Professional Organizations

American Psychological Association (APA)

The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 118,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. There are 54 divisions of the APA—interest groups covering different subspecialties of psychology or topical areas.

One of the main roles that the APA plays is to help further psychology as a science. From the APA's official mission statement:

"The mission of the APA is to advance the creation, communication, and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people’s lives." 

According to the official website of the American Psychological Association, the "APA seeks to advance psychology as a science, a profession, and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare."

Some of the ways in which they do this is by encouraging the growth of psychology, promoting psychology research, establishing professional standards for psychologists, and increasing the distribution of psychological knowledge and research.

www.apa.org

National Latinx Psychological Association

The National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA) is a national organization of mental health professionals, academics, researchers, and students whose objective is to generate and advance psychological knowledge and foster its effective application for the benefit of the Latinx population.

NLPA roots go back as far as the 1970s, but the organization formally reorganized in 2002 and incorporated in Arizona, where its first national conference was held in 2004. Many of its professional, early career, graduate and undergraduate student members work in cities, rural areas, communities, hospitals, clinics, and universities across the USA.

NLPA’s membership represents a rich diversity of national background, ethnic and cultural origin and political ideology. NLPA does not presume to speak for all Latinx psychologists or psychologists interested in Latinx psychology. However, its members’ goal is to see a physical, psychological, and social environment for Latinxs in the USA that reflect the ideals of respect for mental health, dignity, and human and civil rights.

Collectively we are interested in:

• The mental health needs of individuals who have a Latinx background and live in the USA.
• Addressing the clinical work, research, teaching, training, and policy making of our members to better serve those individuals.
  
  www.nlpa.ws
  
  National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
  
  Founded in 1955, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with more than 120,000 members. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies.
  www.socialworkers.org