At APA 2019, APA’s Council of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the 2019 APA Immigration and Refugee Policy Statement (PDF, 50KB)opens in new window, which encourages psychologists to use their training to treat and advocate on behalf of immigrants, refugees and people seeking asylum in the United States.
More than 98% of council members voted in favor of the policy, which highlights the psychological stresses faced by immigrants, refugees and their families and supports the need for policies and practices that consider their well-being, including medical, psychological and social services.
“I see it as a call to action—that as psychologists there is something that all of us can do, whether it’s at the local, regional, state or federal level,” says Manuel Paris Jr., PsyD, an associate professor at Yale University and member of the expert panel that helped craft the policy.
The policy cites psychological research findings that are relevant to treating and advocating on behalf of this population:
- Immigrants are at risk of psychological harm.
- The threat of deportation causes stress and can lead to serious health issues.
- Family separation is particularly harmful to aspiring immigrants and their children.
The new policy also squares with two of APA’s strategic priorities: making a positive impact on critical societal issues and strengthening APA as an authoritative voice for psychology, says Antonio E. Puente, PhD, APA past-president and co-chair of the APA Advocacy Coordinating Committee.
“The statement is a major step forward in the integration of APA’s advocacy mission,” he says, “but an even more important step toward addressing our nation’s immigration crisis.”
At the meeting, many members expressed excitement that APA is taking a bold stand on a pressing national concern.
“This is the most nimble I have seen APA,” says Mary Ann McCabe, PhD, ABPP, council representative of Div. 37 (Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice).
The time is now for psychologists to lend their unique strengths to helping those affected, Paris adds, noting there are many ways to pitch in. “You can go to Capitol Hill and advocate on behalf of those who don’t have a voice. You can also work in your own community.”
Claudette “Claudia” Antuña, PsyD, a member of the expert panel who has done extensive clinical and pro bono evaluation work with refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers, calls the statement “a good beginning.” The next step, she says, is to get more trained mental health professionals on board. “Right now,” she says, “we don’t have enough people to do this work.”
Guidelines on low-income and diverse clients
The council also voted overwhelmingly in favor of two sets of guidelines.
The Guidelines for Psychological Practice for People with Low-Income and Economic Marginalization are the first APA guidelines to address the needs of low-income people, who are underserved, understudied and diverse, says Cindy L. Juntunen, PhD, a professor at the University of North Dakota and chair of the low-income guidelines task force.
The guidelines are an important step for a couple of reasons, she says. First, research finds that low-income and economically marginalized individuals are far more susceptible to health and mental problems than those with more resources but have less access to needed services.
Second, psychologists typically have more resources than many of the clients they serve. To provide culturally informed care, it’s critical that they reach outside their comfort zones and determine more effective ways of providing services—for example, by offering sliding scale fees or shorter sessions that better accommodate these clients’ budgets and work schedules.
Also important, according to the guidelines, is viewing poverty in a structural context.
“We tend to think about poverty as being something about the person, and often it is not—it’s about the structure surrounding them,” Juntunen says. To address this reality, the guidelines suggest ways that psychologists can make a difference not just with individuals and families, but at the community, social and policy levels.
In addition, the council approved the Race and Ethnicity Guidelines in Psychology: Promoting Responsiveness and Equity, which update research on the effective understanding and treatment of ethnically and culturally diverse clients and help psychologists develop stronger tools to respond appropriately to them, says Karen Suyemoto, PhD, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston who chaired the task force that developed the guidelines.
The guidelines are the first to specifically focus on race and ethnicity since APA’s 2002 multicultural guidelines, and reflect additional research and scholarship that has emerged in the years since. Those findings include new material on the role of power, privilege and the effects of colonization on the ethnic, racial, cultural and indigenous experience, Suyemoto says. (In 2017, the council also adopted an umbrella set of guidelines, Multicultural Guidelines: An Ecological Approach to Context, Identity, and Intersectionality, which considers broader aspects of culture, including ethnic culture, sexual orientation, gender identity and other factors).
“We have grown so much in our understanding of privilege and oppression [that we now understand] it’s not just about equality or inclusion, but also about equity and social justice,” she says.
The guidelines are organized into four categories that will allow psychologists to dig into the areas most relevant to their work: general guidelines, education and training, practice and research, Suyemoto adds.
“I anticipate that the guidelines will be widely used in training and in the different areas psychologists work in,” she says. “They represent a direction and vision that we hope psychologists will aspire to and move towards.”
Student voting and a campaign
In other actions, the council:
- Approved a motion to give student members voting privileges. Nearly three-fourths of council members approved amendments to the APA bylaws and association rules that would create an official membership category for graduate students that specifically gives them voting rights after one year. Those rights include the ability to vote for president-elect, members-at-large of the Board of Directors, apportionment and bylaws amendments.
- Voted to change associate members’ waiting period for voting privileges from five years to one year. APA voting members will receive the ballot for both items on Nov. 1. Full text of the bylaws can be found at www.apa.org/governance/bylawsamendment2019opens in new window.
- Called for APA to explore a public information campaign on racism: The council overwhelmingly passed a motion directing the Board of Directors to establish a task force that will assess the possibility of developing a public education campaign on racism and discrimination.
