Yes. Applicants that do not have a doctoral degree from an APA-approved doctoral program may demonstrate equivalency. Individualized exception reviews are available for individuals with degrees granted outside the U.S. or Canada, doctoral degrees granted prior to 1983, or for Applicants claiming equivalent doctoral degree and program requirements. The best contact to discuss this process is by calling ABPP Central Office or contacting the current ABPPSP National Chair of Examinations (NCE).
The first step is to consult the current version of the Examination Manual, found in the Document Library. This Manual lays out specific requirements for application. You may also consult the current ABPPSP National Chair of Examinations (NCE) found on the Officers page.
ABPPSP welcomes your application and we are glad to provide support. The current ABPPSP National Chair of Examinations can answer procedural questions. The ABPPSP Mentoring Coordinator can provide mentoring support and assist you with support throughout the application process. Mentorship is restricted to advice regarding (1) the selection of Work Sample material, (2) the conformance of the Professional Self-Study Statement to the required elements, and (3) conformance of the Practice Sample to the technical requirements. Permissible mentorship may also include the sharing of the mentor’s Practice Sample with the Candidate but is restricted to the Professional Activities, Continuing Education, Ethical Base, Complex Relationships, Individual/Cultural Diversity and Self-Assessment sections only. The Scientific Base, Legal Base, Evidence-Based Practice and Practice Standards sections of the PSSS must not be shared by the mentor with the Candidate. Candidates who fail a practice sample review or oral examination are free to disclose their candidate status to any ABPPSP board certified specialist to ask for mentoring to assist in the examination process. This must be disclosed to the National Chair of Examinations.
Applicants and Candidates may not indicate to anyone else that they are an Applicant or a Candidate for board certification by the ABPPSP and/or ABPP, nor may they do so on a résumé, CV, or any written or oral statement of qualifications. Additionally, neither the ABPPSP nor the ABPP use, authorize, or recognize the term “board eligible.” Applicants and Candidates may not use this term to represent any relationship or status with either Board, nor may Applicants or Candidates represent to any outside person or entity that they have met the minimum requirements as an Applicant or Candidate of the Boards. All candidates may disclose their candidate status to family members and work colleagues when withholding disclosure may be harmful to the personal or professional relationship (e.g., to a business partner when scheduling an oral examination, to a spouse). In no case may the disclosure be made to imply a qualification not yet attained.
Please review the examination manual to familiarize yourself with the requirements for application for board certification. Pages 4-6 of the manual contain a list of the generic requirements for the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), while pages 6-8 list the specific requirements for candidacy in the specialty of Police and Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP). You must meet both the ABPP and ABPPSP requirements to be approved for candidacy, and mentors can only be requested after an applicant has been approved for candidacy.
The National Chair of Examinations (NCE) reviews all applications for board certification candidacy in Police and Public Safety Psychology. Therefore, any questions you may have about the educational requirements, necessary training experience, and continuing education credits should be directed to the ABPPSP National Chair of Examinations.
Questions about your practice sample should be directed to the ABPPSP National Chair of Examinations. As noted in page 12 of the examination manual, the Mentorship Coordinator can be contacted regarding your selection of work samples and to assist you in ensuring that the samples properly represent your primary practice domains. Furthermore, the National Chair of Examinations will do a cursory review of your documents upon your submission, to ensure your documents covers all necessary components listed in the examination manual before they are assigned to a Practice Sample Review Panel.
The ABPPSP National Chair of Examinations and the Mentorship Coordinator are the best resources for candidates seeking support and guidance, as they can address general questions about your submissions. While a mentor can be requested upon approval for candidacy, a candidate’s initial practice sample submission must be the original work of the candidate. Therefore, mentorship is most commonly requested after candidates have submitted their initial practice sample, and they have either received a ballot reflecting Corrections or Clarifications Requested (CCR) or an acceptable rating, indicating they are approved to proceed to the oral examination phase of the process.
The Mentor/Mentee Guidelines provide information about the purpose of mentoring, mentor requirements, limits of mentorship during the practice sample submission phase, parameters for mentorship for the oral examination, and the value of mentoring experience. Mentors are not allowed to provide detailed feedback on a Candidate’s first practice sample submission, but they can provide support and guidance on how to organize and approach the document, and they can assist in the selection of work samples. While candidates can share portions of their practice sample with their mentor, the mentor is not to review or provide feedback regarding a candidate’s Legal Base or Evidence/Science Base sections of their practice sample.
If you are interested in a mentor, please contact the Mentorship Coordinator. The Mentorship Coordinator will coordinate some time to gather necessary information regarding where you are in the process and your primary and/or secondary domains of practice before assigning you a mentor, as the information will assist in identifying a mentor that can best suit your needs.
If you have already identified a mentor and have spoken to them about serving in the role, please notify the Mentorship Coordinator. Upon being notified of the mentor-mentee relationship, the Mentorship Coordinator will verify that the mentor has agreed to serve in that role, and both parties will be provided a copy of the Mentor/Mentee Guidelines.
A mentor is not permitted to serve on a mentee’s Practice Sample Review Panel or their Oral Examination Panel under any circumstances.