APA's Resilience Initiative

Newman, Russ

¹Practice Directorate, American Psychological Association.

²CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS ARTICLE should be addressed to Russ Newman, Executive Director for Professional Practice, Practice Directorate, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. E-mail: [email protected].

RUSS NEWMAN received his PhD in clinical psychology from Kent State University in 1979 and his JD from Capital University Law School in 1987. He is currently the executive director for professional practice at the American Psychological Association, where he is responsible for promoting the association's multifaceted agenda on behalf of practicing psychologists. He manages a variety of activities involving legislative advocacy, legal initiatives, and efforts to shape the evolving health care market. He has written and spoken extensively on professional and public policy issues related to psychology.

Received February 17, 2005; Accepted March 14, 2005

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 36(3):p 227-229, June 2005.

Resilience is the human ability to adapt in the face of tragedy, trauma, adversity, hardship, and ongoing significant life stressors. Focus groups conducted by the APA Practice Directorate after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, found people to be experiencing a chronic sense of stress and uncertainty for which they wanted to be more resilient. In response, APA launched its public education campaign, “The Road to Resilience,” in August 2002. A key component of the campaign is community outreach by psychologists, in which psychologists around the country bring information about resilience directly into their communities. This has allowed psychologists to help their communities and to help communities better understand the value of psychology.