Robert McGrath for APA President

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A Teacher: I have been teaching psychology for over 20 years at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and currently serve as the Director of the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology and the M.S Program in Clinical Psychopharmacology.

A Scientist: My research program, primarily in measurement and applied assessment and professional issues in pharmacotherapy, has produced over 150 publications and presentations.

A Clinician: As a licensed psychologist (New York) I continue to supervise graduate students in assessment and psychotherapy

A Legislative Advocate: I have been involved in legislative activities in several states over the last eight years. This has included testifying to legislators and helping to write bills.

An Active Member of the Discipline: Currently I’m a member of Divisions 8, 12, and 55. Recent projects include helping to found the Primary Care Coordinating Group, which is a large group working on enhancing psychologists' involvement in primary care; participation in the development of practice and training guidelines for pharmacotherapy and proposals for proficiencies in assessment and psychopharmacology; and membership in the Div. 12 Committee on Science and Practice.

An Active Citizen: In my free time, I serve as the chair the primary environmental group in my home town.

WHAT I BELIEVE
We can become better advocates for ourselves and for society. Psychologists have a great deal to offer concerning social policy. We should increase our involvement in identifying solutions for social problems. However, these solutions will have little effect without greater involvement in the political system. Advocacy is also the key to maintaining the economic viability of psychology as a profession, and to increased federal support for psychological research.

APA can become a more integral part of psychologists’ professional lives. Opportunities for more hands-on experiences include more distributed training in advocacy, greater emphasis on involving psychologists in the organization, and more collaboration with other organizations.

Empirically based methods are the future of psychology. As scientists however we must critically evaluate the arguments made in the name of empiricism to avoid rigidity. We are just beginning to evaluate how to best disseminate demonstrably valid methods in psychology, and APA can lead the way.

Psychology must re-establish its reputation for ethical rigor. The Ethics Code has become both a statement of moral principles and a legally binding document. This dual role has complicated efforts to use the Code in support of ethical behavior by psychologists, and must be addressed.