To attain board certification in a specialty, an applicant must meet the general and the specialty eligibility requirements which include:
- 1. A doctoral degree (Ph.D., PsyD, EdD), from a program in professional psychology which at the time the degree was granted, was accredited by the APA, CPA, or was listed in the publication Doctoral Psychology Programs Meeting Designation Criteria.
- 2. Applicants who hold the Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (CPQ) from the ASPPB qualify as meeting the doctoral degree and professional program requirements.
- 3. Persons who obtained their doctoral degrees in a Health Service Psychology program in 2018 or later* from an institution in the United States or Canada, the doctoral program from which they obtained their doctoral program shall have been accredited by the American Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, or an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time of their graduation.
- 4. The doctoral degree program is expected to meet the requirements listed in the ABPP Generic Doctoral Program Eligibility Requirements.
- 5. Predoctoral Internship: For applicants who completed their internships in an area of health service psychology after December 31, 2019**, the internship program they completed must have been accredited by the American Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, or an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time of internship completion. Exceptions to this may be granted to those individuals that applied to ABPP prior to January 1, 2021, and who complete their internship no later than December 31, 2025**.
- 6. All ABPP candidates in the U.S., its territories, or Canada must be licensed as a psychologist for independent practice at the doctoral level in a jurisdiction in the U.S., its territories, or Canada.
- 7. Each board has their own Specialty Specific Requirements that must be submitted in order for their application to be complete.
*/** Click HERE to download the additional form(s) to add to your application if you do not meet the requirement(s). These Doctoral and/or Internship forms must be uploaded with the application.