PhD/PsyD Any Benefit in a Licensed Psychologist Obtaining Additional Certifications?

[TexasPsychologistPsyD]

Hello all,

Quick question for the network. As a licensed psychologist, do you see any benefit in obtaining additional certification(s) in a certain field? For example, if your clinical work has begun to incorporate more individuals/families who are experiencing high levels of trauma, would it be fruitful to gain credentialing as a "Certified Clinical Trauma Professional" (CCTP)? If so, are there any reputable certifications that you are aware of? My thoughts are that after successfully completing an APA-accreddited doctoral program as well as an APA-accreddited internship, one would have the necessary skills, however I do see a slight benefit in gaining a specific certification in an area that he/she is servicing. To be clear, I do feel confident in my abilities to treat this population, however I am questioning whether or not it would be lucrative (as a provider in private practice) to obtain such a certification to perhaps attract more clients w/ these particular issues. I am also aware of ABPP, which can certify you in certain fields, however my question is a bit different. Please let me know your thoughts, and thanks in advance.

Respectfully,

Fellow Licensed Psychologist

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[PsyDr]

The cctp thing sounds like absolute bs. Let's not fancy it up: It's a workshop and an unproctored test. It's not a rigorous process.

Other boards with some professional regard like abpp, Abn, or abmp require verification of training that meets standards, written exam, oral exam, and a review of cases.

Compare that to a workshop and a test.

As for if this will increase your revenue stream: well if you can morally justify marketing yourself as a trauma expert based on a workshop and a test, then you'll only have to hope that you can find a population who has the money and verbal skills for therapy but doesn't have the Google-fu to look it up and feel cheated. Might be a small population.

I'm guessing they don't ask about how the conditional risk of PTSD given exposure is like 25%, unless you are dealing with rape when it jumps to almost 50%.

 

[TexasPsychologistPsyD]

Well said. I agree w/ your thoughts. I mentioned the CCTP as a reference, however there are several other trauma-related certifications out there. Are there any that you are aware of which would enable a clinician to say he/she is an expert in trauma? Thanks.

 

[erg923]

Well said. I agree w/ your thoughts. I mentioned the CCTP as a reference, however there are several other trauma-related certifications out there. Are there any that you are aware of which would enable a clinician to say he/she is an expert in trauma? Thanks.

Does anyone really know what these thing are or what they mean?I cant imagine doing these kinds of things you mentioned for anything other than increased referrals and/or revenue in a private practice environment.

I mean "Certified Clinical Trauma Professional"...get real. And gag me with a spoon while your at it. Each word is kinda dramatic for the sake of effect, wouldn't you say? I may get around to ABPP in a few years when my kids are older, which in my mind is the only thing that carries any legitimate weight.

I also have to mention: 1. "professional" trumps "certified"..at least in my mind. Using both seems silly and desperate. 2. what is non-clinical trauma? 3. I'm gonna say this like your one of my students for the sake of dramatic effect: For goodness sake son, dont "say it." Be it. In my mind that means seeing patient and doing EBTs for trauma. Hopefully you are already doing both.

 

[TexasPsychologistPsyD]

Does anyone really know what these thing are or what they mean?I cant imagine doing these kinds of things you mentioned for anything other than increased referrals and/or revenue in a private practice environment.

I mean "Certified Clinical Trauma Professional"...get real. And gag me with a spoon while your at it. Each word is kinda dramatic for the sake of effect, wouldn't you say? I may get around to ABPP in a few years when my kids are older, which in my mind is the only thing that carries any legitimate weight.

I also have to mention: 1. "professional" trumps "certified"..at least in my mind. Using both seems silly and desperate. 2. what is non-clinical trauma? 3. I'm gonna say this like your one of my students for the sake of dramatic effect: For goodness sake son, dont "say it." Be it. In my mind that means seeing patient and doing EBTs for trauma. Hopefully you are already doing both.

I also agree that this particular certification appears bogus. I appreciate the insight. I, too, think that being ABPP'ed in a particular area may be the best route.

 

[Ollie123]

I usually think a long list of certificates makes providers look sketchy...if anything, I'm less likely to refer to them. Obviously ABPP is an exception. There are certainly training experiences that I think are worth advertising, but whenever I see "Dr. Christine FakeFraud, PhD CCTP CCRT ASPE whatever, it is almost invariably someone with a bunch of certifications in useless junk/pseudoscience that looks like they are trying to build up their (usually piss poor) qualifications. Can't speak for whether or not it works, but from the provider standpoint I think it is more likely to hurt. Attending legit training experiences, networking and carving out a niche performing high quality care will go much further.

 

[deleted343839]

Other than ABPP (which is more for professional development than marketability), nope. Develop a rock solid reputation with the groups or providers who will send you clients. Become known as the go-to person in your area. Make sure you are maintaining your skills and sticking with the evidence base. Ultimately, this takes more time and effort but people will respect you for it.

In contrast, having an alphabet soup after your name will impress very few, including many savvier consumers/clients. In fact, you might just decide you don't want to work with clients who are really drawn to a "Certified Clinical Trauma Professional."

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Other than ABPP (which is more for professional development than marketability), nope.

I'd argue that being ABBP'd can help w. marketing bc it is the gold standard for most/all sub-specialties. Some providers (myself included) will be more likely to refer to a boarded clinician bc the bar to achieve the boarding requires at least a certain level of competency. Conversely, if I see someone w. a zillion letters after their name (most of which I don't recognize) it is a big red flag.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

The one exception I can think of off-hand, and this is specific to the VA, would be getting certified in various EBPs.

It's not necessary, but I view it in a similar way as MamaPhD does ABPP--professional development. Having an established way to gain peer-to-peer training and structured supervision over the course of a few months as opposed to a workshop or two once you're out of grad school can be tough; bonus points for it being free. Not highly relevant to the OP's question, but I felt it was worth mentioning for those VA folks considering it. Can also be a good draw when interviewing trainees.

Otherwise, I agree with all of the posts above. I'm not saying worthwhile stand-alone/additional certs for psychologists don't exist, I just can't think of any off-hand. Maybe BCBA-D, if you count that.

 

[deleted343839]

I'd argue that being ABBP'd can help w. marketing bc it is the gold standard for most/all sub-specialties. Some providers (myself included) will be more likely to refer to a boarded clinician bc the bar to achieve the boarding requires at least a certain level of competency. Conversely, if I see someone w. a zillion letters after their name (most of which I don't recognize) it is a big red flag.

That's a good point. If I am helping someone find a psychologist well outside my area I will search ABPP's directory first. I'm not sure how common that is, though.

 

[TexasPsychologistPsyD]

The one exception I can think of off-hand, and this is specific to the VA, would be getting certified in various EBPs.

It's not necessary, but I view it in a similar way as MamaPhD does ABPP--professional development. Having an established way to gain peer-to-peer training and structured supervision over the course of a few months as opposed to a workshop or two once you're out of grad school can be tough; bonus points for it being free. Not highly relevant to the OP's question, but I felt it was worth mentioning for those VA folks considering it. Can also be a good draw when interviewing trainees.

Otherwise, I agree with all of the posts above. I'm not saying worthwhile stand-alone/additional certs for psychologists don't exist, I just can't think of any off-hand. Maybe BCBA-D, if you count that.

Makes sense. I also questioned the BCBA-D route. Is that highly respected in the field? I know a close colleague of mine was paid by their organization (Children's Hospital if I remember correctly) to go back and receive the BCBA-D distinction. Would this be a worthwhile move career-wise, or would it be viewed similarly to what has been discussed previously (additional letters after your name being unnecessary/problematic)? Thanks.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

My take as an outsider looking in (albeit one who attended grad school with a number of folks focused on developmental disabilities) is that BCBA-D is respected, yes. What it might add to the practice of a licensed psychologist (as opposed to, say, someone who earned a degree in Developmental and then decided they wanted to do clinical work), I don't know. I get the feeling it can be worthwhile if it's an area of interest and practice, but I'm sure there are others here infinitely more well-versed in it than myself.

 

[PsyDr]

The bcba diploma was made for some legal purposes, similar to the certificate in substance abuse by apa. Long story short: the aba guys wanted independent licensure after years of having to bill under a psychologist, got it, then turned around and tried to claim that only people certified in behavioral analysis should be allowed to work in that field. Created a weird thing where people with several times the education who did all the research and trained all the founders couldn't do the work. So the bcba thing was founded. The apa substance abuse certificate was similar. Apa created a certificate so psychologist could say they were certified ins substance abuse tx.

 

[ClinicalABA]

My take as an outsider looking in (albeit one who attended grad school with a number of folks focused on developmental disabilities) is that BCBA-D is respected, yes. What it might add to the practice of a licensed psychologist (as opposed to, say, someone who earned a degree in Developmental and then decided they wanted to do clinical work), I don't know. I get the feeling it can be worthwhile if it's an area of interest and practice, but I'm sure there are others here infinitely more well-versed in it than myself.

It's been my experience that the BCBA is respected within certain circles (e.g. ASD; some school environments). The BCBA-D does not actually confer any extra privleges, but is more of formal documentation of advanced training.

What the certification adds is the ability to bill services as a BCBA that you can't bill under a psychologist licensure. This is primarily related to case supervisions, assessment and treatment planning, and parent training in the context of home-based autism services. Most states now have insurance mandates requiring insurance (both private and, increasingly, public) to pay for BCBA services for children with ASD.

I have found the dual psych-licensure and BCBA certification to be extremely marketable- it allows for a great deal of flexibility in both service delivery and billing, making you an asset to many agencies. Somebody who is trained and credentialed to do both ASD diagnosis and ABA treatment is extremely valuable, desirable, and hard to find. If you are such a person and live or want to live in Souther New England (which now has the Climate of Northern Virginia), PM me- we need to talk!

 

[ClinicalABA]

The bcba diploma was made for some legal purposes, similar to the certificate in substance abuse by apa. Long story short: the aba guys wanted independent licensure after years of having to bill under a psychologist, got it, then turned around and tried to claim that only people certified in behavioral analysis should be allowed to work in that field. Created a weird thing where people with several times the education who did all the research and trained all the founders couldn't do the work. So the bcba thing was founded. The apa substance abuse certificate was similar. Apa created a certificate so psychologist could say they were certified ins substance abuse tx.

That's certainly one perspective on it. It could also be spun that the ABA guys were noticing a lot of people doing things they represented as ABA, but weren't actually ABA, and doing so without training beyond part of a broader course in therapeutic methods. The credential (not a diploma) was created, with- IMHO- a good eye for easing in minimum standards to initially accommodate those with experience and practical training, but not the coursework. They have gradually tightened up standards over the past decade or so, to the point where I'm not sure I'd meet the current criteria. As with all things of this nature, turf wars ensued, with good points on both sides of the issue. End result is consumers now have a formal indication of a behavior analyst meeting at least minimum criteria for training and experience. Most psychologists with a minimum of experience and training in ABA would have met early criteria for credentialing, even without formal graduate level ABA coursework. Many opted not to, and spent their energy bemoaning the new credential. The credential firmly took hold (now the next wave- i.e. state licensure of the practice of behavior analysis is passing through), families took notice and advocated, and finally insurance companies have been forced to recognize the credential.

I'm not sure it compares with the substance abuse certification- are there services that you can only bill with that credential?

 

[PsyDr]

I'm not sure it compares with the substance abuse certification- are there services that you can only bill with that credential?

There are numerous historical similarities. The APA certificate in substance abuse developed because of the advent of independently license substance abuse counselors (whose base educational model is a GED and certificate). After this profession got independently practice, they petitioned states to only allow individuals certified in substance abuse to practice in substance abuse as a whole, and got it in some states. Even psychologists who specialized in substance abuse were left out. This caused some ridiculous situations like in NH where DUI interventions participants had to go through someone "certified" in substance abuse, which only included people with the substance abuse certificate(i.e., high school graduates). So APA made the certificate program.

You don't see too many psychologists with that anymore, because the creation stopped the substance abuse certificate lobby from further pursuing superiority.

 

[Justanothergrad]

I'm familiar with ABPP as a certification but not with ABAP (American Board of Assessment Psychology). Despite the board being made up of nationally/internationally regarded assessment psychologists (past and present include Cattell, Ben-Porath, Graham, Greene, Millon, Butcher, etc.), does anyone know how this cert. plays out compared to ABPP at the VA and other locations that give pay bumps for board certification? And any idea why there wasn't a push for this as an ABPP specialty instead of a separate board since not all assessment is neuropsych or forensic(most related ABPP boards currently)?

 

[WisNeuro]

)does anyone know how this cert. plays out compared to ABPP at the VA and other locations that give pay bumps for board certification?

Just a side note, the VA differs greatly from system to system as to whether or not they give a step increase for board cert. Far from being universal. Something they should fix if they care about recruitment and retention.

 

[Justanothergrad]

Just a side note, the VA differs greatly from system to system as to whether or not they give a step increase for board cert. Far from being universal. Something they should fix if they care about recruitment and retention.

I wasn't aware of that. Thats.... preposterous.

Any idea what percentage of VAs offer a bump for board cert?

 

[WisNeuro]

I wasn't aware of that. Thats.... preposterous.

Any idea what percentage of VAs offer a bump for board cert?

No idea of percentage. I've been affiliated with 4 VA's in training and work settings and it's been 2/2, so 50%.