Applying Psychological Science, Benefiting Society
“THEory into ACTion” is a series of cross posts from APA Division 27’s Community Psychology Practice Council blog. “THEory into ACTion” sheds light on community psychologists making positive change in the field. This cross post focuses on the services provided by the DePaul Family and Community Services Clinic to schools serving Chicago-area youth exposed to violence and trauma. DePaul […]
In this blog post, APA President-elect Nadine Kaslow and her colleagues offer parents advice on how to prevent teen suicide. By Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, Polina Kitsis, Mili Anne Thomas, MA, and Dorian A. Lamis, PhD Parents Can Make a Difference Every day, about 12 youth die by suicide. For every adolescent death by suicide you hear about, […]
By Thema Bryant-Davis, PhD (Psychologist and Associate Professor, Pepperdine University) The shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed African American teenager, by George Zimmerman, a bicultural (White and Latino) male has sparked large discussions and protests. Mr. Zimmerman’s acquittal has spurred even more controversy and debates about the realities of racism and racial profiling, including […]
By Tina Wolridge (PI Communications Staff) One of the hardest responsibilities of being a parent to a 13 year old girl is explaining the sexualized images of young women that are seen on TV, in skimpy clothing, magazines and sexy videos (the list goes on). It seems like all I do is say, “You can’t […]
By Gwendolyn Puryear Keita, PhD (Executive Director, APA Public Interest Directorate) Psychological research shows that people often notice differences between themselves and others, but judgments about the differences can be based on biased thinking. A national uproar. George Zimmerman’s acquittal of second degree murder charges in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin has […]
By Laurie “Lali” McCubbin, PhD (Member, APA Committee on Children, Youth, and Families) A recent Cheerios commercial of a multiracial family with a biracial child caused quite a stir in the media. When presented with images of racially ambiguous faces and multiracial families, many people responded with a range of feelings from celebration, unease to […]
By Kerry Bolger, PhD (Public Interest Government Relations Office) Did you know that the U.S. incarcerates more of its kids per capita than any other developed nation—and that we spend about $5 billion a year of taxpayers’ money to keep them locked up? Is that because a lot more kids in America are committing violent […]
By Michael Southam-Gerow, PhD (APA Committee on Children, Youth, and Families) More than 4 million children and teens have a serious mental disorder, but only 20 percent are getting the help they need. Did you know that it takes more than 15 years for an evidence-based treatment (EBT) to be used consistently in the community? […]
By Ashley Boal (Graduate Policy Intern- Public Interest Government Relations Office) Did you know youth (ages 13-24) account for 25% of new HIV infections? This equates to approximately 1,000 new HIV infections among youth each month, mostly among minority gay and bisexual men. As APA observes Pride Month, now is an ideal time to bring […]
By Mary Ann McCabe, PhD (Chair, APA Interdivisional Task Force on Child and Adolescent Mental Health) The economic costs to society of ignoring child mental health are staggering. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2009) estimates that childhood mental disorders account for the largest category of spending of health dollars for children (ages 0-17). […]
Psychology Benefits Society 