Governance & Advocacy
APA's Mission
APA’s mission is to advance the creation, communication, and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives. APA supports a broad spectrum of member interests nationally and internationally in the areas of science, practice, education, health, and human welfare. Through our governance and advocacy activities, we are able to make an impact on our profession and keep moving forward with our mission.
Governance
Much of the work of APA is done by the elected and appointed members of its boards and committees. Members play a crucial part in the growth and influence of APA by participating in the association’s volunteer leadership.
Expanded Advocacy
As an APA member, your affiliation provides APA with the support needed to continue advocacy work on behalf of the entire discipline of psychology. You are also automatically part of both APA and our companion advocacy organization, APA Services, Inc. —allowing us to continue our commitment to addressing issues of concern to the state, provincial, and territorial psychological associations, and the practice community, while also significantly increasing our ability to advocate for science, education, social justice and applied psychology.
This means APA/APA Services’ impact will be greater with:
- Enhanced efforts for lobbying for increased federal funding for basic and applied research, education, and training
- Securing appropriate reimbursement rates for psychologists
- A focus on applying psychological science to complex challenges like the opioid crisis, gun violence prevention and climate change
Psychology Advocacy Network
APA Services’ Psychology Advocacy Network provides psychologists with a simple platform to influence important federal policies as they emerge. Subscribers to the network receive periodic action alerts allowing them to send messages or make phone calls to federal officials on key issues affecting psychological research, the practice of psychology, the future of the workforce, health equity, social justice, and population health.
Recent action alerts have included: protecting funding for and access to mental health services; marriage equality; affordability of graduate education; investing in psychology recruitment and retention programs.
Get Involved
APA and APA Services, Inc. (APA’s partner organization devoted to advocacy on behalf of APA members) are elevating science on Capitol Hill, in the lab, on the career path, across the field, in the public, and in the world.
Learn how our work is helping psychological scientists and how you can get involved!
