Report on the August 2018 APA Council of Representatives meeting

The Council of Representatives (COR) meeting was held in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 8 and 10, 2018. At the plenary session, council members were addressed by the following four individuals who declared their intention to run for APA president: Armand Cerbone, Jean Lau Chin, Steve Hollon and Sandy Shullman. The following provides a summary of reports, updates and items on the agenda of the full meeting. The documents and guidelines mentioned in this report for which links are not provided in this report are available from APA.

Finance Committee Report

For 2018 the budgeted amounts consisted of total inflows of $128,058,000 and total outflows of $133,559,000 for a projected deficit of $5,501,000. As of June 30, 2018, actual revenues and expenses have reduced the projected deficit to between $3,000,000 and $3,500,000 due to economies that have been instituted. Although it is projected that APA will continue to run deficits (albeit smaller each year) for the next three or four years, the financial condition of the association is sound, as shown by a credit rating of BBB+, which is quite good for an organization of this kind. Equity in the two buildings that APA owns is substantial and the 750 First Street building is 95 percent leased while the 10 G Street building is 85 percent leased. The audited net assets of the association rose from $51.8 million to $59.5 million in 2017.

Items on which votes were taken include:

Financial Affairs

• Council voted by 94 percent to approveAmendments to Association Rules 210: Finance in order to bring those rules into alignment with current industry best practices. Henceforth, in the financial policy of APA, a distinction shall be made between general programs, direct service programs and support functions. These overall financial goals should be considered with APA's commitment to providing programs and services that meet the scientific and charitable mission and the changing priorities of the association. Furthermore, financial plans shall be made with the aim of ensuring that only necessary expenses shall be incurred in carrying out policies and programs of the association and that those expenses are consistent with the need to maintain a reasonable standard of performance. With respect to income, financial plans shall maximize income from all sources other than dues and shall support programs consistent with the basic objectives and professional standards of APA. It shall be the goal to present a balanced integrated budget annually (after consideration of the cash flow from building operations and a draw of up to 5 percent from the long-term investment portfolio) and manage operations during the year to produce a positive integrated budget operating margin over a rolling three-year period. Measures of short- and long-term financial health are outlined in the association rules so that the association may, on a continuing basis, strive to maintain long-term organizational financial health.

Ethics

• Council rejected, by a vote of 79 percent, a Resolution to Amend Council's 2009, 2013, and 2015 Resolutions to Clarify that Psychologists May Provide Treatment to Detainees or Military Personnel in National Security Settings. The amendments to those resolutions would have effectively allowed military psychologists to provide mental health treatment to detainees in all national security settings, as long as they (a) adhered to the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, as amended in 2010 and 2017 and (b) were able to obtain any information or ask any questions necessary to act competently and ethically.

Transparency of Decisions

• Council approved, by avote of 68 percent, the proposal that, for a three-year period (2019–21), at the beginning of each Council meeting, after the agenda has been determined, Council will be asked to vote on a motion to 1) suspend Association Rule 30-2.1 and 2) agree to require that Council members votes on each open session agenda item, with the exception of procedural votes (including votes in favor, against, abstaining, recusing or not voting), be published on the association's website with access for members only. Council members will be given opportunity to have an explanation of their votes published if they choose to do so. A 2/3 vote of all Council members present is needed to suspend the association Rules. If the motion fails, Council members' votes will not be published for that meeting.
• Council also approved the motion that for a three-year period (2019–21), the Board of Directors (BOD) and Council Leadership Team (CLT) be required to publish their members' votes on each open session agenda item (including votes in favor, against, abstaining, recusing or not voting) on the association's website with access for members only.

Expanded APA Advocacy Model (aka "Modernizing the structure of APA")

• Council voted to receive the report of the Presidential Work Group on an Expanded APA Advocacy Model by a vote of 99.4 percent. The expanded model consists of merging the APA (a 501(C)(3) organization) with the APA Practice Organization or APAPO (a 501(C)(6) organization) to create "one APA." As established during the March 2018 meeting of Council, for the 2019–21 dues cycle, all members and affiliates will pay only what they paid in dues in 2018, or are scheduled to pay in the existing dues step-up schedule. APA's life members who are dues exempt will continue to pay no dues.
• Council voted on the following three additional motions aimed at implementing the specific recommendations of the Presidential Work Group report:
• Council approved, by a vote of 91 percent, the concept of a unified Finance Committee and single Board of Directors to serve both the (C)(3) and (C)(6).
• Council approved, by a vote of 89 percent, that the member dues allocation for 2019 be 60 percent to the (C)(6) and 40 percent to the (C)(3).
• Council approved, by a vote of 86 percent, to amend Articles I, II, IV, V, VI and VII American Psychological Association Practice Organization Bylaws.

The entire Presidential Work Group reportopens in new windowlogin requiredlogin required (PDF, 21MB) can be accessed online for those who would like to know the details of the bylaw changes. You may need to log in with your MyAPA user name and password. The agenda item begins on page 141 of this document.

Division Dues and Assessment

• Council approvedby consent an amendment to Association Rule 210-12.1 to the effect that divisions must inform the central office in writing of the amount of special assessments they have voted on for the next calendar year by June 1 each year rather than within five days following the APA Annual Convention.

Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations

• Council approved by consent a motion to request that the five ethnic minority psychological associations (EMPA) be invited for the next three years, beginning in February 2019, to send a representative to serve as an observer to the APA COR and to request that representatives of the EMPAs be fully funded for their attendance at the February and August Council meetings in 2019–21.

Strategic Planning

• Council approved, by a vote of 98 percent, amending APA's Association Rules by specifying that every five years, the CEO shall submit a proposed strategic plan to Council for approval. If Council does not approve the proposed strategic plan, Council shall refer the plan to the CEO for revision.

Independent Review Follow-up

• Given that most of the initiatives and reforms identified by the BOD and Council in the aftermath of the Independent Review (aka, the Hoffman report) have been completed, Council approved, by a vote of 79 percent, the inclusion of the Independent Review report and related materials on the APA website in the context of the Timeline of APA Policies and Actions Related to Detainee Welfare and Professional Ethics in the Context of Interrogation and National Security, rather than in the more prominent placement where it has been. This timeline will also include 1) the Div. 19 Task Force Response to the Independent Review Report, 2) the Feb. 16, 2016 and May 15, 2016, letters from former Ethics Chairs, 3) the June 12, 2016, letter from former APA Presidents, and 4) an entry for Feb. 16, 2017 stating, "Five plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the Association arising out of the publication of the Independent Review."

Educational Affairs

• Council approved by consent the continued recognition of 1) Sport Psychology as a proficiency in professional psychology for a period of seven years, 2) Family Psychology as a specialty in professional psychology for a period of seven years, and of 3) Clinical Health Psychology as a specialty in professional psychology for a period of seven years.
• Council approvedby consent the recognition of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy as a new specialty in professional psychology for a period of seven years.
• Council approved by consent an extension of recognition of 1) Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology as a specialty in professional psychology and of 2) Clinical Neuropsychology as specialties in professional psychology each for an additional period of one year, to expire in August 2019.

Professional Affairs

• Council adopted as APA policy the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men and approved August 2028 as the expiration date for the Guidelines, by a vote of 89 percent.
• Council approved, by a vote of 55 percent, the Resolution for the Use of the term "Patient" In American Psychological Association Policies, Rules, and Public Relations Activities When Referring to the Health- Related, Educational and Scientific Activities of Health Service Psychologists and Scientists in Health Care Services and Settings. Henceforth, the APA will use the term "patient" (rather than client), when appropriate, in all of its publications, policies, rules, and public relations and news releases when describing those individuals (diagnosed with mental health, behavioral health, and/or a medical disease, disorder or problem) who are receiving health care services provided by those recognized as Health Service Psychologists. This includes all venues where health care services and/or health-related research endeavors take place.

Scientific Affairs

• Council adopted as APA policy the Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures (5th ed.) and approved August 2028 as the expiration date for the document, by a vote of 76 percent.
• Council agreed, by a vote of 63 percent, to support the formation of a task force, appointed by BAPPI and BSA, to conduct a comprehensive, up-to-date systematic review of violent video game literature and to recommend whether the 2015 Resolution on Violent Video Games should be amended.
• Council agreed, by consent, to adopt as APA policy a Resolution Supporting the Expansion of Mature Minors' Ability to Participate in Research.

Public Interest

• Council approved, by a vote of 98 percent, the formation of a Task Force on Differences of Sex Development (DSD) and charged the Task Force to 1) review extant research psychological literature and APA policies in this area, including that of identifying gaps in knowledge, ongoing controversies, and ethical issues for psychologists, 2) develop recommendations for education, training, practice, and further research into these topics, 3) propose how APA can best meet the needs of psychologists and students who identify as those with DSD, and 4) recommend appropriate collaboration with other professional organizations concerning these issues.