We are a nation under stress with significant political divisiveness. Talking about social justice and marginalized populations has been an area of concern in our state, provincial, and territorial psychological associations (SPTAs). How can we address divisiveness of values, beliefs and opinions while maintaining respect, solidarity and meeting the needs of our SPTA members? With this in mind, I organized a series of diverse speakers to present at Division 31 town halls and address sensitive issues in the hope of inspiring our SPTAs. The main topic areas concerned LGTBQIA+, antisemitism, rural health and health inequities, and anti-EDI legislation.
The preparation of these town halls took over a year. Thanks to the collaboration of these guest speakers, I have been able to achieve this goal.
On January 24, 2024, we had Gary Howell, PsyD, for Say Gay. Say Trans! How is Your SPTA Addressing Current Anti-LGBTQIA+ Movements? For over 20 years, Howell has dedicated himself to advocacy and support of the LGBT community. He is the president-elect of the Florida Psychological Association (FPA) and serves as the FPA Social Justice Committee chair.
On February 28, 2024, we had Beth Rom-Rymer, PhD, for Defining Hate and Creating Community. Rom-Rymer has an outstanding history of APA and SPTA governance, including president of Division 55 (Society for Prescribing Psychology), Division 56 (Trauma Psychology), and the Illinois Psychological Association. She has been president and chair of the National Register for Health Psychologists, a member of the APA Board of Directors, and chair of the APA Council Leadership Team.
On April 10, 2024, we had Rachel Anne Kieran, PsyD, for Sexual, Gender & Relational Diversity: Understanding Sexually Marginalized Populations. Kieran owns and directs StorieBrook Therapy & Consulting. The mission of this practice is to provide a range of services specializing in sexual, gender, and relational diversity, recognizing that this is an expansive category, intersecting with all other identities and requiring bespoke collaboration with clients to meet their unique needs.
On May 8, 2024, we had Joel Gurin for Social Determinants of Health: How Data Can Help Achieve Health Equity. Gurin is the president and founder of the Center for Open Data Enterprise. He served as chair of the White House Task Force on Smart Disclosure, which studied how open government data can improve consumer markets, and as chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. He is an internationally recognized expert on open data.