Post on 18-Dec-2015
American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP):
Board Certification Culture in Academic and Training Settings
Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, ABPP Past-President, ABPPnkaslow@emory.edu
Greg Lee, PhD, ABPPPresident, ABPP
glee@georgiahealth.edu
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If your primary care doc said “You need to see a Cardiologist,” would you want to see a Board Certified Cardiologist or a Non-Board Certified Cardiologist?
Answer:
X Board Certified Cardiologist
____ Non-Board Certified Cardiologist
???
If your primary care doc said “You need to see a Psychologist,” would you want to see a Board Certified Psychologist or a Non-Board Certified Psychologist?
Answer:
X Board Certified Psychologist
____ Non-Board Certified Psychologist
The Credentialing Continuum
Accredited Doctoral Program
Accredited Internship
Post-doctoral
Residency(optional)
Licensed by State or Province
Identified as Health Service Provider
?
Board Certified in
Area of Specialty Practice
Specialty Certification in Psychology
A specialty is a defined area in the practice of psychology that connotes specialty competency acquired through an organized sequence of formal education, training, and experience
The practice activities in any specialty seldom are exclusive to the specialty and most practice activities are shared with the general practice of professional psychology
Specialty Certification in Psychology
The pattern of practice activities, including limiting the scope of practice, and focusing upon more complex or unique problems or technologies is more relevant in defining a specialty together with advanced education, training, and experience
Why is Certification Necessary and Essential in Psychology?
The exponential growth of psychological knowledge leaves no alternative but specialization
Our work environments impel us to specialize Our professional context reinforces the need for
specialization
Why is Certification Necessary and Essential in Psychology?
The generic nature of psychology licensing in North America presumes additional professional self-regulation of specialty practice
Most important, protecting the public from charlatans and the ill-prepared requires personal and professional self-regulation
What is ABPP• A non-profit, unitary
governing body• Coordinates 14 affiliated
psychology specialty examining boards
• Certifies psychologists competent to deliver high quality services in specialty areas of psychology
• Recognizes new specialties and subspecialties
• Requires self-study and comprehensive periodic site review of its member boards
• Conducts exams and certifies specialists in accordance with established professional standards, policies, and procedures
• Lists and verifies board certified specialists in its public directory
ABPP Mission Statement
• The mission of ABPP is to increase consumer protection through the examination and certification of psychologists who demonstrate competence in approved specialty areas in professional psychology
Value of ABPP
Board Certification by ABPP provides peer and public recognition of demonstrated competence in an approved specialty area in professional psychology
In addition, ABPP board certification provides the professional with increased opportunities for career growth, including employability, mobility, and financial compensation
Recognized Specialties in ABPP - 2012
• Clinical Child and Adolescent
• Clinical• Clinical Health• Clinical
Neuropsychology• Cognitive and
Behavioral• Counseling
• Couples and Family• Forensic• Group• Organization and
Business• Police and Public
Safety• Psychoanalysis• Rehabilitation• School
Benefits of Board Certification
• What’s in it for you as a psychologist?
Benefits of Board Certification
• Practitioner Increase pay potential– Enhance job satisfaction– Distinguish you from other psychologists in the
job market– Improve job security and employability– Renew emphasis on life-long learning and
professional development– Affirm your professional identity
Benefits of Board Certification
Practitioner– Increase interaction with outstanding and
distinguished psychologists– Experience greater credibility in eye of colleagues
and referral sources– Gain more prestige in the profession– Strengthen potential for meaningful contributions
to the profession
Benefits of Board Certification
• Practitioner– Streamline credentialing process at state
licensing boards, insurance companies, professional practice networks, and medical staff
– Facilitate inter-jurisdictional license and practice mobility
Benefits of Board CertificationBenefits of Board Certification
Profession– Set standards for competence– Guide uniform training models for competence– Increase breadth and depth of knowledge base,
skills, and attitudes of practitioners– Ensure intra-professional regulation– Allow for public recognition of a brand name
Benefits of Board Certification
Public Protect consumers Assure quality Reduce confusion Increase likelihood of being viewed by
consumers, professionals, employers, insurers, credentialing organizations, legal systems, and licensing boards as the most competent
10 Reasons to Specialize in the Current Healthcare Climate
Consumers want it
Healthcare systems expect it
Policy calls for it
Quality improvement programs demand it
Pay is linked to quality
10 Reasons to Specialize in the Current Healthcare Climate
The workforce needs us
Integrated health care teams respect us
Health care homes have a place for us
Parity is in our favor
Access for all in need for all of services
Competency-Based Approach
The competencies are categorized into foundational and functional competencies that are applicable to ALL specialties and specialty practice
Competency-Based Approach
The foundational and functional competencies constructs are applicable to all specialties and specialty practice
They run throughout the ABPP board certification process
ABPP Specialty Certification
Which Board Do I Get Certified In?
What is your primary self-identification
How do you want others to see you
Application Process
Generic application
Specialty application
CV, Professional Statement
Work Sample
Written Exam (Forensics, Clinical Neuropsychology)
Oral Exam
Senior Psychologist Option
Many, but not all, of the specialty boards have a senior option for individuals who have met the degree, internship, and postdoctoral criterion, AND have 15 years or more of postdoctoral experience following licensure
Senior option typically does not require the work sample, but requires all other elements of the application process
Early Entry Program
ABPP Early Entry Option Value Statement In addition to saving $100 on the application fee,
participation in the Early Entry Program demonstrates an early commitment to lifelong professional development and identification with a specialized area of practice in professional psychology
Graduate students, interns, and residents are eligible to start the board certification process through the ABPP Early Entry Program
Early Entry Program
Here’s how it works Complete an application and submit the $25 fee Option about whether or not to identify a specialty Access mentoring early on to facilitate progress Submit credentials as complete each phase of training
Training programs can pay the application fee for their students
Recommend seminars on board certification that include individuals who are board certified
Quote From a Recent Candidate
“I can unequivocally state that it was a very enriching process...The process provides you with a sense of validation by your peers and helps the public clearly identify who has met the requirements of certification...When I finished I did not feel like I had passed one test—I felt I had completed a comprehensive process designed to assess my competence. There were anxieties along the way– “what if I fail”—but then I decided I would just take what I learned and build on it to improve myself. I highly suggest going for the boards.”
... Dominic A. Carone, Ph.D, ABPP (recent ABCN board-certified specialist)
“Take-Home Message
The “Take Home” Message
As specialization becomes more defined and as the field continues to expand, board certification may not only be necessary but may be imperative as a way to defined advanced qualifications and standards of excellence
Board Certification is important to protect the public and promote the profession of psychology
In this evolving health care climate, specialization has considerable value and may increasingly become an expectation
The “Take Home” Message
ABPP is a gold standard for board certification in psychology
ABPP will continue to be at the forefront of specialty competency board certification in professional psychology
The “Take Home” Message
ABPP is a large umbrella for psychology specialty
ABPP subspecialties offer exciting new opportunities for current ABPP Boards
The Expected…not the Exceptional
It is not the exceptional specialist who should be board certified, but the specialist who is not board certified who should be the exception
Russ Bent, PhD, ABPP
ABPP Resources
• American Board of Professional Psychology– www.abpp.org – Nezu, Finch, and Simon (Eds.) (2009), Becoming
board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology. New York: Oxford.
– Nezu and Nezu Oxford book series
Closing Contact:
Nadine Kaslow, Ph.D., ABPP (nkaslow@emory.edu) with questions
Good luck and enjoy the process!!!
American Board of Professional Psychology600 Market StreetSuite 300Chapel Hill, NC 27516
(919) 537-8031 Voice(919) 537-8034 Fax