Some of you have received a license to practice as a psychologist in your state of choice, and you are not satisfied. You want another credential to back up your training. It turns out you have the grand opportunity of getting another credential, primarily through three organizations. The first is the ASPPB (the progenitors of the EPPP). The second is the National Register of Health Service Providers (NR). The third is the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Now I know the rest of you are thinking, "Oh, but I was completely satisfied when I got licensed. What could induce me to go to the trouble of obtaining another credential when I just spent the past seven to ten years getting my doctoral degree and getting licensed?!" That is a great question.
The ASPPB, NR, and ABPP each offer their own credential, with their own qualifying process, and of course, the accompanying fees. Each of these beneficent organizations additionally offers you the opportunity to start banking your credentials with them before you graduate with your doctoral degree. Maybe you haven't heard of credential banking: sending all of your credentials and qualifying documentation to one of these organizations, having them verify each credential and archive it in a file for you. Later when you apply for licensure in one or multiple states, you can have that organization send all your qualifying credentials directly to the licensing board of your choice. This would save you the hassle of collecting all the official documentation and having it sent to a licensing board yourself, each time you apply for licensure in a new state. As for the credential that is offered by each organization, and obtained by meeting specific requirements, it is like that organization's seal of approval. The hope is that some states will recognize the credential as satisfactory and grant you a license without needing to see all your original documentation, and many states do recognize some or all of these credentials. In some cases a state licensing board may still require you to take a jurisprudence exam or waive only some of the requirements for licensure.
I am too bored at the moment to go into the specific requirements for each credential, but rest assured that whether you seek a credential or just a credential bank you will always have to pay an annual fee to maintain your credentials with one of these organizations. Really, this is an enterprise that stems from the original monster of different requirements for licensure in each state and the increased mobility of today's world. If all states had the same requirements for licensure, then all states could be part of one big agreement of reciprocity, and instead of resending credentials to each new state you would only have to show them a current license and take that state's jurisprudence exam. How simple that would be! Not to mention much cheaper!
Mobility remains the number one struggle in licensure. Let's say you originally get licensed in a state with very few requirements for supervised hours. After practicing for 15 years, you decide to move to Florida, which requires 4000 hours of supervised experience. You didn't have an accredited internship and only had 1500 hours of postdoctoral supervision. Even though you have been practicing for 15 years, you still won't be able to get licensed in Florida until you make up the rest of your supervised hours. And who is going to supervise you? Another psychologist, possibly one who has only been practicing for five years. Does this make sense?
The ASPPB, NR, and ABPP each offer their own credential, with their own qualifying process, and of course, the accompanying fees. Each of these beneficent organizations additionally offers you the opportunity to start banking your credentials with them before you graduate with your doctoral degree. Maybe you haven't heard of credential banking: sending all of your credentials and qualifying documentation to one of these organizations, having them verify each credential and archive it in a file for you. Later when you apply for licensure in one or multiple states, you can have that organization send all your qualifying credentials directly to the licensing board of your choice. This would save you the hassle of collecting all the official documentation and having it sent to a licensing board yourself, each time you apply for licensure in a new state. As for the credential that is offered by each organization, and obtained by meeting specific requirements, it is like that organization's seal of approval. The hope is that some states will recognize the credential as satisfactory and grant you a license without needing to see all your original documentation, and many states do recognize some or all of these credentials. In some cases a state licensing board may still require you to take a jurisprudence exam or waive only some of the requirements for licensure.
I am too bored at the moment to go into the specific requirements for each credential, but rest assured that whether you seek a credential or just a credential bank you will always have to pay an annual fee to maintain your credentials with one of these organizations. Really, this is an enterprise that stems from the original monster of different requirements for licensure in each state and the increased mobility of today's world. If all states had the same requirements for licensure, then all states could be part of one big agreement of reciprocity, and instead of resending credentials to each new state you would only have to show them a current license and take that state's jurisprudence exam. How simple that would be! Not to mention much cheaper!
Mobility remains the number one struggle in licensure. Let's say you originally get licensed in a state with very few requirements for supervised hours. After practicing for 15 years, you decide to move to Florida, which requires 4000 hours of supervised experience. You didn't have an accredited internship and only had 1500 hours of postdoctoral supervision. Even though you have been practicing for 15 years, you still won't be able to get licensed in Florida until you make up the rest of your supervised hours. And who is going to supervise you? Another psychologist, possibly one who has only been practicing for five years. Does this make sense?
First step: bank your own credentials, and make supervised hours one of the things you bank. By this I mean, seek and keep careful documentation of all your professional activities, including the contact info for those who supervise and recommend you, and signed and dated records of all supervision. Your academic transcript should already be "banked."
ReplyDeleteIt is accreditation for psychology...it isn't supposed to make sense! ;-)
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