Professional Societies


The discipline of psychology has two major general professional societies, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS), and a number of smaller societies. APA is devoted to all areas of psychology, but especially to clinical and counseling psychology. The focus of the APS is scientific and research psychology, and includes only research-related (rather than practice-related) aspects of clinical and counseling psychology. .

Both of these societies have very inexpensive student rates. The Augsburg faculty encourage Psychology majors to join the APA and/or APS as students members. This is an excellent way to learn more about the scope of psychology and what it means to be a professional psychologist. Applications are available in the Psychology Department.

Student membership in APA is only $20.00 and members receive the American Psychologist (its premier journal) and the APA Monitor (a monthly publication that covers recent news and events in psychology). They also receive reduced rates on other APA journals and books, reduced conference rates, and other benefits.

American Psychological Society student membership is $35.00. Student members of APS receive subscriptions to Psychological Science (the flagship journal of APS), Current Directions in Psychological Science (a bi-monthly journal of reviews on trends, controversies, and issues across the entire spectrum of scientific psychology), and the APS Observer (a bimonthly newsletter).

In general, these professional societies provide a variety of information of interest to practitioners, researchers, college faculty, and students in psychology. Some of the topics include:

  • Successes and controversies of various psychotherapy techniques
  • Newsworthy research in all areas of psychology
  • Grants, funding, and scholarships in psychology
  • Jobs in psychology
  • Graduate training in psychology
  • Legislation that impacts practice and research in psychology (and lobbying attempts to influence that legislation)
  • Information about national and regional conferences in psychology

    Both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS) maintain World Wide Web home pages.