Students assume many roles during their graduate careers, but most feel too overwhelmed by academic, research, and/or clinical responsibilities to take part in what may be the most critical priority for their professional and personal livelihood: the role of being an advocate.

The Advocacy Coordinating Team (ACT) is the branch of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) that promotes the welfare of graduate students and the vigor of the profession by their participation in federal and state legislative advocacy. Many students are poorly informed of the importance of advocacy in their professional development and are unaware of their power to affect policy decisions that impact the education and profession of psychology. In addition, students have many misperceptions about the political process that serve as barriers. These barriers include: feeling powerless and ineffectual about their ability to impact legislation and policy decision making; fear and nervousness about visiting congressional leaders due to lack of knowledge of issues and the process of influencing policy; concern about how to present oneself; the perception that students are insignificant constituents and that representatives will be unreceptive; and finally, feeling apprehensive and apathetic towards writing, calling, or visiting elected officials.

Political consultants and congressional representatives repeatedly remark that input and feedback from constituents is critical to policy decisions. Students who have communicated with their representatives via Hill visits remark that they felt appreciated by the congressional staff and empowered by their involvement in the legislative process. Many students comment that they are impressed by the openness and availability of congressional offices to listen to student concerns and to discuss policy issues critical to students. More importantly, many congressional offices are not familiar with the many roles of psychology or the intricacies of graduate education in psychology, including financial debt, clinical caseloads, and academic/research responsibilities. Most appreciate the opportunity to be educated by student constituents on the role of psychology in health care.

In addition to providing education about psychological issues, a student can participate in the advocacy process by maintaining ongoing relationships with local representatives. This is less time consuming than many might assume and does not require large financial donations. Last year, I attended a dinner for my congressional representative, Karen Thurman. The local chapter of my state psychological association organized the dinner, and attendance was free for students. Representative Thurman sat with several students during the dinner and discussed a variety of topics that ran from legislative policy to common everyday events, including Elian Gonzalez and our latest diets. In addition to visiting with representatives and their staff, students can voice their concerns via letters, phone calls, and e-mails. Communicating periodically via these methods are additional ways of maintaining on-going relationships with your local and federal representatives. And of course, it is always critical to vote!

The ACT committee also organizes events in conjunction with local and national psychological conventions in order to train and motivate students to become effective advocates. For example, last year in Washington D.C., ACT co-sponsored a National Psychology Graduate Student Rally on the west steps of the US Capital in order to provide a national forum for students to voice and advocate for their needs and concerns. Specifically, the rally focused on recognizing the contributions of graduate students to our communities and advocating for increased federal funding for psychology training. Following the rally, students conducted Hill visits to meet with their congressional representatives to educate them about issues related to the training and practice of psychology.

ACT also offers resource guides that provide students, faculty, and psychological associations with strategies and suggestions for developing productive, collaborative activities within university campuses and between graduate students and psychological associations. (e.g., “Networking with APAGS in State and Provincial Psychological Associations: Advocacy, Professional Development, and Mentoring”). These guides are available online at www.apa.org/apags or by contacting the APAGS Central Office at apags@apa.org or (202) 336-6014.

Finally, there are several resources within APA that are oriented towards advocacy training:

1. Contact your Regional Advocacy Coordinator by visiting the APAGS website for email information.
2. APA's Public Policy Office (PPO) sponsors the Public Interest Policy Fellowship program for psychology graduate students in at least their third year of training. Interns spend one year working at APA headquarters on public interest policy issues with PPO staff. For more information, visit the PPO Web site at www.apa.org/ppo/fellow.html.
3. APA funds five Congressional Fellowships that fund post-doctoral level students to work one year as a legislative assistant for a member of congress or a congressional committee. A William A. Bailey AIDS Policy Congressional fellowship exists for those who are interested in a AIDS/HIV focus, and A Science Policy Fellowship is available for individuals interested in working in science related agencies.
4. APA's Public Policy Action Network (PPAN) PPAN is an e-mail network that keeps psychologists and graduate students up to date on public policy initiatives. Participants who sign up receive action alerts and information updates on major policy developments. To sign up, visit the Public Policy Office Web site at www.apa.org/ppo/ppoform.html.
5. Various groups within APA often give workshops on advocacy training where students can learn about the legislative process, how to deliver an effective talk to a member of Congress or a legislative aide through role-playing exercises, how to craft talking points, ways to get involved with grassroots activities and how to follow up a successful visit to Capitol Hill.

If you are interested in becoming an advocate for psychology, start by seeking opportunities to become involved with advocacy and to be educated about policy decisions, regardless of how small the opportunity. This can include attending local forums and policy hearings, and participation in letter writing and phone calling campaigns. Also, we encourage students to join and take an active role in their state and provincial psychological associations in order to obtain opportunities for legislative advocacy.

For more information on ACT activities and how to get involved with advocacy, you can contact me at loftis@ufl.edu or visit the APAGS Web site at www.apa.org/apags.

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