APA Committee on Early Career Psychologists
Tyson D. Bailey, PsyD (2018 Chair /Practice Representative); Robyn L. Gobin, PhD (2018 Vice-Chair /Public Interest Representative); Erika Carr, PhD ( Divisions Representative); Abbey Hughes, PhD ( Science Representative); Jasmin Llamas, PhD ( Education Representative); Eric Russ, PhD (SPTA Representative); Chrysalis Wright, PhD (Governance and Membership Representative)
Staff Liaisons: Lucia Gutierrez, PhD and Eddy Ameen, PhD
Mission
The mission of Committee on Early Career Psychologists (CECP) is to promote the expertise of early career psychologists and foster leaders with the passion and innovation to advance psychological advocacy, education, practice and science.
Overview
The Committee on Early Career Psychologists represents the unique interests and concerns of early career psychologists. The committee consists of seven members of the association all within ten years of receipt of the doctorate degree (at the start of their term) representing: Education; Practice; Public Interest; Science; Divisions; State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations (SPTAs); and Governance and Membership. Members are appointed by the Board of Directors for staggered terms of three years.
Accomplishments
In 2018, the Committee on Early Career Psychologists continued to celebrate important victories. Some of its accomplishments include the following:
Internal Priority Setting
On the heels of passing three overarching goals to guide the next five years of CECP’s efforts, CECP developed a list of priority activities to direct specific actions. The overarching goals are as follows:
a. encourage ECPs to understand their civic responsibility to the field and society, including increasing engagement in leadership within APA and their communities,
b. promote the financial wellness of ECPs, and
c. promote the career and educational development of ECPs.
Professional Development Support
- CECP sponsored a variety of ECP-focused programs at the annual APA Convention, including over six hours of programming in the main Convention hall, and 12 hours of programming in “The Wave,” a hospitality space in the exhibit hall that was shared with the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students.
- CECP worked with Division 31 and the State Advocacy Office of the APA Practice Directorate, to produce a session at APA’s Practice Leadership Conference devoted to helping states identify strategies to count pre-internship hours for licensure. CECP also supported ECPs attending the conference through an orientation/training and programming track.
- CECP produced a financial literacy webinar with a certified financial planner.
- CECP partnered with the Advisory Committee on Colleague Assistance (ACCA) and APA Membership, on a self-care video contest.
Awards and Grants
- In 2018, the committee awarded its APA ECP Champion Awards to Dr. Cady Block and to the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, for their exceptional support of early career members, and for proactive efforts on issues related to early career psychologists.
- In the late fall, CECP developed a one-time community-based grant program to fund four ECPs who delivered workshops or training in their local communities, imparting psychological expertise and science, free of charge. This $10,000 grant program was modeled from the principles of being a Citizen Psychologist, and sought to enhance ECPs training, facilitation, and leadership skills.
- CECP awarded three state psychological associations, Iowa, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, with the Early Career Licensure Project Award. This award supports the work of state, provincial and territorial psychological associations (SPTAs) in addressing access to psychological services and health care shortages by advocating (in their jurisdiction) for the counting of pre-internship hours for licensure.
- CECP awarded 14 ECPs the APA Achievement Award for Early Career Psychologists. This award is designed to increase representation of outstanding early career members at the APA convention, particularly first-time attendees. The awards were made possible through the financial support from the National Register of Health Service Psychologists, the APA Office on Member Recruitment & Engagement, and the APA Office on Early Career Psychologists.
Advocacy
- CECP continued to focus on opportunities to advocate for its constituents, including concerns about the EPPP Part 2, that is scheduled to be released in 2020. CECP was proud to learn that the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), among other things, significantly reduced proposed fees for the Part 2 examination, and plan to examine demographic data at the test item level for both the EPPP Part 1 and Part 2.
- Throughout the year, CECP closely liaised with ASPPB, the Chairs of Councils of Training Councils (CCTC), the National Council of Schools & Programs in Psychology (NCSPP), the National Register for Health Service Psychologists (NR), and many boards and committee on issues relevant to all early career psychologists.
- CECP led the development of the first ever Virtual Town Hall with APA’s CEO, Dr. Arthur C. Evans.
- CECP is worked on advocacy efforts in the following areas: preserving fairness in graduate study and options to repay and forgive student loans; issues of adjunctification and fairness in the academic job market; and financial literacy.