The Psychology Taxonomy allows psychologists and training programs to assess how their experiences align with the various training pathways toward specialist board certification.
In 2007, the American Psychological Association approved funds for a workgroup to convene and begin working on the development of a taxonomy for education and training programs in psychology. (It should be noted that this was for describing education and training programs, as opposed to the training of an individual.) The disparate ways in which programs were described from one venue to another resulted in confusion about the nature of the programs and depth of training in a given specialty provided by the programs. This issue begged for a means of establishing clarity and consistency. Thus, the beginnings of what became APA policy in 2012 when the Education and Training Guidelines: A Taxonomy for Education and Training in Professional Psychology (APA, 2012; hereinafter referred to as the Taxonomy) was approved by the APA Council of Representatives and later updated in 2020. This brief article will provide an overview of the Taxonomy.
What is the Psychology Taxonomy?
A taxonomy is essentially a hierarchical classification system regarding concepts, such as what is used for the classification of the animal kingdom, plants, and other natural phenomena.
The Psychology Taxonomy describes the education and training that programs offer as they relate to specialization. Specifically, there are four levels of training defined as: 1) Exposure, 2) Experience, 3) Emphasis, and 4) Major Area of Study. These vary in the intensity of education/training in the specialty from least (Exposure) to greatest (Major Area of Study). Each of the levels of training are also described for each specialty at four different stages of professional development: 1) Doctoral, 2) Internship, 3) Postdoctoral, and 4) Post-licensure.
The four levels of education and training within the Taxonomy are broadly defined as such:
Exposure: Limited in type and intensity, an exposure is structured learning intended to get one familiar with a specialty area.
Experience: A type and intensity of education and training that lies between Exposure and Emphasis, Experience is designed to provide more in-depth familiarity with the specialty than does an Exposure. Typically, it would comprise more than 20% of a program’s offerings, yet less than 50% or so (percentages provided are rough guidelines for example only).
Emphasis: A type and intensity of training that is typically much of a program’s offerings, yet less than 80% of the time is spent in the specialty training. This is a more structured and in-depth education/training than an Experience.
Major Area of Study: A very structured, intense study and experience in a specialty area that is expected to follow specialty training guidelines as defined by each specialty. For example, a post-doctoral training program in a specialty would generally be expected to have at least 80% of the time/learning/experience devoted exclusively to the specialty area.
In 2010, a workgroup comprised of individuals representing the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology, or CRSPPP (now the Commission of the Recognition of Specialties and Subspecialties, or CRSSPP), the Council of Specialties in Professional Psychology (CoS), and the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) began this work. One of the first tasks was to reach a common definition of “specialty.” That was accomplished and accepted as APA policy in 2011. This was the first time in the history of the profession that there was one agreed-upon definition of “specialty”. Despite ABPP having been in existence and certifying psychologists in a specialty since 1947, it was 64 years later that the profession as a whole adopted a uniform definition!
“A specialty is a defined area of professional psychology practice characterized by a distinctive configuration of competent services for specified problems and populations. Practice in a specialty requires advanced knowledge and skills acquired through an organized sequence of education and training in addition to the broad and general education and core scientific and professional foundations acquired through an APA or CPA [Canadian Psychological Association] accredited doctoral program.* Specialty training may be acquired either at the doctoral or postdoctoral level as defined by the specialty (APA, 2011).
*Except where APA or CPA program accreditation does not exist for that area of professional psychology.”
How to Use the Psychology Taxonomy
Many involved in this work over the years continue to work on increasing awareness and use of the Psychology Taxonomy. Widespread utilization of it will provide greater “truth in advertising” about training programs. Specialty boards are encouraged to review requirements for education and training in the specialty for consistency with stated requirements.
For further information about the Psychology Taxonomy:
- View the official APA guidelines on specialization and subspecialization in health service psychology: Education and Training Guidelines: A Taxonomy for Education and Training in Professional Psychology
- For a simple overview of the Psychology Taxonomy: Overview of the Taxonomy for Professional Psychology Health Service Specialties and Subspecialties
- Informative article on the development and history of the Psychology Taxonomy: A taxonomy for education and training in professional psychology health service specialties.
- See the individual taxonomies for each recognized psychology specialty area: CoS-Approved Taxonomies for Recognized Specialties
Training programs also have access to an online tool to assess what level of training within the taxonomy is being met by their current curriculum. Note: It is recommended that readers using this tool still review their specialty area’s education and training guidelines as outlined in their respective taxonomy chart, which is hyperlinked within the tool. This will help ensure that information users input is in accordance with the specialty guidelines.
References
American Psychological Association. (2012). Education and training guidelines: A taxonomy for education and training in professional psychology health service specialties. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/taxonomy.pdf
Rozensky, R. H., Grus, C. L., Nutt, R. L., Carlson, C. I., Eisman, E. J., & Nelson, P. D. (2015). A taxonomy for education and training in professional psychology health service specialties. American Psychologist, 70(1), 21 – 32. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037988
David Cox, PhD, ABPP
Board Certified in Rehabilitation Psychology
ABPP Executive Officer
Correspondence: ExecutiveOfficer@abpp.org