President’s Report: New Div. 31 Initiatives Highlighted

I am thrilled to be your Div. 31 president this year. Div. 31 kicked off 2018 with a big victory! The APA bylaws amendment that will ensure each SPTA has one seat on the Council of Representatives was passed by the membership. Had the amendment failed, ten of our SPTAs would not have representation on Council in 2019: Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Guam, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec, South Carolina, Virgin Islands, and West Virginia. Your votes were critical in solidifying representation for all SPTAs and we thank you for your response to our call for action.

Div. 31 has been working tirelessly to represent and advocate for the interests of State Provincial and Territorial Psychological Associations. Last year, three initiatives were created to support SPTAs: ethics listserv, SPTA communication coordinators, and the Integrated Care Task Force. These initiatives will be gaining momentum this year and we hope you will join the group that fits best with your interests.

This year, Div. 31 will create new opportunities for members to connect with resources and with each other. Div. 31 will host a quarterly webinar titled: Ask the Advocates. Ask the Advocates is an opportunity for SPTA leaders to share their advocacy victories, provide resources and strategies. The webinar topics will be current trends in SPTA advocacy and leadership. We are also creating Hot Topic Tuesday on our listservs to better communicate topics of interest, up-to-date information, and important resources. Hot Topic Tuesday is designed to create opportunities for dialogue and connection between SPTA leaders. In addition, the Div. 31 board recently voted to give each SPTA president-elect access to our listserv for the duration of their leadership years as part of their SPTA membership in Div. 31. We hope these initiatives will provide our SPTA leaders with a more supportive community.

For more information on Div. 31 activities and programming, please visit the Div. 31 website for updated information, read our blogs, and communicate with the Div. 31 community via our listservs. You can also follow us on Twitter at @APADivision31.