American Academy of Counseling Psychology

Frequently Asked Questions about the American Board of Professional Psychology Diplomate in Counseling Psychology     What exactly is a Diplomate? A Diplomate is a diploma. It is the equivalent of Board Certification in medicine. Essentially, the Diplomate is evidence that you have a high level of demonstrated competency in your specialty. It is a measure of the excellence you bring to the practice of Counseling Psychology.     What is the American Board of Professional Psychology? The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) was incorporated in 1947. It is the umbrella organization for 11 specialty boards in psychology offering the Diplomate. The major task of the Board is to serve as the governing body of the separately incorporated specialty examining boards.     What is a specialty board? A specialty in psychology is a defined area in the practice of psychology that connotes special competency in that area. Competency is acquired through an organized sequence of formal education, training, and experience. An ABPP Specialty Board is an independently incorporated examining board that is stable, national in scope, and reflects the current development of the specialty. The American Board of Counseling Psychology is the specialty board that defines the standards of competency for counseling psychologists. In addition the Board develops the examination and is responsible for administering and scoring the examination for counseling psychologists.   What is the application process? You will receive a packet of materials from the central office of ABPP. Material in the packet explains the process in detail. Basically, there are three components as defined by the Specialty Board in Counseling Psychology. The first component asks for a review of your formal education, training, and work experience. The second component involves the preparation and submission of a work sample. The third component involves an examination of your work as a practitioner. The three components are sensitive to issues of race, gender, age, and cultural diversity. The process leading to Board Certification in Counseling Psychology is designed to require thoughtful reflection by you about the nature of your work     Why go through the process? People go through the process for a variety of reasons. For many, the ABPP Diplomate enhances job promotion prospects. For those in the military, there is a financial incentive. Virtually all applicants comment about the value of the process in helping to take a close look at what they actually do as counseling psychologists. In short, the process promotes professional and personal development.     How do I apply? You apply in writing to the Central Office of ABPP. You can do so in the following ways: American Board of Professional Psychology David R. Cox, PhD, ABPP, Executive Director 300 Drayton Street 3rd Floor Savannah, GA 31401 Telephone: 800-255-7792 Fax: 912-234-5120   Who can I contact to get more detailed information prior to requesting the application packet? Any of the current or past officers of the American Academy of Counseling Psychology will be happy to help with questions prior to applying. Their addresses are elsewhere on this site.     What is the next step? Once you apply for a packet of materials, an individual mentor will contact you to provide information and direction on an as-needed basis. Your mentor will be a counseling psychologist who has a Diplomate in Counseling Psychology, as well as detailed information about the process.