Ruperto M. (Toti) Perez, PhD, ABPP
Welcome to the ABCoP website. Thank you for your interest in pursuing board certification in counseling psychology. There is perhaps no more significant evidence of a counseling psychologist’s successful demonstration of the foundational and functional competencies of our specialty than obtaining board certification. Board certification as a Counseling Psychologist is evidence of your successful knowledge and demonstration of the foundational and functional competencies expected of a health service psychologist within the specialty of Counseling Psychology. As a specialty area of psychology, Counseling Psychology’s approach to promoting human functioning across the lifespan using preventative, developmental, and remedial strategies characterizes its uniqueness and distinctiveness as a specialty. For more specific descriptions of counseling psychology as a specialty, please visit https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/counseling to learn more.
For those current board-certified in Counseling Psychology, members express seeking and maintaining board certification for a variety of reasons, including a personal sense of accomplishment, completing a job requirement, receiving a salary increase, or being a role model for others. If you are a counseling psychologist working as a clinician, academician, trainer, supervisor, or administrator, whether in a civilian or military role, we welcome your application for board certification as a Counseling Psychologist. If you are an early career psychologist (ECP) still working on licensure, we encourage you to start the ECP application process now. If you are a graduate student or doctoral intern, you can begin the early entry application process at a reduced rate and submit your documentation as you complete your training.
If you are interested in board certification in Counseling Psychology, please read about the Specialty-specific requirements available on our website. To download the forms to start the process, please visit the Document Library. Also, as part of the process, working with a mentor can be helpful to assist in providing support and navigating the application and examination process. If you are interested in working with a mentor, please get in touch with Dr. Vivian Barnette to get started.
Please feel free to contact me or send your inquiry from the Specialty Board Officers page if you have questions regarding the application process. I wish you well on your journey in pursuit of board certification as a counseling psychologist!
Ruperto M. (Tot) Perez, PhD, ABPP
President, American Board of Counseling Psychology (ABCoP)