The Council of Representatives (COR) meeting was held in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26-March 1, 2020. In attendance as representatives for Div. 5 were elected, council member Rachel Fouladi (2018-2020) and Matt Fritz (Div. 5 executive committee member), who was appointed to substitute for elected Div. 5 council member Abigail Panter (2019-2021) who was not able to attend the February meeting. Activities on February 26 included: a) new representative training for incoming members and appointed substitutes, attended by Matt Fritz, and b) a plenary meeting, which included brief presentations by 2020 APA President Sandra Shullman, PhD, and several individuals interested in running in the 2021 election for the position of 2022 president. Over the course of the COR meeting days, Div. 5 representatives also participated in discussions of key issues and pending items at caucus and workgroup meetings of the Coalition for Academic, Scientific and Applied-research Psychology, General Applied Psychologists/Psychology Caucus, Women’s Caucus, Public Interest Caucus, Ethnic Minority Issues in Psychology Caucus, and the Council Diversity Workgroup.
The following provides a brief overview of the reports and agenda items from the COR meeting. Items, which may be of particular interest to Div. 5 members are italicized. One thing to note regarding procedures at council is the general shift of the agenda of oral delivery of details from multiple reports from different offices to online presentations via webinars with online Q&A of varied items of information (e.g., financial report details), and hardcopy provision of the Litigation Report from Deanne M. Ottaviano, general counsel to APA, regarding the nature and status of current litigation in which APA has been engaged since the February 2019 meeting of council (e.g., AERA/APA/NCME v. Public.Resource.Org regarding online distribution of the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (“1999 Standards”), which is, as of Feb. 28, 2020, still under litigation).
Although there is acknowledged room for improvement of the APA webinars as a strategy for delivery of report details, the webinars permit more time at the in-person council meeting to engage in activities that enhance the work and process of council (e.g., Organizational Change Session with Gary Bradt, PhD, and Diversity and Inclusion Learning Sessions with Bernardo Ferdman, PhD) and to permit emphasis on: A) reports in focal areas (e.g., an update from CEO, Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, regarding activities of APA in the advancement of the Strategic Plan, including the progress towards a Directorate for Applied Psychology; a financial report summary from Jean Carter, PhD, and an update from APA’s new Chief Diversity Officer, Dawnavan S. Davis, PhD); and B) key items requiring discussion and vote.
The following outlines: A) action/discussion items, B) received information items, C), notice of new business items. At council, all task force/committee reports were voted to be accepted; the majority of the discussion/action items were approved (some in the original form, some with amendment and after discussion on the floor of council).
A. Action/discussion items on this agenda meeting are listed below within topic categories.
Elections, Awards, Membership and Human Resources
- Amendments to the Association Rules Regarding Simultaneous Service and Timing for Board and Committee Election Ballot (Item #2): Approved by consent.
Organization of the APA
- Amendments to Association Rules Regarding Delegation of Specific Duties to the Board of Directors (Item #3). This item received extensive discussion and consideration as it addresses the operations of APA and how decisions are made. In recent years, APA has been operating in a period of Trial Delegation of Council’s Authority (“Duties of Council and Trial Delegation of Specific Duties to the Board,” resolution approved February 2017). Item #3 was amended and approved in parts with the result of the decision to review sections of the Association Rules pertaining to delegation of specific duties by council on three-year intervals; the retention of council authority for increases of dues.
- Amendments to Association Rule 220: Amending APA Bylaws (Item #4): Item #4 also received extensive discussion as it concerned who should write the pro and con statements for APA bylaw amendments when required and whether those authors should be named. Amended and approved.
Educational Affairs
- Education and Training Guidelines for Psychological Assessment in Health Service Psychology (Item #5): Approved. A task force with liaisons from the Board of Educational Affairs and the Science Directorate’s Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessments, which includes noted members of Div. 5,developed guidelines for education and training. Directed at the education and training of individuals operating within health service psychology, these guidelines are notable for their support of and repeated reference to content in the AERA/APA/NCME 2014 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, as well as citation of the works of Div. 5 members (including that of current Div. 5 president-elect, e.g., Youngstrom, Choukas-/Bradley, & Calhoun (2015) paper: “Clinical guide to the evidence-based assessment approach to diagnosis and treatment”).
Professional Affairs
- Council adopted as APA policy the Professional Practice Guidelines for Psychological Assessment and Evaluation (Item #5A): Approved. This guideline replaces the 2001 Guidelines for Test User Qualifications, which expired in 2016. According to the Board of Professional Affairs office, the expired guideline has been their most requested guideline. A draft of the guideline was distributed for public comment in late 2019; comments were provided by key stakeholders, including members of Div. 5 and representatives from testing companies. Incorporating feedback from the public comment period and contributions of the Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment, the guideline presented to council for consideration and vote are consistent with content from The Standards in AERA/APA/NCME (2014), and include citations of recently published books by Div. 5 members, including Bandalos’s (2018) textbook: “Measurement Theory and Applications for the Social Sciences”.
Scientific Affairs
- Report of the 2019 Violent Video Games Task (Item #6): Vote to accept report.
- Amendment to the 2015 Resolution on Violent Video Games (Item #7): Approved. Relevant links are available.
- APA’s Response to the Global Climate Change Crisis (Item #8): Approved. Outcomes of these votes resulted in the issuance of public statements from APA regarding these items within two days of the end of the COR meeting.
Public Interest
Council voted to approve three APA resolutions in the public interest. These include:
- Resolution on Opposing Discriminatory Laws, Policies and Practices Aimed at LGBT+ Persons (Item 9): Approved.
- Resolution on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Parents and their Children (Item 10): Approved.
- Resolution on Supporting Sexual/Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents in Schools (Item 11): Approved.
Similar to the prompt outcomes of the votes for items concerning scientific affairs outlined above, these votes resulted in the issuance of a public statement on APA’s website titled: “APA Updates Resolutions Related to LQBTQ Issues” the day after the COR meeting in conjunction with a quote from the APA president, Sandy Shullman: “It was important that APA bring these resolutions into line with the latest research because these are areas that are of great interest to psychology … Public attitudes toward LGBTQ people have evolved swiftly in the last several years as well, resulting in legal changes that needed to be reflected in the association’s positions.”
B. Received Information Items
- Update on the Ethics Code Task Force (ECTF) (Item #16).
- Advocacy Coordinating Committee Report to Council (Item #17). A general update regarding many of the Advocacy Coordinating Committee’s (ACC) activities include a variety of important items. Items of interest to some Div. 5 members include but are not limited to: advocacy for increased funding for basic, clinical and applied psychological research, including expansion of opportunities for application in public and private sectors; the promotion of general applied psychology; education of APA membership and advocacy across key private sector stakeholders regarding the role of psychology research in personal assessment.
- BEA/BPA Task Force to Develop Competencies for Students Completing Master’s Level Programs in Health Service Psychology (Item #18).In 2019 the Board of Educational Affairs and Board of Professional Affairs approved convening a task force. Received information listed criteria for consideration of task force membership and included expertise in psychological assessment as one of the criteria.
- Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines by APA (Item #19). APA is member of the Guidelines International Network (G-I-N), which is a primary professional organization for guideline development. The Advisory Steering Committee for the Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines has been considering best practices for the development of guidelines, reviewing processes from other guideline development organizations (e.g., American Psychiatric Association), and seeking to better address diversity and multicultural factors. For two of the clinical practice guidelines in development, APA contracted with RTI International of North Carolina to assist the “Depression Panel” and the “PTSD Panel” with methodological support for relevant systematic reviews.
- Annual Report: APA NGO Representation at the United Nations (Item #20). APA has accredited representatives at the United Nations (UN). Their work in collaboration with NGOs, UN staff and representatives of member states contributes to the expansion of people’s understanding of psychology and psychological science, and aims to use psychology to make a positive impact on critical psychological issues. The annual report outlines six of the APA representatives’ primary accomplishments (e.g., contribution to the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Racism and Discrimination with a summary and citation of relevant psychological research).
- Reporting of submission of 2018 IRS Tax Form 990 and 990-T Amendment (Item #21)
C. Business Pending
Business pending notification included material regarding:
- Guidelines for Psychologists Regarding the Assessment of Trauma for Adults (Item #13; NBI #25A/Aug 2013).
- Healthcare Practice Guideline Policy (Item #14; NBI #13B/March 2018).
- Police/Citizen Contact New Business Item from Peace Psychology Division Violence Summit (Item #15; NBI #21A/Feb 2017).
As usual, details regarding the Council of Representatives meeting agenda and outcomes will be distributed by APA and available in the Minutes of the Meeting on the APA website.
