Introduction
The American Psychiatric Association and American Psychiatric Association Foundation use cookies on our websites., including:
This policy outlines how we use cookies, the types of cookies on our websites, your ability to affect deployment of cookies as a website visitor, and how to control the collection of your information by our website cookies.
Definition of Cookie
A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login status. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies.
We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts.
Cookie Lifespans
The lifespan of a cookie is the time it remains stored on your browser or device. Some cookies, referred to as session cookies, remain on your browser until it is closed. Other cookies, referred to as persistent cookies, remain on your browser or device for a defined period of time.
APA/APAF websites utilize both session cookies and persistent cookies, the lifespan of each depending on the utility of the cookie. Some cookies’ lifespans are a few seconds, while some are retained for up to one (1) year.
Categories of Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Social Media Cookies
These cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
How We Use Cookies
Examples of types of marketing cookies, pixels, and trackers:
- Meta Pixel is a snippet of code added to our website(s) that allows us to track website visitors and their actions across our website(s). These actions include, but are not limited to, such things as adding a product to a shopping cart, completing a transaction, clicking on a link, and more. The pixel also allows for the tracking of customers who engaged with marketing ads that were seen on META-owned platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Using the META pixel allows us to better segment customers, better analyze traffic data, and optimize our marketing efforts. APA uses Affirmative Consent for targeting cookies such as META Pixel. A visitor who does not consent will not have the cookie applied to their visit. https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/meta-pixel
- Feathr pixel is a snippet of code added to the website that allows APA/APAF’s vendor Feathr to track visitor data that can then be used to segment customers by interactions on the website. APA uses the Feathr pixel specifically for retargeting efforts for priority revenue-generating and engagement ad campaigns including, but not limited to, the Annual Meeting and APA Education offerings. The code allows for retargeting that allows marketing to those potential customers as they visit other sites across the web. APA uses Affirmative Consent for targeting cookies such as Feathr Pixel. A visitor who does not consent will not have the cookie applied to their visit. https://training.feathr.co/course-preview-video-what-is-the-feathr-super-pixel/1198957
- HubSpot Tracking Codes are unique to every instance of HubSpot and automatically applied to assets built in HubSpot including landing pages, websites, blogs, etc. The tracking code needs to be added manually to external pages and websites. Users must affirmatively opt-in to tracking via the HubSpot code. The tracking code collects customer user data and activities. The types of data collected by the HubSpot Tracking Code includes the following: Session Data (duration, bounce rate, etc); IP Address; Page views and navigation activity; Click Events (interactions with links, CTAs, buttons, etc); Form & Submission Data; Device Data; Geographic & Traffic Source Data; Linked Contact Data.
- Google Analytics (GA) cookies are used by APA/APAF to identify visitors and provide information about website performance and engagement. The GA Cookies create unique IDs for each site visitor, following their actions through the website to capture information about what pages they view, link clicks, time on page and more.
- Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tool used by APA/APAF to store and launch various tracking cookies. The GTM is used to house various third-party tracking tags (such as the Feathr pixel). APA/APAF uses Affirmative Consent for such tracking tags.
- Google Ad Manager (GAM) is an advertising platform from Google that uses cookies for advertising, including serving and rendering ads, personalizing ads and ad settings, and measuring the effectiveness of ads. APA uses Implied Consent for frequency capping and aggregated ad reporting cookies for website visitors in the United States (i.e., such cookies will be applied when a visitor from within the United States visits our website unless the visitor opts out), and Affirmative Consent for website visitors from outside the United States (i.e., such cookies will not be applied unless the visitor from outside the United States explicitly consents).
- Hum is a tool for content and customer data analytics. Hum will track visitor data that can then be used to segment customers by interactions on the website or other customer user data. It helps deliver a more personalized experience and enables us to better understand how our content is performing. APA uses Implied Consent for cookies for website visitors in the United States (i.e., such cookies will be applied when a visitor from within the United States visits our website unless the visitor opts out), and Affirmative Consent for website visitors from outside the United States (i.e., such cookies will not be applied unless the visitor from outside the United States explicitly consents).
Your Choices About Website Cookies
APA/APAF websites utilize cookie consent banners and cookie consent preference centers. Individual users may navigate to the cookie consent banner at the bottom of their screen when they visit one of our websites and use the control buttons to opt in or out of certain categories of cookies.
After a visitor has opted in or out of cookies for a single website, they will no longer see the cookie consent banner for a period of time. Their consent preferences will be recorded and maintained by APA/APAF for at least 25 months. After that time, the cookie consent banner will reappear to allow users to reselect their cookie preferences.
At any point in time, a user can navigate to the Cookie Consent Preference Center, located in the footer of each website, to declare or change their cookie consent preferences.
APA/APAF records cookie consent on a per-website basis, so consent preferences set on one of our websites will not be be automatically applied across other APA/APAF websites.
Your record of cookie consent preferences does not store any personally identifiable information and is recorded by a randomized, anonymized set of numbers and letters, called your Unique ID. Records of consent are stored in APA’s cookie compliance platform for 25 months.
Audit of Site Cookies
APA/APAF regularly reviews the cookies deployed on its websites to ensure compliance with all applicable data privacy laws.
Contact Us
American Psychiatric Association
800 Maine Avenue S.W.
Suite 900
Washington DC 20024
202-559-3900
[email protected]
Last Updated: October 30, 2025