Together, let's show what
APA + CAN DO.
Dr. Candice "Can" Hargons
is uniquely positioned to lead the
American Psychological Association at a pivotal moment.
Experienced Leader
Accomplished Scientist
Licensed Psychologist
Independent Practice Owner
Public Scholar
Community Servant
Presidential Priorities
FRE[EPPP] Initiative: Monthly free EPPP study sessions for students and ECPs.
Success in our field shouldn't be a matter of who can afford the most expensive prep courses. By providing monthly, high-quality EPPP study sessions at no cost for students and ECPs, we democratize the path to licensure and ensure that our next generation of psychologists is as diverse as the communities they serve.
Researcher x Influencer Initiative: Host a fellowship for accessible research dissemination.
In the age of rampant misinformation and AI, psychological science must be louder than the noise. These fellowships will pair our brightest researchers with digital creators to translate peer-reviewed evidence into viral, life-changing content, reclaiming our role as a primary source of mental health truth.
Unifying Against Intersectional Oppression Initiative: Amplifying our role in liberation and human rights.
Psychology is a human rights profession. We must end our infighting so we can actively dismantle systemic intersectional oppression and advocate for global liberation. We will ensure APA is not just a witness to social change, but a courageous, unwavering architect of it.
Practitioner Progress Initiative: Creating a Task Force & Access Fund.
We cannot ask psychologists to solve a public health crisis at the expense of their own financial stability. By establishing a dedicated task force and fund, we will build a sustainable model that allows practitioners to offer sliding scales to low-income clients while maintaining a thriving standard of living.
The Neighborhood Healers Project Initiative: Providing technical assistance to SPTAs to train and support lay advocates of psychology.
We are launching a nationwide network of care that starts in the streets and ends in our offices. Through the Neighborhood Healers Project, we will integrate MHFA-trained community leaders into a formal referral pipeline, ensuring that every American sees a psychologist as their most accessible and trusted resource for healing.
The HBCU Healers Project Initiative: Training psychology students attending HBCUs as peer supporters and developing a workforce of future psychologists.
We will invite a delegate from every HBCU psychology program to train in a culturally relevant peer support model and participate in a 9-month internship led by HBCU trained psychologists.
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF PSYCHOLOGY
Meet Dr. Candice Hargons
Psychology Leadership
American Psychological Association (2010 – Present)
Board of Directors (2021-2023)
Council of Representatives (2017-2019)
Presidential Taskforce Steering Committee Member –
Opening Doors Summit (2014)
American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (2013 - 2015)
Member at Large – Education Focus
Liaison to CCTC
Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP), (2010 - Present)
SCP Executive Board Member (2017-2019)
Co-Chair of Awards Committee (2016)
ECP Committee Treasurer (2015-17)
SCP Leadership Academy Student Faculty (2011-12)
Awards Committee Member for SCP (2011-13)
Student Poster Reviewer for SCP (2011)
Membership Coordinator for Section on Ethnic & Racial
Diversity (2010-11)
Kentucky Psychological Association (2016 - 2024)
Diversity Chair, Board of Directors (2016-2017)
As a leader, I don’t just join committees and boards; I build systems that outlast my tenure. As a doctoral student and Member-at-Large for the APAGS Committee, I co-developed the APPIC standardized reference form, a tool still in use by the profession today. I have psychology leadership experience at the division level (Society of Counseling Psychology Executive Board) and the state level (Kentucky Psychological Association Executive Board). I have consistently broken early career glass ceilings, serving as the first ECP to represent Division 17 on the APA Council of Representatives and the second ECP to serve on the APA Board of Directors. In these roles, I collaborated with psychologists from all walks of life to champion liberation-oriented policies and promote a sense of belonging.
My leadership bridges the academic, the entrepreneurial, and the community. I have served as Interim Department Chair and Director of Master’s Training at the University of Kentucky. I also founded an independent practice in 2019, the Center for Healing Racial Trauma, to provide therapy services, training, and consultation for industry leaders like Viacom. I have also held leadership roles in civic organizations, such as Advocacy and Outreach Chair of the Lexington Urban League Young Professionals and Historian of the Greater Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. I am also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. As Advocacy and Outreach Chair, I launched the "Put on for My City" and "School Daze" initiatives, which organized members to attend monthly City Council and School Board meetings, respectively. These initiatives continue today and have resulted in members advocating for changes in school system policy. My career proves that when we lead with intentionality and courage, APA CAN DO the work of systemic change.
My journey to psychology was shaped by a childhood spent navigating diverse regional cultures across Western New York, Virginia, and Georgia. I decided to become a psychologist at 16, after a high school psychology class helped me better understand what I was observing in the various communities I’d called home. At Spelman College, outstanding pedagogy refined my perspective, though upon graduation I briefly detoured into teaching high school English when someone incorrectly told me that Black people don’t see psychologists. When those literature lessons with teens evolved into unofficial group therapy sessions, I returned to my original calling. I earned my MS at Georgia State University and entered the counseling psychology PhD program at Howard University, eventually completing my doctorate at the University of Georgia under Dr. Edward Delgado-Romero in 2015.
For nine years, I served on the counseling psychology faculty at the University of Kentucky, where I earned the rank of Full Professor immediately before transitioning to my current role as a tenured Associate Professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. As Director of the SMASHER Lab, I’ve collaboratively secured over $14M in funding as PI and co-I for projects like the NICHD-funded ADD SEX FUN study and the SAMHSA-funded Neighborhood Healers Project. I've also served as associate editor of the Journal of Counseling Psychology and Psychology and Sexuality. By publishing 90+ peer-reviewed articles and appearing in The New York Times, Essence Magazine, and podcasts like Science Vs., I have demonstrated what APA CAN DO to move psychological research out of the ivory tower and into the public square.
As a Fellow of both the APA and the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, I have been honored with a 2019 APA Presidential Citation and named KPA Psychologist of the Year, but my true pride lies in the mentorship that earned me the UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award. To date, I’ve hooded 10 amazing psychologists who are poised to transform our field. With them and many supportive colleagues and mentors, I learned that it isn’t just about what I can do, it's what WE CAN DO. Leadership is a team sport.
I am ready to lead with liberation and a love ethic that emphasizes collaboration over individual silos and courage over complacency and compliance. Together, we will show the world exactly what APA CAN DO.
Meet the CAN for APA Campaign Crew
