Interview With a Board Certified Specialist

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Received his doctorate from the University of Windsor in 2001.  He has been board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology since 2012.  He has conducted independent neuropsychological assessments as part of the team at Expertise NeuroSciences in Montréal since 2005.   He has also been actively involved in clinical supervision and training for several years, including a temporary position as professor at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) for the year 2014-2015.  From 2008 to 2013, he was Director of the Clinique universitaire de psychologie at the Université de Montréal.  Prior to that, he worked as a clinical neuropsychologist in a number of settings, including in TBI rehabilitation (Institut de Réadaptation de Montréal, Centre de réadaptation Lucie-Bruneau) and a more general hospital setting (Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal).  He has collaborated on a number of scientific publications, most notably in the area of TBI rehabilitation and the influence of cultural factors in neuropsychology.

Q. What motivated you to seek board certification in neuropsychology?
A.  The idea of board certification was always present during my graduate training, both at the University of Windsor (especially with Byron Rourke) but also during my clinical training in Detroit (with the likes of Joseph Ricker, Scott Millis, and eventually Robin Hanks).  Since then, and in spite of relatively little recognition in my home province of Québec, the thought kept coming back.   Meeting Mary-Ann Mountain, a fellow Canadian from Thunder Bay, Ontario who had gone through the process, finally convinced me to go ahead and sign up for the written exam.

Q. Looking back, what misconceptions did you have about the ABPP/ABCN credentialing and examination process that you would like future applicants to know?
A.  The idea has circulated for many years about how difficult the ABPP process can be.  Although it was certainly rigorous (as it should be), my sense was that the overall process was fair.  At no point did I feel that what was asked was unreasonable. Indeed, having participated at the Practice Sample Reviewer Cadre training session at the AACN meeting in 2014, I am even more convinced of the overall fairness of the process, and that certain elements have been put in place for this to be improved over time.   

Q. What was the most challenging/interesting/surprising aspect of the board certification process?
A.  Given the fact that ABPP credentialing is not formally recognized in Canada – and even less in the French-speaking province of Québec, where I live and work – there wasn’t much external incentive for board certification.   From the beginning, obtaining ABCN certification was much more personal journey than a professional obligation.  What was surprising, especially once it was completed, was the extent to which the process has been useful in developing my own professional identity and self-confidence.  During the waiting period following the oral examination, I was shocked how easy it was for me to convince myself that all the studying and preparation had been worth it, regardless of the eventual outcome. Admittedly, this may also have served as a self-serving a coping mechanism, but not that much.  The added letters at the end of your professional signature are nice, but more importantly, the process was rewarding, in and of itself.
 
Q. What might you consider doing differently based on what you learned?
A.  Not that much.  Given the fact that there are no other board-certified neuropsychologists in the region, it was necessarily more difficult to arrange face-to-face meetings with potential mentors or fellow candidates.  Having said that, it would have been useful to be able to touch base with others, especially in the months leading up to the oral examination.  Given the increased availability of such assistance (even at a distance) for those going through certification now, I would strongly recommend reaching out and getting that support.

Q. What advice would you give to a candidate for board certification in neuropsychology?
A.  Enjoy the ride.   There will not be that many other opportunities to challenge yourself professionally in this manner, particularly when it comes to your clinical decision-making skills.  Although there will necessarily be a measure of stress and confrontation, I would suggest that the process should be viewed as a stage in your professional development and certainly not a “hoop” to jump through.   Just like in graduate school, these stages should, as much as possible, be viewed not in terms of their finality (i.e., the test score or diploma), but for the learning that they represent.
 
Q. ABCN encourages applications from under-represented minority groups in neuropsychology.  What advice would you give a minority applicant?
A.  Historically, it must be said that neuropsychology has not always done a particularly good job at acknowledging certain realities with respect to cross-cultural or minority issues.  However, for a number of reasons, I believe this is changing, quickly, as can be seen both in the content of related research and the makeup of our professional societies.   It thus becomes essential for clinical neuropsychologists as a group (and most notably professional “guilds” such as the ABCN) to be a better reflection of this diversity.   
 
Q. What did you learn about yourself, or in what ways do you see yourself differently having completed the board certification process?
A.  I truly love my work as a clinical neuropsychologist – board certification contributed to this appreciation, and continues to do so through the association.  As mentioned previously, my experience was that the process of certification was in many ways inherently rewarding, and served as a potent reminder of the complexity of our profession and the necessity of ongoing learning. 
 
Q. What have you found most valuable or rewarding about board certification?
A.  As mentioned previously, I live in the province of Québec, Canada.  As of 2012, clinical neuropsychology has become a legally restricted professional act, with a recognized subset of psychologists having the exclusive right to perform neuropsychological assessments.  As a result, there have been essential ongoing discussions, both at the legislative and training levels, as to what exactly constitutes a clinical neuropsychologist.  In these discussions, it has been extremely useful for me to hold up the ABCN certification as the most rigorous example of how neuropsychologists should be credentialed and recognized.    
 
Q. How has your professional life changed since attaining board certification?
A.  As mentioned earlier, board certification may not have directly contributed to any professional recognition here in Québec, at least not yet.  However, in doing Independent Medical Examinations, I have the distinct impression that certification has helped, if only in having others ask me about it.  More generally, the process has greatly contributed to my own view of the profession and how it should be recognized within society as a whole. 
 
Q. What is the most interesting/challenging/rewarding/fulfilling aspect of your work as a neuropsychologist?
By far the most rewarding and challenging aspect of my work has been my involvement in training, mostly in the form of clinical supervision of graduate students doing practica in university settings.   Witnessing the excitement, wonder and intelligence that these future colleagues exhibit as they discover their chosen profession contributes greatly to my optimism with regards to the future of the profession.
 
Q. What would readers be most surprised to learn about you?
A.  French is the language of the majority in the province of Québec, Canada.  Although all of my professional training was done entirely in English, the vast majority of my clinical assessments (i.e., well over 90%), and all of the clinical supervision and training, is now conducted in French.   Some work has been done regarding the translation and validation of neuropsychological tests in French, but this has been done mostly in Europe rather than in North America.  For several possible reasons, including among others some very different rates of bilingualism, these norms are often quite inappropriate in Québec.  As a result, this situation has created a number of important, ongoing challenges in my professional practice.