Welcome Letter from the Specialty Board President

M. Jan Tackett, PhD, ABPP

Welcome to the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology website. The ABRP is focused on improving the level of health service provided to people with disabilities, and I hope you find this website helpful to you as a health care provider or consumer.

The primary function of the ABRP is the design and implementation of a fair and comprehensive examination to certify the practice level of psychologists working with people with disabilities. Toward this goal, we are committed to an ongoing process of understanding the standards of practice that define the specialty of rehabilitation psychology. These include: The foundations of our field, assessment and evaluation, intervention, consultation, advocacy, and consumer protection. Many rehabilitation psychologists also develop skills in areas of research, administration, supervision, and teaching. All competency areas are specifically tailored to the needs of people with disabilities and often draw on the contributions of social psychology and disability studies. Another role of the board is to disseminate best practices for working with people with disabilities and advocating for social change and improved quality of life for people of all abilities. Toward all of these goals, the ABRP works closely with APA Division 22, Rehabilitation Psychology (http://www.div22.org/), the Foundation for Rehabilitation Psychology (http://www.div22.org/foundation-for-rehab-psych/) and the Academy of Rehabilitation Psychology.

If you are interested in pursuing board certification in rehabilitation psychology you will find that the members of the board are enthusiastically welcoming and inclusive. For many, the boarding process feels developmental in addition to evaluative. Personally, my understanding of the values and best practices of rehabilitation psychology improved greatly during the process of preparation and examination. The ABRP provides an active mentoring process to help candidates understand the process, prepare for each step along the way, and cope effectively with any barriers they might encounter.

In the Document Library there will be many resources related to successful preparation for board certification in rehabilitation psychology. Also, many of these links and publications are helpful to general practitioners wanting to become competent working with people with disabilities.

If you are seeking the services of a specialist in rehabilitation psychology, you should be aware that the individuals with certification in rehabilitation psychology have demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence in serving the community of people with disabilities. Equally important, these psychologists have dedicated their careers to making life better for people with disabilities. This often involves understanding the social, political, architectural, and interpersonal barriers that face this population and a willingness to advocate for change on a system level.

Again, thank you for your interest in the ABRP and in rehabilitation psychology generally. Please feel free to contact me at Meredith.Tackett@va.gov with any questions about the certification process or rehabilitation psychology generally.