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Responses and Statements

Statements and Responses to APA Monitor and other organizations.

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[expand title=”2014 APA president-elect candidate statement” expanded=”true” trigclass=”highlight”]

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[expand title=”2015 APA President-elect Candidate Statement” trigclass=”highlight”]

PSYCHOLOGY IS MY PASSION AND CALLING. THAT IS WHY I HAVE SPENT 35 YEARS HELPING PSYCHOLOGY HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.

 

APA HAS STOOD FOR THE INTERFACE OF SCIENCE, PEDAGOGY, PRACTICE AND PUBLIC SERVICE. THE FOUR SERVE AS FOUNDATION FOR MODERN PSYCHOLOGY. BUT FOR FAR TOO LONG EACH LEG HAS STOOD IN ISOLATION FROM THE OTHERS.

 

PSYCHOLOGY IS FACING WINDS OF CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY. WE ARE BEING CHALLENGED BY CONGRESS, LEGISLATURES AND THE PUBLIC TO PROVE OUR WORTH. SOME HAVE GIVEN UP, ACCEPTING THE STATUS QUO, NOT JOINING OR LEAVING APA BELIEVING THAT THE DREAMS THAT BROUGHT THEM TO PSYCHOLOGY ARE NO LONGER ACHIEVABLE.

 

I AM NOT WILLING TO ALLOW OUR PROFESSION, WHOSE FOUNDATION IS BASED ON SCIENCE, TO BE BEATEN DOWN. NOR AM I WILLING TO ALLOW PSYCHOLOGISTS TO BE LEFT BEHIND.

 

THIS UNCERTAINTY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP A NEW COMMON VISION FOR PSYCHOLOGY- AN APA FOR ALL MEMBERS.

 

GEORGE MILLER SAID HALF A CENTURY AGO “GIVE PSYCHOLOGY AWAY”. I SAY, “BRING PSYCHOLOGY BACK”. AS A TEACHER, SCIENTIST, CLINICIAN AND POLICY MAKER NOT ONLY DO I BELIEVE THIS VISION, BUT I LIVE IT NOW MORE THAN EVER AS A FATHER OF TWO APA MEMBERS.

 

THE FOLLOWING WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED:

 

  1. DEVELOP A TASK FORCE TO INVEGORATE INTEGRATION WITHIN & OUTSIDE OF APA.
  2. ADDRESS DECREASING APA MEMBERSHIP.
  3. THE INTERSHIP CRISIS WILL END.
  4. OUR ADVOCACY MESSAGE WILL BE COHESIVE AND INTEGRATED ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY.

 

THIS IS WHAT I WANT FOR MY CHILDREN, STUDENTS, CLIENTS, AND YOU BUT MOST OF ALL FOR SOCIETY. LET US DREAM AND WORK TOGETHER TO PLACE APA WHERE IT SHOULD BE-

 

A LEADER IN TODAY’S WORLD.

 

I AM TONY PUENTE AND PROUD TO BE A PSYCHOLOGIST. I WOULD BE HONORED AND PRIVILEGED TO SERVE YOU AS PRESIDENT OF APA.

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[expand title=”Council of Representatives Speech” trigclass=”highlight”]

A NEW COMMON VISION FOR PSYCHOLOGY

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES
02.22.15

COLLEAGUES:

HELLO, I AM TONY PUENTE.

I AM A CUBAN-AMERICAN. AS PROUD AS I AM OF MY ETHNICITY, I AM EVEN PROUDER TO BE AN AMERICAN.

I AM NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST, AS PROUD AS I AM OF MY SPECIALTY, I AM EVEN PROUDER TO BE A PSYCHOLOGIST.

PSYCHOLOGY IS MY PASSION, MY CALLING AND THAT IS WHY I HAVE SPENT OVER THREE DECADES HELPING PSYCHOLOGY HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.

APA HAS STOOD FOR THE INTERFACE OF SCIENCE, PEDAGOGY, PRACTICE AND PUBLIC SERVICE. ONE WITHOUT EACH OF THE THREE OTHERS IS LIKE A FOUR LEGGED TABLE WITHOUT ONE LEG, THE TABLE COLLAPSES.

THESE FOUR SERVE AS THE FOUNDATION FOR MODERN PSYCHOLOGY. BUT FOR FAR TOO LONG EACH LEG HAS OFTEN STOOD IN ISOLATION FROM THE OTHERS.

WE NOW ARE FACING SIGNIFICANT WINDS OF CHANGE.

WE ARE BEING FISCALLY CHALLENGED BY CONGRESS, STATE LEGISLATURES AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO PROVE OUR WORTH.

THIS IS A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY.

SOME IN PSYCHOLOGY HAVE GIVEN UP, ACCEPTING THE STATUS QUO, NOT JOINING OR WORSE LEAVING APA OR ITS DIVISIONS BELIEVING THAT THE DREAMS THAT BROUGHT THEM TO PSYCHOLOGY ARE NO LONGER ATTAINABLE OR SUSTAINABLE.

I, FOR ONE, AM NOT WILLING TO ALLOW OUR PROFESSION, SOLIDLY BASED ON SCIENCE, TO BE BEATEN DOWN. NOR AM I WILLING TO ALLOW PSYCHOLOGISTS TO BE LEFT BEHIND. WE ARE NOT SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS. WE DESERVE TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.

LET US VIEW THIS CURRENT UNCERTAINTY AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP A NEW COMMON VISION FOR PSYCHOLOGY.

GEORGE MILLER SAID HALF A CENTURY AGO “GIVE PSYCHOLOGY AWAY”. I SAY, “BRING PSYCHOLOGY BACK” – IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THAT VISION.

I BELIEVE AND LIVE THIS VISION- AS A TEACHER, SCIENTIST, CLINICIAN AND POLICY MAKER.

NOW MORE THAN EVER, I HAVE A GREATER PERSONAL CALLING THAN I HAD WHEN I JOINED APA. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN WHO ARE PSYCHOLOGISTS AND MEMBERS OF APA.

HERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT WILL BE DONE TO ACHIEVE THIS VISION:

1. ADDRESS INTEGRATION WITHIN AND OUTSIDE OF APA.
2. ADDRESS DECREASING MEMBERSHIP WITHIN APA.
3. THE INTERSHIP CRISIS HAS TO COME TO AN END, NOW.
4. FINALLY OUR ADVOCACY MESSAGE WILL BE COHESIVE AND INTEGRATED ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT FOR MY CHILDREN, FOR MY STUDENTS, FOR MY CLIENTS, AND FOR YOU- AND MOST OF ALL FOR SOCIETY.

LET US DREAM AND WORK TOGETHER TO PLACE APA AND PSYCHOLOGY IN THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE-

A LEADER IN TODAY’S WORLD.

I AM TONY PUENTE, I AM PROUD TO BE A PSYCHOLOGIST, I WOULD BE PROUD, HONORED AND PRIVILEGED TO SERVE YOU AS PRESIDENT OF THIS GREAT ORGANIZATION.

MUCHAS GRACIAS!

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