Advocacy in Action

NLPA develops and implements social justice advocacy projects in collaboration with NLPA members, Latinx-serving organizations, and women's, LGBTQA+, ethnic minority, and other national psychology associations that partner with us on initiatives that benefit our members and those we serve. In addition, NLPA informs and advises policymakers and government agencies regarding education, assessment, treatment, and scientific research relevant to the psychological well-being of Latinx populations. 

Government and Policy
As an association, NLPA has been actively involved in responding to various injustices perpetrated against the Latina/o community at the local, state, and national level. Our membership is committed to the fair and equitable treatment of all individuals, and as such are swift to speak out against any and all actions taken against those individuals whose voices go unheard. Below is a brief description of statements (click link for full statement) that have been written by the NLPA or written by sister organizations to which the NLPA has signed onto on a variety of issues of significance to our membership.

• NLPA Position Statement on Excessive Use of Force By Police (Jan 2015)
  
  

• NLPA Position Statement on the Use of Abusive Interrogation Practices (Jan 2015)

• Response to APA’s Independent Review (aka Hoffman Report) (August 2015)

•  Statement of alleged abuse of Afghan children by American backed militia on U.S. military installations in Afghanistan (October 2015)

•  Letter of support for the Mental Health Reform Act of 2015 (October 2015)

•  Statement calling on a stop to the announced wave of deportations targeting Central American mothers and their children by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (June 2016)

•  Statement on the Orlando mass shooting (September 2016)

•  Statement on the treatment of Central American women and their children at the Berks Family Residential Center (October 2016)

•  Statement expressing concern over President-elect Trump’s policies on immigration (December 2016)

•  Letter to President Trump denouncing the three executive orders he signed (February 2017)

•  Statement denouncing the separation of children from their families at the border (June 2018)

•  Statement denouncing any attempts by the Trump administration to eradicate federal recognition of the over one million transgender and non-binary people living in the United States (November 2018)

•  Statement denouncing the unnecessary, despicable, and health-threatening use of tear gas on several hundred innocent people, including primarily women and children at the San Ysidro crossing as a new low for the Trump Administration (December 2018)

•  Statement denouncing ICE breach of confidentiality of minors seeking counseling in detention (February 2020)

•  Orgullo statement denouncing the murder of transgender woman in PR (March 2020)

•  Statement on the detention of individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020)

• Statement Regarding Student Needs During and in the Aftermath of the COVID Crisis (May 2020)

• We Must Stand with Our Black Siblings: Breaking the Silence (June 2020)
  
  
• Joint Statement Against the Removal of Health Protections for Transgender and Gender Diverse People (June 2020)
  
  
• Open Letter to the Students of NLPA on Black Lives (July 2020)
  
  

• NLPA Orgullo: Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Our Communities are Under Attack (2/2022)
  

• Impact of Forced Family Separation and Detention on Immigration Communities

Disaster

The NLPA is an organization united by our commitment to the greater good. This can take many shapes, and includes providing information to its membership around disaster relief resources. Our members can assist communities in need through a variety of means, such as:

1. Donating (e.g., money, clothing, and non-perishable items)
2. Volunteering
3. Advocating and mobilizing other resources, to name a few.

Immigration

NLPA engages in nonpartisan advocacy against inequities and injustices of immigration systems, practices, and policies.  Please see below for Latinx mental health advocacy resources related to immigration.

• Undocumented Collaborative Resources 

This document aims to identify resources and services (e.g., mental health, forensic, research, evaluation) in each state that assists undocumented and immigrants communities. Please feel free to add any relevant resources to this document. The organization of this document is led by Dr. Gabriela Hurtado [email protected].

Allied Organizations

• Enfamilia, inc
• https://enfamiliainc.squarespace.com/
• M.U.J.E.R. 
• http://mujerfla.org/
• Survivors' Pathway Organization
• http://survivorspathway.org/
• WeCount!
• https://www.we-count.org/
• National Latino Behavioral Health Association
• http://www.nlbha.org/
• National Hispanic and Latino Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
• https://mhttcnetwork.org/centers/national-hispanic-and-latino-mhttc/home