State of APA

Membership actually declined slightly in the past year as the effects of ending several free dues initiatives. APA had undertaken a few special recruitment efforts which granted free dues for a year to new members. However, it appears that the majority of individuals who join under free dues promotions do not pay dues when the free membership period ends. These promotions end up costing the association substantially and are not economically viable as a recruitment strategy.

On the other side of the coin, retired psychologists entitled to dues exemptions are increasing annually. Each year, there are proportionally fewer members supporting services for proportionately more retired members who do not pay dues. APA officials appear to believe that the current offer of complete exemption of dues for retired members will simply have to be changed in the next few years to prevent substantial dues increases.

In addition, individual and institutional journal subscriptions are down in 1997. Lower dues (although they only account for 16% of APA revenues) and stable journal revenues seem to suggest that the Council may be asked to approve a dues increase again for 1999. If you recall, APA went 5 years with no dues increase, but raised dues $20 last year. Many Council members are very concerned about a second dues increase and its effects on their members. APA could not estimate the effects of a second consecutive dues increase on membership because APA has never increased dues substantially (over $5) on two consecutive years—but the effects would not be good.

Committee and board expenses continue to increase (over $2 million) and it appears that staffing and expenses are increasing rapidly in comparison to other non-revenue producing programs. A second APA building, called 10G Place is almost completed and is now 80% leased. Because APA expenses exceed revenues, we have continued to take funds from the building subsidy instead of applying it toward our bonds and interest. We have approved a final 1998 budget that has a $1.6 million deficit. Out of concern for the future financial prospects of APA, the Council did approve a new action asking the Board of Directors to produce a balanced budget for 1999 with no dues increase and to also provide responsible alternative budgets (that will have deficits and or dues increases). Council would then review the alternative budgets (and their consequences) and approve a budget at their August meeting.

SIOP’s Guidelines for Education and Training at the Doctoral Level

The E&T Ph.D. Guidelines approved by SIOP have now been submitted to APA for review. New procedures approved by APA require all division guidelines, principles, and standards to both undergo a legal review by APA counsel and a division review to ensure there are no conflicts in the scope of practice or education and training required. It is likely our guidelines will be formally approved by APA at the August Council meeting.

CRSPPP and I-O as a Specialty

APA established a Commission for the Recognition of Specialties & Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) to recognize specialties and proficiencies in professional psychology guided by principles, criteria, and procedures approved by Council. In the review process, there is a provision for public comment on each petition for a new specialty or proficiency received by CRSPPP. To date only a few petitions have been received (e.g., clinical, school, geropsychology, and psychoanalytic psychology).

Clinical, Counseling, School, and I-O Psychology each had been previously recognized by APA as practice specialties. As recently as 1995, Council reaffirmed these four specialties—"these specialties first gained de facto recognition through a process of historical evolution." Although recognition of additional specialties and proficiencies should have no direct impact on these original four de facto specialties, there is interest in the part of clinical, counseling, and school to be reconfirmed as specialties by CRSPPP before additional areas are approved. School psychology was approved by Council at the February meeting, but the approval will not take effect until the August meeting of Council, permitting the three remaining specialties to seek approval and be reconfirmed at the same time.

SIOP is now considering if we should submit a petition to CRSPPP for renewal of the specialty of I-O psychology prior to the August Council meeting. If SIOP does not submit a petition, the specialty of I-O will continue to be recognized by APA for another 6 years at which time CRSPPP would conduct a review of I-O. We must consider the benefits of being reconfirmed at the same time that clinical, counseling and school psychology may be reconfirmed. This process is independent of APA accreditation and will not have any impact on I-O graduate training programs.

Other Actions

The new Executive Director of Science, Richard McCarty (formerly of UVA) has proposed psychology launch a "Decade of Behavior" initiative, paralleling the successful "Decade of the Brain." The science directorate would work with academic departments and other scientific and behavioral organizations to emphasize the behavioral component in many of our national problems and raise consciousness (and possibly funding and attention) to psychological science. Strategic planning is underway on actual activities.

Council passed numerous guidelines—child protection, evaluation of dementia, immigrant children.

There is an ethics task force working to revise the Ethical Principles—with an expected completed date of 2003.

Many requests from APA committees to establish special task forces were pared back. Instead, committees are given funds to invite APA members with expertise in the particular issue to committee meeting over the next year. This strategy reduces the funding and hopefully prevents the cycle of task forces never ending and eventually becoming committees in the APA governance system.

APA approved $2,000 for an International Humanitarian Award

Alternative prototypes for the APA Monitor were discussed. The current Monitor’s printing process is outdated and costly. Magazine prototypes were proposed.

The next meeting of the APA Council of Representatives will be in August at the Convention in San Francisco.