APA continues its efforts to elevate and advance the strategic priorities that the Council of Representatives adopted earlier this year. One of the priorities is using psychology to make a positive impact on critical societal issues.
Today, one of the most pressing issues facing our country is the opioid epidemic, which affects millions of Americans. If psychology is not a major player on this issue, I firmly believe that the solutions used will not be as effective as they could be.
That’s why, as one of our first major initiatives for having impact, we are focusing on the opioid crisis. Internally, we are developing a strategy for how psychology can best tackle this epidemic based on the unique contributions our field has to offer. In the next couple of months, we will be pulling together experts from across the association to inform and shape a plan for action that we will share with the Council, Board of Directors and other parts of the organization.
A key goal of this effort will be to help policymakers and the public understand the unique and important role that psychology must play in addressing the opioid epidemic. This includes ensuring they know that the best research on treating opioid dependence supports the use of medication in combination with psychosocial interventions.
I emphasized that exact point in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform. My remarks focused on the need for a “whole person” approach to treating behavioral health disorders and called for the federal response to the opioid epidemic to include psychosocial interventions and greater access to the broad range of services that are needed for long-term recovery. I also explained the vital role evidence-based psychological services can play as part of an effective nonpharmacological approach to managing pain, thus helping to prevent opioid dependence from occurring in the first place.
This effort is part of an overall strategy to shape the public’s understanding of psychology and raise the visibility of psychology’s many applications to the important societal issues they face. Going forward, we plan to be even more intentional about ensuring that the impact psychology is having on important societal issues is more widely known and recognized by policymakers and the public.
As we take on this priority and others, we will be using new approaches to position APA’s work to have an even greater impact.
Thank you for your support and involvement as we work collectively to achieve our strategic priorities. I’m very excited about where we are heading.
Note: The information in this post provides a snapshot, as of the publication date, of some of the most recent work underway on APA’s strategic plan. This post is not meant to be a comprehensive account of this work, but rather to provide insight into some of the top-level themes that are emerging during conversations with members, including governance leaders. Your input is always welcome at strategicplan@apa.org.
