Interview With a Board Certified Specialist

Q.  What motivated you to seek board certification in rehabilitation psychology?
A.  The professors that I most admired in Graduate School were all board certified in their specialties, and so I always just expected to achieve that for myself once I became a psychologist.

Q.  Please talk about your current professional setting and patent populations?
A.  I have been with the Department of Veterans affairs for almost 15 years and have had the opportunity to work in a few different settings. The VA is a wonderful organization if you want to work with people with disabilities because so many of our Veteran population are disabled. For the past several years, my primary responsibilities have been in leadership and administration, but clinically I conduct a significant amount of assessment including neurocognitive evaluations and pre-surgical assessments.

Q. What advice would you give candidates who are pursing board certification in rehabilitation psychology?
A.  I would advise candidates to be persistent and understand that board certification is a growth process. It's an opportunity to self-reflect and improve which is something that we all should be continuously striving for as psychologists.

Q. ABRP encourages applications from minority groups and people with disabilities.  What advice would you give to these applicants?
A.  The truth is that people with disabilities and those from other underrepresented groups have had to face many significant barriers to get to where they are at. Research conducted by myself and my colleagues has shown as the level of academic and educational achievement increases, people with disabilities and others from marginalized groups are less and less represented. This is highly problematic because our field needs to represent the people we serve. It is very important to find a mentor who will be able to support you in your journey toward board certification. Don't be afraid to ask for someone with a disability or a person of color or someone who is a member of the LGBTQI+ community. Those of us who are mentors want to connect with you and support you in your journey.

Q.  What did you learn about yourself during the board certification process?
A.  One thing I learned is that the process of learning and growing professionally is continuous. It occurs before the board certification process, during the process, and after the process. Reflecting on my work was helpful in order to identify my strengths but it also helped me to identify my areas for continued growth.

Q. Now reflecting back, what was the greatest misconception about this process?
A.  I think my greatest misconception is that it was somehow about “proving myself” that I was competent as a rehabilitation psychologist but in reality it really helped me improve my competence as a rehabilitation psychologist. Go through the process made me better at what I do.

Q.  What are some of the benefits that you have experienced since becoming board certified?
A.  I was eligible for and received a step increase which is a salary bump for federal employees when I got board certified. I have had the opportunity to connect with others in the ABPP community which has been a tremendous asset in terms of connections and networking. Finally, I have been fortunate enough to be able to serve on the American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology which has been not only a lot of fun but also an opportunity to learn a lot more about our field.

Q.  What motivated you to seek board certification in rehabilitation psychology?
A.  My mentor in graduate school introduced me to the ABPP board certification process. She strongly recommended that board certification for several reasons: identify specialization working with people with disabilities, recognize competence through the peer-review examination process, and ensure consumer protection for my patients and families. The ability to showcase my passion and demonstrate competence in evidence-based practice to best serve and support patients and families strongly resonated with me. I quickly applied as an Early Entry, and this allowed me to submit appropriate paperwork as I progressed through graduate school, internship and post-doctoral residency.

Q.  Please talk about your current professional setting and patent populations?
A.  I am currently an early career board-certified rehabilitation psychologist working at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, GA within the inpatient SCI department and intensive SCI outpatient program. I work with patients with spinal cord injuries/disorders with possible dual diagnosis of a traumatic brain injury.

Q. What advice would you give candidates who are pursing board certification in rehabilitation psychology?
A.  

1. Find your tribe of mentors- those who are there for just emotional support, those who are there for editing and feedback, and those who are there to do mock oral exams. This is a commitment that often requires a team to support you as you venture through the process.
2. It is okay to do it at your own pace! No one has approached board certification the same way or timeline.
3. For those who are very structured and goal-orientated: I wrote out weekly goals for myself to feel less overwhelmed when writing up my practice samples as well as prepping for the oral exam. It feels good to check things off! 

Q.  What did you learn about yourself during the board certification process?
A.  Often as clinicians, we can flawlessly provide assessment and intervention without really needing to slowly down and think about the research that supports our process. I really enjoyed being able to break down my clinical approach and revisit the “why.” As an early-career psychologist, feeling like an imposter syndrome is normal. Through the board certification process, those feelings of self-doubt and incompetence diminished as I was able to self-reflect about my clinical approach, appreciate my current skillset, and deepen/grow as clinician. I learned that I am capable and competent as an early career psychologist as well as clinicians always are and should be lifelong learners. 

Q.  Now reflecting back, what was the greatest misconception about this process?
A.  The greatest misconception about board certification is that it is “just another hoop.” I found it to be an enriching and fun process. The combination of self-study and participation in the peer-led board preparation group, Rehab Riff Raff, I was able to grow as a clinician and supervisor. I have appreciated the ability to dissect my work, engage in professional dialogue, and develop further competence as a rehabilitation psychologist. I would recommend any individual who wants to specialize, to start the board-certification process. It is not just letters added to the end of your name, rather an enhancing experience to ensure competence and provide an opportunity for unique growth. 

Q.  What are some of the benefits that you have experienced since becoming board certified?
A.  Board-certification has provided me the opportunity to connect with other rehabilitation psychologists (locally and nationally), as well as providing a professional community that I belong to. I can have dialogue with other psychologists about professional development, collaborate on research projects, and consult on how to better advocate for individuals with disabilities.

Q.  What is the most rewarding aspect of your work as a rehabilitation psychologist?
A.  The most rewarding part of my work as a rehabilitation psychologist is having the privilege of sitting and working alongside patients with the new onset of disability and helping them navigate through the challenging transitions. In my seat, I see how the human body is so delicate and intricate, but the human spirit/mind can find resilience and hope in the unknown related with catastrophic injuries and recovery. Patients and families at their most vulnerable allow us the honor to assist with this. That is the most rewarding part of my job! 

Q.  What is your practice like?
A.  I am the supervisor for seven doctoral and master’s level psychologists in a network of post-acute neurorehabilitation programs treating persons with acquired brain injury spinal cord injury and multiple trauma.  My practice is divided between direct clinical service of treatment, assessment, and patient-specific consultation with additional roles of clinical supervision, curriculum development and program administration.

Q.  What did you learn about yourself and your practice while doing board certification?
A.  I appreciated the increased resolution and clarity that the professional identity as a specialist provides. Having the clarity of a specific sphere of competence as a rehabilitation psychologist helps me to confidently describe and implement my unique role and contributions to our clinical team and the persons we serve. I have always valued the  range of general clinical skills psychology provides, but the specialty certification brings these into a clearer focus for the department, our interdisciplinary teams, and for me.
I came to this specialty through work experiences and mentored, supervised practice. As a mid-career psychologist, the certification process exposed me to an educational process that consolidated my experiences in a framework that established a professional identity that was missing for me.

Q.  What might you consider doing differently based on what you learned?
A.  I would have done this sooner in my career had I known how supportive and helpful the process is. It took me a long time to decide to immerse myself in the process.  The scope of the education and examination preparations made me a better supervisor and sharpened my clinical skills. It was unfortunate that such gains had to wait until I was committed to the process.

Q.  Do you see yourself in a different light for having completed the board certification process?
A.  I do view myself as a more effective leader and supervisor after the certification process.  I have more confidence my grasp of the body of knowledge associated with the specialty and the contributions we make to the teams and people with whom we work. I have a clearer sense of direction for my clinical assessments and treatment plans, as well as in the supervision I provide.

Q.  What motivated you to seek board certification in rehabilitation psychology?
A.  As a supervisor and program leader, it became increasingly clear that I needed to be setting the best professional example for continuing education as well as the awareness and integration of practice standards in our clinical work. I was also concerned about the erosion of the scope of practice I could claim without board certification.  The expectations of our hospital relationships and advancing professional standards, including expectations of key stakeholders, were part of the motivation for me.

Q. What advice would you give to a candidate for board certification in rehabilitation psychology?
A.  I believe the board certification process should be viewed increasingly as an extension of formal career preparation educational activities.  It provides a great foundation for role development and professional identity. Waiting until mid-career missed this opportunity for me in the early formative years.  The process itself was supportive and collegial, and never felt judgmental or critical. I set aside protected time on a consistent basis to work through the steps, just like going to work.  The support of a peer group of recent certificate recipients and peers in the pipeline was critical in the process for me.

Q.  What have you found most valuable or rewarding about board certification (e.g., salary increase, referrals, colleagues, increased self esteem, learning, something else)?
A.  While the congratulatory response from peers was a joy, the relationships with professionals who supported me in the education and process were most rewarding.  My employer supported this process financially and with intangible assistance. For the program, the benefit of ABPP certified staff helps with marketing our services in a way that brings confidence to our stakeholders about the quality of the qualifications of the staff.