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The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) is the primary organization for specialty board certification in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
.
Mission statement
"The mission of the American Board of Professional Psychology is to increase consumer protection through the examination and certification of psychologists who demonstrate competence in approved specialty areas in professional psychology."
History
1947-1999
The American Board of Professional Psychology was founded and incorporated in 1947, as the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology (ABEPP). When established, ABEPP replaced a committee that was formed by the
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...
(APA) to explore the development of a credentialing body for individual psychologists. According to Bent, Goldberg & Packard, APA had come to realize that a membership organization, such as itself, could not advocate for its members at the same time that it performed certification functions designed to protect the public. Determining that a distinction should be made between basic and advanced levels of competence, ABEPP focused its attention to the latter and identified three fields of certification –
Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...
; Personnel-Industrial (later becoming
Industrial Psychology
Industrial and organizational psychology (I-O psychology), an applied discipline within psychology, is the science of human behavior in the workplace. Depending on the country or region of the world, I-O psychology is also known as occupational ...
, and then Industrial/Organizational Psychology); and Personnel-Educational (later becoming Counseling and Guidance, and then
Counseling Psychology
Counseling psychology is a psychological specialty that encompasses research and applied work in several broad domains: counseling process and outcome; supervision and training; career development and counseling; and prevention and health. ...
). In order to recognize those psychologists already working in applied and practice areas, persons deemed to have sufficient experience and training (and awarded
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degrees prior to December 31, 1935) were allowed to be "grandfathered" without examination. Those requiring examination were administered both written and oral components.
In 1968, the current name – American Board of Professional Psychology – was adopted, and a fourth specialty –
School Psychology
School psychology is a field that applies principles from educational psychology, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, community psychology, and behavior analysis to meet the learning and behavioral health needs of children and adol ...
– was introduced. In 1972 multimember regional boards were implemented – Northeast, Midwest, Mideast, Southeast, Intermountain West and Far West. In 1974, the ABPP
Board of Trustees
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
(BOT) authorized the establishment of the
National Register of Health Service Psychologists. It was also founded b
Mack R. Hicks Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, new specialty boards were recognized –
Clinical Neuropsychology
Clinical neuropsychology is a sub-field of psychology concerned with the applied science of brain-behaviour relationships. Clinical neuropsychologists use this knowledge in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and or rehabilitation of patients ...
(1984),
Forensic Psychology
Forensic psychology is the development and application of scientific knowledge and methods to help answer legal questions arising in criminal, civil, contractual, or other judicial proceedings. Forensic psychology includes both research on various ...
(1985),
Family Psychology (1991) and
Health Psychology
Health psychology is the study of psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare. The discipline is concerned with understanding how psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors contribute to physical health and illn ...
(1991). As new specialties were introduced, each seated a trustee on the BOT. As the 1990s progressed, additional specialties were identified –
Behavioral Psychology
Behaviorism is a systematic approach to understanding the behavior of humans and animals. It assumes that behavior is either a reflex evoked by the pairing of certain antecedent stimuli in the environment, or a consequence of that individual' ...
(1991),
Psychoanalysis
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...
in Psychology (1996), and
Rehabilitation Psychology
Rehabilitation psychology is a specialty area of psychology aimed at maximizing the independence, functional status, health, and social participation of individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Assessment and treatment may inclu ...
(1997). Specialty Academies were also introduced as definitive membership organizations for specialists certified by ABPP.
2000-Present
During the early 2000s, ABPP implemented several initiatives to further its mission. The Early Entry Option was created for graduate students, interns, and residents to start the
board certification
Board certification is the process by which a physician or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, practical, or simulator-based testing.
Certification bodies
There are more than 25 boards that ...
process early in their careers. In 2008, ABPP began to convene an annual conference with workshops. As a means of raising funds to support education on board certification, the American Board of Professional Psychology Foundation was formed in 2010. In 2015 ABPP seated its first Early Career Psychology (ECP) trustee. Maintenance of Certification was implemented in 2015, requiring that psychologists board-certified on or after January 1, 2015 undergo a formal review, ensuring their commitment to lifelong learning. Psychologists who received their board certification prior to 2015 received the option to opt-in to maintenance of certification or to waive the requirement.
Certification Requirements
There are various requirements to obtain the ABPP certification, which are referred to as diplomas in the specialized area. The minimum requirements include:
* A doctoral degree
* Licensure within the psychology field
* At least five years of experience
In addition to the minimum requirements, there are also additional specializations demonstrated by the candidate. The candidate must also demonstrate the following:
* Specialized Training
* Evidence of substantial experience
* Continuing education in one of the thirteen specialty areas
A review of the candidate's work as well as an oral examination are also required to obtain ABPP certification. Some specialties require an additional written exam in addition to the oral component.
Recognized Specialties
In 2018, ABPP recognizes the following psychology specialties (year of affiliation with ABPP in parentheses):
* Behavioral & Cognitive (1992)
* Clinical Child & Adolescent (2003)
* Clinical Health (1991)
* Clinical Neuropsychology (1984)
* Clinical (1947)
* Counseling (1947)
* Couple & Family (1990)
* Forensic (1985)
* Geropsychology (2014)
* Group (1997)
* Organizational & Business Consulting (1948)
* Police and Public Safety (2011)
* Psychoanalysis (1996)
* Rehabilitation (1997)
* School (1968)
* One subspecialty is also recognized under the umbrella of Clinical Neuropsychology – Pediatric Neuropsychology.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees consists of:
* A representative from each of the specialty boards
* Members of the Executive Committee (President, President-Elect, Past-President, Treasurer and Secretary)
* The Executive Officer
* A Public Member
* An Early Career Psychologist trustee
* A trustee from the Council of Presidents of Psychology Specialty Academies (CPPSA)
* The Editor of the ABPP newsletter, ''The Specialist,'' serves as an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees.
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.abpp.org
Psychology organizations based in the United States
Medical and health organizations based in North Carolina