Brief summary report on the February 2025 APA Council of Representatives meeting

APA’s Council of Representatives held a hybrid meeting February 21-22, with in-person Council members convening in Washington, DC. Representing Division 5, Amy Schmidt and Kurt Geisinger were present, as was former Division 5 Council Representative and current Division 5 President, Rachel Fouladi, in her role as a Council Leadership Team member. Online platforms at the meetings facilitated presentations, discussions, and voting procedures for remote attendees. The hybrid format also allowed the scheduling of Caucus meetings prior to the in-person Council meeting. Items of special interest to Division 5 members are in italics.

The complete draft minutes of the February 2025 COR meeting (which contain the full text of all resolutions and new business items, along with accompanying references) are available on the APA website . Below we present a brief overview of items and reports from the February 2025 COR meeting. Please be in touch with your Council Representatives if there are issues you feel should be brought to APA’s governing body.

• Main items from the February 2025 COR meeting

• Note: Item labeling refers to the number as it appeared in the corresponding meeting Agenda.

Elections, awards, memberships and Human Resources

1. Item 2. COR voted to approve sending to the Membership for a vote two amendments to Article VIII, Sections 7 and 8 of the APA Bylaws. The amendments change the time period during which COR members can vote for candidates for the offices of Recording Secretary and Treasurer. (Currently, these offices are filled during elections held by the immediate previous year’s Council members; the “immediate previous year” language is deleted in the amendments.) The Bylaw ballot will be sent to Membership no later than November 2026 and will be sent without pro and con statements. COR also voted to approve amending APA’s Association Rules to reflect the above changes. The Association Rules will be amended if and when the Bylaws changes are approved by Membership.

Ethics

1. Item 17A. COR was provided with an update of the work already completed and the planned activities of the Ethics Code Task Force (ECTF).

Board of Directors - No items.

Divisions and State and Provincial and Territorial Associations

1. Item 17B. COR was provided with an update on the APA-Division Workgroup, which is compromised of members of the Board of Directors, the Committee on Division APA Relations (CODAPAR), and past and present leaders of a range of divisions.

Organization of the APA

1. Item 3. COR voted to adopt as APA policy the Resolution on Advancing Evidence-Based Health Promotion and Prevention across the Lifespan.

2. Item 4. COR voted to approve revisions to the policy on the Doctorate as Minimum Entry into the Professional Practice of Psychology. The revisions change the policy to “Doctorate Required for Professional Practice as a Psychologist” and adds language emphasizing the need for a predoctoral, formal, supervised full or half time internship for those preparing for practice in the health service domains of psychology. COR also voted to approve revisions to the Policy on Challenges to the Doctoral Standard for Psychology. The revisions include providing guidance for the recognition of individuals holding terminal master’s degree in psychology under existing state statutes, provided that such statutes define an appropriate scope of practice consistent with APA policies and do not use the term “psychologist” in defining the title of such persons.

3. Item 4A. COR voted to adopt as APA policy a Statement Reaffirming APA’s Commitment to Justice, Human Rights, Fairness, and Dignity.

4. Item 5. COR voted to reject a motion to adopt as APA policy Guidelines for a Competency Framework for Master’s and Doctoral Degree Education and Training in Health Service Psychology.

5. Item 12. COR received as information an update on APA’s diversity matrix. The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Framework guides APA’s long-term commitment to embed EDI principles into all aspects of its work.

6. Item 20. COR was provided with an update from the Counsil Liaison Oversight Committee (CLOC).

Publications and communications

1. Item 19. COR received as information an update on the Publications and Communications Board activities.

Convention affairs —No items.

Educational affairs

1. Item 6. COR voted to approve an extension of recognition of Sports Psychology as a proficiency in professional psychology for an additional period of one year, to expire in August 2026.

2. Item 7. COR voted to approve a motion that authorizes the APA Board of Directors to establish an expert panel to develop an APA position statement regarding equity, fairness, and transparency in psychology licensure examinations.

3. Item 8.COR voted to adopt as APA policy the Guidelines on Trauma Competencies for Education and Training and approved December 31, 2035, as the expiration date.

Professional affairs

1. Item 9. COR voted to adopt as APA policy the APA Resolution on Protecting Psychological Test Security, Test Validity, and Public Safety. The resolution affirms the importance of protecting public safety, well-being, and equitable access to psychological services by maintaining the security of psychological test materials and test data when they contain test questions or test materials. APA’s position is that fair and reasonable transparency and access to psychological test data and test materials in legal proceedings is best achieved and scientific validity best preserved when psychologists share test materials and test data with other psychologists and other experts properly trained in test administration and interpretation who have a legal and ethical obligation to protect test data and test materials. Kurt Geisinger spoke eloquently in support of the resolution.

2. Item 10. COR voted to adopt as APA policy the Professional Practice Guidelines on Measurement-Based Care and approved December 31, 2035, as the expiration date.

3. Item 11. COR voted to adopt as APA policy the Guidelines for Psychological Practice in Health Care Delivery Systems and approved December 31, 2035, as the expiration date.

4. Item 12. COR voted to adopt as APA policy the 2025 APA Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Adults and approved December 31, 2035 as the expiration date.

5. Item 21. COR received as information an update on the work of the advisory Steering Committee for Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines and APA Guideline Development Panels and plans for 2025.

6. Item 24. COR received an update on the new business in progress item, Policy and Position Statement on the Use of Seclusion and Restraint: Avoiding Institutional Harm and Promoting Evidence-Based Practices in Psychiatric Settings.

Scientific affairs

• Item 13. COR voted to adopt as APA policy the Resolution on the Protection of Neural and Cognitive Data. The resolution calls for the establishment of a working group of behavioral health, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and AI experts to monitor and advise APA and APA Services on policy developments that may require legislative and regulatory response and to consider the creation of resources and training for APA members on best practices for mental privacy protection.

Public interest

1. Item 14. COR voted to adopt as APA policy the APA Ageism Policy Statement.

2. Item 15. COR voted to adopt as APA policy the APA Caregiving Policy Statement.

3. Item 23. COR was provided with an update on the new business in progress item, APA Resolution on Developing Mechanisms for Addressing Global Armed Conflict.

International affairs — No items.

Financial affairs

1. Item 16. COR voted to approve a motion that authorizes the Board of Directors to take and cause to be taken any steps the Board determines necessary to either sell 10 G Street, NE, Washington, DC, as soon as practicable, or, if the Board determines that a sale would be disadvantageous, investigate and implement other options for divestiture of the building.

2. Item 22. COR received as information the 2023 IRT Tax Form 990 and 990-T Amendment.

Additional activities

Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, Diane Hall, EdD, LMHC, CCCJS, and Larke Huang, PhD were each awarded a presidential citation. On the Thursday evening prior to the Council meeting, COR engaged in a group activity where it was asked to consider questions related to APA’s joint strategic priorities. A report will be shared when available. On Saturday during lunch, COR members were invited to participate in an optional session with the Racial and Ethnic Diversity Consultative Task Force.

During the In Memoriam section of the Meeting, Rachel Fouladi gave a moving tribute to the late Robert “Bud” MacCallum. The Council Choir –including Rachel Fouladi and Amy Schmidt – performed at the end of the meeting.