Brian Mangan, PsyD, ABPP
Thank you for your interest in the American Board of Police & Public Safety Psychology (ABPPSP). It will be a privilege to serve as the board president for 2023-24. Police & Public Safety Psychology (PPSP) is an area of specialized practice first recognized by the American Psychological Association in 2008*. As one of the 15 specialty board of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), we strive to maintain and, where possible, improve the quality of professional practice in PPSP through following a board certification process that not only credentials qualified psychologists, but also serves as a collegial and collaborative process by which applicants for board certification can validate their strengths and grow in areas that are less well-developed.
Board certification can have several professional advantages, including elevating your level of practice, connecting and networking with other specialists through a closed listserv, broadening employment and practice opportunities, and in some situations (e.g., U.S. Military Psychologists, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Psychologists, private employers) providing opportunities for enhanced income. To learn more about the benefits of certification, please visit this ABPP page.
Our board strongly encourages and welcomes applications from psychologists whose practice milieu includes any of the critical areas of public safety, including, but not limited to, law enforcement, all branches of military service, fire and emergency services, corrections, communications/dispatch, power plant personnel, etc. Many questions from military psychology applicants can be answered by Navy Captain, Dr. Carrie Kennedy, and Dr. Mary Comperini can provide guidance and assistance to applicants working within the correctional field. Dr. Maria Galmarini is a great resource to learn more about the mentee/mentor process, and if you are a current specialist and need information about Maintenance of Competence certification, Dr. Bruce Cappo can help.
The American Academy of Police and Public Safety Psychology (AAPPSP) is the academic branch of ABPPSP that promotes high standards of specialized practice, research, and consultation in this specialty. Our Academy offers an array of stimulating specialized education and training for all experience levels, and is actively developing new, topical, and diverse trainings to offer in the near future. Many of the Academy’s training opportunities are available in person or online through our partner, Concept Continuing and Professional Studies, in conjunction with Palo Alto University. In addition to providing continuing education, the Academy’s mission is to help develop core curricula for interested universities and professional schools.
If you are interested in becoming board certified in police and public safety psychology, please visit our website, which offers a step-by-step guide for applying to the ABPPSP. Please be sure to review the ABPPSP Examination Manual, which can be found in our document library. The manual contains an overview of the application process, including instructions for submitting an application, preparing your practice sample (including professional self-study statement and work samples), and preparing for oral examination. Our document library also contains additional resources, including the ABPPSP Practice Sample Submission Checklist. Reviewing these resources will likely address many of your initial questions and the checklist is a tool to assist candidates in the technical preparation of their practice sample. Although the standards are high, they are quite achievable for the vast majority of psychologists who have a solid generalist background and at least 1000 hours of direct services or activities in the specialty. Also, if you are an early career psychologist (within 10 years post-doctoral degree), you are likely to qualify for a $500 scholarship upon successful completion of the board certification process through the Dr. Eileen M. Gupton Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Whether you are a board-certified specialist or an applicant who wants to learn more about the board certification process, we are here to help. Feel free to contact me or any of the other specialty board members. I am delighted to be able to take over leadership of the board, which has been managed so successfully for the past two years by past-president Dr. Gary Fischler. Additionally, Dr. Jaime Brower is the President Elect and National Chair of Examinations and can answer any questions about the application, practice sample, or oral examination processes. Dr. Heather McElroy is the current Oral Examination Coordinator and is readily available to assist with questions about the oral exam or board certification process. Dr. Michelle Hoy-Watkins is the Academy President and a great resource for learning about available training.
Lastly, if you or someone you know is interested in applying for Board Certification in PPSP, please consider joining us during our quarterly virtual “meet & greet” sessions to learn more about the application and examination process. These virtual meetings are open forums aimed at answering your questions, as well as discussing scholarship incentives for Early Career Psychologists. We announce these meetings through various listservs in advance of the meeting date. If you do not have access to these announcements, please reach out to me, Dr. Jaime Brower, Dr. Heather McElroy, or Dr. Maria Galmarini to receive quarterly meeting info.
We appreciate your interest in our specialty and hope to hear from you soon.
Brian L. Mangan, PsyD, ABPP
President, American Board of Police and Public Safety Psychology
* PPSP was initially recognized as a proficiency in 2008, and a specialty in 2013.