Corey Habben, Psy.D.
Chair, APAGS Task Force on New Professionals
Institute for Personal Development, Morris, IL
One of the most significant concerns consistently brought up by
new psychologists (i.e., those in the first five years of their career) is the issue of
ineligibility to be licensed during the first year of their career and the crippling
impact it has on their entry into the profession. Originally, post-doctoral year without a
license served a purpose of providing graduates, then with relatively little clinical
training, with another year of full-time experience prior to independent practice. From
today’s perspective, these decades-old licensure laws are no longer a necessary
inconvenience but rather a very serious and damaging restriction.
New psychologists face more student loan debt now than ever
before--in many cases, over $100,000. New psychologists also face a much leaner job
market; without a license to bill for services, they are rendered virtually useless in
today's marketplace. As a result, some new psychologists have been required to file for
bankruptcy, unable to pay off insurmountable loans with an insignificant stipend. This,
simply because the regulations set forth by their own profession prohibit them from doing
the very thing they were originally trained to do.
During a recent discussion on the populous APA/APAGS NEWPSYCH
listserv, the question was posed "if you could do it all over again, would you still
choose psychology as a profession?" Too many discouraged and disenfranchised new
psychologists responded that, if they had it all to do over again, they would not choose
psychology as a profession. For a profession ripe for reward and philanthropy, this is a
very discouraging trend.
Essentially restricting new psychologists from practice during the
first year of their career would be easier for these new professionals to accept if it did
not so defy necessity. No longer entering internship with scant clinical hours, today's
new psychologist often graduates with at least 3000-4000 hours of clinical training before
they are even conferred a doctoral diploma. Is the post-doctoral year still a necessary
inconvenience, or has it simply become an unnecessary stumbling block that becomes a
significant detriment to its budding professionals?
The current licensure laws that restrict new psychologists from
first year licensure have become outdated regulations that hurt new psychologists. Before
dismissing this as "something they will have to deal with," we must remember
that our new psychologists are our profession's future; what hurts new psychologists hurts
psychology. As marketplace forces evolve and other professions fight their way into
psychology's domain, a weakened group of future psychologists can be ill-afforded.
It is well understood that changing state laws involves risk. The
question remains: at what point will it be more dangerous to leave the law as it is? As
other professions and organizations aggressively monitor and affect legislation,
psychology can no longer take a passive stance. What specific course of action needs to be
taken remains to be seen.
Despite this, every year thousands of new psychologists launch
into their career crippled by old legislation and wondering when something is going to be
done about it. With a profession replete with expert problem-solvers, a solution can not
escape us. Let us not make the mistake of stalling action on this issue any longer;
instead, let us determine these solutions and put these solutions into action. The future
of our profession depends on decisions such as these.
This article first appeared in the Winter 2000 Edition of the APAGS Newsletter, Vol.
12(1)
