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Sharon Stephens Brehm is professor of psychology in the clinical and social programs at Indiana University Bloomington. She received a BA in psychology from Duke University, an AM in clinical psychology from Harvard University, returned to Duke for a PhD in clinical psychology, and completed a clinical psychology internship at the University of Washington Medical Center. After 15 years on the psychology faculty at the University of Kansas, she served as dean of the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at SUNY Binghamton, provost at Ohio University, and chancellor of the Indiana University Bloomington campus.

Brehm's contributions to psychology are wide-ranging. Trained as a clinical psychologist, she specialized in child clinical, focused increasingly on social psychology, advocated the integration of clinical and social psychology, and encouraged a stronger dialogue between developmental and social psychology. She has published numerous articles, chapters and books; supervised undergraduate and graduate students' research; and taught undergraduate and graduate courses. Her empirical research has examined the effects of psychological reactance, empathy, and self-focus. The scope of her work includes providing professional advice for the general public in "Help for Your Child: A Parent's Guide to Mental Health Services"; editing a collection of papers by feminist scholars, "Seeing Female: Social Roles and Personal Lives"; and co-authoring with Jack Brehm a comprehensive theoretical and empirical review, "Psychological reactance: A theory of freedom and control." Two multiauthored textbooks continue to be highly regarded and widely adopted: "Intimate Relationships" by Brehm, Miller, Perlman and Campbell in its third edition and "Social Psychology" by Brehm, Kassin and Fine in its sixth edition.

Brehm has been an Intra-University Professor at the University of Kansas, a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, and a visiting professor in Germany and Italy. She was chair of the governing board of OhioLINK, the statewide higher education library consortium; founding chair of the governing board of the Ohio Learning Network; and a member of the American Council on Education's Commission on International Education. Currently, she is on the Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Board of the Bloomington Area Arts Council. Her service to psychology includes chairing the Discipline Screening Committee for Fulbright Awards in Psychology and membership on numerous journal editorial boards and the NIMH Mental Health Small Grant Review Committee. She completed four terms on the Executive Committee of APA Div. 8 (Society for Personality and Social Psychology), two terms as Div. 8 representative on the APA Council of Representatives, and two terms on the APA Finance Committee. She was secretary of the Women's Caucus; chair of the Coalition for Academic, Scientific and Applied Psychology; and a member of the APA Task Force on Women in Academe. She is a fellow of Div. 8; a member of Divs. 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 35, 52 and 53; a member of the Indiana Psychological Association; and was selected into the University of Kansas Women's Hall of Fame. (See also www.brehm4apa.org).

Brehm's candidate statement

Working together for the future of psychology

      To help ensure an effective and future-oriented APA, I strongly support these vital initiatives:

      • Discussion and collaboration among scientists, teachers and practitioners.

      • Discussion and collaboration with psychologists in other countries.

      • Increased recognition and appreciation of the extraordinary range of applied psychology: for example, in the arts, community action, consulting, consumer behavior, engineering, the environment, exercise and sport, industrial and organizational behavior, the law, media, mental and physical health, peace, philosophy, religion, social and cultural issues, and teaching.

      • Cooperation with the American Psychological Society, the National Council for Research on Women, and other scientific and professional organizations.

• In psychological science:

     • Protecting freedom of inquiry in research.

     • Seeking increased funding for psychological research.

     • Advocating for a strong commitment to basic and applied research in the behavioral and social sciences.

     • Advocating for IRB policies and procedures that protect human and animal subjects and promote science.

     • Sustaining the highest standards of scientific expertise in APA's public policy, publication and credentialing activities.

• In psychology education:

     • Seeking increased funding for education and training programs, and graduate student stipends and fellowships.

     • Actively recruiting students of color.

     • Emphasizing the value of psychology as a liberal arts major.

     • Expanding psychology's role in improving teaching effectiveness for at-risk students and in math and science.

     • Continuing the Education Leadership Conference.

• In the practice of psychology:

     • Expanding psychologists' scope of practice to include hospital and prescription privileges.

     • Obtaining full parity and increased reimbursement rates for psychological services.

     • Increasing access to mental health care, particularly for people of color and those living in poverty.

     • Increasing loan-forgiveness programs for practitioners serving the underserved.

     • Developing state-of-the-art programs in multicultural competence to assist individuals and organizations.

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