Welcome Letter from the Specialty Board President

Greetings! Thank you for your interest in the American Board of Professional Psychology Specialty in Serious Mental Illness Psychology. We are committed to improving the care of and knowledge base about those living with a serious mental illness or severe emotional disturbance (SMI/SED). This is an exciting time to be doing work in this area and we are excited to allow Psychologists with experience working with persons with SMI/SED the opportunity to demonstrate and be recognized for their expertise.

The primary objective of the ABPP SMI Board is to establish and maintain a certification process that recognizes, certifies, and promotes specialty-level standing in the practice of SMI Psychology. Specialty-level standing is conceptualized as higher than the basic level of competence certified by jurisdictional licensure, but within the reach of most practitioners of SMI Psychology, contingent on specialized education, training, and practice. Specialty services include a focus on Mental Health Recovery, Psychosocial Rehabilitation, and the provision of evidence-based practices such as cognitive-behavioral therapy for psychosis, social skills training, family interventions, and the like. The examination process is intended to be a collegial one. We strive to be supportive and create a favorable situation to facilitate the ability of a Psychologist in SMI/SED to demonstrate their specialized clinical competencies.

I would like to highlight the benefits of becoming board certified specifically in SMI/SED, which include lessening the stigma/discrimination of persons with SMI and increasing access to quality treatment for an underserved but increasingly recognized population. As more psychologists become board certified in SMI Psychology, this will expand other practitioners’ awareness of the field while offering a greater number of efficacious services to the community. Certification also allows psychologists to demonstrate their commitment to competency in SMI Psychology, to be a role model for others, and to be better prepared to assume leadership roles in the field. Finally, by becoming board certified in SMI Psychology, psychologists can find a professional home to interact with others with a commitment to improving the lives of individuals living with SMI/SED. Please see the website for more information about the Specialty Council for Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Psychology (www.psychtrainingsmi.com), promoting Mental Health Recovery/Psychosocial Rehabilitation, and many helpful resources related to SMI/SED.

If you are a licensed SMI psychologist working as a clinician, advocate, academician, trainer, instructor, supervisor, or administrator, please consider board certification in SMI Psychology. 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 once you complete your training. In addition to our standard application process, we also have an application tailored to the experience of senior psychologists. Please review the Applicant Manual in our document library for details about the overall process and specific requirements. Please note, we aim to be as inclusive as possible, thus we encourage applications from qualified applicants of all races, ethnicities, languages, sexual orientations, genders, ages, disabilities, SES, religion/spiritual orientations, and other cultural dimensions.

Perhaps you’d be willing to go even farther. Think about getting involved in the board after becoming certified. We are always looking for members to participate in board activities, including promoting the board, connecting with early career psychologists, and assuring that we are optimizing diversity in our membership, examination processes and business practices. Contact me or the other current board members if you are interested. All of our information is included on the Board Officers page.