I have spent the last five nights in Toronto and now it is time to go home. It is bittersweet.

This year’s convention was steeped in history. The APA Council of Representatives passed a measure banning psychologists from participating in national security interrogations. The complete resolution can be found here.

I strongly encourage you to take the time to read this report. Do not simply read news articles responding to the resolution. Go to the source material. It is the only way to be fully informed.

This marks a significant milestone and will make this convention one that history will not forget. This feels like one of the first steps toward rebuilding. It feels like hope for those of us who wore our “Do No Harm” t-shirts and buttons over the past few days. I believe the APA governance should be commended for cutting through the red tape and passing this measure.

In addition to being official APA policy, this measure is significant from a social justice perspective. It represents compassion in ideology as well as standing up for fundamental principles. As the largest psychological association in the world, APA is essentially saying that science cannot be used to harm people.  As I drove back across the border and looked to the American flags just past Niagara Falls, I could not help but feel that the APA made the U.S. a little better. I feel proud to be a psychologist today and that was something wonderful to take with me on a long drive home.