Licensure in Clinical Psychology

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Licensure in Clinical Psychology
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What is Licensure?

• The laws are intended to protect the public by
  limiting licensure to those persons who are
  qualified to practice psychology as defined by
  state and provincial law. The legal basis for
  licensure lies in the right of the state to
  protect its citizens. Caveat emptor or buyer
  beware is felt to be an unsound maxim when the
  buyer of services cannot be sufficiently well
  informed to beware, and hence states have enacted
  regulatory boards to license qualified
  practitioners. A professional board is a state or
  provincial agency acting to protect the public,
  not serve the profession.

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How to get licensed

• Have a Ph.D, Psy.D. from an APA accredited site
• 1 year of internship from an APA accredited site
• 1-2 years postdoctoral supervised clinical
  training
• National Exam
• Ethics Exam
• Oral Exam

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The Goal

• Protect the Public
• Boards as gate-keepers
• Consumers cannot be expected to understand
  evaluate psychological practices
• Licensure requires continuing education

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The Reality

• Are licensed psychologists better than
  non-licensed ones?
• Licensure doesnt mandate technique
• When no valid techniques exist, psychologists
  should take whatever precautions are necessary
  to protect the welfare of their clients
• Maybe licensure would make more sense if
• There were devices that required training
• The process made people better therapists
• The process created better understanding

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Example of how licensure doesnt work

• 1991 APA Council of Representatives Statement on
  the use of Anatomically Detailed Dolls in
  Forensic Evaluations
• Neither the dolls, nor their use, are
  standardized or accompanied by normative data.
  There are currently no uniform standards for
  conducting interviews with the dolls. Therefore,
  in conformity with the Ethical Principles of
  Psychologists, psychologists who undertake the
  doll-centered evaluation of sexual abuse should
  be competent to use these techniques.

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Going License Crazy

• APA has actually considered
• Limiting licensure to graduates from APAs
  accredited programs
• trying to license the practice of psychology as
  well as the psychologist!