| Since 1948, the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA) has been the premier representative of psychology in the state. The mission of LPA is the advancement of psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare. Over the years, LPA has worked to improve the health care of Louisianans especially in the areas of behavioral and mental health. LPA has been instrumental in promoting strong licensing laws for the profession that protect the public and maintain high standards of competence.
LPA was founded at Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) by a small group of professors and clinical psychologists during the expansion of the profession following World War II. The first president was E. Terry Prothro, Ph.D. Initially oriented toward academic psychology, by the 1960’s LPA had turned its attention to professional practice as well. LPA was instrumental in the passage of the original psychology licensing law in Louisiana. In fact, all five members of the first Board of Examiners of Psychologists www.LSBEP.org had been former LPA presidents.
Over the years, LPA has expanded its involvement in the legislative and public policy arena. For example, the Louisiana legislature passed a freedom of choice law that established the right of patients to choose their own mental health care providers under their health insurance plans. Other legislation was adopted to allow psychologists to serve on the medical staffs of hospitals and to order the hospitalization of patients in emergency situations. Recently, LPA provided expert testimony on bills prohibiting capital punishment for mentally retarded offenders. In 2004, LPA promoted legislation to permit specially trained medical psychologists to prescribe medications for emotional and behavioral disorders. For further information on this initiative, go to For the Public.
LPA is affiliated with the American Psychological Association www.APA.org which is the largest organization of psychologists in the world. LPA participates in the governance of APA by sending a delegate to the council of representatives and by participation in the various divisions and committees of the association.
The governance of LPA is vested in the Executive Committee consisting of five elected officers and the chairs of ten standing committees. The elected officers are the President, Past President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Delegate to the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives. LPA also employs an Executive Officer. For current Executive Committee members Click Here.
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