American Psychological Association


The American Psychological Association is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 190,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It has 54 divisions, which function as interest groups for different subspecialties of psychology or topical areas. The APA has an annual budget of nearly $134 million.

Profile

The APA has task forces that issue policy statements on various matters of social importance, including abortion, human rights, the welfare of detainees, human trafficking, the rights of the mentally ill, IQ testing, sexual orientation change efforts, and gender equality.

Governance

APA is a corporation chartered in Washington, D.C. APA's bylaws describe structural components that serve as a system of checks and balances to ensure democratic process. The organizational entities include:
  • APA President. The APA president is elected by the membership. The president chairs the Council of Representatives and the Board of Directors. During their term of office, the president performs such duties as are prescribed in the bylaws.
  • Board of Directors. The Board is composed of six members-at-large, president-elect, president, past-president, treasurer, recording secretary, the Chair and Chair-Elect of the Council Leadership Team, CEO, and the past chair of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students. The board oversees the association's administrative affairs and determines the annual budget and makes decisions regarding APA's roughly $134 million annual income.
  • APA Council of Representatives. The Council has sole authority to set APA policy. It is composed of elected members from state/provincial/territorial psychological associations, APA divisions, and the APA Board of Directors. The Council Leadership Team is elected from within by the members of Council and facilitates Council's workload on an annual basis. The Chair and Chair-Elect of the CLT are voting members of the Board of Directors.
  • APA Board/Committee Structure: Members of boards and committees conduct much of APA's work on a volunteer basis. They carry out a wide variety of tasks suggested by their names. Some have responsibility for monitoring major programs, such as the directorates, the journals, and international affairs.

    Good Governance Project

The Good Governance Project was initiated in January 2011 as part of the strategic plan to " APA's governance practices, processes, and structures are optimized and aligned with what is needed to thrive in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex environment." The charge included soliciting feedback and input stakeholders, learning about governance best practices, recommending whether the change was required, recommending needed changes based on data, and creating implementation plans. The June 2013 GGP update on the recommended changes can be found in the document "Good Governance Project Recommended Changes to Maximize Organizational Effectiveness of APA Governance". The suggested changes would change APA from a membership-based, representational structure to a corporate structure. These motions were discussed and voted upon by the council on July 31, 2013, and August 2, 2013.

Organizational structure

APA comprises an executive office, a publishing operation, offices that address administrative, business, information technology, and operational needs, and five substantive directorates:
  • the Education Directorate accredits doctoral psychology programs and addresses issues related to psychology education in secondary through graduate education;
  • the Practice Directorate engages on behalf of practicing psychologists and health care consumers;
  • the Public Interest Directorate advances psychology as a means of addressing the fundamental problems of human welfare and promoting the equitable and just treatment of all segments of society;
  • the Public and Member Communications Directorate is responsible for APA's outreach to its members and affiliates and to the general public;
  • the Science Directorate provides support and voice for psychological scientists.

    Membership and title of "psychologist"

APA policy on the use of the title psychologist is contained in the Model Act for State Licensure of Psychologists: psychologists have earned a doctoral degree in psychology and may not use the title "psychologist" and/or deliver psychological services to the public, unless the psychologist is licensed or specifically exempted from licensure under the law. State licensing laws specify state specific requirements for the education and training of psychologists leading to licensure. Psychologists who are exempted from licensure could include researchers, educators, or general applied psychologists who provide services outside the health and mental health field.
Full membership with the APA in United States and Canada requires doctoral training whereas associate membership requires at least two years of postgraduate studies in psychology or approved related discipline. The minimal requirement of a doctoral dissertation related to psychology for full membership can be waived in certain circumstances where there is evidence that significant contribution or performance in the field of psychology has been made.

Affiliate organizations

American Psychological Association Services, Inc. was formed in 2018 and is a 501 entity, which engages in advocacy on behalf of psychologists from all areas of psychology. Its predecessor was the American Psychological Association Practice Organization. APASI contains the Psychology Political Action Committee, which engages in lobbying on behalf of psychologists at the federal level.

Awards

Each year, the APA recognizes top psychologists with the "Distinguished Contributions" awards; these awards are the highest honors given by the APA.
The American Psychologist is the association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal. APA also publishes over 70 other journals encompassing most specialty areas in the field; APA's Educational Publishing Foundation is an imprint for publishing on behalf of other organizations. Its journals include:
  • Archives of Scientific Psychology
  • Behavioral Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Dreaming
  • Emotion
  • Health Psychology
  • Journal of Applied Psychology
  • Journal of Comparative Psychology
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
  • Journal of Family Psychology: Quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Psychological Association on behalf of their Division 43. The journal covers all aspects of family psychology. It was established in 2011 and the editor-in-chief is Thomas L. Sexton. The journal is abstracted and indexed in PsycINFO.
  • Stigma and Health, peer-reviewed journal published since 2016
  • Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
  • Psychological Bulletin
  • Psychological Review
  • Psychology and Aging
  • Psychology of Addictive Behaviors
  • Psychology of Violence
  • Psychology, Public Policy, and Law
  • School Psychology Quarterly
The APA has published hundreds of books. Among these books are: the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which is the official guide to APA style; the APA Dictionary of Psychology; an eight-volume Encyclopedia of Psychology; and many scholarly books on specific subjects such as Varieties of Anomalous Experience. The APA has also published children's books under the Magination Press imprint, software for data analysis, videos demonstrating therapeutic techniques, reports, and brochures.

The Psychologically Healthy Workplace program

The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program is a collaborative effort between the American Psychological Association and the APA Practice Organization designed to help employers optimize employee well-being and organizational performance. The PHWP includes APA's Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards, a variety of APA Practice Organization resources, including PHWP Web content, e-newsletter, podcast and blog, and support of local programs currently implemented by 52 state, provincial and territorial psychological associations as a mechanism for driving grassroots change in local business communities. The awards are designed to recognize organizations for their efforts to foster employee health and well-being while enhancing organizational performance. The award program highlights a variety of workplaces, large and small, profit and non-profit, in diverse geographical settings. Applicants are evaluated on their efforts in the following five areas: employee involvement, work-life balance, employee growth and development, health and safety, and employee recognition. Awards are given at the local and national level.