A Letter to APA Members and Psychologists

Feb. 7, 2025

Recent and proposed policy changes are creating significant challenges for psychologists across research, education, and practice. These changes are affecting your work in multiple ways—from the elimination of training positions and restricted access to federal datasets, to frozen clinical positions and reduced funding. Not only are these policy shifts affecting your work, they are having an impact on broader societal issues. For example, rollbacks of diversity initiatives are impeding our advances in greater health equity. 

These changes strike at the core of psychological science and practice, affecting not just your daily work but the fundamental principles that guide our discipline. 

APA is committed to being a resource and support for you, our members, as you navigate these significant policy changes. We are closely monitoring developments and mobilizing our resources and relationships to protect the field and all those you serve through your work. We are here as your association to support you. 

We build bridges to policymakers on both sides of the aisle who are willing to listen and act. This approach has enabled important progress, no matter the political climate. Just recently, strong relationships cultivated with key congressional committees ensured psychology had a voice in confirmation hearings for top federal officials. We were invited to share information with policymakers of both parties, which resulted in stronger commitments to behavioral health, family well-being, and education and training opportunities. 

The issues we champion are human issues, rooted in science and in the belief that all people deserve the opportunity to thrive. Whether we’re working to protect scientific integrity, defend the essential role of psychological research and practice in policy, advocate for investments in mental health, or recognize the impact of your work with vulnerable populations, we bring scientific knowledge and a deep understanding of human experience to the table. 

But we can’t do this without you. 

Here are four ways you can take action today: 

• Tell us how you are being impacted. We have launched a portal where you can share your real stories about how policy changes are affecting your work and the people you serve. With your consent, we’ll use these examples to educate policymakers about the real-world impacts of their decisions. 
  
• Stay informed and engaged. Visit the new APA/APA Services Response Center website for regular updates on policies, APA’s efforts, and actions you can take.
  
• Lend your expertise. We are already sharing data, resources, and member experts with the press – let us know about how your expertise could help educate our partners, policymakers or the media, by submitting your name to our expert database.
  
• Speak out in your community. Join APA’s live advocacy update on February 25, 2025, at 7:00-8:15 p.m. ET, or watch the recording to learn about recent advocacy activities and get practical advice on how to navigate the policy landscape, speak up, and stay engaged at the federal, state, and local levels.

Progress is rarely linear and change can be uncomfortable. But we have never been more certain of psychology’s resilience and essential role in society. 

By staying grounded in our shared values and lifting each other up, we will not only persevere, but grow stronger. 

Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD
APA CEO and Executive Vice President

Debra Kawahara, PhD
APA President