The Texas Psychological Association (TPA) is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...

representing

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

s in the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. It was established in 1947 and is headquartered in

Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park is a city and a major suburb of Austin in the state of Texas, approximately to the north-west of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city's population was 77,595. History Before the arrival of European settl ...

About TPA

The declared purpose of the Texas Psychological Association is to advance the field of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

as a science, profession, and means of promoting human welfare.. Retrieved on September 3, 2009. The TPA is a state affiliate of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

. For full membership of the TPA, a

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degree in psychology is required, and for associate membership, a master's degree in psychology is needed. The TPA is governed by an elected executive committee. It was incorporated in December 1964. It concentrates on multiple aspects of psychology such as applied psychology,

school psychology School psychology is a field that applies principles from educational psychology, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, community psychology, and behavior analysis to meet the learning and behavioral health needs of children and adole ...

, and psychologists' trainers. ''Texas Psychologist'' is the quarterly journal of TPA.

History

The TPA was established on September 28, 1947, and the first annual meeting of the association was held in February 1948. The original sixty members of the association shared scientific information through research and presentations at annual meetings of the association. The association concentrated on professional practice aspects of the discipline as licensure, education of practitioners, and applications of psychology in direct human services by the early 1960s. The early history of the association was dominated by the

experimental psychologists An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

from university faculties, but later they were replaced by the practicing psychologists. The legislative committee of the association achieved passage of the Psychologist's Certification and Licensing Act, a statewide certification and licensing law for psychologists, in 1969. The law established the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, and it took effect in 1970. In 1987 an executive director was hired by the association after its membership reached 2,000. It also rented office space at

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. As the members and staff of the TPA expanded, the associations' influence with the legislature improved.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Scientific organizations established in 1947 Health care-related professional associations based in the United States Psychology organizations based in the United States Cedar Park, Texas 1947 establishments in Texas Mental health organizations based in Texas