The Path to Licensure: A Snapshot of the Steps You Will Take To Your Professional Future

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The Path to Licensure A Snapshot of the Steps
You Will Take To Your Professional Future

• The Association of State and Provincial
  Psychology Boards

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The Sequence of Steps Leading to Licensure

• Select recognized graduate training program in
  psychology (i.e. APA/CPA accredited, ASPPB/NR
  designated or equivalent)
• Complete required coursework including practicum
• Become familiar with licensing requirements in
  target jurisdictions of interest
• Apply for and successfully complete internship
• Complete doctoral degree (required in vast
  majority of jurisdictions)
• Complete post doctoral supervised experience
  (required in vast majority of jurisdictions)

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Becoming Informed about Jurisdictional
Requirements

• www.asppb.net contains
• Specific Licensure Requirements by
  State/Province/Territory (Handbook)
• Licensing Board Contact Information by
  jurisdiction (state, province, or territory)

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The Sequence of Steps Leading to Licensure (cont.)

• Apply for licensure through your
  state/provincial/territorial psychology licensing
  board
• Pass all required examinations (EPPP,
  Jurisprudence, Oral)
• Pay Fees

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www.asppb.net
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Doctoral Program Requirements

• Regional accreditation or government charter
• ASPPB/National Register Joint Designation or
  equivalent
• Accreditation by American Psychological
  Association or Canadian Psychological Association
  or equivalent
• Equivalent for foreign degrees

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Doctoral Program Requirements (cont.)

• Some licensing laws require inclusion of specific
  coursework such as ethics, multicultural
  awareness/competence
• Be aware of specific requirements about
  residency, as specified by doctoral program and
  jurisdiction (most require physical presence, not
  just full-time enrollment)
• Be aware of specific requirements about hours
  of practicum/internship, as specified by doctoral
  program and jurisdiction

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Supervised Professional Experience I

• Requirements vary among jurisdictions
• Avoid problems/delays caused by not knowing
  jurisdictional requirements
• Recommend understanding jurisdictional
  requirements early in training
• Try to reconcile differences between training
  program, training site and licensing requirements
  before completing the experience

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Supervised Professional Experience II Variables
to Consider

• Total hours of experience
• Total hours of supervision
• Hours of supervision per week
• Total hours of service-related activities
• Qualifications of supervisor(s) e.g. licensure as
  psychologist, years of experience, affiliation
  with training site

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Examinations

• EPPP Examination for Professional Practice of
  Psychology (used in all jurisdictions in U.S.
  Canada)
• Local jurisprudence/ethics exam (used to assess
  knowledge of local mental health laws, ethical
  standards decision making)
• Possible oral exam, competency exam, or interview

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What is the EPPP?

• Required by licensing boards in U.S. Canada
• Intended to measure broad, general, foundational
  knowledge for all psychologists
• Content validity supported by periodic Practice
  Analyses

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8 Content Areas of EPPP

• Biological bases of behavior
• Cognitive-affective bases of behavior
• Social multi-cultural bases of behavior
• Growth life-span development
• Assessment diagnosis
• Treatment, intervention, prevention
• Research methods statistics
• Ethical, legal, professional issues

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Biological Bases of Behavior 11

• Biological neural bases of behavior
• Drug classification
• Pharmacological treatment of mental disorders
• Behavioral genetics
• Interaction of developmental, gender, ethnic,
  cultural, environmental, experiential factors
  with biological
• Brain imaging
• Biological neural bases of stress

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Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior 13

• Elements of cognition
• Neural bases of cognition, affect, emotion
• Major theories/models of learning, memory,
  motivation, emotion, their application
• Interrelation of cognitions/beliefs, behavior,
  affect, temperament, mood
• Psychosocial factors

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Social Multicultural Bases of Behavior 12

• Social cognition perception
• Social interaction
• Group/team dynamics organizational structures
• Environmental/ecological psychology
• Evolutionary perspectives
• Major theories of personality
• Cultural issues, race, ethnicity, gender,
  disability, rehabilitation, sexual orientation
• Oppression

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Growth Lifespan Development 13

• Normal growth development
• Genetics environment
• Parents, peers, siblings, schools, community,
  media impact on aggression, pro-social
  anti-social behavior, self-esteem
• Major theories
• Influence of culture
• Types of families

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Growth Development (cont.)

• Life events, e.g., trauma, illness, divorce
• Resilience
• Risk factors, e.g., nutrition, health care,
  poverty, violence abuse, drugs alcohol

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Assessment Diagnosis 14

• Psychometric theory
• Assessment theories, models methods
• Tests/instruments for behaviors, characteristics,
  ability, achievement, personality, vocational
  interest, job performance, environmental
  influence, individual group change, etc.
• Issues of differential diagnosis
• Utilization of various classification systems
• Epidemiology of behavioral disorders
• Use of technology

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Treatment, Intervention, Prevention 15

• Decision-making processes
• Contemporary theories models
• Evidence for treatment effectiveness
• Interventions for individuals, couples, families,
  groups, organizations, systems
• Consultation models processes
• Human resource management interventions
• Academic career counseling
• Interprofessional cooperation referrals

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Treatment, Intervention, Prevention (cont.)

• Adjunctive alternative interventions
• Use of technology
• Healthcare system structures
• Healthcare economics policies
• Consumerism
• Health promotion, interventions to reduce risk
  increase resilience
• Interventions for acute traumatic stress

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Research Methods Statistics 7

• Research methods design
• Instrument selection validation
• Statistics analytic methods
• Utilization of research findings
• Evaluation strategies techniques
• Presentation dissemination of research findings

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Ethical/Legal/Professional Issues 15

• APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code
  of Conduct and/or Canadian Code of Ethics for
  Psychologists
• Professional standards guidelines
• Pertinent federal, state/provincial/territorial
  laws/statutes or judicial decisions
• Ethical decision-making process
• Models for professional development

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Detailed Resources for EPPP Info

• ASPPB Information for Candidates (printed booklet
  or downloadable on website www.asppb.net)
• ASPPBs Guide for Students and Faculty Entry
  Requirements for the Professional Practice of
  Psychology (printed brochure or downloadable on
  website www.asppb.net)

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EPPP Practice Exams

• PEPPPO (Practice Examination for Professional
  Practice in Psychology Online)
• May be taken on any computer that can connect to
  the Internet using the Microsoft Internet
  Explorer browser
• PEPPP (Practice Examination for Professional
  Practice in Psychology)
• Taken under real-world testing conditions at a
  Prometric Testing Center

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To Take Practice Exams

• Follow instructions on ASPPB website
  www.asppb.net
• Fee for PEPPPO 55.00
• Fee for PEPPP 50 50 100.00

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Items from Previous Exams

• 250 items used on past exams
• Currently discounted to 37.50 while new version
  being developed
• www.asppb.net

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Research on EPPP

• Numerous studies have supported reliability
  content validity of EPPP
• Data suggest preparation beyond 200 hours yields
  diminishing returns
• Data suggest best to take EPPP within 3 years of
  graduation

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Study Materials

• Many commercial companies offer study materials
• ASPPB HAS NO CONNECTION TO THESE COMPANIES
• ASPPB does NOT sanction any of them nor provide
  them with test items

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Study Methods

• Textbooks
• Course materials
• Study groups
• Test specification materials from ASPPB

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Common Myths About the EPPPAll Untrue

• There are easy and hard versions
• The items are not related to what psychologists
  do
• The pretest questions are clumped at the
  beginning
• The majority of candidates fail
• See Myth vs. Reality of the EPPP brochure at
  www.asppb.net

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Jurisprudence Exam

• Most jurisdictions (states, provinces, or
  territories) require some type of jurisdictional
  law and regulations examination
• This exam may be written or oral

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Oral Exam Possibilities, if required

• Case vignette
• Diagnostics
• Case conceptualization
• Awareness of own professional limits
• Ability to handle crisis
• Diversity
• Ethics law

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Oral Exam Assesses

• Professional maturity
• Professional identity
• Self-awareness
• Ability to apply knowledge theory
• Ability to exercise professional judgment on the
  spot
• Ability to individualize treatment plan
• Ability to handle crisis situation

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Grounds for Failing an Oral Exam

• Inability to function independently
• Lack of own theoretical orientation
• Being too dependent
• Inability to assess follow-up with treatment
  plan
• Unaware of self as factor in treatment
• Lack of knowledge/ability to apply laws
• Not recognizing limits of own competency

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How to Prepare for Oral Exams

• Read vignettes
• Practice diagnostic formulations
• Practice treatment planning
• Consider possible crisis events relevant
  ethical legal issues

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Preparing You for Licensure and Beyond

• CVP Credentials Verification Program Banking
  your credentials for entire career
• CPQ Certificate of Professional Qualification
  Licensure mobility across jurisdictional
  boundaries
• IPC Interjurisdictional Practice Certificate
  Short-term practice across jurisdictional
  boundaries w/o adding more licenses

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CVP Examples of What to Include

• Documents Needed for Initial Licensure
• EPPP Scores
• Transcripts
• Oral Jurisprudence exams
• Supervised Professional Experience (Internship
  and postdoc hours)
• Specialty training

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CVP Content Examples

• Documents Needed for Job Applications and
  Continuing Licensure
• Continuing Education certificates
• Reference letters
• Awards

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Why Bank Verify?

• Highly mobile society
• Widely differing requirements for licensure
  across jurisdictions
• Progressive difficulty obtaining training
  documentation over time (agencies close,
  supervisors leave)
• Career plans change
• Disasters happen
• Low fees for students can be credited toward
  later CPQ application fees
• More information www.asppb.net

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CPQ Certificate of Professional Qualification

• A certificate of licensure eligibility to
  facilitate mobility for individuals meeting ASPPB
  standards
• Requires meeting common criteria including
  doctoral degree, 5 years of licensure, no
  discipline
• Currently accepted in 38 jurisdictions
• Other jurisdictions in process of accepting or
  use CPQ to waive some requirements
• Check www.asppb.net for specific requirements

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Jurisdictions Currently Accepting CPQ for
Licensure (38)

• Alberta, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia,
  California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,
  District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho,
  Kentucky, Louisiana, Manitoba, Michigan,
  Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Nebraska, New
  Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Nova
  Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon,
  Pennsylvania, Quebec, Rhode Island, South
  Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia,
  Wisconsin, Wyoming

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Other Jurisdictions

• 8 in process of accepting CPQ Alaska, Maine,
  Minnesota, New Brunswick, North Dakota, Prince
  Edward Island, Saskatchewan, South Dakota
• 9 may waive at least one requirement Iowa,
  Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Newfoundland
  Labrador, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, Washington

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Some Uses for Interjurisdictional Practice
Certificate (IPC)

• Consultation
• Courtroom testimony
• Short term therapy after a move, in some
  jurisdictions
• Disaster relief
• I/O job and management analyses

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Recommended for Further Reading

• Psychology Licensure and Certification What
  Students Need to Know
• Edited by Thomas J. Vaughn, Ph.D.
• Published by American Psychological Association,
  2006.

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For Further Information

• Association of State and Provincial Psychology
  Boards
• P.O. Box 241245
• Montgomery, AL 36124-1245
• Phone [phone] or [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• General E-mail asppb_at_asppb.org
• Website www.asppb.net

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• Good Luck
• on your journey
• to become
• a licensed psychologist!