Candidates for APA President
Q3: What key initiatives do you think will enhance the practice of psychology as a profession in the 21st century?
Treating the whole person through an integrated mind/body approach to health.
Assuring mental health parity based on scientifically based treatment modalities and outcome research.
Aggressive legislative pursuit of prescription privileges.
Prevention of interpersonal and family violence among people with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, and service members suffering from PTSD, among others.
Studying predictive factors associated with mass murders in schools and other settings.
Pursuing training in positive psychology, geropsychology, computer-focused psychological testing, virtual reality treatment (for PTSD, panic disorders and phobias), environmental psychology, homeland security and international applications of psychology.
Q4: Some of our members believe that the association should avoid political and moral stands on pressing social issues. What relationship(s) do you see as desirable among psychology, the association and social justice issues?
APA's Council of Representatives should not express political opinions or moral judgments, especially since these are often not reflective of the views of the membership. But the association can offer scientific information (sometimes in the form of amicus briefs) on certain issues. Such issues in the past have included psychological disabilities, child sexual abuse, competency to stand trial, civil commitment, the death penalty, duty to warn, psychological testing, and gay, lesbian and bisexual parenting. These past opinions have been based on psychological research and not merely beliefs and were appropriately expressed.