Ethics concern

[Npsych1]

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Hi,
I'm a neuropsychology trainee who is going to start a postdoc in August. I recently became aware of an individual who is marketing themselves as a clinical neuropsychologist despite not having done a postdoctoral fellowship, and am extremely concerned. Is this something I should be reporting to an ethics board? As someone who is not "established"in the field it's rather daunting to stir the pot, but at the same time, I am protective of our profession. We have high standards for a reason, and so many people have worked hard to establish these standards. Any advice is welcome.

 

[ClinicalABA]

I don't believe that "clinical neuropsychologist" is a legally protect term (beyond the "psychologist" part), nor is it trademarked, so no foul there. The big question is in regards to what type of training this individual did receive, rather than what they didn't. Is it possible that they received appropriate quality/quantity of training outside of or since postdoc? The American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology requires:

• Completion of an APA/CPA accredited internship program, or equivalent year of supervised experience.

(From https://theabcn.org/becoming-certified/). ABCN certification is voluntary. It's possible this individual meets requirements for certification.

Representing oneself to public in this manner implies a certain level of training and proficiency, and this is where the ethical issues might come into play.

 

[Blarghy]

Hi,
I'm a neuropsychology trainee who is going to start a postdoc in August. I recently became aware of an individual who is marketing themselves as a clinical neuropsychologist despite not having done a postdoctoral fellowship, and am extremely concerned. Is this something I should be reporting to an ethics board? As someone who is not "established"in the field it's rather daunting to stir the pot, but at the same time, I am protective of our profession. We have high standards for a reason, and so many people have worked hard to establish these standards. Any advice is welcome.

Also, even if this was considered to be a violation, APA guides us to try to resolve things informally with the person before making a report. (For violations that are unlikely to cause significant harm, e.g. gross incompetence, sex with patient).

Check out section 1.05 of the code of conduct.

Sent from my XT1080 using SDN mobile

 

[PsyDr]

Only one state defines the title neuropsychologist. If you are not in That state, no one at the licensing agency would care.

While I believe the HCGs are, in general, a good idea, it is important to recall that several of the big names in neuropsych are either not boarded/fellowship trained, or are boarded via ABN. There are alternate methods to attain competency which the Apa does acknowledge. Even abpp states that board certification is only a method of indicating competence.

Despite what abcn would like, they are not a part of Apa. While the quality of work may subject this individual to an ethics complaint, the title would not. The abmp debacle is evidence of such.

If you are worried about the person's competence, attempt to resolve it informally. If you're just worried about the title, be aware that an ethics complaint is gonna read something like, "there's nothing in the Apa ethics which states neuropsych has to have an hcg fellowship or board certification. Get lost."

 

[Npsych1]

Thanks for all the responses, I'm really glad I checked before doing anything! I'll probably talk to the person and see how they are feeling about competency. I know they haven't done any formal training outside of an internship which wasn't neuro focused, which is why I was surprised in the first place. Thanks for the advice!