Dr. Diane F. Halpern
* What would you do to increase the representation and participation of minority members among APA governance structure?
Minorities donate their time and energy to APA for the same reasons everyone else does--because they expect to influence important policies in exchange for their efforts. We need to be sure that council and the other governance structures are responsive to minority needs and concerns, for example cross-cultural issues in counseling and internationalizing the curriculum. We need short-term and long-term strategies. While we work on attracting minority students to psychology and mentoring them through the doctorate, we also need to use personal contacts to invite minority psychologists to participate in those boards and committees for which they have expertise.
*How would you address issues affecting women, both within psychology and among consumers of health care?
With over 70 percent of mothers in the workforce, the most significant issue concerns work-family conflict and the health risks associated with the stress of balancing work and family. We need to promote family-friendly work policies, which also benefit employees who need to care for aging family members. The current worker norm is based on a model family that is nearly extinct: a dedicated company man with a stay-at-home wife. We need to convince employers and policy-makers of the financial advantages from reduced turnover and absenteeism that accrue from policies like flexible work schedules, telecommuting, child-care assistance and quality part-time careers.
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