Statement from the APA Committee on Early Career Psychologists on Licensure at the Receipt of the Doctoral Degree

To:     Board of Directors Work Group on the Recommendations of the Commission on Education and Training   Leading to Licensure in Psychology

From:   Committee on Early Career Psychologists

Date:   October 21, 2005

RE:     Report of the Board of Directors Work Group on the Recommendations of the Commission on Education   and Training Leading to Licensure in Psychology
____________________________________________________


The Committee on Early Career Psychologists (CECP) strongly endorses the policy statement proposed by the APA Board of Directors Workgroup on the Recommendations of the APA Commission on Education and Training Leading to Licensure in Psychology. We call upon the APA to urgently pursue efforts to affirm the doctorate as the minimum educational requirement for entry-level practice of psychology. We further support the recommendation that new graduates be admitted for licensure after completion of the doctorate and 2 years of supervised experienced, which should include the clinical internship and a 2nd year of supervised experience that may be completed prior to or after the doctorate.

The committee's strong endorsement of the recommendations of the Workgroup and the APA Commission is motivated by a growing number of early career psychologists providing alarming feedback of their struggles to obtain quality postdoctoral training opportunities and entry-level employment in a financial market that is increasingly dominated by nondoctoral mental health providers. More students and recent graduates are openly questioning the value of their education and the profession of psychology, with many pursuing alternative career paths that do not require licensure. In addition, our colleagues increasingly question the value of APA and wonder whether the APA is willing to address these issues in a substantive, responsive, and timely manner.

In endorsing these recommendations, CECP notes that current graduates obtain far more predoctoral clinical training (an average of 1800-2000 hours before the internship year) than was common 25 years ago when the postdoctoral standard for licensure was implemented. We understand there is concern within the education and training communities regarding the quality of these predoctoral hours, and we applaud and support the work of APPIC, training councils, and individual graduate programs to define and standardize the required core competencies for completion of the doctorate.

CECP also notes that recent graduates are now eligible to apply for ABPP credentialing as licensed professionals with 1 year of postdoctoral training (or 2 years for Clinical Neuropsychology), suggesting that there is confusion within the profession on the trajectory from entry-level practice to specialty credentialing, as both entry-level licensure and ABPP credentialing can currently be achieved simultaneously after 1 year (or 2 years for ABPP-CN) of postdoctoral experience. CECP asserts that the postdoctoral requirement should not be used as a gate-keeping mechanism for entry-level practice or as a means of compensating for a lack of accountability on the part of doctoral and internship training programs to ensure new graduates are ready for entry-level practice. Granting licensure at t statement proposed by the APA Board of Directors Workgroup on the Recommendations of the APA Commission on Education and Training Leading to Licensure in Psychology. We call upon the APA to urgently pursue efforts to affirm the doctorate as the minimum educational requirement for entry-level practice of psychology. We further support the recommendation that new graduates be admitted for licensure after completion of the doctorate and 2 years of supervised experienced, which should include the clinical internship and a 2nd year of supervised experience that may be completed prior to or after the doctorate.

The committee's strong endorsement of the recommendations of the Workgroup and the APA Commission is motivated by a growing number of early career psychologists providing alarming feedback of their struggles to obtain quality postdoctoral training opportunities and entry-level employment in a financial market that is increasingly dominated by nondoctoral mental health providers. More students and recent graduates are openly questioning the value of their education and the profession of psychology, with many pursuing alternative career paths that do not require licensure. In addition, our colleagues increasingly question the value of APA and wonder whether the APA is willing to address these issues in a substantive, responsive, and timely manner.

In endorsing these recommendations, CECP notes that current graduates obtain far more predoctoral clinical training (an average of 1800-2000 hours before the internship year) than was common 25 years ago when the postdoctoral standard for licensure was implemented. We understand there is concern within the education and training communities regarding the quality of these predoctoral hours, and we applaud and support the work of APPIC, training councils, and individual graduate programs to define and standardize the required core competencies for completion of the doctorate.

CECP also notes that recent graduates are now eligible to apply for ABPP credentialing as licensed professionals with 1 year of postdoctoral training (or 2 years for Clinical Neuropsychology), suggesting that there is confusion within the profession on the trajectory from entry-level practice to specialty credentialing, as both entry-level licensure and ABPP credentialing can currently be achieved simultaneously after 1 year (or 2 years for ABPP-CN) of postdoctoral experience. CECP asserts that the postdoctoral requirement should not be used as a gate-keeping mechanism for entry-level practice or as a means of compensating for a lack of accountability on the part of doctoral and internship training programs to ensure new graduates are ready for entry-level practice. Granting licensure at the completion of the doctorate does not undermine or devalue the importance of postdoctoral training, but rather enhances it by clarifying that postdoctoral training is a mechanism for advanced competence and specialty training. CECP also notes that entry-level licensure at the completion of the doctorate will allow new psychologists to obtain third party reimbursement and to complete postdoctoral training experiences through numerous federally funded programs that require licensure. Furthermore, we believe this change will enhance service provision to underserved communities and accelerate the elimination of mental health disparities.

CECP cautions the APA to work closely with the ASPPB, National Register, and ABPP to ensure that recent successes in establishing mechanisms for licensure mobility are not undermined. We encourage the APA and ASPPB to collaboratively pursue revisions of their respective Model Licensing Acts to be consistent with the policy proposed by the Workgroup. CECP also urges the APA to provide financial and technical support to state licensing boards and other appropriate psychological entities (e.g., ASPPB, National Register, ABPP, State Psychological Associations) to advocate for granting licensure at the completion of the doctoral degree.