Applying for Licensure with a UK Experimental Psychology PhD and a US Respecialization Certificate

[mosarahb]

Hello everyone!

I've recently started toying with the idea of getting a Respecialization Certificate in Clinical Psychology from a US university in order to become a clinical psychologist in NJ. The issue is: my original PhD in Experimental Psychology is from a UK institution. I'm a US Citizen and want to practice psychology in the US. I understand that UK degrees aren't recognized in the US for licensure, but do you think I'd be able to get a license with the addition of the certificate? I spoke with the university I'd be getting the certificate from and they would accept my application, but I need to find out if I can get a license. I've emailed the licensing board in NJ, but was wondering if anyone has had any experience in this specific area.



Thanks!

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[summerbabe]

I'm far from an expert on this topic but when I think of respecialization, I'm thinking about professionals who received the equivalent of a clinical/counseling psychology doctorate in another country and likely practiced independently there.

Or in other words, they likely already have the foundations to practice competently in the US and will now do some additional work to fill in US specific gaps like US ethics.

So if a US experimental psychology PhD grad said they wanted to move into clinical practice, they would need to start their education over since in the US, experimental psych students don't engage in any clinical work.

Here are some courses from a random APA accredited US clinical PhD program that I pulled up (they also require some general content courses like social psychology and research methods):

Professional Core (7 hours)
PSY 607 - Ethics and Current Issues in Psychology (3 hrs.)
PSY 613 - Cultural Bases of Behavior (3 hrs.)
PSY 701 - Seminar in Teaching of Psychology (1 hr.)
Additional Research Design and Analysis (3 hours)
PSY 768 - Psychometric Theory (3 hrs.)

Clinical Core (24 hours):
PSY 640 - Behavioral and Emotional Assessment of Children (3 hrs.) OR PSY 740 - Objective Personality Assessment (3 hrs.)
PSY 641 - Adult Cognitive Assessment (3 hrs.) OR PSY 642 - Psychoeducational Assessment I
PSY 736 - Introduction to Clinical Skills (3 hrs.)
PSY 780 - Advanced Psychopathology (3 hrs.)
PSY 734 - Child Behavior Therapy (3 hrs.)
PSY 742 - Empirically Supported Therapy for Adults (3 hrs.)
PSY 777 - Psychological Disorders of Childhood (3 hrs.)
Practica, Externships, and Internship (26 hours):
PSY 782 - Clinical Psychology Practicum 1-3 hrs. (minimum 8 semesters and 23 hours)
PSY 881 - Internship in Clinical Psychology 1-3 hrs. (3 hrs. required)

If you have the equivalent of most of these, then respecialization, along with your board agreeing to consider your situation and likey providing some guidance on specific gaps you need to fill in, is a good option.

If your transcript looks nothing like the above, your pathway to clinical practice will be much longer. And if you don't have the above and want to practice competently, you really need to start a master's or PhD level clinical program from scratch.

Lastly, what is the institution that you're looking to respecialize with? There are multiple shady for profit schools in our field who are much more interested in your tuition dollars than helping you achieve your goals. Good luck!

 

[mosarahb]

I'm far from an expert on this topic but when I think of respecialization, I'm thinking about professionals who received the equivalent of a clinical/counseling psychology doctorate in another country and likely practiced independently there.

Or in other words, they likely already have the foundations to practice competently in the US and will now do some additional work to fill in US specific gaps like US ethics.

So if a US experimental psychology PhD grad said they wanted to move into clinical practice, they would need to start their education over since in the US, experimental psych students don't engage in any clinical work.

Here are some courses from a random APA accredited US clinical PhD program that I pulled up (they also require some general content courses like social psychology and research methods):


If you have the equivalent of most of these, then respecialization, along with your board agreeing to consider your situation and likey providing some guidance on specific gaps you need to fill in, is a good option.

If your transcript looks nothing like the above, your pathway to clinical practice will be much longer. And if you don't have the above and want to practice competently, you really need to start a master's or PhD level clinical program from scratch.

Lastly, what is the institution that you're looking to respecialize with? There are multiple shady for profit schools in our field who are much more interested in your tuition dollars than helping you achieve your goals. Good luck!

Thank you for your response. The respecialization certificate in the US is primarily meant for people who completed a Psychology PhD in the US that was not originally clinical. The goal is to fill in the gaps to apply for licensure. I'm fairly certain you're right and I would need to start from scratch. The university I was looking at for respecialization was Adelphi, which is a great school.

Alternatively, I'm considering doing my MSW. If you have any thoughts on that, let me know! Thank you for your help.