Scott Barstow serves as a Director of Congressional Affairs for the American Psychological Association Practice Organization.  Scott has more than 20 years of experience working in Washington, D.C. on federal health care, mental health, and substance abuse policy.  Scott worked for four years as a Legislative Assistant for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and served on the Task Force on National Health Care Reform headed by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, focusing on mental health policy.  While working on Capitol Hill, Scott was the lead staff person for the House Working Group on Mental Illness and Health Issues, and led the drafting and promotion of congressional resolutions in the early 1990’s in support of equitable insurance coverage of mental health treatment.  After leaving Capitol Hill and before joining the American Psychological Association, Scott worked for both the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association (now the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance) and the American Counseling Association, and has served as the Steering Committee Chair of the Mental Health Liaison Group, the major mental health policy coalition in Washington.  Scott’s work over the years has encompassed a wide range of health and mental health policy issues, from multiple perspectives and across many programs.