President’s Message

AAPA President Richelle Concepcion, Psy.D., MPH

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the 22nd President of the Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA), alongside Vice President Dr. Nellie Tran and past-president Dr. Helen Hsu.  I am honored to serve under a legacy of great AAPA presidents and alongside several amazing leaders who comprise our current AAPA Executive Committee!

Founded in 1972 by a group of Asian American psychologists and other mental health professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area, the mission of the Asian American Psychological Association is to advance the mental health and well-being of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education, and policy.

AAPA is an intersectional community composed of multi-disciplinary professionals, educators, researchers, clinicians, advocates, students, and allies.  We are not only psychologists and psychology professors, but also social workers, marital and family therapists, public health professionals and other disciplines who are committed to Asian American mental health and well-being.  We are a community of US born, immigrants, refugees, mixed heritage, or from dozens of varied Asian, Native and Pacific Islander heritages, of every sexual orientation and gender expression and varied socioeconomic and disability status.

A majority of our rapidly growing community is comprised of graduate students, and early career rising leaders. We are a proud member of the Council of National Psychology Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Interests (CNPAAEMI) Leadership Development Institute. AAPA also maintains its own Leadership Fellows Program and facilitates a Student Leadership Institute retreat which provides mentoring and access to historically underrepresented talent.

I invite you to learn more about our organization by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, exploring our divisions on Women, South Asian Americans, Students, Filipinx Americans, LGBTQQ, Practice and Asian Americans with Multiple Heritages, as well as our Education and Policy Committees.  I welcome you to attend our annual convention which offers the opportunity connect and learn with other members. We have a plethora of resources such as factsheets and guides developed by our members. We proudly publish the Asian American Journal of Psychology.

I am most proud of the connections made through AAPA and our collaborations with communities such as other Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations and programs such as the American Psychological Association’s Minority Fellowship program. Several can attest to the power of some of many of those relationships as they have withstood time, distance, and numerous other factors.

Join our community if you are looking for a professional home committed to advancing and promoting, learning and teaching, mentoring and networking about mental health in the AAPI communities!