1. Licensure in Clinical Psychology

2. 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”.

3. 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

4. The Goal Protect the Public Boards as gate-keepers Consumers cannot be expected to understand & evaluate psychological practices Licensure requires continuing education

5. The Reality Are licensed psychologists better than non- licensed ones? Licensure doesn’t 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

6. Example of how licensure doesn’t 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”.

7. Going License Crazy APA has actually considered : Limiting licensure to graduates from APA’s accredited programs trying to license the practice of psychology as well as the psychologist!