA Resolution on Quality Assurance in International Education and Training — APA as a Learning Partner (2009)
Participation in the development of world-wide, concensus-based standards for psychology (2012 meeting on competency models for licensing, certification and credentialing)
New Activities
TBD
Goal 3: Increasing International Knowledge
Raising awareness of international activities and issues in Psychology to APA and APA members.
The OIA and CIRP have always worked actively to disseminate information about international events, activities and perspectives. The outcomes for this goal are to continue and expand ongoing dissemination activities and to develop mechanisms to collaborate with other APA offices, Divisions and members to do so.
Ongoing Activities
Psychology International (electronic newsletter; announcements; organization profiles; country profiles; series on international collaborations; international applications of psychology)
APA International Online (website): program descriptions, meeting calendar; directories FAQ’s
Cross-Division liaisons to CIRP to promote international Division activities
Cross-Directorate meetings to raise awareness of international opportunities within APA offices
APA contributions to Psychology Around the World (PATW) web resource
United Nations research briefs on Trauma and HIV/AIDS
Regular interaction with Monitor and GradPsych Staff to promote international content in articles
New Activities
TBD
Goal 4: Expanding Outward
Increasing the depth and breadth of connections with psychologists and psychological organizations around the world.
APA, CIRP and the OIA provide more or less passive resources to facilitate interactions, such as meeting calendars, directories and the like. The purpose of this goal is to develop active outreach and matching programs to facilitate and encourage exchange at both an individual and organizational level.
Ongoing or Completed Activities
MOU program
Maintain directories of international and national psychology organizations
Small grants for program development for National Associations
International conference registration grants
International meeting calendar
Scientific meeting support fund
ROMEO experts database
Psychology Association Presidents convention program (2012 and 2007)
Fulbright Scholars – A Window to the World convention program (2008)
New Activities
TBD
Goal 5: Welcoming the World
Increasing APA membership by increasing the number and engagement of APA’s international affiliates and members; working with fellow national psychology associations
Ongoing Activities
MOU program
International Affiliates program
Convention and International Congress receptions
Convention registration awards for international affiliates and students
International Mailbox
Listserv for International Members and Affiliates
Membership recruitment drives at international conferences
New Activities
TBD
Goal 6: Promoting the Value of Cross-cultural and Multicultural Competence for U.S. Psychologists
The study, research and awareness of cross-cultural and multicultural issues must be integrated across the Association in order for APA to realize its aspiration of being a “principal leader and global partner promoting psychological knowledge and methods to facilitate the resolution of personal, societal and global challenges in diverse, multicultural and international contexts.”
Ongoing/Completed Activities
Brochure series on “Going International: A Practical Guide for Psychologists.” The first booklet, Academics Going Abroad, was published in 2011
Proposed Activities
Promulgate APA Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice and Organizational Change (2002)
Collaborate on the revision of the Multicultural Guidelines
Work to incorporate international psychology/cross-cultural competence in all levels of the curriculum
Goal 7: Fostering Receptivity to Knowledge from Outside the U.S.
It is CIRP’s position that many colleagues do not see the value of international psychology, are not receptive to learning from outside the U.S., and do not believe that results from outside the U.S. have unique merit. The purpose of this goal is to foster receptivity to knowledge from outside the U.S.
Proposed Activities
Develop strategies for showcasing the importance of international psychology to domestic research, practice and application (e.g., demonstrate relevance to local psychologists)
Encourage all APA governance activities to include international perspectives
Encourage divisions to include international presenters and presenters who have research, clinical and teaching experience outside the U.S.
Develop strategies to bring more awareness to divisions of international issues and increase APA and division international membership
Develop international talking points for divisions, including descriptions of CIRP and OIA
Promote ROMEO as resource for international expertise
Develop capacity building initiatives to support international research expertise and research expertise in countries with less developed infrastructure
Encourage increased international submissions to APA journals
Develop capacity to have abstracts translated
New Activities
TBD
