American Academy of Clinical Psychology
THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
(click here to go to the Academy external site)
The American Academy of Clinical Psychology is an organization of psychologists who are ABPP Board Certified in the specialty of Clinical Psychology and who have joined together to promote high quality services in Clinical Psychology, through encouraging high standards and ethical practice in the field. The Academy also provides member services, promotes the value and recognition of Board Certification in the specialty of Clinical Psychology, and encourages those qualified by training and experience to become candidates for Board Certification.
The Academy was founded in 1993 in response to needs for a membership organization for psychologists who have earned Board Certification in Clinical Psychology from the American Board of Clinical Psychology (ABCP), which is a member board of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). ABPP is the organization recognized by the profession of psychology as the grantor of Board Certification in specialty areas of applied psychology. Board Certification in psychology is similar to Board Certification in the field of medicine, indicating a standard of practice appreciably higher than that of state licensure. The Academy has an elected six-member Board of Directors and approximately 500 members.
Board Certified Clinical Psychologists, who are automatically eligible to become members and Fellows of the Academy, include some of the most prominent and visible leaders in Clinical Psychology. They are frequently department heads or supervisors, and may be engaged in research, training, or clinical practice in a wide variety of settings including: hospitals, universities, the military, medical schools, correctional facilities, clinics, and private practice. They are frequently found in leadership positions in the profession. They have served as reviewers of quality of care for insurance companies as well as for governmental third party payers. In recent years with the advent of managed care there has been an ever increasing demand for Fellows of the Academy as reviewers and providers of specialty mental health services. The members of the Academy provide professional services in many countries, but the overwhelming majority reside and practice in the United States.
The Academy has the following objectives:
- to promote Board Certification, particularly in Clinical Psychology
- to increase the numbers of those who are Board Certified in Clinical Psychology
- to work cooperatively with the American Board of Clinical Psychology (the examining board for Clinical Psychology) to further the joint mission
- to provide member benefits
- to find ways that members can interact usefully with each other
Member benefits and services include—
- a member Directory available to the public at www.aacpsy.org
- a free link from the Directory to a member’s professional website
- status as a Fellow of the Academy
- free continuing education opportunities on the website
- the Academy’s on-line journal
- the opportunity to publish in the Academy’s journal
- notices in hometown newspapers upon achieving Board Certification.
- the opportunity to mentor applicants for Board Certification in Clinical Psychology
- a discussion listserv for members
- opportunity to interact with other members with regard to referrals, consultations, expert advice, and ethical questions
The website also contains member news and resources, such as a reproducible pamphlet about Board Certification.
The Academy works to promote Board Certification in Clinical Psychology by placing ads in professional journals encouraging psychologists to become Board Certified. We contact all clinical students and residents across the country by e-mail, and we have submitted an article about Board Certification to the journals of all fifty state psychological associations. Board members take opportunities to speak on Board Certification at professional meetings and conventions. We are seeking opportunities to collaborate with various related APA divisions in the interests of clinical psychology. The Academy has a very active mentoring program, providing information and advice to candidates for Board Certification in Clinical.
The Academy participates in the Council of Presidents of Professional Specialty Academies and is also a member of the Clinical Synarchy, which is the body that represents the specialty of Clinical Psychology to the Council of Specialties. The Academy participates in maintenance of the specialty’s recognition by the Council for Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology.
An essential part of the advanced competencies of Board Certified Clinical Psychologists is awareness of and sensitivity to the diverse influences on personality and behavior of such factors as culture, ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation, and physically challenged status. Board Certified Clinical Psychologists take these factors into account in a skillful way when arriving at assessment and treatment planning decisions and when carrying out treatment (and they consult with more knowledgeable colleagues when necessary to ensure that such factors are appropriately considered).
Inquiries regarding the Academy may be sent to contact@aacpsy.org.
Board of Directors:
President: Fred Alberts, PhD, ABPP
contact@aacpsy.org
813-321-5635
Vice President: David B. Kazar, PhD, ABPP
dbkazar@gmail.com
Treasurer: Mary Ann Norfleet, PhD, ABPP
mnorfleet@stanford.edu
Secretary: Avie J. Rainwater, III, PhD, ABPP
drajr3@lifeCareGroup.org
Member: Thomas McKnight, PhD, ABPP
tomabpp@msn.com
Member: Robert I. Yufit, PhD, ABPP
ryufit@sbcglobal.net
Administrative Officer: Ms. Suzanne Suarez
211 East Davis Boulevard
Tampa, Florida 33606-3728
813-321-5635