Sally Barlow, PhD, ABPP
Q. What is your practice like?
A. Having taught for over thirty years in a clinical psychology graduate program, I have applied my group specialty practice in several areas: teaching courses such as Group Dynamics, Group Psychotherapy, and Advanced Group Practicum; conducting workshops nationally and internationally on various aspects of group practice; leading and co-leading consultation groups on group skills for agencies such as state hospitals, prisons, and community mental health centers; and facilitating therapy groups with graduate students at our training clinic.
Q. What did you learn about yourself and your practice while doing board certification?
A. Who knew that an examination could cause such anxiety? Still, I genuinely valued the time and effort I invested in preparing for all phases of the ABPP group credentialing process—from the books, chapters, and articles I read to broaden my knowledge base, to a thorough review of existing graduate texts. I expanded my understanding to include concepts I had not had the opportunity to study in graduate school. I was also able to deconstruct a particular group I had videotaped for the exam, allowing me to identify more accurately which processes were effective and which were not.
Q. What might you consider doing differently based on what you learned?
A. I will never again bypass the pre-group interview, as doing so caused significant challenges once the actual therapy group was underway.
Q. Do you see yourself in a different light for having completed the board certification process?
A. Yes, I am proud of myself for enduring the anxiety of being evaluated by highly esteemed group peers.
Q. What motivated you to seek board certification in Group psychology?
A. My group colleagues encouraged me to become one of the founding members of the Group Psychology specialty, which meant I needed to act quickly to be among the first 30 individuals to sit for—and hopefully pass—the Group ABPP examination.
Q. Having attained board certification, looking back, what was your greatest misconception about the ABPP or the credentialing process?
A. I believe I was so anxious about being evaluated by my peers that I did not relax enough to appreciate the true collegiality they were offering during the examination process.
Q. What was the most challenging/interesting/surprising aspect of the board certification process?
A.The group examining body seemed almost as nervous about examining me as I was about being examined. Given their expertise in group practice, this conveyed a clear message of mutual respect and demonstrated how seriously they took their responsibilities. This experience later helped me become a more effective examiner, based on the model originally provided by ABGP examiners.
Q. What advice would you give to a candidate for board certification in Group Psychology?
A. Once you have fully prepared your work sample and assessment sample, allow yourself to enjoy the collegial exchange.
Q. What have you found most valuable or rewarding about board certification (e.g., salary increase, referrals, colleagues, increased self esteem, learning, something else)?
A. The shared collegiality has been especially rewarding. The benefits of studying hard and earning an additional credential have been greatly amplified by the professional relationships I have maintained through active involvement in the ABPP process.
Q. What would readers be most surprised to learn about you?
A. Perhaps they would be surprised to learn that I am an expert downhill skier—a very solitary athletic pursuit.
Q. How has your professional life changed since attaining board certification?
A. It is reassuring to know that I could move from my home state to another state or province without needing to retake the licensing examination. As I have mentioned, I also deeply value my ongoing relationships with my group colleagues and ABPP leaders, whom I see as a highly dedicated community.
Q. What is the most interesting/challenging/rewarding/fulfilling aspect of your work as a psychologist?
A. I feel very fortunate to remain happy with the career choice I made 30 years ago. Many of my peers are already in their second careers. I value being an academic psychologist who specializes in small groups.