The Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (BAPPI) is currently seeking members to serve on one of two separate Task Forces: Task Force on Re-envisioning the Multicultural Guidelines of the 21st Centuryand Task Force on Guidelines Focused on Race and Ethnicity.
The original Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists (referred to hereafter as the Multicultural Guidelines) were adopted as APA policy by the Council of Representatives in 2002. In the intervening years, there has been enormous domestic and global change affecting the lives of individuals, communities, countries and society at large, as well as the development of substantial new multicultural conceptual and empirical scholarship. BAPPI has determined that the wealth of scholarship specific to race/ethnicity as well as the scholarship focused on other identity groups warrants splitting the 2002 Multicultural Guidelines into two separate sets of guidelines going forward: one focused on “pan” or “umbrella” multicultural guidelines that captures universal concepts based on the scholarly literature across a broad cross section of identity groups (e.g., age, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation and gender diversity, social class), and the other focused specifically on the race/ethnicity related scholarly developments since the 2002 Multicultural Guidelines were adopted.
To develop these two separate sets of guidelines, two Task Forces will be convened, each focusing on one of the following:
Task Force on Re-envisioning the Multicultural Guidelines of the 21st Century: This Task Force will review the diversity scholarship across the full expression of all aspects of human diversity with the goal of developing “pan” or “umbrella” guidelines that capture the universal concepts that are common across the experiences of diverse groups. The hope is by reviewing this broad cross section of literature focused on various identity groups that the authors will be able to create a framework for diversity guidelines that position psychology going forward. Thus, the Board is seeking individuals who are fully cognizant of the extent literature and new dimensions of diversity (e.g., multiple and complex identities, intersectionality, individual and group conflicts among or across different identity groups, diversity conceptualizations in a global world), new ways of organizing our conceptual thinking about diversity issues, and are capable of creating new diversity frameworks for understanding all aspects of human diversity. The Board seeks individuals who are innovative thinkers, capable of organizing the extant literature into 21st century paradigms for understanding diversity.
Task Force on Guidelines Focused on Race/Ethnicity: This Task Force will review the abundant literature published since 2002 on race and ethnicity and determine a new framework of guideline statements that organizes the totality of scholarship both within psychology and from other disciplines about race/ethnicity.
BAPPI will select the members of both groups, and appoint a chairperson for each. Members of both Task Forces must be members of APA. Criteria used for selection of members will include level of knowledge, expertise, and experience relevant to the goals listed above. Individuals can apply or be nominated for consideration for either or both Task Forces, but if selected will serve only on the one for which he or she has been chosen by the Board.
Two APA documents that lay out the policies for how to create APA guidelines will guide and inform the Task Forces’ work (Developing and Evaluating Standards and Guidelines related to Education and Training in Psychology: Context, Procedures, Criteria and Format, and Professional Practice Guidelines: Guidance for Developers and Users). Task Force members will create the initial drafts, outlining the rationale and application for each guideline, and are responsible for reviewing and responding to feedback from APA boards and committees as well as the general public during an open review process. All guidelines must be submitted for formal review and approval through the APA governance process, and ultimately adopted as Association Policy. As such, they are automatically published in the American Psychologist, for which APA holds the copyright.
Task Force members will be required to attend one meeting in Washington DC in 2015, the specific date has yet to be determined, and must be prepared to work collaboratively and extensively between meetings under tight deadlines. Potential TF members must be flexible in their availability so meetings may be scheduled in a timely manner. Expenses related to all meetings will be covered by APA.
In addition to those from other sources/individuals, self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged. In order for any potential candidate to be considered, regardless of the source of the nomination, complete nomination packets must include: (a) a letter of interest from the candidate stating his or her willingness to meet the expectations laid out in this Call, (b) a nomination letter that includes a description of the candidate’s specific expertise and qualifications relative to the goals of the specific Task Force(s), and, (c) a current curriculum vitae. Candidates should indicate in their letter of interest their desire to be considered for one (please specify) or both Task Forces.
All nomination materials must be received by Sue Houston, Public Interest Directorate, at [email protected] no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 8, 2015. Candidates with relevant expertise not selected as Task Force members may be asked to serve as advisors and/or reviewers. Individuals who are not members of APA and those from other disciplines with relevant expertise may also be identified and consulted in the development of either or both sets of Guidelines.