Specialties that place importance on boarding?

[futureapppsy2]

I interact with a lot of rehab psych and neuropsych psychologists due to my research, and I've noticed that those two specialties tend to put a lot of emphasis on ABPP boarding (probably due to their strong connections to medicine, where boarding is the norm). However, you rarely seem to hear of psychologists pursuing boarding in other specialties, even though most specialties (even broader categories like clinical and counseling psych) have ABPP board certification available to interested and qualified parties.

Are there other specialties that strongly encourage boarding, or are moving in that direction?

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[Therapist4Chnge]

Neuro.
Rehab.
Forensics....whether it be in Forensics or a related area like Neuro or Rehab if you do TBI eval or similar.

I think the field as a whole needs to support boarding within all specialities. I'd guess that boarding is most important for neuro because the field is so competitive if you want to land at a top place. With that being said, the boarding process has been an area of growing focus for the rehab community over the past number of years. A lot of time, effort, and resources have been dedicated by Div 22 leadership to support the boarding process in the last handful of years. The goal is to get more boarded rehab psych people in hospitals and out in the community. I think boarding will eventually become (in the near future) a requirement to get into most of the top rehab placements. In regard to neuro and rehab: Mayo, Hopkins, Umich, Ohio State, UPitt, and a number of other places require incoming faculty to be board eligible or already boarded.

 

[busybusybusy]

Definitely forensic. If you're going to be testifying in court having that ABPP certification not only makes you more marketable (more $$) but also less easy for an attorney to rip apart based on your knowledge and experience.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Experts who regularly do forensics don't need ABPP to do it, but it is highly recommended. Every mentor I have asked about this has recommended pursuing ABPP before getting seriously into forensic work. If you have the credential, it is much harder for the other side to pick at you regarding training and competency. You still need to do your part, but a minimal amount of time will be spent trying to question your credentials.

 

[busybusybusy]

Experts who regularly do forensics don't need ABPP to do it, but it is highly recommended. Every mentor I have asked about this has recommended pursuing ABPP before getting seriously into forensic work. If you have the credential, it is much harder for the other side to pick at you regarding training and competency. You still need to do your part, but a minimal amount of time will be spent trying to question your credentials.

Oh absolutely! I don't think that being boarded makes you a shoo in for testifying in court cases. There are many things that one needs to do to solidify their credentials (pre-doc and post-doc help, getting forensic court experience, etc.), but ability is not all based on ABPP. I know that it is not needed in order to have a successful forensic career, but it is definitely something that helps more than it hurts. Also, it gives you the forensic examiner more exposure, likely gaining you more frequent employment in that area. I definitely plan on following that path and I can't understand a reason why someone going in to forensics wouldn't.