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The American Psychological Association launched their first public education campaign in 1996 to communicate the value of psychology to the public and provide them with information about when and how to seek help. It is based on a grassroots model with messages carried out by APA members at the local level and has proven to be an effective tool for increasing the visibility of psychologists in their communities.

Campaigns have included:

• Talk to Someone Who Can Help (1996)
• Warning Signs For Youth (1999)
• Warning Signs for Parents (2000)
• Resilience in a Time of War (2003)
• Resilience in Kids and Teens (2003)

The newest incarnation of the public education campaign is “For a Healthy Mind and Body, Talk to a Psychologist” (2005). The campaign is designed to help educate the public about the mind body connection and the importance of emotional health to physical health.

The campaign messages cover a wide range of topics:

• From illness…to prevention, wellness and health promotion
• From traditional mental health care… to physical health care
• From treatment of traditional depression and anxiety…to providing strategies for handling everyday stressors

The campaign will encompass a wide range of activities

• Participation in health fairs
• Public presentations at schools, libraries, museums, health care centers, and other community sites
• Radio and print public service announcements

For more information about APA’s Public Education Campaign: http://www.apahelpcenter.org/

Request a Speaker

Interested in having a local psychologist present for your community or organization? Would you like to invite a Public Education Campaign representative to attend your health fair? The Ohio Psychological Association has psychologists interested in giving presentations for community forums and organizations. Past presentation topics have included coping with chronic illness, obesity as a stress-related illness, and stress and the mind-body connection. Please send your name, daytime phone number, e-mail address, the name of your organization, and type of speaker/topic you are interested in to Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury.

Current Speakers:
Kathleen Ashton
Craig Travis
Barb Fordyce
Sherry Dinner
Carol Johnson
Mary Miller Lewis
Jim Brush
Michelle Rone-Depolo
Cathy Gaw
Nabil Hassan El-Ghoroury

Public Education Campaign Activities in Ohio

On October 7, 2005, Kathleen Ashton, PhD, presented a talk “Resilience and Mind-Body Health: Coping with Chronic Illness” to the Myositis Association at their convention in Cleveland. The talk used the APA Public Education Campaign materials on "Mind/Body Health: For a Healthy Mind and Body, Talk to a Psychologist." Over 100 association members attended the presentation. Participants discussed some of their positive experiences about how working with a psychologist has helped them to cope with chronic illness and were able to have questions answered about how to find an appropriate psychologist in their area.

Regional contacts

• Akron - Barb Fordyce, PhD & Michelle Rone-Depolo, PsyD
• Cleveland - Kathleen Ashton, PhD, Catherine A. Gaw, PsyD & Sherry Dinner, PhD
• Columbus - Craig S. Travis, PhD, Mary Miller Lewis, PhD & Carol L. Johnson, PhD
• Cincinnati - James J. Brush, PhD
• Dayton - Kathleen D. Glaus, PhD
• Toledo