Sharp cutbacks approved as Council passes budget

Council approves a tighter budget and no dues increase.

APA will rein in its budget over the next three years to avoid raising member dues.

At its Aug. 13 and 16 meetings, held during APA?s 1998 Annual Convention in San Francisco, the association?s Council of Representatives passed a preliminary budget for 1999, with sharp administrative cutbacks?an effort to avoid raising members? dues, said Gerald Koocher, PhD, APA?s treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee.

'The steps taken by APA?s Board of Directors and Council show thoughtful fiscal accountability,' said Koocher. 'APA programming has grown tremendously over the past few years. Simultaneously, our membership growth has leveled off and subscription revenues are down as a function of both economic factors and changes in the publishing industry. We needed to make thoughtful choices and to rein in our expenses, while minimizing costs to members.'

Among budget changes:

? Postpone APA staff hires.

? Reduce expenses of APA?s directorates and Office of Communications.

? Combine the July and August Monitor issues.

? Reduce meetings of task forces and ad hoc groups.

? Limit consolidated meetings of APA boards and committees to once a year.

? Limit APA?s capital expenditures to $3.5 million between 1999 and 2001 but provide continued funding to the Public Education Campaign.

One area where Council asserted belt-tightening is not appropriate is in advocacy activities funded by the APA Special Assessment. Due to dramatic changes taking place in the health-care delivery system and substantial obstacles to providing quality health services, the Council approved an increase in the Special Assessment from $90 to $110 effective in 1999.

Same-sex rights

In other action, Council approved an APA policy that supports same-sex couples? access to legal protections granted to heterosexual married couples. The APA policy advocates access in areas such as property rights, health care, employee benefits, taxes, estate planning and co-parental adoption.

'With this initiative, organized psychology is taking an important stand on the fact that there are no significant differences between same-sex and different-sex couples that would justify discrimination in the benefits they?re entitled to,' said Los Angeles psychologist Terry Gock, PhD, who, along with Connie Chan, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts-Boston, was one of the original movers on the proposal. Council also resolved that APA provide psychological input to inform public discussion of benefits for same-sex couples.

Specialties and proficiencies

In other business, Council voted to limit the use of the modifier 'clinical' in specialties and proficiencies approved by the APA Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP). In effect, the Council ruled that petitions for recognition of specialties and proficiencies received by CRSPPP after January, 1998, may not use in the title of their areas of practice the name of recognized specialties, such as clinical, counseling, school or industrial/organizational. Council passed this provision to guide CRSPPP in approving titles and to help prevent confusing overlap in specialty and proficiency titles.

Council also approved a proposal 'that the term ?Health Service Psychologist? or ?Health Service Provider in Psychology? be the preferred term in language used to describe practicing psychologists or professional psychology students in relation to statutes, rules or regulations, and commercial policies that pertain to eligibility for health services reimbursement and health professionals education and training.' The new terms seek to recognize all doctoral-level psychologists who are trained to provide health services regardless of the type of their training program.

Council also confirmed the continued recognition of 'Clinical Psychology' and 'Clinical Child Psychology' as specialties in professional psychology and approved the archival descriptions for the four traditional, general practice specialties of Clinical, Counseling, School and Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

In a separate measure, Council approved a proposal to change the language in Association Rule 130.5 to permit the College of Professional Psychology to develop certification for psychologists in practice domains in which there is high demand for their services. This means the College can investigate potential new certification areas for psychologists and, if warranted, the College can recommend Council approve it. The new certification areas need not be recognized by CRSPPP.

Professional licensing

Council approved a motion for APA to encourage and assist state licensing boards and state psychological associations to move toward a single level doctoral licensure in those states that currently have a duel level of licensure?meaning that they have one level for independent practice at the doctoral level and another for supervised, limited practice at the master?s degree level.

In a related matter, Council asked for APA to convene exploratory meetings with all of the relevant constituency groups involved in education, training and credentialing issues.

Other action

The Council also passed:

? A resolution to support the revision of U.S. mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws to restore 'reasonable boundaries' in the laws. Council supports phasing out such laws for drug-related offenses that do not involve drug trafficking or offense or harm to others. The Council provision emphasizes prevention and treatment of substance-related problems as an alternative to and in addition to legal actions.

? A measure to adopt the Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Behavioral Projects in Schools, as drafted by the Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE). APA staff will forward the guidelines to schools on request. CARE has also produced the Council-subsidized, 14-minute video, 'The Contributions and Importance of Nonhuman Animal Research in Psychology: Perception and Action,' for use in introductory psychology classes. The video outlines the value of ethical animal research in understanding such processes as visual cognition and brain development in people. Members of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) will receive a free copy of the video, and APA Books will sell it. To order, contact APA's Order Department at (800) 374-2721, fax: (202) 336-5502.

? A motion to regularly collect and disseminate information about the representation of women, ethnic minorities, gay men, lesbians and bisexuals and individuals with disabilities on Council and on APA?s various boards and committees.

? A resolution to support protesting mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente in Denver and Boulder, Colo. Council considers their action consistent with APA?s professional and ethical standards and 'courageous and selfless' in its support of patients? interests.

Among the motions defeated by Council was a Board of Directors proposal to adopt a rule requiring editors and associate editors of APA journals to be members during their terms of service.