Describe how your presidential initiatives would relate to the members and issues that are relevant to the Society for Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology/Division 47? How would your presidency benefit the applied psychology divisions in general?
I am committed to two areas as Presidential initiatives:
(1) Focus on research, education/training and service expansion and inclusion in Integrated Care. APA has contributed significantly to the establishment of integrated care models, but I believe we can do a better job in coordinating the work that we do and expanding the range of psychologists involved. Sports psychologists in some settings are integrated into sports medicine clinics and athletic settings, working in cooperation with the interdisciplinary care team for athletes, but not all sports psychologists are able to provide care in integrated settings and may be under-utilized or un-utilized in integrated care models. I would like to work with Division 47 to address how to best provide care for sport, exercise and performance psychologists to improve and initiate integrated care for all the patients in their settings.
(2) Ensure quality services for the Seriously Mentally Ill/Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SMI/SED) by enhancing current services, seeking best practices, encouraging and advocating for increased education/training and research. The Seriously Mentally Ill population is among the most marginalized and underserved. I believe that we have much to offer in working with this population, and that all of psychology can make a difference. Psychology has not found a way to include these individuals in the mainstream access to health care. A new model of care is past due, one that will involve community practitioners and psychologists from nontraditional areas in breaking down the barriers for this population. In APA, I would work with the Task Force on Serious Mental Illness and Severe Emotional Disturbance (TFSMI/SED) and build upon their progress. I hope that Division 47 could work with me in this area as well to address the mental and behavioral health needs of athletes at all levels (e.g., secondary school, high school, college, and professional levels), particularly as the issue of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in professional football players has raised awareness and concern about mental and behavioral health needs related to concussion in sports.
Both initiatives require the expertise of applied psychology. Specifically, we need to be able to apply our science to the real world, such as working with the seriously mentally ill, the opioid epidemic and reducing health disparities. APA now has an Office of Applied Psychology to raise awareness of the need for applied psychology and applied psychologists to solve societal problems and make a difference in people’s lives. I had the opportunity to participate in two of the Work, Health, and Stress Conferences and presented at one of them. Seeing the range of professionals across disciplines and the problems addressed made it clearer to me than ever that Applied Psychology should have a larger role in APA initiatives. They definitely will have a role in both my initiatives.
How do your presidential initiatives address the issues of inclusivity and diversity?
The 4-pillars of my APA presidential campaign are: Advocacy, Inclusion, Leadership, and Experience. I believe all of these are necessary if we are to make a difference in APA, our profession and society. Health disparities is an important component of both initiatives. As a person who is board certified in clinical health psychology, I am committed to addressing the health and well-being of all patients. I plan to incorporate a viable model of research, education, training, and practice, to bring social justice, reduce health disparities, and offer a way to bring health care to marginalized populations with my presidential initiatives.
Throughout my career I have worked for inclusion and diversity. During my service on the APA Board of Directors, we deliberately focused on increasing the diversity of the Association and the profession through initiatives and programs such as the Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training (CEMRRAT), the diversity initiative of the Practice Leadership Conference, and the bi-annual Diversity Leadership Development Workshop which I established 10 years ago and continue to organize. I also feel it is vitally important to encourage membership and leadership by students through APAGS and early career psychologists at all levels of governance. In addition, I requested to be the Board liaison to the Public Interest board (BAPPI) and committees throughout my term on the APA Board of Directors. I attended and was an active resource and advocate for BAPPI and each of its very active committees. My APA activities are primarily focused on inclusion and diversity activities and boards/committees.
What do you see as the main challenge facing psychology and APA, and how do you plan to address this challenge during your presidency?
First and foremost, an effective leader helps the organization manage the challenges it faces. We must effectively address the internal challenges so that we can make a difference for the profession, for psychologists, and for society. There are many issues facing psychology and the world, including gun violence, homelessness, the opioid epidemic, and health disparities. APA can play a significant role in each of these. However, it is a challenge to have policy makers and other officials recognize psychology’s importance in resolving these problems. The establishment of the integrated advocacy model, the “One APA”, can play a major role in addressing these challenges as well as some of the internal challenges of working across fields and directorates. I currently serve as co-chair of the Advocacy Coordinating Committee with Dr. Antonio Puente as the other Co-Chair. In this integrated advocacy model, APA members will have significant input into our advocacy priorities. If elected president, I would like to see this One APA further developed and all of APA work together in addressing the challenges affecting our society.
We also need to make sure that our profession remains viable, that we will have a well-trained and diverse work force to address the challenges facing us today and in the future. We must take care of our students and early career psychologists, while at the same time appreciating the strengths and expertise that our experienced colleagues bring to the profession.
Other challenges include the cost of education and the heavy student loan burden of our students. I will continue to work with our advocacy offices and in coalition with other professions to resolve these issues.