Connect - APA Council of Representatives Meeting Highlights

Dear SCP members,

From your APA Council Representatives, here is a brief report of the actions that the Council took at its February 19-21, 2016 Meeting:

Approved the establishment of the following three work groups:

Work group to review best practices in order to develop APA organizational policies and procedures to address, but not be limited to: Organizational checks and balances; Fiduciary duties of governance members; Appropriate oversight of governance members in the execution of their roles and responsibilities to ensure adherence to the highest standards of professional behavior; Application of established policies and procedures; Transparency of decision-making; Sensitivity to, and willingness to address, differences arising from power differentials; Consideration of effective governance and staff working relationships.
Work group to develop aspirational civility principles as well as procedures for all forms of direct in-person communication and online messages and postings within and on behalf of APA.
Work Group to develop guidelines that will reduce bias, increase transparency, and promote diversity in the selection of individuals serving on APA task forces. This system for task force selection should emphasize self-nomination, as well as nominations by, and consultation with, relevant stakeholders (e.g. Divisions, SPTAs, other affiliated groups).

Approved amending the Guidelines for Council Resolutions to include the extent to which the resolution is consistent with APA’s core values, and the extent to which it addresses human rights, health and welfare, and ethics.
Voted to prioritize ethics, human rights and social justice in all aspects of the next Strategic Plan.
Approved minor changes to the Bylaw and Association Rule. The Bylaws will be sent to the Membership for a vote on November 1, 2016. If the Bylaw changes are approved by the Membership, the Bylaw and Association Rule changes will do the following:

Members-at-large of the Board of Directors will be elected by the Membership.
One member of the Board of Directors must be an Early Career Psychologist.
The Board of Directors will include a public member.
The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) representative of the Board of Directors will be the APAGS Past Chair, or another designee from APAGS Executive Committee.
Members-at-large and Recording Secretary cannot succeed themselves in office and while in office cannot run for any office on the Board of Directors other than President-Elect.

Approved the Division 53 request for authorization to publish a divisional journal, to be titled Evidence-based Practice of Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Council adopted as APA policy the following resolutions: Resolution on Data About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and the Resolution Opposing HIV Criminalization.

After some discussion at the February meeting, a decision was made by the Board of Directors that APA will “re-engage David Hoffman and the law firm Sidley Austin on a very limited basis to examine certain matters brought to our attention by Division 19 (Society for Military Psychology) and several psychologists mentioned in the Independent Review (Drs. Morgan Banks, Debra Dunivin, Larry James, and Russ Newman)” according to President McDaniel’s announcement on April, 15, 2016. In the Announcement, President McDaniel also stated that Mr. Hoffman’s review “will address only the following three questions: (1) the extent to which he considered the DoD policies at issue in writing his Independent Review; (2) the extent to which those DoD policies are relevant to the issues, findings, and/or conclusions addressed and reflected in the Independent Review; and (3) whether any modifications of the Independent Review are warranted in light of the DoD policies.”

The supplemental review is expected to be completed by June 8, and Mr. Hoffman and the Board have agreed that the supplemental review should cost no more than $200,000.

Thank you! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of us.

Barry Chuang [email protected]

Changming Duan [email protected]

Roberta Nutt [email protected]