Annual Education Advocacy Breakfast Meeting Highlights

Congressman Danny Davis Headlines Annual Education Advocacy Breakfast
And Herb Goldstein Accepts Education Advocacy Distinguished Service Award

Congressman Danny Davis receives an award from APA CEO Dr. Norman Anderson

It was “standing room only” at the Education Advocacy Breakfast Meeting held during the annual APA convention in Hawaii this year to hear the keynote speaker, Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL-7th). Congressman Davis co-sponsored with Congressman Tom Osborne (R-NE-3rd) an APA authored initiative that would authorize funds for centers on college campuses that provide mental and behavioral health services to students. His bill, HR 3593, the Campus Care and Counseling Act, will yield significant positive benefits in important accountability areas such as retention, graduation rates – and other indicators of general college success.

Following a standing ovation, the Congressman kept the audience in the palm of his hand as he wove a tapestry of poetry, philosophy and stories from his childhood to emphasize the importance of mental and behavioral health services for adolescents and college students. The Congressman also spoke about the importance of APA members becoming (or staying involved in) grassroots activities, including writing Op-eds, Letters to the Editor and keeping in contact with congressional delegations. He spoke of how important it was for Members of Congress to hear about mental and behavioral health need from experts like Psychologists. By example, Davis pointed out two individuals who were sitting in the audience that morning on whom he relies for their mental and behavioral expertise: Drs. Harvette Gray and Bradley Olson. In response to questions from the audience, he emphasized that psychologists should not get discouraged but should persevere in their efforts to communicate with their delegations about the contributions of psychology to societal problems.

Goldstein Receives Education Advocacy Distinguished Service Award

The Annual Education Advocacy Breakfast meeting also included a special presentation of the Education Advocacy Distinguished Service Award to APA member Herbert Goldstein, PhD. Presented by Board of Education Affairs Chair Dr. Jonathan Sandoval, the award recognized Dr. Goldstein’s significant and on-going efforts to nurture and gain the support of Congressman Bill Young (R-FL), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, for the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) program – the only federal program solely dedicated to the support of psychology education and training.

Dr. Herb Goldstein receives the Education Advocacy Distinguished Service Award from BEA Chair Dr. Jonathan Sandoval.

Documenting the Importance of Grassroots Activities

Education Advocacy Breakfast attendees in HI watch the new video highlighting the GPE program

A video highlighting the benefits of grassroots activities with the implementation of the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) grants was also unveiled during this year’s breakfast meeting. Produced by the APA Public Communications Office, in consultation with the Education Directorate and Education-PPO Office, the video includes interviews with faculty from three different institutions that received GPE grants and provide mental and behavioral health services to underserved populations including urban children and rural elderly persons. The video underscores how individuals can make a difference for psychology.

It has been another successful year for Education Advocacy initiatives thanks in large part to the help of our grassroots network and individual APA members. We want to thank all of you who were able to join us at the breakfast this year and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year in Washington, DC!