Advocacy in public service settings

This special online issue of Psychological Servicesopens in new window, dedicated to Congressman John Lewis, features articles that describe the efforts to further behavioral health advocacy in public service settings. Guest Editors Jacqueline Gray, Nadine Kaslow, and Lucy Allbough discuss key takeaways.

What is the special issue about?

The special issue is about advocacy in the public services setting and includes articles about training in advocacy, advocacy for special populations, advocacy within agencies and schools, and psychologists’ involvement in advocacy at the national level.

What is the significance of the issue?

Knowing how to advocate for oneself and one’s clients and community on national social justice issues is very important. It is also important to train graduate students in psychology about what advocacy is and how it is an important part of their community role.

Tell us about a few key takeaways.

The issue is dedicated to U.S. Representative John Lewis (D–Georgia), who died in 2020, as an example of advocacy. He was with Dr. Martin Luther King for the March on Washington, brutally beaten by police at the March on Selma, and known as the “Conscious of Congress” during his time in the U.S. Congress. Congressman Lewis acted courageously and nonviolently, stayed focused on the highest ethical standards and moral principles, and did not tolerate morally intolerable or oppressive views. He highlighted the importance of mental health care, stating “We must bring the issue of mental illness out into the sunlight, out of the shadow, out of the closet, deal with it, treat people, have centers where people can get the necessary help.” This issue includes models for advocacy by behavioral health professionals, social justice advocacy, putting psychology at the table in making decisions, and advocacy for those with disabilities and immigrants and refugees. It is a call for psychologists in public service settings to more actively and systematically integrate advocacy into their professional lives. 

What are some practical implications of the articles featured in the issue?

Sixteen articles address various aspects of advocacy, including theoretical models for social justice advocacy, training models, psychologists’ experiences in advocacy, and advocacy within specific settings (schools, state mental health agencies) and special populations (e.g., those in poverty or with disabilities).

This article is in the Clinical Psychology topic area. View more articles in the Clinical Psychology topic area.

Gray, J. S., Kaslow, N. J., & Allbaugh, L. J. (2020). Introduction to the special issue: Advocacy in public service settings. Psychological Services, 17(S1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000497opens in new window

Jacqueline Gray, PhD is a research associate professor for the Department of Population Health and the associate director of Center for Rural Health for Indigenous programs at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, ABPP is a professor with tenure and vice chair for Faculty Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She was the 2014 president of APA and editor of the Journal of Family Psychology (2010–15). She is the current president of APA’s Division of Psychologists in Public Service.

Lucy Allbaugh, PhD is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Dayton. Dr. Allbaugh’s research focuses on predictors of risk versus resilience among adult survivors of childhood maltreatment, phenomenology of resilience, and mindfulness- and compassion-based interventions that promote resilience and well-being among survivors.