Q5: What should APA do to advance the recognition of psychology as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) discipline within the larger scientific community, for funding agencies and for the public?
Psychology is a STEM discipline within the larger scientific community only when psychologists demonstrate their worth through specific contributions. One example is our current APA President Dr. Johnson's contributions to childhood diabetes research. For another example, visit my Blogspotopens in new window. I demonstrate in a video how senior citizens who have been inactive due to psychomotor disabilities can begin to exercise more actively by using the swivel rocking chair and the walker. This exercise suggestion is easy, safe and practical. I have also been working with the chair-walker technique to expand biofeedback awareness, although this is not demonstrated in the video.
Q6: What would you do during your presidency to increase APA's leadership in promoting, supporting and informing widespread integration of mental health and substance abuse assessment and treatment into primary and family health care?
To increase APA's leadership in promoting, supporting and informing widespread integration of mental health and substance abuse assessment and treatment into primary and family health care, I would: 1. Reach out to the general public through the use of public service mass media infomercials; 2. Reach out to the American Medical Association and individual physicians through videos, printed literature and emails. Psychologists must demonstrate how they can contribute to these end goals through concrete practical examples (e.g., the "older posts" article titled "Peak Experience Groups for Prevention of Teenage Drug Abuse'' at my Blogspotopens in new window).