LibGuides: ACRL/EBSS Psychology Committee: Professional Associations

Introduction

This is a selective list of U.S.-based national organizations listed in the Directory of Associations whose members are primarily professionals, with degrees in psychology or related fields, and have over 1,000 members.

National Associations & Organizations

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)
Professional society of physicians who have completed an additional 5 years of residency in child and adolescent psychiatry.
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Founded: 1953; based in Washington, D.C. Includes 60 regional groups; holds an annual meeting (October).
Members: 8,000.
Publications: AACAP News (bimonthly newsletter) and Journal of the AACAP (monthly).
Website: includes free online resources for families (including a “Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Finder”), medical students, and members.
Membership: open to practicing physicians and medical students only.
American Counseling Association (ACA)
Organization made up of counseling professionals in elementary, secondary, and higher education; community agencies and organizations; rehabilitation programs; government, industry, business, and private practice; career counseling; and mental health counseling.
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Founded: 1952; based in Alexandria, VA. Includes 4 regional and 56 state groups; holds an annual conference (March).
Members: 45,000.
Publications: Career Development Quarterly; Counseling and Values (3/yr); Journal of Addictions and Offender Counseling (semiannual); Journal of College Counseling (semiannual); Journal of Counseling and Development (quarterly); The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development (quarterly); Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development (quarterly).
Website: includes content for members, students, and some news/public policy information for the public, and podcast series, blog, and counselor directory.
Membership: open to professionals with master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or closely related field, students, and affiliates interested in the work of the organization.
American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)
Organization of professional counselors employed in mental health services who aim to deliver quality mental health services to children, youth, adults, families, and organizations.
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Founded: 1976; based in Alexandria, VA. Includes 50 state groups; holds an annual National Leadership Conference (training for presidents-elect and emerging state leaders).
Members: 5,500.
Publications: Advocate (newsletter 11/yr) and Journal of Mental Health Counseling (quarterly).
Website: content primarily for members, but also includes a “Find a Counselor” search.
Membership: open to professionals with a master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or related field, students, and those whose work responsibilities relate to human resources/personnel.
American Psychiatric Association (APA)
The APA is the world’s largest professional society for medical specialists who are psychiatrists providing treatment for persons with mental disorders, intellectual disability, and substance-related disorders.
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Founded: 1844; based in Alexandria, VA. Includes 74 regional and 2 state groups; holds annual meeting (May).
Members: 38,000.
Publications: The American Journal of Psychiatry (monthly), Psychiatric News (semimonthly), and Psychiatric Services (monthly), Focus – The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry (quarterly), Academic Psychiatry (bi-monthly), The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences (quarterly), and Psychosomatics – The Journal of Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry (bi-monthly, published by Elsevier starting 2011); produces the PsychiatryOnline.com database (includes DSM and textbooks), the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) and many other books.
Website: provides information for members, medical students, and the public (via HealthyMinds.org) and includes free access to archive of news releases back to 2004.
Membership: international, including U.S., Canada, and worldwide; open to psychiatrists or those in the process of becoming psychiatrists.
American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA)
Oldest national organization in the U.S. for psychoanalysts; includes 30 accredited training institutes and 39 affiliate societies in the U.S.
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Founded: 1911; based in New York, NY. Includes 42 local groups; holds semiannual conference (Jan/Jun).
Members: 3,500
Publications: The American Psychoanalyst (quarterly) and Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association (quarterly).
Website: provides information for members, but also the public (including Find a Psychoanalyst directory).
Membership: open to candidates and graduates of APsaA Accredited Training Institutes and New Training Facilities and members of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) or graduates of an institute of an IPA component society.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the U.S. and is the world’s largest association of psychologists with 54 divisions representing sub-disciplines of psychology (e.g. experimental, social, clinical) or topical areas of interest to members such as aging, ethnic minorities, or trauma.
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Founded: 1892; based in Washington, D.C. Includes 7 regional and 58 state groups; holds an annual meeting (August).
Members: 150,000.
Publications: 64 journals covering all core areas of psychology.
Website: resources for members, students, librarians, and the public; free online access to archives of the Monitor on Psychology magazine (beginning with January 2000) and news and brief articles on current topics in psychology and psychology “help center” articles. Includes a bookstore, a “Find a Psychologist” search, and information on scholarships, grants, awards, and continuing education.
Membership: members status -- doctoral degree indicating proficiency in the field of psychology; also open to undergraduate and graduate students, internationals, and high school teachers meeting membership criteria.
Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP)
Promotes the development of research, theory, and intervention strategies in sport psychology and the provision of psychological services in sport an exercise psychology with a focus on three major areas: health and exercise psychology; performance psychology; and social psychology.
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Founded: 1986; based in Madison, WI. Holds an annual conference (fall).
Members: 1,200
Publications: Directory of Graduate Programs in Applied Sport Psychology (quarterly) and Journal of the Applied Sport Psychology (quarterly).
Website: content primarily for members, but also has free online access to articles for athletes, health and fitness personnel, and parents, and on the topic of injury and rehabilitation.
Membership: open to professionals with master’s or doctoral degree in sport psychology or related field, students, and affiliates with an interest in sport psychology.
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
An interdisciplinary organization of psychologists primarily, but also psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, physicians, dentists, nurses, students, and other professionals who share an interest in the investigation and application of behavioral, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to assessment, prevention, and treatment of problems of the human condition.
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Founded: 1966; based in New York, NY. Holds an annual conference (November). Members: 4,500
Publications: The Behavior Therapist (8/yr); Behavior Therapy (quarterly), Cognitive and Behavioral Practice (quarterly), Directory of Graduate Training in Behavior Therapy and Experimental-Clinical Psychology (biennial), Directory of Psychology Internships: Programs Offering Behavioral Training (periodic), and various Fact Sheets and handbooks.
Website: provides information for the public (including a therapist search feature), for students and professionals in the field, and information for members.
Membership: open to professionals and students with appropriate credentials only.
Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP)
An international association of people committed to exploring and furthering the evolution of the human spirit.
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Founded:1962, by Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Charlotte Buhler, Rollo May, Virginia Satir (and others of the personal growth movement) “to foster the ability of each person to find and express their maximum potential as human beings – with an emphasis on consciousness, human dignity, and the capacity to direct our own destinies.” Based in Tiburon, CA. Holds an annual 2-day Winter Professional Training workshop (Cancun, Mexico).
Members: 2,000
Publications: AHP Perspective (bimonthly magazine); and Journal of Humanistic Psychology (quarterly).
Website: provides information primarily for members, but also a membership directory, list of accredited schools in humanistic psychology, an online bookstore, archive of sample articles from the AHP Perspective magazine, and links to current online articles on humanistic psychology.
Membership: open to all (including humanistic professionals, students, individuals, and organizations).
Association for Psychological Science (APS)
National organization whose members “seek to promote, protect, and advance the interests of scientifically-oriented psychology in research, application, teaching, and the improvement of human welfare.”
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Founded: 1988; based in Washington, D.C. Holds an annual convention (May).
Members: 20,000
Publications: APS Observer (monthly magazine); Current Directions in Psychological Science (bimonthly), Perspectives on Psychological Science (bimonthly), Psychological Science (monthly), and Psychological Science in the Public Interest (monograph, 3/yr).
Website: provides information primarily for members and students, but also includes podcasts, list of APS books, online articles related to current events, and free online access to some back-issues of journals.
Membership: open to professionals meeting criteria, individuals who have a member spouse, and students (graduate and undergraduate) enrolled in accredited degree-granting institutions.
Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS)
“Aims to advance mind and brain research with focus on the psychological, computational, and neuroscientific bases of cognition.”
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Founded: 1994; based in Davis, CA. Holds an annual meeting (April).
Members: 2,000.
Publications: Journal of Cognitive Science (monthly) and a monthly newsletter.
Website: minimal content aimed at members; includes free online access to archives of the newsletter (beginning with January 2009).
Membership: open to students, postdocs, and faculty.
Cognitive Science Society (CSS)
An organization aimed at “promoting scientific interchange among researchers in disciplines comprising the filed of Cognitive Science, including Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics, Anthropology, Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Education.”
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Founded: 1979; based in Austin, TX. Holds an annual conference (Jul or Aug).
Members: 1,200.
Publications: Cognitive Science (bimonthly); Topics in Cognitive Science (quarterly).
Website: provides information for members, students, the public (including a therapist search feature), for students and professionals in the field, and information for members.
Membership: open to professionals worldwide qualified to conduct research in cognitive Science beyond the dissertation (or equivalent experience); students enrolled in graduate/undergraduate programs; and anyone else may join as an affiliate.
National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP)
Organization that seeks to reunite the psychoanalytic schools of thought (Freudian, Jungian, Adlerian, and others) and establish training standards for the profession.
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Founded: 1972; based in New York, NY. Holds an annual conference (October/November).
Members: 1,700. Publications: NAAP News (quarterly newsletter) and Registry of Psychoanalysts (annual).
Website: content is for members, but also has free online access to archives of the newsletter (beginning with fall 2007).
Membership: open to professionals in psychoanalysis meeting qualifications, those in training, organizations, researchers/academics, and the public with an interest in psychoanalysis.
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
“Premier source of knowledge, professional development, and resources empowering school psychologists to ensure that all children and youth attain optimal learning and mental health.”
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Founded: 1969; based in Bethesda, MD.; includes 5 regional groups and 51 state groups. Holds an annual convention (February) and summer conferences (July).
Members: 23,000
Publications: Communique (newspaper, 8/yr); School Psychology Review (quarterly); and School Psychology Forum: Research and Practice (free online back issues of the scholarly electronic journal, beginning 2006).
Website: provides free online resources for parents, educators, graduate students, and members, including free online articles, podcasts, and fact sheets; and information on national accreditation.
Membership: open to school psychologists, school psychology faculty, students enrolled in related degree programs, and allied professionals who work in the field.
Psychonomic Society (PS)
Founded by a group of experimental psychologists whose main goal was to create a society that would support open communication about psychological science with minimal structure.
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Founded: 1959: Based in Green Valley, AZ. Holds an annual scientific meeting (November).
Members: 2,650
Publications: Attention, Perception and Psychophysics (8/yr); Behavior Research Methods (quarterly); Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience (quarterly); Learning and Behavior(quarterly); Memory and Cognition (8/yr); Psychonomic Bulletin and Review (bimonthly).
Website: content primarily for members.
Membership: open to individuals with a Ph.D. or equivalent in psychology or related field and must have published significant research beyond doctoral dissertation.
Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
“World’s largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to advancing understanding of the brain and nervous system.”
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Founded: 1969; based in Washington, D.C. Includes 104 local groups; holds an annual meeting (October/November).
Members: 40,000
Publications: Brain Briefings (newsletter); Brain Facts (booklet); and The Journal of the Neuroscience (weekly).
Website: content is primarily for members, but also students and the public; includes free online access to History of Neuroscience Autobiographies (complete 6-volume book series) and several “public information and education” research reports.
Membership: open to professionals, graduate and undergraduate students, affiliates with an interest in the organization, and institutions.
Society for Personality Assessment (SPA)
“World’s largest organization focused on the development of methods of personality assessment, advancement of research on their effectiveness, exchange of ideas about the theory and practice of assessment, and the promotion of the applied practice of personality assessment.”
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Founded: 1938; based in Falls Church, VA. Holds an annual conference (around March).
Members: 2,200
Publications: The Exchange (semiannual newsletter) and Journal of Personality Assessment (bimonthly).
Website: content primarily for members, but includes free online access to The Exchange newsletter (beginning with summer 2005).
Membership: open to professionals and graduate students meeting specific credentials.

Ethnic & Minority Organizations

Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA)
Largest organization of faculty, students, researchers, and practitioners interested in Asian American psychology.
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Founded:1972; based in Phoenix, AZ. Holds an annual conference (August).
Members: (unknown).
Publications: Asian American Journal of Psychology (quarterly); Asian American Psychologist (3/yr); and AAPA Digital History Project (archive of earlier AAPA publications) including AAPA’s early scholarly journal (1979-1989) and the AAPA monograph on the History of Asian American Psychology (1995).
Website: content is primarily for members.
Membership: open to persons with a master’s or doctorate degree in psychology, mental health, or related fields and/or shoes work and interests are consistent with purposes of the Association; students enrolled in psychology, counseling, mental health, or related fields; and interested organizations.
Association for Women in Psychology (AWP)
Organization "devoted to reevaluating and reformulating the role that psychology and the mental health field generally play within women's lives."
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Founded: 1969; based in Rohnert Park, CA.; Annual Feminist Psychology Conference in March.
Members: over 2,400.
Publications: AWP Newsletter (quarterly).
Website: content is primarily for members, but provides public access to information on a Reproductive Rights Portal as well as free online access to the newsletter.
Membership: open to professionals and students in psychology.
Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi)
Organization's goal is to "have a positive impact on the mental health of the national Black community by means of planning, programs, services, training, and advocacy."
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Founded: 1968; based in Ft. Washington, MD.; Annual convention in July.
Members: over 1,400
Publications: Journal of Black Psychology; Psych Discourse (monthly newsletter).
Website: content is primarily for members, but free online access to the newsletter.
Membership: open to persons having bachelors, masters, or doctoral degrees in psychology or related behavioral sciences fields as well as affiliates and institutions/agencies that share goals and objectives of the organization.
Society of Indian Psychologists - American Indian/Alaska Native (SIP)
An organization of medical professionals, social workers, drug & alcohol counselors, marriage and family therapists, and community counselors whose purpose is to “advance psychology as a science in service to Native peoples of the Americas".
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Founded: (n/a); based in Norman, OK. Holds an annual conference (June).
Members: (n/a).
Publications: Journal of Indigenous Research.
Website: content primarily for members, but has free online access to the newsletter.
Membership: open to professionals working in an area related to Indian Psychology; students enrolled in a recognized psychology program; and affiliate membership level for others interested in the work of the organization.

Honor Societies, Student, & Post Graduate Organizations

American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS)
Largest group of organized graduate psychology students worldwide -- representing about one third of all APA members; it “offers all its members enormous opportunities to enhance their development towards a career in psychology and to shape the future of the discipline”; and “strives to help students succeed in graduate school and to develop as a members of the psychological community.”
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Founded: 1988; based in Washington, D.C. Annual conference -- part of APA Convention (August).
Members: about 50,000.
Publications: APAGS Campus Representative Bulletin (quarterly); gradPsych (quarterly).
Website: includes content aimed at student members – graduate school, careers, convention news, free online access to archives of gradPSYCH magazine (beginning with May 2003) and Campus Representative Bulletin (beginning with 2007); EPP exam prep information; awards, research scholarships, and travel and training grants.
Membership: open to undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in psychology.
Psi Chi - International Honor Society in Psychology
Honor society affiliated with the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science; member of the Association of College National Honor Societies; functions as a “federation of chapters” located at colleges and universities throughout the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Ireland, and New Zealand.
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Founded: 1929; based in Chattanooga, TN. Includes 7 regional and 1,050 local groups; annual convention (part of APA Convention, August) and 6 regional conventions (varies).
Members: 510,000.
Publications: Eye on Psi Chi (quarterly magazine); Psi Chi journal of Undergraduate Research (quarterly).
Website: Content geared towards members; free online access to archival issues of Eye on Psi Chi (beginning with fall 1996) and the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research (beginning with spring/summer 1996).
Membership: open to graduate and undergraduate students and faculty meeting eligibility requirements.
Psi Beta - National Honor Society in Psychology for Community and Junior Colleges
Honor society affiliated with the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science; member of the Association of College National Honor Societies; recognizes outstanding achievement of community and junior college psychology students through a “federation of local college chapters.”
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Founded: 1981; based in Anaheim, CA. Includes 5 regional and 160 local groups; annual convention (part of APA Convention, August). Annual convention (as part of the APA Convention).
Members: 510,000
Publications: Psi Beta Chapter Handbook (annual) and a newsletter (semiannual).
Website: Content geared towards members; free online access to archival issues of the newsletter (beginning with fall 2000)
Membership: open to undergraduate students meeting eligibility requirements.

International

Global Psychology Alliance
List of International Organizations of Psychology maintained by the American Psychological Association's International Affairs Office.

State & Regional Associations

American Psychiatric Association: District Branches & State Associations (U.S. & Canada)

The sites below provide content primarily for members of respective State & regional associations

Library Associations & Organizations

Association of College Research Libraries (ACRL) -- Education and Behavioral Science Section (EBSS) -- Psychology Committee
Membership is open to librarians who have joined ALA's ACRL Division. The committee serves as a forum for librarians interested in psychology to become more active in EBSS, to address issues and areas of interest specific to the field of psychology.
The Association of Mental Health Librarians
Professional organization of individuals working in the field of mental health information delivery. Members come from a variety of settings: inpatient hospitals, academic and research institutions, and psychiatric and psychological agencies. Librarians, library assistants, library associates, and MLIS students or other individuals interested in the field of mental health librarianship are eligible to join.
International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) -- Social Science Libraries (Section 5)
Membership is open to associations, institutions, corporate partners, and individual practitioners in the field of library and information science worldwide. This section focuses on the delivery of library and information services, research, and practice in the broad domain of social sciences.