Specialty certifications for mental health practitioners: A cautionary case study.

Gerald M. Rosen; Jason J. Washburn; Scott O. Lilienfeld

doi:10.1037/pro0000324

Specialty certifications for mental health practitioners: A cautionary case study.

Gerald M. Rosen^*, Jason J. Washburn, Scott O. Lilienfeld

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Mental health professionals typically represent their competencies by earning a diploma and obtaining a state license to practice. Some practitioners choose to further represent their expertise by acquiring specialty certifications. We review the broader landscape of these certifications and provide a case study of a program that illustrates current problems with specialty certifications. Specifically, we demonstrate that an 8th grader with no prior mental health education or training can pass a test intended to assess expert levels of knowledge obtained from a workshop. Implications of these findings on the validity of specialty credentials and the public’s trust in them are considered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	545-549
Number of pages	5
Journal	Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Volume	51
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000324
State	Published - 2020

Keywords

certification
credentials
criterion validity
ethics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychology(all)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1037/pro0000324

Cite this

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abstract = "Mental health professionals typically represent their competencies by earning a diploma and obtaining a state license to practice. Some practitioners choose to further represent their expertise by acquiring specialty certifications. We review the broader landscape of these certifications and provide a case study of a program that illustrates current problems with specialty certifications. Specifically, we demonstrate that an 8th grader with no prior mental health education or training can pass a test intended to assess expert levels of knowledge obtained from a workshop. Implications of these findings on the validity of specialty credentials and the public{\textquoteright}s trust in them are considered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)",

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AB - Mental health professionals typically represent their competencies by earning a diploma and obtaining a state license to practice. Some practitioners choose to further represent their expertise by acquiring specialty certifications. We review the broader landscape of these certifications and provide a case study of a program that illustrates current problems with specialty certifications. Specifically, we demonstrate that an 8th grader with no prior mental health education or training can pass a test intended to assess expert levels of knowledge obtained from a workshop. Implications of these findings on the validity of specialty credentials and the public’s trust in them are considered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

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KW - credentials

KW - criterion validity

KW - ethics

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Specialty certifications for mental health practitioners: A cautionary case study.

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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