Update from SCCAP Representatives to APA Council

Update from SCCAP Representatives to APA Council

By Mary Louise Cashel, PhD & Stephen Hupp, PhD
SCCAP Representatives to APA Council

By Mary Louise Cashel, PhD & Stephen Hupp, PhD
SCCAP Representatives to APA Council

Division 53 Representatives Mary Louise Cashel and Stephen Hupp attended the APA Council Meeting on February 23-24, 2024, in Washington, DC.  At this February meeting we supported, and COR approved:

• A resolution calling for an end to involuntary isolation for incarcerated youth that exceeds a 4-hour period and restricting the use of isolation to crisis or emergency situations only.
• A resolution promoting secure firearm storage practices with emphasis on temporary removal of firearms during mental health crises to prevent suicides. The resolution also advocates for increased federal funding to implement evidence-based strategies in suicide prevention.
• A policy statement on evidence-based inclusive care for transgender, gender diverse and non-binary individuals. The policy affirms APA support for access to evidence-based care, addresses misinformation           and the harms of stigmatization and the lack of such access, and it highlights APA support for insurance providers to include coverage addressing the medical and psychological healthcare needs of this population.
• A resolution to support parents with disabilities, calling for policy makers to support increased research, intervention, and policy development to assist parents with disabilities and reduce disparities and biases experienced by this population.

The Council of Representatives also voted to approve the revision to the APA Strategic Plan, which is updated and subject to review every five years.  The complete plan can be reviewed on the APA website.   The primary goals are consistent with the previous plan:

• Utilize psychological science and knowledge to make a positive impact on critical social issues.
• Prepare the field of psychology for current and future opportunities and challenges.
• Elevate the public’s understanding, appreciation, and utilization of psychology.
• Strengthen APA’s role as a leading voice for psychology.

Mary Louise Cashel also participated with many COR members in Capitol Hill Day on February 22, 2024, and met with representatives for congressional leaders.  The Capitol Hill Day participants made a point to advocate for the Youth Mental Health Research Act, the Graduate Psychology Education Program (GPE), and for increased federal funding allocations to enforce child labor laws.  The Youth Mental Research Act, if passed will authorize $100 million per year for five years to develop, evaluate, and deliver preventive interventions for youth at risk and treatments for youth in crisis.   The GPE program funds training in health-service psychology at the graduate, internship, and postdoctoral levels.  The funding request for the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is an outgrowth of advocacy efforts within COR, specifically the APA Policy Statement on the Developmental Risks and Opportunities of Adolescent Employment, which was passed last summer.

All together it was a productive Council meeting.  Our next meeting will be held in conjunction with the APA Convention in Seattle Washington, August 6-7, 2024.