The Policy Gap: Why Current Guidelines, Standards, and Policies Fail to Incorporate Jewish Identity – And How to Fix Them

This webinar is presented by Mary G. Hardiman, MS.
Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026 
Time: 3pm PT / 4pm MT / 5pm CT / 6pm ET 
Webinar length is approx 90 mins, ZOOM link will be sent a few days before the event.

This webinar is presented by Mary G. Hardiman, MS and will include invited guests and group discussion. Among those who may find these policy-focused sessions of interest are Jewish psychologists and allies, scientists, practitioners, students, educators, trainers, psychologists and MH professionals in health, non-health, and applied areas, and policy advocates and decision makers.

Part III of the AJP Policy Webinar Series moves away from policy awareness building and taking action into the specific policy architecture that guides the professions in an effort to explore best practices for incorporating Jewish identity and culture into policy, and addressing key issues that matter, like rising antisemitism in academic, clinical and other settings, exclusion from professional spaces, and the need for safe spaces and culturally competent care.

Policy and professional ethics serve as foundational frameworks that govern how professionals operate, what services they provide, and the settings in which they work. This third and final program in a  3-Part Webinar Series will recap the policy-making ecosystem, key opportunities for more inclusive policy, and how to make focused contributions to a more inclusive cannon of professional guidance.

Intended outcomes include generating ideas for new professional resources and empowering attendees to navigate and influence the policy landscape in health, non-health, and applied practice settings. Also, advancing professional strategies for authentic inclusion of Jewish identity as a marginalized ethnic, religious, and multiracial people in human rights, diversity, and other policy frameworks.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Analyze Policy Architecture: Identify the specific structures and language within professional Codes of Conduct, guidelines, and standards that can be modified to incorporate Jewish identity, culture, and protective measures.
2. Develop Inclusive Policy Themes: Identify key, actionable themes to incorporate into policy landscapes—including clinical, academic, and applied settings—to address rising antisemitism, exclusion, and the need for culturally competent care.
3. Apply Strategies for Advocacy: Identify concrete mechanisms for influencing professional guidance, such as public comments, committee service, editorial board participation, and conference planning.
4. Promote Psychological Wellbeing: Strengthen strategies to promote the health and safety and inclusion of Jewish individuals as members of a marginalized ethnic, religious, and multiracial group within broader diversity, equity, and human rights frameworks.
5. Generate Professional Resources: Generate actionable ideas for developing new professional tools, guidelines, and educational materials that address the specific needs of Jewish psychologists and their allies and the communities they serve.

Mary G. Hardiman, MS., is a Washington, D.C.–based governance expert and consultant with decades of leadership in nonprofit strategy, policy, and organizational transformation. She currently provides strategic insights and practical solutions to organizations seeking to transform policy, content, communications, and member engagement. schools, parent groups, organisations, and psychotherapists.

Previously, she was on staff with the American Psychological Association for 18+ years, most recently as Director of Practice Governance and Policy where she advanced professional policies and standards and coordinated guideline-making activities. She also had a 3-decades-long career in the labor movement and directed leadership education and training for a 1.5 million-member labor organization in the U.S. and Canada.

Hardiman’s career reflects a record of accomplishment in promoting innovation, best practices, and collaborative problem solving, along with professional activities with academic institutions and labor studies centers, research, writing, and editorial work, grants management, and objective reviews for governmental agencies and nonprofits.

A Board Member of the Association of Jewish Psychologists, she is recognized for her expertise in policy development, strategy, member engagement, and nonprofit governance. Hardiman holds a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, along with advanced training in nonprofit leadership, technology, policy, social justice, governance, democracy, and civil society.