Advocacy on behalf of psychology and our larger society is consistently one of the premier reasons that psychologists join APA. That’s why we are always looking for ways to strengthen our work in this area. This year, we are launching a new model that will enable our association to advocate for the full range of issues that concern you and the discipline of psychology.
As I mentioned in last month’s column, the Council of Representatives approved a restructuring plan last year that laid the groundwork for this expansion. As a result, we are unifying all our government-relations staff—about 25 people across four directorates—into a single team led by a new chief advocacy officer. This will be a critical position in APA’s executive management group.
The council also approved the creation of an Advocacy Coordinating Committee composed of APA members who will help identify and prioritize APA’s advocacy goals annually, with input from across the association. This body, which meets for the first time this month, will make recommendations in all the areas where we advocate, including research funding, health, education and training, violence prevention and human rights, as well as in applied areas. These changes put APA in a better position to support state advocacy. Plus, we are now able to advocate for psychologists beyond government in sectors such as private industry.
APA’s advocacy team made tremendous progress in advancing our legislative and regulatory priorities in 2018. We helped to secure historic increases for research at the National Institutes of Health, and our work contributed to a more than doubling of federal funding for psychology education and training. Our work helped prevent repeal of the Affordable Care Act, pushed for the lifting of the administration’s family separation policy and supported passage of a broad opioids bill.
As a new Congress is sworn in this month, our advocacy team is well positioned to educate new members of Congress on issues of interest to psychology and to continue building on relationships with those members who are returning to Washington. As always, we work with both parties as we advocate for positions based on psychological science.
To keep up to date on our efforts, join APA’s Psychology Advocacy Networkopens in new window, if you have not already. This is the best and easiest way to follow what’s happening in Congress, and the quickest route to sending messages to your representatives on the issues that matter to psychology and you. By joining forces, we amplify psychology’s voice in Washington and help ensure that we are respected and heard.
