In alignment with our new strategic priorities to prepare the discipline and profession of psychology for the future, and to have an impact on societal issues, APA is increasing its focus on applied psychology and the issues important to this broad community of members.
To that end, APA has established the Office of Applied Psychology as a part of a larger commitment to elevate the association’s focus on applied psychology, better serve members, and raise psychology’s profile in the many settings where psychology can add value and improve outcomes.
The office will be led by David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, and includes the current work of the APA Center for Organizational Excellence, which focuses on applying psychological science to workplace settings. APA’s commitment to applied psychology initially involves:
- Expanding APA’s interdisciplinary Technology, Mind & Society conference,opens in new window which debuted in 2018
- Publishing a new APA journal: Technology, Mind, and Behavioropens in new window, focusing on human-technology interaction with a focus on human behavior at the individual or group level
- Increasing the visibility of APA’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program, including educating employers and industry groups about how psychological science can improve the workplace
- Building upon APA’s longstanding collaboration with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on the international Work, Stress & Health conference that focuses on occupational health psychology
- Dedicating advocacy resources to applied psychology issues
- Establishing a time-limited advisory group representing the breadth of applied psychology that will help shape the future direction of APA’s applied psychology efforts.
Together, our commitment to applied psychology allows us to raise the visibility of psychology for policymakers and the public, showing them the relevance of psychology to their everyday lives and the issues they care about.
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.
