APA expanded advocacy model: In keeping with Council's charge to develop a plan to use existing governance structures to integrate advocacy priorities across both the (c)(3) and (c)(6) organizations, the Presidential Workgroup proposed four motions, all of which passed: (I) receive the report of the Presidential Workgroup on an Expanded APA Advocacy Model, (II) support the concept of a unified Finance Committee and a single Board of Directors that serves both the (c)(3) and (c)(6), (III) approve that the 2019 member dues allocation be 60 percent to the (c)(6) and 40 percent to the (c)(3), and (IV) approve amendments to the APAPO bylaws to reflect an organizational name change and broader mission and to create the Advocacy Coordinating Committee to evaluate and prioritize advocacy goals.
Role of psychologists in national security settings: Council did not pass the item amending the 2009, 2013 and 2015 resolutions addressing the roles of psychologists in these settings. Psychologists continue to be restricted from providing mental health services to detainees at security sites in violation of international law (e.g., Guantanamo) unless they are independent of the military and working on behalf of the detainee.
Remove public posting of the Hoffman Report: Council passed the substitute motion to remove the posting of the Hoffman report from the landing page of the APA website; however, they will keep it in the timeline of APA polices and actions related to detainee welfare, along with related materials.
Transparency of decisions: Council passed a motion stipulating that for a three-year trial period, council will vote at the beginning of each meeting whether to record individual votes of council representatives on open session agenda items. The votes would be published on the APA website with member access only.
Differences in Sex Development (DSD) task force: Council passed a motion to create this task force charged with reviewing literature and APA policies in this area, including that of identifying gaps in knowledge, ongoing controversies and ethical issues for psychologists; developing recommendations for education, training, practice and research into these topics; proposing how APA can best meet the needs of psychologists and students who identify as those with DSD; and recommending appropriate collaboration with other professional organizations concerning these issues.
Resolution for the use of the term "patient": Council passed a motion encouraging psychologists to use the term "patient" in APA policies, rules and public relations activities when referring to the health-related and scientific activities of health service psychologists and scientists in health care services and settings.
Renewal of recognition of couple and family psychology as a specialty in professional psychology
Implications for Div. 43: First, and foremost, we still have a specialty in couple and family psychology, thanks largely to Tom Sexton's herculean efforts. Second, as the Differences in Sex Development task forces gets underway, there will be opportunities for division members to share their expertise in this area. Third, the transparency decision means that you will know how your representatives voted on any given item, provided a majority of council votes for this to occur in the beginning of the council meeting. This decision makes representatives accountable to explain to you why they chose their vote. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the expanded advocacy model gives APA more resources to do more concerted lobbying for issues it considers important to all members, not just for practice issues. It is possible that this change could help APA do more to help us address the funding barriers to research in couple and family psychology, if we can convince the organization that these are important and cross-cutting issues.