Sandy and International Psychology
Question 1: What are your goals, as APA President, for APA’s international engagement and for infusing an international perspective into APA’s own vision, activities, and initiatives? In its 2009 vision statement, APA aspired to be “a principal leader and global partner promoting psychological knowledge and methods to facilitate resolution of personal, societal, and global challenges…” Yet, the 2009 implementation of the strategic plan reflected no international perspective
Sandy's Perspective on Improving Children's Mental Health through the Science and Practice o
We have a children’s mental health crisis in this country, and we need all of psychology to help address it. The fact that we have watched daily as families have routinely been separated at our southern border reflects a major gap between psychology’s scientifically-based understanding of child adjustment and the development of effective, culturally-responsive public policy. Question 1. What do you see as the most pressing issues affecting children’s mental health? From my
Sandy's Ongoing Commitment to People of Color and Indigenous Peoples Within and Beyond Psycholog
Question 1. In what ways have you promoted the wellbeing of People of Color and Indigenous peoples in psychology and/or within society more broadly? In my early years, I grew up in post-war transitional housing and a low income, urban housing project, both interracial environments. I interacted with people of many colors daily, where lines were often drawn by race, SES and religion. I directly witnessed social injustices towards People of Color, and these experiences never
Sandy's Contribution to Women's Issues and Feminist Scholarship
My career has substantively focused on women’s issues and feminist principles and values, particularly in three areas: 1. Contributions to eradicating sexual harassment With Louise Fitzgerald, initiated first national study of sexual harassment in academia and the workplace. The study involved developing instrumentation to ascertain women’s experiences beyond the label of sexual harassment (SEQ). Cited globally and in Supreme Court cases and amicus briefs. Over twenty years
Question 5: How will your presidential initiatives reflect APA’s commitment to addressing social ju
Sandy's Response: APA can best embrace social justice/human rights efforts where we envision unique and/or significant impact, bringing a strong moral compass and utilizing our best science. We need a one-APA response structure that integrates science, practice and policy expertise to provide quick, systematic responses to issues such as DACA, immigration, violence, racism, poverty, health disparities, insidious bias and addictions. Social justice/human rights-focused initi
