ABPP Specialists, Drs. Jeffrey E. Barnett, PsyD, ABPP and Frank M. Dattilio, PhD, ABPP, recently published an article on specialist board certification in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice: The Importance of Board Certification in Psychology: A 25 Year Retrospective.
The article provides an update on board certification in psychology over the past 25 years to include its relevance to competency-based practice. Multiple benefits of board certification are described, the criteria of a legitimate board certification process are articulated, and the importance of board certification for psychologists and for the public they serve are explained. According to the authors:
The oldest and most recognized board in the United States as well as Canada and abroad is the ABPP. The American Psychological Association’s Commission for Recognition of Specialties and Subspecialties in Professional Psychology applies rigorous standards for recognizing specialties and subspecialties in professional psychology (APA, 2024). The specialties and subspecialties it recognizes are those in which ABPP offers board certification. In further recognition of ABPP’s legitimacy and as a reflection of its wide acceptance, the Council of Specialties in Professional Psychology has recognized the American Board of Professional Psychology as the sole standard for board certification in psychology, stating that the “ABPP is the credentialing organization with which Council of Specialties affiliates” (Council of Specialties, 2023, p. 6).
The article also includes references to several helpful resources that describe the process of ABPP board certification. According to the authors:
Since 2002, a number of books have been published on the process of becoming board certified by such entities as American Board of Professional Psychology (e.g., Maguth Nezu et al., 2009). This text covers issues involving the goals for seeking board certification, the starting process, selecting the right board for candidates, and how to prepare for written and oral examinations. This also involves preparing practice samples, working with mentors in a specialty area, and what they can anticipate within the examination experience. There are also chapters that involve the appeals process and professional development and lifelong learning, along with pitfalls to avoid.
Additional potential helpful resources for psychologists considering pursuing board certification through ABPP include: Cox’s (2022) chapter “Becoming a specialist: Board certification” in The Portable Mentor (Prinstein, 2022), Packand and Simon’s (2006) chapter “Board certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology” in Psychology Licensure and Certification: What Students Need to Know (Vaughn, 2006), and Baker and Cox’s (2014) chapter “The history and importance of specialization in professional psychology” in The Oxford Handbook of Education and Training in Psychology (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). Interested readers should also access the ABPP website at https://www.abpp.org and review the many helpful materials included relevant to board certification in general and to each of the 17 specialty boards specifically.
References
American Psychological Association. (2024). Commission for the recognition of specialties and subspecialties in professional psychology (CRSSPP). https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/crsspp
Baker, J., & Cox, D. R. (2014). The history and importance of specialization in professional psychology. In W. B. Johnson & N. J. Kaslow (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of education and training in professional psychology (pp. 120–132). Oxford University Press.
Barnett, J. E., & Dattilio, F. M. (2024). The importance of board certification in psychology: A 25 year retrospective. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000590
Council of Specialties. (2023). Orientation to the CoS. https://www.cospp.org/_files/ugd/3d3517_14c451d13555477ebf25fa2374bbca17.pdf
Cox, D. R. (2022). Becoming a specialist: Board certification. In M. R. Prinstein (Ed.), The portable mentor: Strategies for early career psychologists (3rd ed., pp. 361–370). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108903264.020
Maguth Nezu, C., Finch, A. J., Jr., & Simon, N. P. (Eds.). (2009). Becoming board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780195372434.001.0001
Packard, T., & Simon, N. P. (2006). Board certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology. In T. J. Vaughn (Ed.), Psychology licensure and certification: What students need to know (pp. 117–126). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/11477-010
David Cox, PhD, ABPP
Board Certified in Rehabilitation Psychology
ABPP Executive Officer
Correspondence: ExecutiveOfficer@abpp.org