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| National Latina/o Psychological Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Latina/o Psychological Association |
| Abbrev | NLPA |
| Formation | 1980 |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | United States, Puerto Rico |
| Membership | Psychologists, students, clinicians |
| Leader title | President |
National Latina/o Psychological Association is a nonprofit professional organization serving Latinx psychologists, trainees, and allied professionals in the United States and Puerto Rico. Founded amid growing calls for culturally responsive mental health services, the association connects clinicians, researchers, educators, and community leaders to advance psychological science and practice for Latinx communities. It collaborates with universities, foundations, government agencies, and civil rights organizations to influence training, research, and policy affecting Latinx mental health.
The association emerged during the same era that saw the rise of ethnic minority professional groups such as American Psychological Association, Association of Black Psychologists, Society of Indian Psychologists, and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Founding figures and early members included clinicians and scholars linked to institutions like University of California, Los Angeles, University of Texas at Austin, New York University, Columbia University, and University of Puerto Rico. Its development paralleled policy and legal events including Civil Rights Act, Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Chicano Movement, Young Lords, and advocacy by organizations such as National Council of La Raza and League of United Latin American Citizens. The association built alliances with research centers and training programs at Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and regional clinics serving populations affected by events like Hurricane Maria and local public health crises.
The association’s mission emphasizes culturally informed psychological science, service delivery, and social justice, aligning with goals advanced by groups such as American Psychological Association Division 45, Society for Research in Child Development, National Institutes of Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and philanthropic partners including Ford Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Core goals reflect commitments to training bilingual practitioners, promoting community-based participatory research at centers like Center for Latino Policy Research and advancing workforce diversity through collaborations with Consortium of Hispanic Serving Institutions and professional pipelines such as McNair Scholars Program and Psi Chi.
The association is governed by an elected Executive Board including President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Directors representing clinical, counseling, school, and community psychology. It maintains standing committees and task forces mirroring structures at American Psychological Association, Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, and regional bodies like Western Psychological Association and Eastern Psychological Association. Affiliations include student groups at campuses such as University of California, Berkeley, University of Florida, Arizona State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and partnerships with community institutions like Clinica Campesina and hospitals including Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital for training placements.
Signature initiatives include culturally tailored training workshops, mentorship programs for early career professionals, and research grants supporting topics like acculturation, trauma, and bilingualism. Programs have been funded or partnered with agencies such as National Science Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Administration for Children and Families, and community partners like United Way and Catholic Charities. Initiatives address issues intersecting with legal contexts such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, healthcare access debates related to Affordable Care Act, and disaster mental health responses after events like Hurricane Katrina.
Membership categories encompass licensed psychologists, graduate students, undergraduate affiliates, and international members. Local chapters and student organizations operate at universities and regions including Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami, San Antonio, Phoenix, New York City, San Diego, Denver, and Philadelphia. Chapters coordinate with allied organizations like National Association of Social Workers, Latino Behavioral Health Institute, National Alliance on Mental Illness, and campus organizations such as Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán.
The association hosts annual conferences, symposia, and regional meetings featuring presenters from institutions such as University of California, San Diego, Brown University, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Minnesota. Proceedings, policy briefs, newsletters, and journals produced or co-published in collaboration with presses and journals like American Psychologist, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Journal of Latina/o Psychology, Child Development, and academic presses at Oxford University Press and Routledge disseminate research on Latino mental health, immigration, bilingual education, and community interventions.
The association engages in advocacy on mental health parity, immigration-related stressors, culturally responsive assessment, and workforce diversity, often submitting statements to agencies such as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, and legislative bodies including the United States Congress and state legislatures. It collaborates with civil rights and professional organizations like American Civil Liberties Union, National Hispanic Medical Association, Hispanic Federation, and League of United Latin American Citizens to influence policies impacting Latinx psychological wellbeing, language access, and anti-discrimination protections.
Category:Psychology organizations in the United States