Advocacy Spotlight

Two activities started my advocacy journey. I became involved in advocacy through my state psychological association due to proposed legislation that would have significantly impacted my independent practice at the time. Although I had previously responded to APA action alerts and calls to action, it was in a more passive way. In becoming more active with my SPTA, I enjoyed the collegial and legislative relationships and developed a broader and deeper understanding of the impact of laws and regulations on our profession, the communities I served and the influence those relationships can create. This propelled me into leadership within my SPTA and governance in APA.

The second activity was advocacy in the community. As a rehabilitation psychologist, I was on the speaker’s bureau of several community organizations that advocated for disease prevention, research and services. This led to my serving on the Board of Directors of the local chapter of the Alzheimer‘s Association. It was through this service that I learned about grassroots advocacy, community networks and fundraising, which was the lifeblood of the community services that were provided.

As a psychologist, I initially believed that presenting research and data on the psychological science of an issue would sway legislators. I learned however that it is the personal stories that are more essential as they provide context and meaning about the value and importance of an issue. Balancing facts with personal testimony makes it easier for legislators to better understand the complexity of the issue and how the decisions they make will impact the quality of life for the people they represent.

I want every APA member to understand how APA’s advocacy priorities represent their interests and that APA advocacy is broader than federal advocacy. Historically, APA focused on legislative advocacy via Hill visits and Congressional testimony; regulatory advocacy through the filing of public comments; judicial advocacy through amicus briefs; and political action by supporting psychology champions financially. These all continue given their importance in this rapidly changing environment. However, with APA’s strategic plan now also focused on maximizing APA’s impact on complex societal issues facing the field of psychology and the broader society, strategies for APA’s advocacy priorities also now focus on “everyday advocacy” to change the public narrative surrounding how psychology and psychologists contribute to and are integrated into the social fabric of their communities in which they live. Whether the lens is focused on racism and discrimination, climate change, equity for underserved populations or scope of practice, advocacy efforts are addressing each of these and more. I would like every APA member to become more engaged in advocacy as part of their professional identity as a psychologist.

I think two lessons I learned that I wish I had known earlier were that advocacy is a long game and it is all about relationships. Things may not change in a single session. But you can increase the likelihood of success by building relationships over time.

Kathleen Brown, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in health and rehabilitation psychology in her independent consulting practice in Fort Myers, Florida. As a rehabilitation psychologist, advocacy to promote the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities is a part of the foundational principles of the field and a component of one’s professional identity. Brown has been trained and worked within health systems with former positions as the director of training of the Clinical Heath Psychology Postdoctoral Program and chief of the Integrative Pain Management Center at Tripler Army Medical Center; chief, Psychology Services, Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific; chief, Inpatient Rehabilitation Psychology, University of California Davis Medical Center; and chief, Behavior Medicine, Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews Air Force Base while on active duty. She also was president, Health Psychology Associates, Inc., an independent group practice for over a decade. A fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA; Divisions 22, 31, 38, 55), Brown holds several leadership roles in APA. She is currently chair of the APASI Advocacy Coordinating Committee and chair, APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology Advisory Committee. She currently serves on the advisory committee for the APA Psychology PAC and on the board of the Foundation of Rehabilitation Psychology. She was president of Division 22, Rehabilitation Psychology, and the Hawaii Psychological Association.

Brown received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the APA-accredited Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science following her internship at the University of Alabama Birmingham Medical Center. Brown’s areas of clinical and research interest include pain management, oncology, leadership development, interdisciplinary team development, and adjustment/coping responses to medical illness and disability.