Supporting Psychologists and Forging AheaD
Noelle L. Lefforge, PhD, MHA, CGP, ABPP
2025 APA President-Elect Candidate
presidential platform ON psychology's most pressing issues
FORGING AHEAD
Psychology is at a critical juncture, facing significant challenges that impact both our field and the broader society. As President-Elect of APA, I will focus on the urgent issues that demand bold leadership: strengthening public trust in psychological science; addressing systemic barriers to mental health care; confronting the deep-rooted problem of dehumanization; defending against the erosion of evidence-based policy; promoting sustainable career pathways for future psychologists; and ensuring psychology remains at the forefront of solutions to global crises.
The Need to Restore and Amplify Public Trust in Psychological Science
The rising tide of misinformation and anti-science rhetoric threatens psychology’s credibility and influence. We must reaffirm our commitment to empirical research and advocate for psychology’s role in shaping policies that address pressing societal issues. As APA President, I will ensure that our science is accessible, well-communicated, and central to decision-making on issues like climate change, public health, and social justice.
Overcoming Barriers to Mental Health Care Access
Despite advancements in psychological research and interventions, millions still lack access to care. The largest providers of mental health treatment in the United States remain prisons and jails—an unacceptable reality that underscores the urgent need for systemic reform. APA must lead efforts to expand access to evidence-based treatments, dismantle barriers rooted in socioeconomic disparities, and advocate for policies that prioritize community-based care and population health. We must build a workforce that reflects our communities and ensures equitable access to effective psychological services. Initiatives driven by psychologists, such as prescriptive authority, need support and expansion to tackle unmet needs.
Confronting Dehumanization and Its Societal Impact
Dehumanization fuels xenophobia, hate, discrimination, and oppression, making it easier to justify exclusion, violence, and systemic injustice. APA must take decisive action against dehumanization—whether in political rhetoric, policy structures, or institutional bias—by leveraging psychological science to dismantle harmful narratives, promote empathy, and cultivate collective responsibility. This work requires addressing targeted attacks on immigration, international students, LGBTQIA+ communities, and those who are targeted based on their racial and ethnic identities, as well as countering the rise in hate-based violence.
Beyond advocacy, psychology must help people build resilience against fear-based campaigns designed to divide and incite hostility. Strengthening critical thinking, fostering compassion, and providing platforms for curiosity over political divisiveness will create pathways for understanding and healing.
APA must also ensure psychological science directly supports well-being by safeguarding essential services, including protecting gender-affirming care, which remains under threat. Advancing social justice and equity in every facet of psychological practice is imperative.
Promoting Affordable and Sustainable Graduate Education in Psychology
The future of psychology depends on ensuring that becoming a psychologist is not only a promising career path but also an accessible one. Rising costs of graduate education, student debt burdens, and financial barriers disproportionately affect underrepresented groups—limiting diversity, innovation, and the profession’s ability to meet society’s evolving needs. APA must lead efforts to expand funding opportunities, reduce financial barriers to training, and build sustainable pathways for career development that strengthen both accessibility and professional viability.
Investing in mentorship and advocating for affordable education models will ensure the next generation of psychologists reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We must also support pathways into psychology at all educational stages, fostering early engagement and retention within the field. In addition, it is essential to establish clear and viable routes to licensed psychological practice at the master's level while simultaneously preserving and promoting the distinctiveness of doctoral-level training. This is an urgent issue as licensing routes in related disciplines (e.g., counseling) for master’s level psychology students narrow and close.
We, as doctoral-level psychologists across the broad field of psychology, bring unique expertise, depth, sophistication, and leadership which cannot be disregarded as we create an inclusive multitiered profession. Our added value to the workforce must be widely recognized to ensure our contributions are upheld and appropriately compensated within an evolving professional landscape.
Psychology’s Role in Policy and Global Challenges
Political and economic pressures continue to undermine evidence-based policymaking, particularly in healthcare, education, and criminal justice reform. Psychology must remain at the forefront of solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges — including health disparities, protection and promotion of human rights and democracy, and the ethical development of
artificial intelligence. We must stand firm against attempts to disregard empirical knowledge and actively apply psychological science to issues that shape our collective future.
APA must not only advocate but also implement real-world solutions to ensure psychology’s impact extends beyond academia and into meaningful action.
A Call to Forge Ahead
Leadership requires integrity, clarity, and courage. As a psychologist and governance leader, I bring a deep commitment to equity, transparency, and systemic reform. APA must empower its governance structures to mobilize action, strengthen the role of psychological science in shaping policy, and advocate tirelessly for the health and well-being of all communities.
We have a long way to go—but psychology has the tools to get us there. I invite you to Forge Ahead with me.
Vote Noelle Lefforge for APA President-Elect
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