About Psychology and C.P.A.


Psychology is the study of the mind, human experience and behavior. Psychologists spend an average of 7.2 years, in addition to their undergraduate college degree, in education and training. Psychologists are trained to help people cope more effectively with life problems, using techniques based on best available research and their clinical skills and experience, and taking into account the person's unique values, goals and circumstances.

The Connecticut Psychological Association is the Connecticut affiliate of the American Psychological Association. It was founded in 1963 when two older organizations (the Connecticut Valley Association of Psychologists and the Connecticut State Psychological Society) merged.

The goals of CPA are to further the development and usefulness of psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare; to establish and maintain high standards of professional competence, of training, of service, and of professional and ethical conduct for its membership; to promote the interests of the profession, and the freedom of scientific inquiry, teaching, and professional practice; to provide opportunities for students pursuing training in psychology to become more fully engaged in the standards, interests, and collegiality of the profession; and to provide opportunities for professional growth and the increase and diffusion of psychological knowledge through the exchange of ideas and information, by means of meetings, professional contacts, papers, discussions, and the encouragement of research in psychology.