Report on the February 2019 APA Council of Representatives meeting

The Council of Representatives (COR) meeting was held in Washington, D.C., Feb. 14-17, 2019. Activities on February 14 included new representative training and a plenary session. At the plenary, APA President Rosie Phillips Davis and three individuals running for president (Jean Lau Chin, Jennifer Kelly, Susan Whitmore) spoke.

The following provides a summary of reports, updates and agenda items from the meeting. Of particular note is the CEO report and the Council’s vote to approve APA’s new strategic plan. Overall, your Div. 5 Council representatives believe that the COR’s affirmative vote to support the new strategic plan will be beneficial to the association and profession. Other votes were based on careful consideration of motions/reports/guidelines and discussion of items. The documents and guidelines mentioned in this report will be made available by APA.

Notable throughout the several COR meetings was the attention to psychological science and its application with respect to questions of measurement, the inclusion/exclusion of individuals/groups from studies, the use of meta-analysis in research synthesis, and the consideration of multiple sources of knowledge production and types of research.

CEO Report and Council Vote on APA’s Proposed New Strategic Plan

APA’s CEO Arthur Evans provided an overview of the new strategic plan and brought the plan forward for consideration and vote. The plan is the product of over a year’s work by governance, in consultation with APA members and the public regarding directions and priorities for the APA. The plan sets forth the aspiration of the APA as a scientific and professional organization for all of psychology and psychologists, with the aim of positioning the field of psychology in “addressing the grand challenges of today and the future.”

According to APA/American Psychological Association Services, Inc. (APASI) strategic plan vision statement, the plan is aimed at fostering “a strong, diverse and unified psychology that enhances knowledge and improves the human condition.” It states that APA’s mission is to “promote the advancement, communication, and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.” Additionally, it sets forth a series of guiding and operating principles, including specification of strategic goals and objectives. The new strategic plan includes specification of priorities for the APA in support of this aim for the next 3-5 years. The financial implications of the strategic plan are determined based on activities identified during an iterative implementation process.

Most notable in the new strategic plan is a broad conceptualization of psychology, beyond health service psychology, with an emphasis on the science of psychology and applied psychology—areas of psychology of particular interest to Div. 5 members. The inclusive conceptualization of psychology, and the inclusion of a new directorate of applied psychology, within APA is indicative of the commitment of the new CEO to ensuring psychology and psychologists are supported broadly.

The COR voted to approve the new strategic plan (96.3 percent Yes; 3 percent No; 0.6 percent Abstain). Based on the positive outcome of the vote, the APA website has been updated with the new strategic plan.    

President’s Report and Presidential Citations

• Bring the attention and work of psychology and psychologists to address problems of deep poverty
• Improve the communication of psychological science to the public.

With regard to her initiative on Deep Poverty, she announced a scheduled national conversation on deep poverty (March 1, 2019). In terms of enhancing communication of psychological science, she announced the PsycShorts competition, in which there is an open call competition for submissions of two-minute videos that “accurately and creatively explain a concept or finding from psychological science, in a form that the public can understand.” President Davis emphasized that the competition pertains to all areas of research in psychology.   

Over the course of the multi-day COR meeting, presidential citations were presented to:

• The APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology for its strong commitment to supporting, empowering, and preparing women for leadership roles in psychology, to date creating a community of over 350 alumnae.    
• Bethany Teachman, PhD, for her leadership in psychology including advancing evidence-based practice in psychology, through roles including chairing APA’s Advisory Steering Committee for the Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines, and founding chair of the Coalition for the Advancement and Application of Psychological Science.
• Ms. Elisabeth Straus for her 27 years of work with the American Psychological Foundation (APF), including leadership role as executive director/vice executive president, growing the APF from a small organization to one that now provides $1 million every year in grants, scholarships and awards. Ms. Straus has worked closely with Div. 5 leadership on fundraising and development in the past. 

Financial Report

The APA Financial Report was presented to COR through webinars prior to the meeting. Particularly notable is the dedicated funding for a Directorate of Applied Psychology.  

Legal Report

APA General Counsel Deanne Ottaviano provided a litigation report on the nature and status of current litigation in which APA has been engaged, either as a party or as amicus curiae, since the August 2018 Council meeting. Below is a brief overview of non-privileged communication (adapted from the Feb. 15, 2019 report of General Counsel to Council) related to new developments since COR meetings in March or August 2018.Although there are cases that are of general interest to psychologists, two cases may be of particular interest to Div. 5 members.

APA as a Party: New Developments Since August 2018

• The case of AERA/APA/NCME v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit) regarding issues of copyright and fair use of standards developed by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the APA, and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) was discussed and is currently under review in the courts.
• Litigation related to the Hoffman Report (e.g., James et al., V. Hoffman et al.; Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County Ohio, Civil Division) with non-privileged information regarding the status of cases in Ohio, D.C., and Massachusetts was discussed. The Ohio case is now closed with the Ohio Supreme Court issuing an order in October 2018 declining further review; however, the other cases continue to progress through the courts.

APA as Amicus Curiae: New Developments Since March 2018

• Moore v. Texas (U.S. Supreme Court). APA has been submitting amicus briefs in a case involving question of “whether a state can only use a non-clinical judicially development means of diagnosing intellectual disability or must be guided by consensus professional standards for diagnosis. ...In November 2018, APA submitted a third brief… on whether the Eighth Amendment and the Court’s decision in Moore (2017) prohibit relying on non-clinical criteria and lay stereotypes, rather than current medical standards, to determine whether a capital defendant is intellectually disabled.”
• Gray v. Cummins (1st Circuit Court of Appeals). APA submitted a brief in September 2018 in a case concerning “the scope of the American with Disabilities Act and the extent to which the police should reasonably accommodate a mentally ill person they are attempting to take into custody.”  

Other Activities, Updates, Received Reports

With the support APA’s leadership (CEO, recent presidents, the Council Leadership Team), COR meetings included workshop components directed at new and current members. In addition to an orientation session for the new Council members, at the COR meeting all members participated in:

• A session on “Enhancing the Interpretative Power of Council,” led by Stephanie Fryberg, PhD, University of Washington, with the aim of enhancing diversity recognition and on expanding interpretive power. Council members considered, in roundtable discussions, how they would work to enhance/expand interpretative power in the course of the Council meeting when considering items and comments from the floor.
• A discussion on working strategically, started with a presentation by Jeffery McHenry (Ranier Consulting), highlighting principles of transformational change and how to work strategically. Council members engaged in roundtable discussions and considered/proposed strategies to achieving specific priorities outlined in APA’s new Strategic Plan. Table notes were collected by staff and will inform the implementation process.
• Council received an update regarding APA’s 501(c)(6) professional companion organization, APA Services, Inc. (APASI).  The APASI Report to Council of Representatives was presented in two parts by Jennifer Kelly, PhD, and APA CEO Arthur Evans. These reports were an outcome of the Council charge to direct the President to appoint a workgroup to develop a plan for implementation of the joint 501(c)(3)/501(c)(6) organization membership which was approved by Council in March 2018 (89 percent Yes). In August 2018, Council voted to receive the report of the workgroup, support the concept of a unified Finance Committee and single Board of Directors that serve both the (c)(3) and (c)(6), a member dues allocation formula to support (c)(3)  and (c)(6)  activities, and amendments to the APAPO bylaws to reflect an organizational name change and broader mission, and to create the Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC).
• Report 1: Making an Impact Through Advocacy (APA CEO Arthur Evans). This report emphasized that “this is a transformational time for APA and we are increasing our impact with a more integrated approach to advocacy.” Evans emphasized a number of APA’s efforts and successes, arguing that the work contributed to more than doubling the 2019 federal funding for psychology education and training (see Table 1), helped in preventing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in a number of states, and influenced the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid 2019 fee schedules, resulting in higher reimbursement rates for a number of services including testing. He finished his presentation with the introduction of the recent addition to the Advocacy Team, APA’s first Chief Advocacy Officer Katherine McGuire, who is a former assistant secretary of labor for congressional intergovernmental affairs.
  
  

Table 1. Federal funding for psychology education and training (adapted from Figure in Arthur Evan’s February 16, 2019, COR Report)

• Report 2: ACC Update for Council of Representatives (Jennifer Kelly,PhD, APA CEO Arthur Evans) provided an overview of the ACC members, the ACC mission and scope, the results of their inaugural ACC meeting in January 2019. They reviewed current factors affecting the selection of federal advocacy issues and setting of priorities. As part of their work, the ACC drafted the Advocacy Priority Survey, launched in February 2019 (open February 5─March 5th). In their report they provided an overview of the process through which results of the survey will be synthesized, and the sequence with which the Finance Committee/Board of Directors, and COR will be informed and involved in a review of priorities.

COR Items for Vote

General

• Amendments to Association Rule 60-1.2: Council Leadership Team (CLT): Defeated (32.9 percent Yes; 64.7 percent No; 2.4 percent Abstain). This motion proposed to encourage continuity and allow experienced members an option of running for CLT re-election after their Council term expired. Concern was raised about time limits.   
• Operation Procedures for the Needs Assessment, Slating and Campaigns (NASC) Committee: Approved (93.6 percent Yes; 4.2 percent No; 1.8 percent Abstain). Council was asked to approve the proposed procedures developed by NASC, which started its work in May 2017, to conduct annual needs assessments to ascertain the current issues and priorities for the association and the field of psychology, slating of candidates for vacant member-at-large positions and public member positions on the Board of Directors, and ensuring that APA membership has sufficient information on each candidate.  
• Motion to Clarify Language, Using Amendment to Association Rule 100-1.4 Division Position and Policy Statements: Approved (86.9 percent Yes; 12.4 percent No; 0.7 percent Abstain). After extensive discussion, the main motion, with minor modifications, was approved with Rule 100.1 pertaining to Reports, Liability Insurance, Public Statements, Contracts, and Political Activities. It was explained that the purpose of the amendment was to clarify each division’s obligation to the APA through terms of constitution and by-laws.

Educational Affairs

• Amendment to Association Rule 90-4: Commission for the Recognition of Specialities and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology: Approved (96.7 percent Yes; 0.7 percent No; 2.7 percent Abstain).
• Amendment to APA Policies on Respecialization Training: Approved (88.8 percent Yes; 8.6 percent No; 2.6 percent Abstain).
• Report of Board of Educational Affairs Task Force to Develop a Blueprint for APA Accreditation of Master’s Programs in Health Service Psychology: Approved (88.6 percent Yes; 10.2 percent No; 1.2 percent Abstain).
• Revisions to the APA Model Education and Training Program in Psychopharmacology for Prescriptive Authority and Related APA Policies: Approved (93.2 percent Yes; 2 percent No; 4.8 percent Abstain).

Professional Affairs

• Council adopted as APA policy the Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts: Approved (87.0 percent Yes; 12.3 percent No, 0.6 percent Abstain).

Public Interest

• Council adopted as APA policy the Resolution on Physical Discipline of Children by Parents: Approved (88.0 percent Yes; 9.0 percent No, 3.0 percent Abstain).
• Council adopted as APA policy the Resolution on Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Approved (97.6 percent Yes, 1.2 percent No, 1.2 percent Abstain).

COR Items for Consent Approval

Organization of the APA

• Council Policy Manual Update: 5-year review. This item concerns “housekeeping” changes to policies contained in the Council Policy Manual to include “changes in terminology to more current usage and updating references to reflect more current research” and do not change the substance of the policy.
• Guidelines Policy Manual: Extension of the Education and Training Guidelines: A Taxonomy for Education and Training in Professional Psychology. This item was to extend the expiration data from February, 2019, to December 31, 2020, to allow sufficient time for revision and invitation for public comment.

Publications and Communications

• New APA Journal Proposal: Technology, Mind, and Behavior. This new journal will publish original work in the area of human-technology interaction with a focus on human behavior at the individual level; identified themes for the journal include basic research, applications and broader implications.    

Educational Affairs

• Amendments to Association Rule 120-6: Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education (CABE). This amendment changes wording of the Association Rule to better emphasize and more explicitly document the responsibility in CABE’s mission “to represent psychology faculty and students at undergraduate institutions” and to address the needs of undergraduate students in psychology through promoting “within all institutions the highest standards in the teaching of psychology for undergraduate students.” Insofar as many Div. 5 members are concerned with the education of students and the provision of a broad perspective on disciplines within psychology (e.g., quantitative psychology and qualitative methods), it may be worthwhile for Div. 5 leadership to contact CABE regarding the status of current projects developing resources for undergraduate faculty and students.
• Amendments to Association Rule 120-2.2: Committee on Education and Training Awards. This amendment changes wording to the Association Rule to clarify criteria for (a) the Education and Training Award to recognize contributions which enhance the effectiveness of psychology education and/or training in psychology in educational settings, and (b) the Distinguished Contribution for Applications of Psychology to Education to recognize psychologists who contribute to effective teaching methods or the solution of learning problems in educational settings, including preK─12 schools, through the use of research findings or evidence-based practice. Although Div. 5 has the Cohen Teaching Award, it may be that Div. 5 members who have a history of evidence-based teaching excellence, should be considered for nomination for these APA awards.  

Public Interest

• Resolution in Support of Universal Design and Accessibility in Education, Training and Practice. This resolution provides a policy statement advocating for a move toward universal design principles throughout all of APA’s actions, programs and policies, including but not limited to education, training programs, clinical practice, research, as well as membership programs and policies including accessibility of APA facilities, conventions and meetings. With regard to areas of disciplinary interest to Div. 5 members, the issue of Universal Design as it pertains to questions of accessibility of test design as well as assessment methods are acknowledged.
• Resolution on Campus Sexual Assault. This resolution affirms APA’s advocacy for funding to address research that would further knowledge related to campus sexual assault, commitment to education including professional development, and promotion of partnerships to inform meaningful research questions and to advance interventions and prevention. Areas of disciplinary interest to Div. 5 members in this resolution may include calls for the development of measurement/survey tools, national open use databases, and applications of innovative designs for program evaluation.

Progress Updates

• Guidelines for Psychologists Regarding the Assessment of Trauma for Adults (NBI 25A/August 2013). As of January 2019, the Board of Professional Affairs has not yet received a revised document.    
• Police/Citizen Contact New Business Item from Peace Psychology Division Violence Summit (NBI 21A/Feb 2017). Council was informed of the intention for an item to be formulated for Council’s consideration in August 2019.   

Received Information Items

Ethics

Update on the Ethics Code Task Force (ECTF)

Members (selected in December 2017, approved by the APA Board of Directors) are conducting a comprehensive analysis, evaluation, and revision of the APA Ethics Code. Council was informed that updates related to the work of the task force are available online. The task force plans to hold a town hall meeting at the 2019 APA Annual Convention, at which the ECTF chair and vice chair, will present the work of the ECTF and invite members to offer feedback and comments. Based on discussions so far, it appears that the ECTF is envisioning a code that addresses needs for the addition of and/or clarification of the different types of settings in which psychologists work, addresses human rights and social justice including concepts related to diversity and culture, considers the breadth of application of the code across the discipline, and addresses the complexities of interactions in which psychologists are involved.

The Organization of the APA

Council was provided as information with the 2017 Policy and Planning (P&P) Board annual report, “APA in a Period of Transformation and a Role for the Policy and Planning Board.” This report of the P&P Board, chaired by Kenneth Sher, PhD, was published alongside previous years’ annual reports, on the P&P webpage in July 2018. In this report, the authors consider P&P in its role as a tool of APA governance in a historical perspective from its establishment in 1945, to the current scientific and professional context with critical initiatives and challenges currently affecting the APA. 

Publications and Communications

Update: Publications and Communications (P&C) Board

The P&C Board made seven editorial appointments in 2018, naming Editors to six-year terms, beginning in 2019 as the Editor-elect year and 2020 as their first masthead year. Among these seven is Div. 5 member and University of Missouri professor, Douglas Steinley, PhD, who was named to Psychological Methods. Additionally, of relevance to Div. 5, was P&C’s announcement that “after nearly three years of preparation, APA Journals released two updated reporting standards for quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Both were published in the 2018 January issue of the American Psychologist and are available via open access to readers.

• “Journal Article Reporting Standards for Quantitative Research in Psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force Report” 
• “Journal Article Reporting Standards for Qualitative Primary, Qualitative Meta-Analytic, and Mixed Methods Research in Psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force Report”

Professional Affairs

• Update. The Working Group Developing Guidelines on Key Considerations in the Treatment of PTSD/Trauma (started in August 2018, chaired by Lenore Walker, EdD) was provided. Since being established, the Working Group has been working to identify topics and issues for consideration in the guidelines, including but not limited to areas of relevance to Div. 5 members such as screening, testing and assessment. In its update the Working Group states that it welcomes and values input from groups interested in the guidelines, and includes an invitation to contact them by emailing the Working Group.
• Progress Update. Members of the Board of Educational Affairs, Board of Professional Affairs and the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice have been working on clarification and differentiation of practice competencies and implications for scope of practice relevant to individuals trained in accredited master’s level health service psychology programs.
• Update. Advisory Steering Committee for Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines by APA, APA Guideline Development Panels and plans for 2019.

International Affairs

Annual Report. APA NGO Representation at the United Nations

Financial Affairs

APA’s tax return (2017 IRS Tax Form 990 and 990-T Amendment) was filed with the IRS in November 2018.