Addiction Psychology is in the process of becoming affiliated as a specialty board with the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP).
Board certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) represents a high level of professional expertise. It is considered the highest credential of professional practice that can be attained by doctoral-level psychologists, and as such it has been referred to as the “Gold Standard” of the profession. Within the ABPP, 15 psychology specialty boards were created between 1947 and 2014. Two years ago, that number increased as two new specialty boards (Addiction Psychology; Serious Mental Illness Psychology) began the affiliation process. In December 2021 an application for the 16th specialty board, Addiction Psychology, was approved as provisional, and it is now in the affiliation process.
In the “addiction field” this is a major accomplishment as doctoral-level psychologists have not been explicitly recognized among addiction service providers, despite spearheading the development and provision of several major evidence-based addiction treatments. Based on early recruitment efforts, we expect there will be a large number of board-certified addiction psychologists within a few years.
If you are reading this, we encourage you and others you know in the addiction field to get involved. The link for the Addiction Psychology (ABAP) specialty board can be accessed here:
http://abpp.org/application-information/learn-about-specialty-boards/addiction-psychology/
Linda Carter Sobell, PhD, ABPP, ABAP
Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology, and
Board Certified (provisional) in Addiction Psychology, and ABAP’s Board Representative