Test De Inteligencias Multiples

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne 2012, Vol. 53, No. 3, 151–158

© 2012 Canadian Psychological Association 0708-5591/12/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0027823

The Psychology of Advocacy and the Advocacy of Psychology
Karen R. Cohen
Canadian Psychological Association, Ottawa, Ontario

Catherine M. Lee
University of Ottawa

Robert McIlwraith
University of Manitoba and WinnipegRegional Health Authority, Manitoba
This article addresses needs and opportunities for advocacy for the science, education and practice of psychology from the perspectives of three leaders within organized psychology, academia, and hospital practice. The authors make distinctions between knowledge transfer and knowledge translation as well as between lobbying and advocacy. They define proactive andreactive advocacy and draw attention to the impact of self-promotion and the need for collaboration in advocacy activity. Further, the authors define the need for and application of advocacy within the university environment, highlighting how advocacy skills can be taught and can have a broad reach within university student populations. The authors then address the characteristics of a practiceenvironment upon which successful advocacy in this setting depends: the size of the problem, the effectiveness of available solutions, and the unique role psychology can play in the application of solutions. The article concludes by underscoring the collective responsibility psychologists have to be advocates and offers 12 steps in support of successful advocacy for psychology at individual,departmental, and organisational levels. Keywords: advocacy, lobbying, knowledge translation, advocacy training, steps in support of advocacy

As the national organisation representing psychologists, the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) has a long history of advocacy on behalf of the science and the profession of psychology. The mission and mandate of the CPA include two specific advocacyobjectives: • “To promote excellence and innovation in psychological research, education, and practice; • To promote the advancement, development, dissemination, and application of psychological knowledge.” (CPA, n.d.) http:// www.cpa.ca/aboutcpa/ The importance of these objectives to the membership of the CPA and to Canadian psychology is as salient now as it was in the early days of CPA’s organisation.The fruits of Canadian psychology’s advocacy efforts are evident as Canada boasts a strong scientific community of psychologists (Carleton, Peluso, & Asmundson, 2010), record-breaking enrolment in both undergraduate

Karen R. Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Psychological Association, Ottawa, Ontario; Catherine M. Lee, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa; Robert McIlwraith,Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University of Manitoba and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, MB. This article is based on a town hall discussion presented at the 2010 annual convention of the Canadian Psychological Association in Winnipeg Manitoba. The authors are grateful to John Service for his moderation of the town hall discussion and helpful comments on the manuscript. Correspondenceconcerning this article should be addressed to Karen R. Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Psychological Association, 141 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 702, Ottawa, ON, K1P 5J3. E-mail: kcohen@cpa.ca 151

and graduate programs in psychology (Canadian Association of University Teachers, CAUT, 2010), a well-established accreditation mechanism for professional psychology programs (Hunsley & Barker,2011), and psychologists contributing vital roles in diverse employment settings (Ronson, Cohen, & Hunsley, 2010). Advocacy initiatives are a prominent focus of the CPA’s newly formed Science and Practice Directorates. In addition to those advocacy efforts and activities supported by CPA, many important advocacy activities have been undertaken by provincial and territorial associations of...