Midterm elections are fast approaching. There are 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 U.S. Senators up for re-election this November. Psychologists can make an impact on the profession by advocating for candidates who support strong mental health policies. One way to be an advocate: Attend a town hall meeting.
Participate in your member of Congress’s town hall meetings
Town hall meetings are the perfect time for you to raise awareness for issues that promote psychologists and psychology.
Political candidates typically arrive early to speak with constituents one-on-one. It’s a good idea to get to the event as early as possible and sign up to ask a question during the "question and answer" portion of the meeting. Don’t be nervous about speaking up. Legislators hold town hall meetings because they want to hear your opinions and thoughts.
Town hall meetings generally begin with the member of Congress or political candidate giving a speech or set of informal remarks. A question and answer session follows the remarks. Afterwards, the candidate will speak individually with constituents. You may want to bring some factsheets or other materials that show what psychologists do and the policies that the Practice Organization supports, in case you get the chance to pass them on to the candidate or his/her staff.
We encourage you to talk with the candidates about issues that are currently important to us as a profession. Don't stray in the discussion by going into unrelated topics, such as foreign relations or tax issues, that have nothing to do with mental health.
Below are four general tips for crafting questions while attending town halls or meeting with candidates:
- Be a storyteller. Incorporate your own story as a practicing psychologist into your question. Keep in mind your audience includes your neighbors and fellow town hall attendees as well as the candidate.
- Make a concrete, verifiable request or “ask.” For instance, you can ask the candidate if they would support legislation to include psychologists in Medicare’s “physician definition.” The best “asks” are clear or actionable for the candidate, making it easy to verify whether they followed through or not.
- Don’t settle for talking points. Candidates will fall back on a set of canned responses to your real questions. Don’t let them. Engage with them respectfully, but firmly to get an authentic answer.
- Know your strengths. You can attend the town hall without asking questions or approaching a candidate or member of Congress. That’s OK. Showing up is doing your part — you’re supporting everyone else in the room and learning more about the candidate and your community.
If you encounter candidates that support psychology, please contact Jennifer Johnson.