CECP at the APA convention

APA’s Committee on Early Career Psychologists (CECP) is here to help make your APA 2026  experience something to remember. Check out the programming sessions and networking events developed especially for ECPs. Be sure to also visit the Emerging Leaders Network booth in the Solutions Center (booth #441) to take advantage of ECP-focused resources and giveaways. We hope you will join us in Washington, DC.

Register

Thursday, August 6

Stereotype Threat & Professional Boundaries for Early Career Psychologists
10–11 a.m.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Street Level: 147A

Presenter(s): Tyshawn Thompson, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

This critical conversation explores how stereotype threat—the fear of confirming negative stereotypes—may impact early career psychologists’ ability to advocate for themselves and set healthy professional boundaries. Presenters will define key concepts, share identity–based examples, and engage participants in an interactive discussion focused on strategies for countering these pressures.

Beyond Faculty or Direct Service: A Dialogue on Career Transitions
1–2 p.m.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Street Level: 147A

Presenter(s): Daniel Dodgen, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Ayoub Bouguettaya, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center; Krystia Reed, University of Texas at El Paso; Lucy Cronin-Golomb, Elevance Health

This session explores how psychologists reinvent themselves when moving from academic, research, or clinical settings to industry. Panelists will share their stories about the challenges, skill translation, and pivots needed to succeed as applied psychologists outside their typical territory.

Graduate Students & Early Career Psychologists Networking and Coffee Break Sponsored by American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
2:30–3:30 p.m.
Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, Level Two: Salon 01

Sponsored by American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP): Take a break from the hustle and bustle of Convention and join this informal coffee hour for graduate students and ECPs where you will have a chance to network with colleagues and connect with members of ABPP and CECP leadership, while enjoying light refreshments.

Friday, August 7

Early Career Coffee Hour Sponsored by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards
8:30–9:30 a.m.
Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, Level Two: Salon 01

Join fellow ECPs at this informal coffee hour where you will have a chance to network with colleagues and mingle with members of ASPPB and CECP leadership, while enjoying light refreshments.

APA Committee on Early Career Psychologists Poster Session
11:30–12:30 p.m.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Level Two: Hall D, Solutions Center, Posters

The Online Dating Study
Author(s): Nicholas Kasander, Adelphi University; Michael Moore, Adelphi University

Professional psychologists and mental health stigma: Exploring a complicated relationship
Author(s): Lily Mathison, Indian Health Service

Effects of Automated System Behavior on User Frustration and Anxiety
Author(s): Gauri Verma, University of Washington; Ellen Covey, University of Washington

The Rut of Dysconsciousness: A Reconceptualization of Self–Efficacy
Author(s): Lexi Spencer, Antioch University – Seattle; Jude Bergkamp, Antioch University – Seattle

Calibrating the Self Towards Precision by Person–Centered Counselling
Author(s): Naresh Thakur, Indira Gandhi National Open University

Learning Experiences of Geek Therapists: Opportunities and Considerations
Author(s): Wiley W Stem, New Mexico State University; Yuxuan Zhao, University of Wisconsin–Stout 

Gender and Friendship in Contemporary Animated Disney Films
Author(s): Shannon Viele, University of California Irvine; Tiffany Ng, University of California Irvine; Stephanie Reich, University of California, Irvine

Stress Topics in Human–AI Conversations: A Content Analysis Study
Author(s): Soon Cho, University of Nevada Las Vegas; Jae Lee, University of Georgia; Jeongwan Lee, Clemson University; Sion Park, University of Wisconsin – Madison; Hanyoung Kim, University of Kentucky

Roles and Responsibilities of an ECP Division Leader
Author(s): Ryan Hess, VA Northern Indiana

Black Male Sexuality & Black Masculinity: Social Stigma Implications
Author(s): Eddie Dyon Burks, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology – Chicago, IL

From Licensure to Leadership: Psychologists in Health Tech
1–2 p.m.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Street Level: 147A

Presenter(s): Michael Arevalo, Core Solutions

This critical conversation examines how core competencies from clinical psychology, such as research literacy, ethics, systems thinking, and communication, translate into roles within health technology. Using a real–world career transition as a case example, attendees will explore alternative career pathways and skill transfer strategies.

Psychology Without Borders: Lived Experience of Global Psychologists
2:30–3:30 p.m.
Room: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Street Level: 147A

Presenter(s): John Francis Leader, APA;EFPA;PSI; Sita Patel, Palo Alto University;  Laura Dryjanska, Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie; Amanda Clinton, APA; Ting Sing Kiat, Fuller Theological Seminary; Hao-Jan Luh, Rowan University 

This critical conversation will focus on how early psychologists can pursue professional experiences and careers in global psychology. Members of the Committee on Global Psychology will share lived experience from different countries, as well as resources useful when embarking on such journey, including potential challenges and ways to think creatively.

Early Career Social Hour Sponsored by American Professional Agency
5:30–7 p.m.
Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, Level Three: LeDroit

Participants are invited to unwind, network, and mingle with friends and colleagues over light refreshments. This gathering also provides the opportunity to meet members of APA's Committee on Early Career Psychologists and the American Professional Agency.

Saturday, August 8

Candid Conversations: Leading Through Presence & Community Engagement with Hue & You
10–11 a.m.
Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, Level Three: LeDroit

Presenter(s): Wilma Elliott Hannah, The Soulcial Well

Hue & You is an experiential activation that integrates leadership development, community engagement strategy, reflective networking, and embodied mindfulness. Designed specifically for psychologists and APA members, the session explores how presence, relational intelligence, and structured yet flexible dialogue can deepen professional connection and strengthen community engagement within psychology.

Beyond networking, this experience invites participants to examine how whole–person wellness and embodied awareness influence the way we lead, collaborate, and build professional communities. Participants will explore practical strategies for designing engagement spaces that move beyond performance and transactional interaction, creating environments where individuals feel seen, grounded, and genuinely connected.

Bias, Attachment, and Decision–Making: Wellness within the Black Community
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Street Level: 147A

Presenter(s): Jordan Peterson, Alliant International University – San Francisco

The session will focus on how implicit bias, clinical decision–making, and childhood attachment style impact Black adults' involvement within the criminal justice system.

Sustaining the Clinician: Ethical Self–Care in Trauma–Wise Practice
12–1 p.m.
Washington Convention Center, Level Two: 207B

Presenter(s): Carmen Cochran, emboldened psychological services, PLLC

This workshop explores ethical self–care and professional resilience in trauma–wise clinical practice. Participants examine clinician well–being as an essential professional resource influencing clinical judgment, therapeutic presence, and quality of care. The session addresses vicarious trauma and burnout while presenting evidence–based strategies that promote ethical practice and long–term clinical sustainability.

CECP/National Register of Health Service Psychologists Convention Travel Grant Award Ceremony and Networking Session
1–2 p.m.
Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, Level Three: LeDroit

Attendees are invited to meet and celebrate the award winners of CECP and the National Register’s Convention Travel Grant. Come network and get to know ECP leaders and members of CECP.