Carol D. Goodheart’s professional focus for 25 years has been practice, scholarship and service. She is committed to the scientist-practitioner tradition and chose psychology because it truly integrates mind and body, science and practice. She is in independent practice in Princeton, N.J.

Background. Before becoming a psychologist, Goodheart trained as a nurse and worked in emergency medicine, intensive care and public health on two Native American reservations. She earned an EdD in counseling psychology from Rutgers University and specializes in the treatment of individuals, couples and families coping with physical diseases or disabilities. In addition to her practice, she has served in a number of roles over the years at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology: clinical supervisor, contributing faculty, and committee on continuing education. She is a founding partner of two organizations: PsychHealth (a multi-specialty mental health practice corporation offering treatment services, program design, training and consultation, primarily in areas of health psychology), and W2W (dedicated to the development and dissemination of materials designed to build strengths, promote health and enhance the quality of life for women). She has been a leader of integrative psychology for two decades.

National and state leadership. Currently, Goodheart is the APA Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors. She has chaired the Finance Committee, Policy and Planning Board, the Task Force on Evidence Based Practice, and co-chaired the Task Force on Health and the Congressional Initiative on Serious Illness. She served on the Council of Representatives from both a division (Div. 29) and a state (N.J.). Her service also includes such diverse leadership activities as: co-chair of the CEO search committee that culminated in the hiring of Norman Anderson; senior advisor to the Advisory Council on Genetics; president of APA’s largest division (Div. 42); trustee of the APA Insurance Trust; and a board member of Women in Psychology for Legislative Action. In New Jersey, she has been a long-term New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA) member, executive board member, PAC President, Council Representative, and advocate.

Scholarship. As an author and editor, Goodheart has published numerous articles, chapters, and books on health, women, and the practice of psychology. Her books include “Evidence-Based Psychotherapy: Where Practice and Research Meet,” “Treating People with Chronic Disease: A Psychological Guide,” “Handbook of Girls’ and Women’s Psychological Health,” and “Living with Childhood Cancer: A Practical Guide to Help Families Cope.” She served as a consulting editor, reviewer or editorial board member for ProfessionalPsychology, Journal of Clinical Psychology, and Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy.

Honors. Representative awards and honors are: fellow of APA; distinguished practitioner in the National Academy of Psychology; APA Presidential Citation; the Division of Psychotherapy Distinguished Psychologist Award for lifetime contributions; and Distinguished Psychologist of the Year awards from Div. 42 and the NJPA.

I am committed to strengthening the discipline of psychology, with its astonishing array of scientific, professional, educational, public interest and public policy endeavors. It is the duty of every president to articulate the important challenges, envision where APA needs to go, work on concrete strategies for how to get there, serve as a good steward, and pave the way for the next generation. I pledge effective leadership to fulfill those duties.

Key areas for APA growth:

Economic strides. We must address our members’ career needs more directly. Career-building support is a practice issue, a science issue, an education issue, a diversity issue, and an early-career issue. We must create stronger models forsuccess in competitive health care, business, education, and research funding environments. I believe we need summit-level planning to address these issues successfully. Also, we need reliable, diversified revenue streams for APA so that we can meet members’ needs without raising dues.

Partnerships. We can change the way the public looks at psychology by improving our strategies and focus. Our common purpose is to generate and use knowledge for change. An excellent way to harness our power is to develop a think tank designed to advance psychology’s agenda by creating a new partnership among psychologists with diverse perspectives.

Advocacy. We have great messages, but we need more messengers. It is vital that we hold our seats at legislative and regulatory tables. Similarly, we must advocate inside and outside psychology to improve intergroup relations and to value diversity. We must collaborate with other organizations that share our goals and with psychology organizations in other countries who share our vision.

I am honored to be a candidate for APA president and ask for your No. 1 vote. See more about a progressive agenda at http://CarolGoodheartForAPAPresident.com.