The Division on Practice (DoP) provides a forum for Asian American practitioners who have vast interests in the provision of clinical services to the mental health community and in bridging the gap between research and practice. The DoP offers a platform to foster collaborations between researchers and practitioners on research that truly informs practice with API clients and on current practice trends that can guide future research on API mental health issues. Furthermore, the DoP provides the networks, support, resources and institutional visibility for AAPI practitioners that reflect the core mission of AAPA.
Mission
Background
In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of a need for a community of API practitioners to become more involved within AAPA. Extant research and workshops indicate that a gap exists between evidence-based practices and community-defined practices (Martinez, 2008). Traditionally, evidence-based practice dictates that research inform practice. However, there has also increasingly been a call to look at how practice trends can also inform research direction. Thus, the DoP was established as a division focused on practitioner concerns that encourages practitioners to become more involved with AAPA by offering a space that focuses on and advocates for issues of interest to practitioners and promoting scholarly and peer reviewed journal submission from practitioners. In addition, the DoP further promotes collaborations between researchers and practitioners to positively influence research in the direction of API community-defined practices by utilizing a set of practices that API communities have identified as effective for the community.
Board Members
DoP Chair: Wonyoung Cho
DoP Co-Chair: Judy Huang
DoP Secretary/Historian: Susan Han
DoP Membership/Nominations/Election Chair: Shiyu Zhang
DoP Treasurer: Christina Lam
DoP Communications Chair: Yu Chak Sunny Ho
DoP Student Representative: Calvin Lee
Contact
The DoP is currently accepting new members! As a new AAPA division, there are a lot of upcoming leadership opportunities. If you like to become involved in advancing the interests of API practitioners, we encourage you to consider becoming a member!