Provincial Psychology Boards Research Articles

Inviting ASPPB to address systemic bias and racism: Reply to Turner et al. (2021).

Turner et al. (2021) subtly relapse in conceptualizing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (Part 2-Skills) exam as a competency evaluation despite Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards' (ASPPB) prior concession that Part 2 measures only the knowledge of skills (not skill competency). They do not address the purpose of redundant evaluation or the other concerns raised in Callahan et al. (2020). Instead, Turner et al. remain narrowly focused on defense of content validity and a reliance on outdated standards that fail to meet contemporary expectations for assessment of health care professionals. The adopted processes and procedures, albeit time consuming and effortful, are known to be methodologically inadequate. ASPPB's methods demonstrably foster linguistic biases and systemic racism that constricts licensure of diverse individuals as psychologists. Specific suggestions are offered, and ASPPB is urged to take drastic corrective action. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The Development of Social Media Guidelines for Psychologists and for Regulatory Use.

The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, the national organization representing psychology regulatory/licensing boards in Canada and the USA, recently developed social media guidelines that are being recommended for use by its member boards. The purposes of the guidelines were to provide guidance to psychology regulatory boards both countries in identifying and communicating what are considered appropriate and inappropriate uses of social media and to promote consistency and clarity about this across jurisdictions. The process involved reviewing the professional literature, relevant guidelines, standards, current laws, and regulations. The guidelines developed include guidelines about confidentiality, informed consent, risk management, competence, multiple relationships, professional conduct, security of information, personal use of social media, and regulatory board use of social media. Major challenges and limitations in accomplishing this task are identified and discussed.

School psychology training within a competency framework: Transcending the past, present, and future.

In this special issue, Conoley et al. (2020) repeat the call for a paradigm shift in school psychology graduate education from the individual level to the system level and from secondary and tertiary intervention to primary prevention and implementation science to optimize environments for children's overall health and success. This article describes how school psychology training, as organized by professional standards of practice and credentialing, has evolved to its current status as a recognized specialty of practice within psychology. A review of the history of the accreditation and approval of school psychology programs, as well as the current status of competencies within these standards and procedures are presented. In addition, school psychology as a distinct specialty; various certifications, credentials, and licensure; professional identities; and recent developments in technology, telehealth, and cross-state credentialing are examined. The article includes a summary of how competencies are reflected in the most recent revisions of American Psychological Association accreditation, National Association of School Psychologists approval standards, and credentialing organizations such as Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. Finally, we conclude with the assertion that development and adoption of these standards, competencies and professional recognition certifications, which are informed by the current zeitgeist in both health and education more broadly, might propel school psychology to fulfill the promise not yet achieved as outlined by Conoley and colleagues (2020). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The enhanced examination for professional practice in psychology: A viable approach?

Health disciplines have increasingly required competency-based evaluations as a licensure prerequisite. In keeping with this trend, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) has begun to develop a second part to the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). The resulting 2-part examination is collectively referred to as the Enhanced EPPP. Part 1 of the Enhanced EPPP, which consists of the current exam, is designed to be an assessment of knowledge. Part 2 of the Enhanced EPPP is newly developed and intended to address the need for a competency-based evaluation. To date, ASPPB has addressed some standard facets of validity for the EPPP Part 2, but not others. In addition, the EPPP Part 2 has yet to be subjected to a broader validation process, in which the suitability of the test for its intended purpose is evaluated. Implementation of the EPPP Part 2 before validation could have negative consequences for those seeking to enter the profession and for the general public (e.g., potential restriction of diversity in the psychology workforce). For jurisdictions implementing the EPPP Part 2, failure to gather and report the evidence required for use of a test in a forensic context may also open the door for legal challenges. We end with suggestions for feasible research that could significantly enhance the validation process for the EPPP Part 2 and offer jurisdictions concrete suggestions of features to look for in determining whether and when to implement the Enhanced EPPP. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology: Emil R. Rodolfa.

The Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology is given in recognition of the efforts of psychologists who have made distinguished contributions to education and training, who have produced imaginative innovations, or who have been involved in the developmental phases of programs in education and training in psychology. The Career designation is added to the award at the discretion of the Education and Training Awards Committee to recognize continuous significant contributions made over a lifelong career in psychology. The 2019 recipient of this award is Emil R. Rodolfa. Roldolfa "has been at the forefront of training and education in psychology for nearly three decades. He has been a master supervisor and faculty member at both the internship and doctoral levels. He has served on multiple committees and boards, such as the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA), the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), the Council on Accreditation (CoA), the Council of Chairs of Training Councils (CCTC), and the California Board of Psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Clinical supervision-the missing ingredient.

Clinical supervision is acknowledged as a distinct professional competence that requires specific education and training. However, it is all too often an inadequately addressed or an entirely missing ingredient in psychology curricula and clinical research, including, for example, clinical trial protocols and evidence-based treatment implementation. It is proposed that clinical supervision training follow the shift to the competence movement that has occurred in psychology education, training, and regulation generally and embrace a systematic and intentional competence model. Groundwork for such a competence model for supervision has been laid in the supervision guidelines from the American Psychological Association and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, defining parameters for clinical supervision and the requisite supervisor competencies. This article discusses these inadequately addressed or missing ingredients, the insufficiently organized approach to supervision as a distinct competency at the present time, and the assumptions that are obstacles to progress. Strategies are proposed to overcome these obstacles; for example, methods of infusing supervision into existing curricula, the hidden curriculum, and transformational leadership that would guide its implementation. Knowledge, skills, and attitudes would be systematically developed as a critical component of self-reflective competency-based education, a portal to lifelong learning, and an essential part of research and implementation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Whither I-O Psychology and Legislative Restrictions?

We think that before reading our reactions to the focal article, readers should be aware of the history of the Licensure of Consulting and I-O Psychologists (LCIOP) Joint Task Force. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) initiated the LCIOP, and the objectives of the task force were developed without input from Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). In June 2013, Don Crowder informed Mark Nagy (SIOP Chair of State Affairs) that the ASPPB approved the establishment of a joint task force related to licensure of consulting and industrial and organizational (I-O) psychologists. The membership composition of the task force was determined by ASPPB, and SIOP was allotted one member. By including a member of SIOP, ASPPB can describe the task force as a cooperative effort and SIOP ostensibly has the opportunity to help shape recommendations made with regard to the licensure of I-O psychologists. Don Crowder now serves as the president of ASPPB. In Crowder's October 2016 ASPPB meeting address, he encouraged jurisdictions to review their statutes, and, if permitted, require licensure for both health service providers (HSPs) and general applied psychologists (GAPs).

A Competency Framework for the Practice of Psychology: Procedures and Implications.

Several competency models for training and practice in professional psychology have been proposed in the United States and Canada. Typically, the procedures used in developing and finalizing these models have involved both expert working groups and opportunities for input from interested parties. What has been missing, however, are empirical data to determine the degree to which the model reflects the views of members of the profession as a whole. Using survey data from 466 licensed or registered psychologists (approximately half of whom completed one of two versions of the survey), we examined the degree to which psychologists, both those engaged primarily in practice and those involved in doctoral training, agreed with the competency framework developed by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards' Practice Analysis Task Force (Rodolfa etal., 2013). When distinct time points in training and licensure or registration were considered (i.e., entry-level supervised practice in practicum settings, advanced-level supervised practice during internship, entry level independent practice, and advanced practice), there was limited agreement by survey respondents with the competency framework's proposal about when specific competencies should be attained. In contrast, greater agreement was evident by respondents with the competency framework when the reference point was focused on entry to independent practice (i.e., the competencies necessary for licensure or registration). We discuss the implications of these findings for the development of competency models, as well as for the implementation of competency requirements in both licensure or registration and training contexts.

Evolving practicum issues in school psychology preparation

AbstractPracticum experiences have been a critical aspect of the education and training of school psychologists at both the specialist and doctoral level. At the specialist level, the National Association of School Psychologists recently updated their standards for practicum, but the content, quality, and length of practicum vary tremendously across training programs. At the doctoral level, recent guidelines from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards allow for the emerging option to include practicum experience together with internship toward licensure requirements. However, this raises a number of questions unique to the context of school psychology training, including what hours and activities count, appropriate credentials for supervisors, appropriate sites for practicum experiences, what competencies are to be gained, and how to assess those competencies. The Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs has organized a task force to address issues of competencies and supervision in practicum experiences to inform recommendations and regulations regarding practicum experiences. This article summarizes the nature and context of these issues, and makes recommendations for school psychology training programs, national professional organizations, and credentialing organizations. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

How should the effectiveness of the EPPP be judged?

Abstract We join Brian A. Sharpless and Jacques P. Barber (2009) in calling for strengthening the evidence base supporting the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), particularly in the areas of criterion and predictive validity. Although 1 clear purpose of the EPPP is to assess core areas of knowledge, materials from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards are less clear as to whether the EPPP is also intended to predict future performance as a psychologist. If the EPPP is expected to protect the public from poorly trained psychologists, then data supporting its use for that purpose are urgently needed. Sharpless and Barber offer suggestions for evaluating the EPPP against this criterion. Although a step in the right direction, these suggestions do not fully satisfy the need for predictive validation. Our greatest difference with Sharpless and Barber concerns their recommendation for abandoning generic licensing in favor of specialty exams tied to subfields. Segmenting licensure in this manner would deviate from the profession’s long-standing com-mitment to broad and general training and would necessarily be accompanied by an undesirably narrowed scope of practice.

Science, applications, and regulation

Science, applications, and regulation

Do We Have to Learn All This Stuff?

What you see is what you get with this new book from the American Psychological Association (APA), edited by Thomas J. Vaughn. Psychology Licensure and Certification: What Students Need to Know contains almost everything one might want to know about psychology licensure and certification, and then some, in one handy volume. The editor has compiled chapters by well-known experts in the field. The material on the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) credentialing is particularly strong. The difficult problem of licensing mobility is thoroughly covered in a chapter by DeLeon and Hinnefeld.

On the Professional Use of Disciplinary Data.

This article reviews recent trends in the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards' Disciplinary Data System-a record of sanctions against psychologists. Review of these data revealed problems with the usefulness of the categorization and reporting system. As a result, a new classification system was devised, based on base-rate descriptive data, and is presented here. Implications for psychology boards, ethics training, and professional practice are discussed.

The role of the American Board of Professional Psychology in professional mobility.

This article describes the role of certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in easing the process by which psychologists move beyond their original jurisdictional boundaries to practice psychology. Meeting the requirements for licensure or certification in the various jurisdictions can be a difficult task because these requirements vary considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Other mechanisms that are available to facilitate this process include the Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology issued by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards and certification by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. The ABPP certificate/ diploma has been regarded by many state psychological associations and state boards of psychology as an appropriate way in which to recognize psychologists who are eligible for licensure/certification in a jurisdiction because of the examination requirements for board certification.

Professional mobility for psychologists is rapidly becoming a reality.

Professional mobility for psychologists has been a problem since states first passed psychology licensing laws because of relatively small but crucial variations in licensing requirements. Although the profession of psychology and the association of psychology regulatory bodies in the United States and Canada (i.e., the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards [ASPPB]) have recognized this problem for decades, little progress was made in resolving it. Recently, the ASPPB launched two different approaches to facilitating professional mobility: one to forge agreements between regulatory bodies to accept each other's licensees, and another to certify or endorse individual psychologists who meet ASPPB standards for licensure and therefore can be recommended to licensing boards for relicensure. The specific requirements of each of these programs and their success in addressing the professional mobility problem are described.

Preferred strategies for learning ethics in the practice of a discipline.

Abstract There are very few formal evaluations of the impact of instructional practices on the effectiveness of strategies for learning professional ethics. The assessment of ethical knowledge and skills is important in current discussions of professional mobility across North American jurisdictions. The present study investigated adult learners' perceived level of helpfulness of seven strategies when learning seven different ethical content areas. Adult learners rated interactive strategies as more helpful for learning compared to traditional didactic methods. Adult learners rated the helpfulness of various strategies differently for different content areas, indicating that several strategies may be useful. We conclude by making recommendations for further investigation of the effectiveness of various learning strategies in terms of knowledge gained and subsequent behaviour. The increasing emphasis on ethical issues in the science and practice of psychology requires psychologists to carry out more empirical studies on the effectiveness of learning strategies. There are very few published evaluations of the effectiveness of instructional practices or outcomes in the teaching of ethics in psychology. Faculty, thus, are relying on the good-hearted assumptions that current ethics courses have been appropriately designed (Welfel, 1992). The literature relating to ethics and professional accountability in psychology was almost nonexistent until after World War II, but it has increased significantly since the 1970s (Sinclair, 1993). The impetus for addressing ethics may have come from two precipitating factors. One was the postwar disclosure of atrocities conducted in Nazi Germany in the name of science. The other was the rapid postwar professionalization of applied psychology (Sinclair, 1993; Sinclair, Simon, & Pettifor, 1996). The first formal regulation of psychological practice in North America began in Connecticut in 1945. Since then American states and the Canadian provinces have all adopted regulatory legislation. Regulation requires the definition of standards for competent and ethical practice. Ethics questions are included on the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology and on oral examinations that are required by most regulatory jurisdictions (Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, ASPPB, 1999). The accreditation of professional training programs in Canada and the United States requires the teaching of ethics (American Psychological Association, 1996; Canadian Psychological Association, 1991b). Professions develop codes of ethics to guide the behaviour of their members in the practice of their discipline. Aspirational codes of ethics articulate the fundamental moral values on which behavioural standards are based. Professional disciplines avoid intruding on the personal values and behaviours of members as long as they do not bring discredit to the profession (Pettifor, 1996). Nevertheless, the underlying values of codes of ethics reflect the cultural values and mores of the society in which they are formulated, and therefore significant conflict between personal and professional values normally would not occur. Professions may also develop codes of conduct to define specific behaviours that are expected of members and for which violations may incur disciplinary sanctions (Association of Provincial and State Psychology Boards, 1991). All professional codes of ethics and codes of conduct address in one way or another the issues of respect, rights, confidentiality, informed consent, diversity, well-being of consumers, competency, professional boundaries, conflict of interest, honesty, and, sometimes, responsibility to society. Psychologists require knowledge of the profession's requirements for ethical standards and they require skill in recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas. Strategies for developing knowledge may differ from strategies for developing skills. …

Frequency of child custody evaluation complaints and related disciplinary action: A survey of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.

Psychologists who conduct child custody evaluations take their practices into a most challenging and stressful area. This study surveyed the 61 member boards of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) about number and category of child custody complaints in the last decade, number of findings against psychologists, and related disciplinary action. Results reveal that psychologists who accept work in this area are extremely likely to also encounter the anguish of defending a related licensure board complaint at some point. A persuasive domestic lawyer calls you seeking a child custody evaluation relating to her client whose wife has taken the kids and left him for another person. She offers a large retainer fee to secure your services and makes it very clear that the legal team's strategy is to launch an adversarial assault campaign in support of winning the custody battle. What would you do? How would you handle the request? Is your office staff adequately prepared to handle similar calls? How would you proceed toward the evaluation? What would be the likelihood that you would hear from your licensure board later with a formal complaint? The area of child custody evaluations is potentially one of the most stressful and difficult for psychologists because of high levels of emotionality and acrimony associated with the process and the participants. In a recent large-scale survey of Texas psychologists, Montgomery, Cupit, and Wimberly (1999) found that child custody cases were second only to sexual misconduct cases in terms of likelihood for occurrence of board complaints and malpractice actions. Because of these factors, it is speculated that child custody

Frequency of child custody evaluation complaints and related disciplinary action: A survey of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.

Frequency of child custody evaluation complaints and related disciplinary action: A survey of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.

FORUM In Response to the 1998 APA Division 40 Presidential Address: So Where's the Beef?

During the 1998 Division 40 presidential address by Linas Bieliauskas in San Francisco, several assertions were made contending that professional schools of psychology (PSP) had a deleterious effect on clinical neuropsychology by lowering professional standards, removing science from the curriculum, and producing mediocre clinicians. Bieliauskas reported to the author that he had based his opinion, in part, on data indicating that Boulder model graduates attained superior mean scores on the Examination for the Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) as compared to their Vail model counterparts. In order to determine whether significant differences existed between the two groups, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted using the 1997 EPPP scores reported by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB, 1997). The author also provides a response to Bieliauskas' (1998) assertions.

Reflections on the evolution of psychology in Manitoba: Past, present and future considerations.

CPA Award for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology as a Profession (1997) / Prix pour contribution remarquable a la psychologie en tant que profession (1997)AbstractThis paper reflects upon the evolution of psychology in Manitoba which may parallel developments in other jurisdictions. The article highlights those developmental activities of particular historical relevance, identifies current issues and underscores several key issues which present challenges to the profession into the future. The implications of such issues for interjurisdictional mobility, entry level standards of practice, training, funding of services, advocacy, legislation and recruitment are discussedIntroductionSituated on the longitudinal axis of North America (96 degrees 48' 35 inches), Manitoba has, despite its distance from the political and economic centres of influence, benefitted from the collegial generosity of organized psychology across North America. Such benefits have spanned the years and have been realized in large measure through Manitoba's close association with the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), the Council of Provincial Associations of Psychologists (CPAP and its predecessor ACPAP), the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (CRHSPP), the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB and its predecessor AASPB), the American Psychological Association (APA), and a number of other provincial psychology associations. The willingness of these organizations to so generously share their experiences, documents, triumphs and otherwise, in many areas, including advocacy, legislative and professional affairs, has had a direct impact on the evolution of the profession of psychology in Manitoba. Indeed, one of psychology's greatest strengths in Canada, and in fact North America, lies in its willingness to so freely collaborate, share and support the development of the profession across jurisdictions, despite political, cultural or geographical differences.As joint holders of the archives for professional psychology in Manitoba and as participants in the professional affairs of organized psychology, the authors have had the unique opportunity to witness the development of the profession over four decades. The lens of Manitoba's archives brings into focus many of the same themes which are common to, and characteristic of the challenges presented to all psychology organizations. Consequently, Manitoba's history may parallel that of other jurisdictions.It is the intention of the present article to reflect upon some of these activities of particular relevance to the development of professional psychology in Manitoba. Given the broad range of activities and the contributions of so many psychologists (e.g. Tables 1 and 2 contain a listing of those who have assumed leadership roles as presidents within organized psychology), it is not possible to undertake a comprehensive review of the many developments which have occurred. Rather, the focus will be to on those developmental activities of particular historical relevance and, based on that review, to underscore several key issues which present challenges to the profession into the future.Psychology in Manitoba: The Beginnings (1920-1969)Although, the history of academic psychology in Manitoba has been documented elsewhere by Morgan Wright (1982), it is important to note that the history of academic psychology began in 1920 with the appointment of Henry W. Wright (Morgan Wright's father), to the Department of Philosoph of the University of Manitoba. During his tenure, despite the gradual increase in the number of psychology course offerings over the years, it was not until 1947 that a separate department was established. Likewise, it has been noted (Wright, 1982) that the emergence of the Canadian Psychological Association played a critical role in both Henry Wright's and the University's conversion from philosophy to psychology. …