The APA Women s Programs Office is PSYCHED about women! Psychology in the Public Interest The Women's Programs Office (WPO) employs psychology in the public Interest to improve the health, education, well-being, and status of women psychologists and consumers of psychological services. WPO activities span the science, practice, education, and policy areas. The office works to: coordinate APA's efforts to ensure equal opportunities for women psychologists as practitioners, educators, and scientists; analyze initiatives and trends affecting women within APA and within psychology; eliminate gender bias in research, diagnosis and treatment, and education and training; promote the inclusion of women in research studies and encourage the analysis of sex and gender in the conduct and reporting of the results of research; improve women s access to health and mental health services and promote the inclusion of psychosocial and behavioral factors in women's health research and practice; monitor the welfare of women as consumers of psychological services, analyze the impact of governmental initiatives on women, and promote the development and application of psychological knowledge. Safety and Security APA Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls In October 2010, the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) approved the Committee on Women in Psychology s (CWP) request to establish an APA Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls. In December 2011, staffed the first meeting of the Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls. The task force will review the state of the literature of theory, research, and practice relevant to the trafficking of women and girls. Submitted multiple funding proposals that yielded $6,000 (including $1,000 from COR Women's Caucus) to support Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls 2011 expenses. 1
Members of the Task Force include: Mary C. Burke, PhD, Rita Chi-Ying Chung, PhD, Michelle Contreras, MA, Melissa Farley, PhD, Deborah L. Hume, PhD, James O. Finkenhauer, PhD, Terri D. Patterson, PhD, Alexandra S. Pierce, PhD, Marsha B. Liss, PhD, JD, and Nancy Sidun, PsyD, ABPP, ATR (Chair). Interpersonal Violence With CWP, developing a consumer fact sheet highlighting the mental health consequences of intimate partner violence, including information on prevalence, screening, and local and national resources. Related Briefings Attended by WPO Staff In October 2011, attended "Trafficking and Violence Against Women and Girls with Disabilities," sponsored by The American University Washington College of Law. In October 2011, attended "Breaking the Shackles: A Forum on Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking" sponsored by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In October 2011, attended "Addressing Violence Against Women and Families: Progress and Challenges," briefing sponsored by the Young Women's Christian Association, Women s Policy, Inc., and the Congressional Caucus for Women s Issues. In November 2011, attended "Women and the Arab Spring: Spotlight on Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya," a congressional hearing called by the US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, and Global Women s Issues. In November 2011, attended "The Fight Against International Human Trafficking: How Evaluation Research Can Help," sponsored by the Urban Institute. Youth Empowerment Sexualization of Girls In January 2011, ordered 3rd printing of the Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. In April 2011, participated in "Advocacy Against Sexualization Summit" hosted by PI-GRO to create a strategic plan to encourage healthy media images of women and girls. In April 2011, the "What Girls Can Do" tip card won the 2011 American Inhouse Design Award from Graphic Design USA. In May 2011, interviewed for two news stories broadcast on local Washington, DC News station WUSA entitled "Products Send Young Girls Evocative Messages" and "How Parents Can Combat Images and Products That Push Girls to Grow Up Too Soon." 2
In August 2011, interviewed for ABC News Nightliine.com article "10 year-old Model's Grown-up Look: High Fashion or High Risk." Disseminated "What Girls Can Do" tip card to local Girls Scout Troops and DC Public Schools. Career Development APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology (LIWP) In March 2011, hosted APA LIWP 3rd annual Spring Follow-on Program with twenty-one members of the 2010-2011 class returning. The agenda included managing fiscal resources, navigating personnel challenges, and individual coaching sessions. In January 2011, issued Call for Applications for the 4th Annual APA LIWP. The 2011-2012 class was expanded to include mid-career women psychologists who work in academic, academic medical, clinical and consulting settings. In August 2011, held the 4th Annual APA LIWP just prior to APA Convention in Washington, DC. The 43 participants took part in a two-day workshop that included interactive modules on leadership models, career goal-setting and planning, negotiation skills, mentoring networks, and work-life integration. Dr. Dorothy W. Cantor, President of the American Psychological Foundation (APF) delivered the Luncheon Address. In August 2011, co-hosted a fundraiser breakfast with the APA LIWP Executive Committee and the APF LIWP Fund at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, DC. Her Excellency Dr. Paulette Bethel, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to the United Nations, addressed the audience on gender equality and the empowerment of women. In May 2011, the APA LIWP was featured in Monitor article, "Expanding Opportunities for Women's Leadership. Webinars offered in 2011: Ethics from the Leader Perspective by Dr. Jessica Henderson Daniel; Becoming an APA Leader by Drs. Nadine Kaslow and Nancy Gordon Moore; and Having Difficult Conversations by Drs. Karen Wyche and Mary Casey Jacob. APA Governance Survey Continued discussion with the APA Science Directorate regarding the future of the APA Governance Survey, which collects data on the level of representation of diverse groups serving on and running for office in APA governance. Women in the APA In December 2011, completed tables for Women in the APA, including a timeline of women APA presidents, the representation of women on the Board of Directors and Council, and those serving in APA Division executive committees. Related Briefings Attended by WPO Staff In April 2011, presented poster entitled "Building a Pipeline to Women's Leadership" at the Association for Women in Psychology conference. In September 2011, attended Roundtable on Women and the Economy, sponsored by the Institute for Women s Policy Research. 3
In October 2011, attended The Gender Wage Gap: What is the Impact on Women and their Families? sponsored by Women s Policy, Inc. and the Congressional Caucus for Women s Issues. In November 2011, attended White House Briefing Series Women and the Economy hosted by US Secretary of Labor, the Honorable Hilda Solis. Health and Wellness Inequity to Equity: Promoting Health and Wellness of Women with Disabilities In October 2011, partnered with the APA Office on Disability Issues in Psychology to host the Inequity to Equity: Promoting Health and Wellness for Women with Disabilities," a two-day conference funded in part by a contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health to develop an integrated health care agenda to improve health outcomes for women with disabilities. Postpartum Depression In March 2011, released the French version of the Postpartum Depression consumer brochure. The brochure is also available in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese. Health Promotion In April 2011, invited to present on research and policy opportunities for women in behavioral sciences for the Women's Health Special Interest Group during the Society of Behavioral Medicine annual meeting. In November 2011, appeared as a guest on Evening Exchange, a TV-talk show produced by Howard University's WHUT-TV public television station to talk about Black women and body image issues. Education & Outreach Women with Disabilities in STEM Education In March 2011, attended the 55th Annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women: Access and Participation of Women and Girls in Education, Training and Science and Technology, including for the promotion of women's equal access to full employment and decent work. In September 2011, awarded a one-year grant from the National Science Foundation to support the Women with Disabilities in STEM Education Research Agenda Development Project, which will lead to a 5-year research agenda to identify barriers and promote successful outcomes for women with disabilities in STEM education. Women s Psych-E Continued to produce Women's Psych-E, a free electronic newsletter that focuses on the psychological aspects of women's health and well-being, research initiatives, and announcements about meetings and conferences. 4
Internships In June and July 2011, hosted a graduate intern who assisted with the APA Task Force on the Trafficking of Women and Girls, and the APA LIWP. From August through November 2011, hosted undergraduate intern who assisted with the Inequity to Equity conference, and the APA Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls. Diversity Black Women s Health Initiative In October 2011, partnered with the LINKS, Inc. Eastern Area to develop a presentation on mental health challenges and supports impacting African American women. Currently working on a Memorandum of Understanding with the LINKS to develop a project focused on the health needs of college-educated African American women. Multicultural Linkages In January 2011, attended biennial National Multicultural Summit "Unification Through Diversity: Bridging Psychological Science and Practice in the Public Interest." In September 2011, invited to the Embassy of Finland in Washington, DC to discuss the plight of at-risk girls in Finland. In November 2011, hosted two National Albanian American Council Fellows. The two women leaders from Kosovo, Balkans hope to launch a national psychological association in their homeland. WPO Publications (available online at http://www.apa.org/pi/women/resources/reports/index.aspx) Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP) two decades of change 1973-1993 (http://www.apa.org/pi/ women/committee/decades-of-change.pdf) Making "Welfare to Work" Really Work (http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/poverty/welfare-towork.aspx) Report of the APA Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion (http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/ abortion/index.aspx) Research Agenda for Psychosocial and Behavioral Factors in Women's Health (http://www.apa.org/pi/ women/resources/reports/research.aspx) Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/ report.aspx) Summit on Women and Depression: Proceedings and Recommendations (http://www.apa.org/pi/women/ programs/depression/summit-2000.pdf) Women in Academe: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/ academe/women-in-academe.aspx) Women in the American Psychological Association (http://www.apa.org/pi/women/committee/wapa- 2006.pdf) Responses to Workplace Violence Post-9/11: What Can Organizations Do? (http://www.apa.org/pi/women/ resources/reports/post-911-work.aspx) Postpartum Depression Brochure (http://www.apa.org/pi/women/resources/reports/postpartum-dep.aspx) 5