Advancing APA'S strategic priorities within a COVID-19 reality

When APA’s Council of Representatives adopted a new strategic plan last year, there was no predicting the situation we find ourselves in now. But even as APA pivoted its focus to Covid-19-related issues, this strategic framework has continued to guide our actions and decisions and inform how we advance our strategic priorities and objectives. In a rapidly evolving crisis, we are witnessing our co-created strategic vision in action.

APA is working at three different levels to utilize the tenets of our strategic plan and apply psychological knowledge to this pressing challenge: the association, the field of psychology and the public. With many resources being developed, partnerships being formed, and data being gathered, this update highlights only some examples of APA’s work on each level. For more, visit APA’s Covid-19 webpage.

Since a pivot to 100% telework in March, we have been modifying our processes and systems to ensure that appropriate services continue for our members. We are responding to the needs of staff in this virtual work environment and making decisions based on the latest public health data to promote their safety and well-being.

Importantly, we’re applying psychological science from across our field to these efforts whenever we can. Research on topics like social connection, anxiety, and resilience inform the activities that we offer to staff, like a virtual “breakroom” to discuss topics and collaborate, and webinars from their coworker psychologists about coping with stress and promoting mental wellness. We are also drawing upon the expertise of our members in new ways wherever possible. For instance, we’re looking to our I/O psychologists for best practices on conducting virtual meetings with staff and with our volunteer leaders. Discussions with our Change Management Advisory group, comprised of Division 13 and 14 members, have shifted to consider best practices for engagement, collaboration and increased organizational effectiveness in a virtual environment.

This crisis affects us both as individuals and as psychologists. Whether you teach and conduct research in an academic setting, treat patients for behavioral health conditions, or apply psychological science to government, industry and beyond, Covid-19 has likely affected your livelihood. APA is ensuring that the work of our entire field is supported, and that we’re addressing the needs of our members today and anticipating the issues they will face in the coming months and years.

In some cases, we are developing resources for psychologists and students to use as tools in their work. For example, we developed language for practitioners to pull from and use in their informed consent for telehealth services, and we created an office and technology checklist for those setting up a space in which to perform telepsychology. We are offering complimentary unit lesson plans to high school psychology teachers and free access to APA teaching/learning resources for educators, such as the Publication Manual and PsycLearn. In other cases, we are providing information that affects how psychologists and students carry out their work. For instance, for researchers, we are providing free access to Covid-19-related psychological research published in APA journals, and we are also making free our 2020 Advanced Training Institutes on emerging technologies and research methodologies while we move them to an online distance learning format. We are fiercely advocating for all communities to have access to telehealth services, from the most densely populated cities to rural and frontier areas. All these efforts would not be possible without the expertise and dedication of our volunteer leaders and the hard work of APA staff.

We are striving to ensure that psychological science is applied to this critical societal challenge and the many issues intertwined into it, such as xenophobia, toxic stress, and crisis leadership. We are working closely with close to 30 international psychological associations from around the world, sharing resources and learning from one another to better serve those in our own communities. Guided by our strategic plan, APA is focusing on the issues and populations where we can have the greatest positive impact.

As one example, APA should be a leader in addressing the behavioral and psychological contributors to the racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities we are witnessing with respect to health and Covid-19 treatment access. We’re approaching this work in several ways in order to best engage policymakers and get the attention of the public. For instance, we called on Congress and the Administration to develop a public-private partnership to coordinate state and local data collection and reporting (PDF, 153KB)opens in new window related to Covid-19—which could help the nation better identify at-risk communities and provide support—and received a rapid response of interest from the White House to set up a meeting. We spoke out firmly about the dangers of stigma and its impact on people’s psychological health and health-seeking behaviors. We created a fact sheet on xenophobia that provides everyday people with science-based actions they can take in their own communities to reduce bias and discrimination related to Covid-19.

We’re noticing signs that this work—and the work of the field more broadly—is elevating the public’s understanding of psychology and beginning to make a difference. Political leaders, journalists, businesses, and other non-profits are increasingly asking the APA for credible information supported by the best psychological science. Unique visits to our webpages on trauma and resilience have nearly tripled within the last two weeks. Significant work still lies ahead for APA and the field, but educating and empowering others with psychological knowledge is a critical step towards a safe and healthy future.

Sandy and A.C.E.