Psychology is one of the broadest scientific disciplines that focus on the multifaceted study of behavior and mind. As a result, numerous professional psychological associations provide scholars of psychology with adequate information useful in studying, practice, research, career guidance, networking, and community involvement. They include American Psychological Association (APA), American Counseling Association (ACA), American School Counseling Association (ASCA) Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), and American Psychology and Law Society (AP-LS). These institutions serve the public in various measures thanks to their array of member benefits and professional resources. Through the collaboration of psychologists, the field of psychology has registered notable developments around the world. APA, ACA, ASCA, SIOP, and APLS have a unique vision, missions, and mandate but comprehensively serve a similar purpose of uniting and providing professional assistance to psychologists and scholars of psychology.
American Psychological Association (APA)
APA is the leading professional and scientific organization with over 121,000 members that comprise of practitioners, researchers, clinicians, educators, and students. Founded in 1892, APA was formed to regulate psychologists and their operations within the profession. Currently, the organization performs several functions aimed at assisting practitioners and scholars of psychology. APA regulates the practitioners and assigning of official titles. For instance, APA defines a “psychologist” as an individual who has a doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited institution ( American Psychological Association, 2020). Hence, they have the mandate to accredit college programs after ensuring the higher learning institution meets overall requirements and standards of teaching psychological programs. The organization oversees the publication of manuals and principles that guide communication of information through APA Style and codes of practice for psychologists and students. The association recognizes and awards top ten psychological researchers that have made significant impact or innovations to the field of psychology every year as a practice of encouraging the development of the discipline.
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The mission of APA is “ promote the advancement, communication, and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives” ( American Psychological Association, 2020). APA meets its mission by solving pertinent issues in society by positively utilizing psychological principles. Secondly, the organization conducts public education to promote the understanding and use of psychology in bettering the life of an individual and the whole society. Thirdly, APA standardizes and ensures institutions adequately prepare scholars to uphold the integrity of the profession and facilitate future development of the discipline ( American Psychological Association, 2020). Additionally, the association continuously strengthens its authority by setting standards and principles that not only guide the profession but also helps in the growth of the discipline.
Membership of APA is diverse, and the association strives to meet the needs of the members and help them excel in career and life. Members of APA enjoy both personal and professional benefits such as career development through the provision of expert information tailored to meet the needs of each member. Members get firsthand information on trends and academic journals or books at discounted prices. Additionally, the members have lifelong access to scholarships and discounted programs for continuing education. Through the website, members get an opportunity to meet other practitioners and veterans that help in building a strong network through all the 54 APA’s divisions ( American Psychological Association, 2020). The association provides members with savings opportunities through discounted financial services and rental products such as cars.
Additionally, a full member of APA has voting rights, eligibility to get into governing positions, and opportunities to serve and give back to the community. APA offers resources such as handouts, webinars, and guides for learning institutions that want to design their libraries into modern learning centers at a fee. It also avails learning resources for learners and educators for free in its campaign to promote the growth of the discipline of psychology ( American Psychological Association, 2020). The organization has a plethora of editors and reviewers that guide authors into writing scholarly articles and books. Additionally, they offer APA Style guidelines accessible to the public and publish journals on behalf of members and authors that contract their services.
American Counseling Association (ACA)
ACA is the world’s largest professional organization that exclusively represents professional counselors. Founded in 1952, ACA focuses on the growth and enhancement of counseling as a profession through its over 55,000 members. The association came into being as a result of four independent organizations coming together with a vision of ensuring every American and resident of the U.S. have access to quality professional counseling (American Counseling Association, 2020). The firm believes that every person has a right to mental health and wellness; hence it has professionals that serve people in multiple capacities.
ACA’s mission is to “Promote the professional development of counselors, advocate for the profession, and ensure ethical, culturally-inclusive practices that protect those using counseling services” (American Counseling Association, 2020). The organization meets its mission statement through the different types of counselors that cover the fields of mental health, family and marriage, vocational, and school. It facilitates advancing of the counseling profession by educating individuals and ensuring practitioners act professionally. The association values every person, and the institution provides practical manuals that practitioners could use to provide services customized to meet the identity, interest, ideas, and values of an individual (American Counseling Association, 2020). It has been ACA’s emphasis on the provision of evidence-based methodologies and practices that have enabled the firm to meet its stated mission.
The organization has dedicated most of its activities to serve and ensure full members get the best value for their loyalty through membership. As a member, one has full access to ACA’s award-winning publications such as newsletters and scholarly journals. The association offers members an opportunity to further their studies or advance their careers through award-winning scholarships, 12 free annual online courses, and Annual Conference & Expo. The organization provides tools, education, and consultancy services, including the ACA Code of Ethics that helps members to comply with the professional counseling standards. By bringing together professional counselors, members get an opportunity to make their voice and wishes heard by the relevant authorities (American Counseling Association, 2020). As a result, they can work together as a unit to ensure they push for policies that work for their profession and the welfare of the people they serve.
Additionally, ACA offers countless opportunities to its members such as a strong network of professional counselors and membership savings where members can get professional and personal products and services provided at ACA at a discounted price (American Counseling Association, 2020). ACA believes in protecting the welfare of everyone using counseling services. Hence they publish mental health resources on an array of topics that the public can access to assist them in achieving a full recovery.
American School Counseling Association (ASCA)
ASCA is a professional association created to support school counselors in their academic instructional work. The association exists on a model of four components, define, manage, deliver, and assess, that instructors can use to guide scholars to become focused, committed to academic work, and responsible professionals once they graduate. The association aids advocacy and research in learning institution counseling activities within the U.S. and around the globe. ASCA formulates standards, guidelines, and avails resources that enable counselors to offer learners’ evidence-based instructions, initiatives, and programs (American School Counseling Association, 2020). Through the formulation of programs and research, ASCA ensures school counselors have the necessary material to educate learners while upholding professional and ethical standards that lead to positive student outcomes. As a result, ASCA has been able to offer well-researched counseling tips and programs that have boosted professional development among learners of all levels across the world.
The mission of ASCA is “to represent school counselors and to promote professionalism and ethical practices” (American School Counseling Association, 2020). The association has been able to meet its mission through its goals and objectives. ASCA has emphasized the need for counselors to focus on critical needs of learners to ensure they provide the students with skills and knowledge to move to the next level of their academic journey. ASCA intensively invests in research and supports school counseling programs to ensure they operate within ASCA’s Model, professional, and ethical standards (American School Counseling Association, 2020). By maintaining a potent organizational structure, ASCA has been able to achieve its administrative functions that play a significant role in the accomplishment of the set missions.
Arguably, ASCA is a center that not only equips counselors with teaching skills but also develops learners into well-rounded individuals. Every member of ASCA is entitled to peer networking useful in professional development and periodicals for resourceful data utilization. As an organization dedicated to school counseling, ASCA comes up with programs that can transform today’s students into the ideal future leaders that everyone desires to see. Members have unlimited access to the institutional journals and magazines that are quite resourceful on school counseling tips (American School Counseling Association, 2020). ASCA offers free professional liability insurance that protects members from financial career risks. Some online resources on the website are available to the public where individuals who are not members have access and can use them to learn about the benefits of being a member of ASCA before they decide on joining.
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
SIOP, an organizational affiliate of the Association for Psychological Science, is an independent premier professional institution that deals with industrial-organizational psychology. SIOP addresses issues such as stress, fatigue, employee welfare, performance, among other workplace issues that occur at the organizational or individual level. Due to growing interest in the mental and physical well-being of employees, industrial-organizational psychology has become quite crucial to the extent that SIOP represents Division 14 of APA (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2020). Industrial-organizational psychology entails theoretical teaching, practice, science about organizations to increase employee productivity and overall organizational performance.
As an institution mandated with advancing psychology at the workplace, SIOP has a mission to “enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and work settings by promoting the science, practice, and teaching of industrial-organizational psychology” (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2020). SIOP meets its mission by supporting its members in understanding their physical and mental well-being through forums such as training and workshops. The association identifies various challenges and addresses them by expanding on the opportunities provided by the practice and science and of industrial-organizational psychology. The organization has programs and protocols with teaching schedules and instructions tailored to meet the specific needs of the industrial-organizational psychologists (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2020). Additionally, SIOP has ongoing campaigns aimed at creating public awareness of the field of industrial-organizational psychology.
SIOP, with global recognition, holds annual meetings attended by over 1,800 medical professionals from more than 110 nations. SIOP provides its members with up-to-date resources without subscription fee where they can keep themselves aware of things happening in the field of industrial-organizational psychology (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2020). SIOP has extensive coverage with members from different nations hence creates a networking system where members promote their brand, advertise their services, connect with best candidates, or find lucrative employment opportunities. Additionally, full membership guarantees an individual some form of incentives such as scholarships for continuing education or employment opportunities to further their career. SIOP developed a model that is freely accessible to the public. Also, the association provides instructional activities and case studies that enhance one’s understanding and applicability of the SIOP Model (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2020). Arguably, SIOP has the most flexible membership that allows people to choose from the different membership types available. The benefits from one membership type to another have minimal variations, but SIOP strives to ensure every member has maximum benefits based on the membership type they purchased.
American Psychology and Law Society (AP - LS)
AP-LS, Division 41 of APA, is an organization that enhances the well-being, human rights, and justice of people through practice and science of psychology in legal contexts. The purpose of AP-LS entails advancing public understanding of the law and how psychologists can play a role in promoting education in various regular settings (American Psychology and Law Society, 2020). The association also informs legal and psychological communities on the current educational and research activities that concern the two fields. The institution has a mandate to advance the science of psychology-law by uniting the two areas to ensure citizens get fair and just sentences. AP-LS stand out as a principal innovator and premier advocate of psychology-law, especially in the promotion of justice, human rights, and dignity.
The mission of AP-LS is “to enhance well-being, justice, and human rights through the science and practice of psychology in legal contexts” (American Psychology and Law Society, 2020). AP-LS organization meets its mission by employing several strategies such as the use of cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that brings together the two fields. As a result, they come up with evidence-based research findings useful in the formulation of policies and practices that harmonize activities of the two fields. The organization supports and is currently pushing for the training of students in either of the two areas to minor in the other subject for ease of integrating the two crucial sectors required to bring justice in criminal prosecutions. The corporate website provides resources to scholars of psychology interested in becoming forensic and criminal justice psychologists (American Psychology and Law Society, 2020). The platform includes mentoring programs for junior scholars in forensics and psychology classes. By bringing the stakeholders of the two fields in a single forum, AP-LS organization is continually working towards bringing the two sides into a single functional unit. The primary objective of pursuing its goal is to get governance into psychology and law to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the operations of the two fields.
Membership of AP-LS comprises of professionals and individuals interested in issues of law and psychology. The organization encourages people who are not in either of the two disciplines and students to join and be part of the transition and resources that the organization provides to the members. Students who are members of AP-LS are eligible to enjoy an array of outstanding services offered by the organization such as reading materials, a strong network with lucrative employment opportunities in both fields once a student graduates (American Psychology and Law Society, 2020). AP-LS considers its activities and values as evolutional and has in most cases called upon the public to access the free resources on their website and understand why the field of psychology and law should work as a unit.
In conclusion, APA, ACA, ASCA, SIOP, and APLS are some of the professional psychological associations that work around the clock to promote the development and growth of the discipline of psychology. Despite serving different missions, functions, and purpose, they have a similar vision of bringing together psychologists and other interested people to push for the betterment of the field of psychology. In my opinion, professional associations are valuable to students, early career, and senior psychologists because they serve a unifying purpose of ensuring the field of psychology grows and becomes respected. The associations have missions and visions that are geared towards improving the welfare of the practitioners and scholars in psychology.
References
American Counseling Association. (2020). Your passion, your profession, our purpose. http://www.counseling.org
American Psychological Association. (2020). Advancing psychology to benefit society and improve lives . https://www.apa.org/
American Psychology and Law Society. Education and training in psychology and law . http://www.ap-ls.org
American School Counseling Association. (2020). ASCA National Model . www.schoolcounselor.org
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Science for a smarter workplace . http://www.siop.org
