Specialization, authorized client populations, etc

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This might be a really stupid question but I'm sure a lot of psychology students, who are some ways from doing their masters/phd, don't totally understand how a person who completes their clinical psychology phd/doctorate end up specializing in multiple areas. For example, how is a person authorized to do clinical, counselling psychology and forensic if they are in the clinical phd program? Is this based on elective courses they decided to take? is it based on research they did? the practicum positions they chose?

How are some people authorized to work with adults, children, adolescents, organizations but others only adults?

Does a counselling psycholigist have the authority to deal with people who have serious mental issues or do they have to reffer that person to a clinical psychologist? Do they have the knowledge to do an assesment of this person?

Originally Posted by psych844

This might be a really stupid question but I'm sure a lot of psychology students, who are some ways from doing their masters/phd, don't totally understand how a person who completes their clinical psychology phd/doctorate end up specializing in multiple areas. For example, how is a person authorized to do clinical, counselling psychology and forensic if they are in the clinical phd program? Is this based on elective courses they decided to take? is it based on research they did? the practicum positions they chose?

How are some people authorized to work with adults, children, adolescents, organizations but others only adults?

Does a counselling psycholigist have the authority to deal with people who have serious mental issues or do they have to reffer that person to a clinical psychologist? Do they have the knowledge to do an assesment of this person?

Once a person is out in the world, they can say they specialize in whatever they want, techinically. There is only one license to practice professional psychology. Our ethics code states that we do not practice outside out areas of "competence," however. But, basically, one can "authorize" themselves to do whatever in PP. However, to get hired by someone else to that thing, you can count on having to actually demonstrate that you have appropriate knowledge, skills, and training though.

All of us "specialize" in grad school, to some degree. This is done by researching a certain area and then getting significant amount your practica in that area as well. Most specialized knowledge, in terms of professional clinical skills, comes on the internship and post-doc year however.

oh ok..so it's basically a combination of all? a combination of the research you did for course based masters or thesis-exit masters research, what you did in your phd/doctorate, combined with practicum placement, and the intern portion?

Originally Posted by erg923

Once a person is out in the world, they can say they specialize in whatever they want, techinically. There is only one license to practice professional psychology. Our ethics code states that we do not practice outside out areas of "competence," however. But, basically, one can "authorize" themselves to do whatever in PP. However, to get hired by someone else to that thing, you can count on having to actually demonstrate that you have appropriate knowledge, skills, and training though.

All of us "specialize" in grad school, to some degree. This is done by researching a certain area and then getting significant amount your practica in that area as well. Most specialized knowledge, in terms of professional clinical skills, comes on the internship and post-doc year however.

I wanted to show you an example from the Ontario College of Psychologists (Province in Canada)...I just searched a psychologist and you get this:

https://members.cpo.on.ca/members_search/show/10

I was curious how she was authorized in those two areas. And it says on the bottom that she can only practice in those specific areas. So I was left wondering...how did the college decide she had those competencies in both of those areas. (others have 3)

I sent them an email asking.

She would have had to declare those competencies when she was getting registered, with the idea being that she would have to have evidence of adequate training in those areas.