About Santa Barbara County Psychological Association

The Santa Barbara County Psychological Association (SBCPA) represents the more than 200 licensed psychologists within Santa Barbara County by responding to the mental health needs of our communities.

Its purposes are to advance the science and profession of psychology and promote human welfare while educating the public about psychological issues. In addition, SBCPA provides a referral service for about 80 of the local licensed psychologists who are active members of the association.

Our Santa Barbara county psychological Association is administered by a Board of Directors and a group of committee chairs. These positions are elected by the general membership annually and are installed in office at a January dinner of the membership. The board meets September through June on the second Friday of each month. Members are invited to attend board meetings and the location and time of board meetings can be found in the Members Area at the upper left of this page.

SBCPA members have access to continuing education programs, consultation on legal, ethical, social, and economic issues related to the profession and various support services.

SBCPA is responsible to the public by answering questions regarding psychology while also addressing the needs of member psychologists, associates, affiliates, and graduate students of psychology.

Founded as a informal group in 1947, some Santa Barbara psychologists began to work within the community addressing local mental health problems and the broader spectrum of professional interests.

In 1977 SBCPA became a chapter of the California Psychological Association (CPA) http://www.calpsychlink.org, a state association of the American Psychological Association (APA) http://www.apa.org. The APA is the national psychological association with over 159,000 members in the United States and Canada. SBCPA has adopted the ethical standards and guidelines for professional practice of the APA and the State of California.

Our Santa Barbara County Psychological Association is administered by a Board of Directors and a group of committee chairs. These positions are elected by the general membership annually and are installed in office at a January dinner of the membership. The board meets September through June on the second Friday of each month. Members are invited to attend board meetings and the location and time of board meetings can be found in the Members Area of this site.

Membership

Membership in SBCPA is open to Santa Barbara County residents who hold a Doctorate in psychology or a license as a psychologist in the State of California or a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology. Licensed Educational Psychologists are accepted on the same basis as Licensed Psychologists. Out of county psychologists may hold non-voting membership.

With full membership comes the benefit of listing in the referral index on this web site. Click in the Apply for Membership section above and you will find a form for entering your data for your personal referral page and inclusion in the Index.

Honorary membership is conferred upon outstanding members of our association, long term members, and persons of other professions or disciplines designated by the Board of Directors for distinguished contribution to psychology.