Distinguished Service to the Profession of Psychology

• Tell us about your current professional roles and activities.

I write textbooks on cognitive and clinical assessment for graduate students in school and clinical psychology. I also give assessment webinars in these areas. The books focus on both children and adults and cover such areas as administering and interpreting intelligence tests, interviewing, observations, childhood psychopathology, neuropsychology, aging, and dementia. I am now completing a textbook on the WAIS–5.

• What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy knowing that my books will prepare students for a challenging career as school or clinical psychologists. I also enjoy the challenge of integrating diverse materials into a readable and coherent whole.

• What inspired you to get board certified?

I applied four years after my PhD in 1963 because I wanted to obtain the highest professional honor offered in the field of clinical psychology. I knew that, if I received the certification, I would be in a better position to find employment and to engage in private practice if I chose to do so.

• How has board certification contributed to your professional activities?

Since I am not in private practice, but work as a college professor, the certification has not played a major role in my career. However, I was informed by a member of the staff of the Psychology Department at San Diego State University that my having the certification brought status to the clinical faculty of the department. Board certification also helped in my applications for grants and other awards.

• What advice would you give to psychologists or trainees interested in pursuing board certification?

It is important to be up to date on current research in the field of specialization, like clinical psychology. The best way to keep current is to read journal articles and books related to the field of specialization and attend workshops and webinars.

• Please share any fun facts about yourself.

My biological age is 93 but my psychological age is 33. Until four years ago when I developed some medical issues, I enjoyed ballroom dancing at least twice a week and traveling. In prior years, my partner and I took cruises to Mexico, Alaska, and Northern Europe. In 2005, my partner and I took third place in a cha cha dancing contest at the San Diego County Fair. I still enjoy listening to jazz, going to the theater, and watching movies on streaming services.

• What is one piece of advice you’ve found helpful in your career?

When you study Freud, become a Freudian; when you study Adler, become an Adlerian; and when you study Skinner, become a Skinnerian. Follow the same advice for each theorist that you study.