PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS REVIEW REPORT
Introduction.
Psychology is an exciting field that has grown and developed over the years. The origin and history of psychology can be traced back to two primary sources: one is in ancient Greece, where two schools of thought of the spiritual and Aristotelic origin were born. The other was in the late 19th century when the science of psychology was formally proposed and instituted. The development and history of psychology in America mostly subscribe to the latter (Leahey, 2012). American Philosophers such as John Locke (1632-1704) and Thomas Reid (1704) created the foundation for the growth and development of Psychology. The two are known for promoting the idea of empiricism that a human mind gains knowledge from experience. However, other arguments refuted this by noting that observation can stimulate the human mind and help it acquire knowledge (Baker & Sperry, 2019).
Across the 20th century, the field of psychology underwent tremendous growth in America. Many other divergent theories emerged in trying to explain the nature and behavior of the human mind. Critical among these was the Gestalt psychology, which traced its origin in Germany fronted Max Wertheimer (1880-1943). Most of the Gestalt psychologists were Jewish who were fleeing the threat of prosecution by the Nazi regime due to their academic and personal stands. This is how the Gestalt movement found its way to the United States, where it was widely received and embraced. Gestalt movement and psychologists argued that the human mind processes information simultaneously rather than sequentially. This line of movement later led to the development of Cognitive Psychology in the United States. (Baker & Sperry, 2019).
The ever-changing theories and views in psychology continued, leading to the formation of professional associations that are now championing different ideas and perceptions. This article discusses some of these bodies, namely the American Psychological Association, American counseling association, Society for industrial and organizational psychology and the American Psychology and Law Society.
American Psychological Association.
At an incredible 128 years, the American Psychological Association is the oldest and largest professional and scientific organization in the United States. Indeed, the whole world was established in July 1892 at Clark University. It is based in Washington DC and had a total membership of about 117,000 people by 2017, a significant growth considering it had a paltry 31 members at the time of its formation. (Cherry, 2020). The membership of the American Psychological Association (APA) is diverse and includes Scientists, Clinicians, Educators and Psychology students. Currently, APA has 54 divisions, each focusing on a sub-discipline within the field of Psychology.
Mission.
The American psychological association’s mission is to promote the advancement, communication and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.
Functions.
APA has the following functions.
- It advances and promotes Psychology as a science, as is reflected in its mission statement.
- It is responsible for the publication of the official style manual. APA style helps in communication of information in the field of social sciences. These writing rules guide how to organize and recognize professional Journal articles, cite sources, and list references.
- Regulation of official titles. APA attaches conditions on the use of the word Psychologist as a professional title. To use this title, he/she must have a doctoral degree from an organized, sequential program found in a professional and accredited institution or University.
Significant activities and initiatives of the APA
APA has undertaken certain activities to facilitate its mission and benefits members and the profession of psychology in the world, these include
Education and Training
The specific initiatives that are undertaken to facilitate training and education are
- The creation of education and professional development programs focused on such factors as health promotion, integrated health care and disease promotion.
- Educate students on the role of psychology on various matters affecting society.
- Compilation and promotion of the APA directory of primary care psychology education and training programs.
- I appreciate the role and contributions of psychologists in the model of integrated healthcare.
- Collection, analysis and dissemination of information about psychology.
Advocacy
The role of advocacy carried out by APA is on two levels; federal and state advocacy. The federal advocacy initiatives include.
- Lobby for adequate funding for psychological services, training and research programs at federal health and other related agencies to expand the role of psychology in the society.
- It initiates programs in collaboration with other agencies to create psychological programs for populations that are considered to be at risk.
- Convenes meetings with like-minded organizations and stakeholders on discussions on how to improve the welfare of workers.
- Nominate psychologists to key influential bodies to further and champion the goals of the association.
The state advocacy initiatives include
- Push for more access to psychological services in state healthcare services and programs and other state departments.
- Offers support to state and other organizations in their legislative initiatives that support psychological services.
- Promotes partnership between the APA members and the state on initiating initiatives that support by psychological services.
American Counseling Association.
The American Counseling Association (ACA) is a non-profit educational, scientific, and professional organization founded in 1952. The members of ACA, who constitute professional counselors and counseling students, work, practice and study in different disciplines in various and diverse capacities with the primary purpose of ensuring empowerment of individuals, families and groups to accomplish mental health, education and career goals (ACA code of ethics, 2014).
The ACA members are required to observe the standards of practice, which requires them to adhere to a high standard of ethics in the course of their practice.
Mission.
The mission of the American Counseling Association (ACA) is to enhance the quality of life in society by promoting the development of professional Counsellors, advancing the counseling profession, and using the profession and practice of counseling to promote respect for human dignity and diversity.
Functions of the American Counseling Association.
According to the ACA standing committees leadership manual (2011), the primary functions of ACA are the following;
- Improving the services and benefits to the members to prepare them in addressing the challenges and needs paused in the 21st
- I am balancing the practice of counseling with the needs of academia.
- We are carrying out duties of advocacy for issues that are of interest to the field of counseling.
- We are re-engineering the governance of the association to facilitate better service delivery.
- It is strengthening the association to be formidable in the pursuit of its mission.
- Promote the ethical and responsible professional practice of counseling.
- They are lobbying for support for the practice of counseling in colleges.
ACA undertakes significant activities and initiatives.
Inline to achieve its 2018-2021 strategic framework, ACA has relied on three main activities of focus that act as the strategic drivers. These are
Advocacy
This seeks to support and empower counselors, the counseling profession and the consumers. The association employs the following specific initiatives in its pursuit of achieving this driver.
- Ensuring that activities of licensed professional counselors are not hampered by limitations of various states when they travel and engage in tele-counseling.
- They are working to ensure appropriate reimbursement for educated and licensed counselors in the practice of their work.
- I am working towards promoting all-around wellness and general empowerment through the provision of quality counseling services to every human being.
- I advocate for initiatives that reduce hindrances faced by counseling beneficiaries and counseling providers through collaboration with various organizations to create awareness of the importance of counseling services.
- We ensure adherence to ethical standards of practice in the course of offering services through the constant engagement of relevant bodies and institutions such as legal entities and policymaking institutions.
- We advocate for adequate funding for programs that benefit players in the counseling field, such as education, mental health, rehabilitation, and human rights.
Practice support.
This seeks to support the counselors and adequately prepare them for the work of providing counseling services. This is achieved through
- Development of affordable and accessible research-based tools.
- She was making counseling services to be cost-effective to be within reach to persons of different specialties.
- We are creating mechanisms that facilitate peer-to-peer discussions to improve service delivery.
- It is delivering technical assistance and information that is easily accessible by members and other professional counselors.
Relevance.
This seeks to create a connection and link between counselors and other stakeholders such as policymakers, consumers and the media. This is done through
- We are building a diverse team of counselors that can engage different stakeholders in various fields.
- Acknowledgment of the role played by the stakeholders in support of the counseling profession.
- We are raising awareness to the public about the benefits of counseling.
America School Counseling Association.
The America School Counseling Association (ASCA) designs and delivers school counseling programs with the main aim of improving learning and behavioral outcome. This is done through a collaborative effort involving school counselors, families, community stakeholders and other educators (Carey & Dimmit, 2012).
The training model developed is delivered to students systematically and serves the following functions.
- Creates a suitable curriculum that focuses on the mindsets and behaviors needed by the students post-secondary.
- Narrows the gap between opportunity and achievement through the changed mindset.
- Targets improved attendance, achievement and discipline by students.
ASCA undertakes significant activities and initiatives.
The developed counseling model consists of four components implemented by the school counselors who employ leadership, collaboration, and advocacy skills to create the needed change. These are
Define.
Certain factors must be defined to help the school counselor develop a program that brings about the desired change. These are
- The student standards-this involves the definition of the mindset and the behavior of the students from the onset.
- The professional standards-these include the ASCA ethical standard for school counselors that informs the counselors of the ethical practices they need to observe in their duties, bearing in mind that this is an integrated program. The other professional standard is the ASCA school counselor’s professional standards and competencies.
Manage.
The program developed must be efficiently and effectively managed for the achievement of the desired aim. The management of the program must take into account the program focus and program planning.
Deliver.
The program’s delivery phase must consider the importance of collaboration with students, families, school staff, and community stakeholders.
Asses.
This is the last phase of the program that checks on the program’s overall effectiveness, informs improvements to the school counseling program and its delivery, and brings out the different attributes of the students.
Society for industrial and organizational psychology.
This body is division 14 of the American Psychological Association and an affiliate of the Association for Psychological Science (APS). Its primary purpose is to provide psychological principles to develop strategies that build the general well-being of both the employees and the organization they work for (Tetrick, 2010)
Mission
The mission of the society for industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) is to enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and work settings by promoting the science, practice and teaching of industrial-organizational psychology.
SIOP is essential especially in the following major areas;
- Training and development-understanding of industrial psychology help the organization identify skills necessary to perform specific tasks and develop and run employee training programs.
- Employee selection- This involves screening the employee to determine if they are qualified for the advertised position.
- Ergonomics-this involves designing procedures and equipment to maximize performance and reduce the chances of employee injury.
- Performance management- This involves the development of tools and techniques useful for assessing the jobs done by the employees.
- Work life-this involves the improvement of employee satisfaction, which consequently leads to maximized production of the workforce. This is dining through rewards and designing programs that positively influence the quality of life in the workplace.
- Organizational development. This involves improving an organization by increasing profit, redesigning products and improving the organizational structure.
America psychology- Law society.
American psychology-law Society (AP-LS) is an organization that works to advance and appreciate the role of psychology in law. It is division 41 of the American Psychology Association (APA)
Mission
Its mission is ‘enhancing well-being, Justice and human rights through the science and practice of psychology in legal contexts.
Some of the functions of AP-LS in line with its mission include
- Promotes the education of psychologists on matters of law
- Educates legal technocrats on matters of psychology
- Researches matters of psychology and law for the consumption of psychologists, legal personnel and members of the general public
- Compiles resources on psychology, law and other related topics to facilitate learning by students.
In conclusion, the importance and benefits of these professional associations to students, persons in their early career and professionals in the field of psychology cannot be underestimated. The associations provide a vibrant resource center for students who are now able to access materials that they can use for learning and building knowledge in their various levels of study. Since some associations allow for membership of students, room for further networking and mentorship is provided. Persons in their early career who are members of these associations also get a chance to be connected to seasoned professionals. The latter can provide mentorship to them and help them adhere to the ethical standards of practice and cope with the emerging trends in the field. The professionals who belong to these associations as members have a network where they can build professional peer-to-peer discussions on various relevant issues. Moreover, these associations provide them with platforms to engage other stakeholders that are important to the profession’s success.
References.
Baker, D. B. & Sperry, H. (2019). History of psychology. Adapted for use by Queen’s University. The opening chapter in R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. Retrieved from http://noba.to/j8xkgcz5
Leahey, T. H. (2012). A history of psychology: From antiquity to modernity (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Kendra Cherry (2020). American Psychological Association in the US (online), www.verywellmind.com (accessed on 11/08/2020)
American Counseling Association is the governing council (2014).ACA code of ethics.
American Counseling Association (2011). ACA standing committee leadership manual
Carey, J., & Dimmitt, C. (2012). School counseling and student outcomes: Summary of six statewide studies. Professional School Counseling, 16(2), 146-153. doi: 10.5330/PSC.n.2012-16.146
Tetrick, Lois. (2010). Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 10.1002/9780470479216.corpsy0906.