President’s Message

SAPA has been a significant cornerstone in the community of Tucson psychologists for more than a half a century. It is a significant honor for me to take on a leadership role in SAPA when having a community of colleagues advocating for our profession seems more important than ever. While one of SAPA’s legacies has been inclusiveness for all psychologists in our community, staying relevant to changing roles and increasing diversity in psychological practice is what I see as the greatest challenge before the SAPA Board in 2025.

This has not been an ordinary beginning to a new year. Some of our neighbors, friends, colleagues, and clients are now anticipating discrimination and even violation of their human rights in the immediate future. As psychologists, we have an obligation to be respect the dignity and rights of all people, regardless of our personal beliefs. The ethics that guide our profession are very clear when it comes to discrimination based on individual differences, such as gender identity, race and ethnicity, disability, and national origin. With some of the current executive orders, it is reasonable to expect that some SAPA members will be subjected to situations where new demands from a government legal authority will conflict with their ethical responsibilities. As the SAPA President, I will explore whatever means SAPA can use to support our members who find themselves in such situations.

This year we start out with a great team on the SAPA Board, with special welcomes to new Board members Sean Flynn as Treasurer, Andy Bernstein as Lifetime Member-At-Large, and Nancy Eldredge as President Elect. Special appreciation goes to Mayday Levine-Mata, who graciously volunteered to chair the Continuing Education Committee for an additional year when our newly elected CEC chair had to step down due to unforeseen circumstances. There remain a few unfilled positions on the SAPA board, and I ask SAPA members to consider the opportunity to join an amazing team of diverse group of psychologists.

One of the greatest functions of SAPA over the years has been offering diverse continuing education opportunities, and this year SAPA is introducing a more in-depth clinical trainings, starting with a five-part small group training series designed for psychologists seeking to deepen their expertise in borderline personality disorder and dialectical behavior therapy, led by Dr. Katherine Brazaitis. SAPA will also be offering traditional CE trainings this spring and fall, which include diverse topics as usual. New website is also in the works, as well as community events put on by our various Committee members/ chairs. These events only occur through dedication and meaningful work of committee members and behind the scenes efforts of Treva, our awesome administrative assistant. This is the real work of SAPA, and I strongly encourage SAPA members to join our committees and take part in the awesome work SAPA is known for in our community.

I very much look forward to getting to see SAPA grow this year, and to get to connect more with both new and recurring SAPA members this year at our various events…

Árni Víkingur Sveinsson, Ph.D.