a. What is a subspecialty?
A subspecialty is a concentrated area of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that:
- exists within at least one recognized {parent} specialty;
- requires additional education, training, and/or professional experiences; and,
- involves specific (1) problems, (2) populations, and/or (3) circumscribed approaches.
b. How is a specialty different than a subspecialty?
A specialty is a defined area of professional psychology practice characterized by a distinctive configuration of competent services for specified problems and populations. Practice in a specialty requires advanced knowledge and skills acquired through an organized sequence of education and training in addition to the broad and general education and core scientific and professional foundations acquired through an APA or CPA accredited doctoral program. Specialty training may be acquired either at the doctoral or postdoctoral level as defined by the specialty.
A subspecialty has characteristics of the specialty area in which it is embedded and requires additional education, training, and/or professional experiences based on targeted populations, problems, and/or techniques.
c. Can an existing subspecialty submit a petition to apply for specialty recognition or vice versa?
Specialties may decide that they no longer want to be recognized as a specialty and thus opt to apply for subspecialty recognition instead. Subspecialty petitions must demonstrate both how their education and training depend on foundational training in an identified parent specialty, and how they have additional educational and training requirements beyond that required for the parent specialty.
Subspecialties seeking to apply for specialty recognition must demonstrate how their education and training is a distinctive configuration of competent services for specified problems and populations. Practice in a specialty requires advanced knowledge and skills acquired through an organized sequence of formal education, training, and experience in addition to the broad and general education and core scientific and professional foundations acquired through an APA or CPA accredited doctoral program.
d. How do I find a parent specialty to sponsor our proposed subspecialty?
- Visit Recognized Specialties, Subspecialties, and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology to learn about the currently recognized professional psychology specialties and subspecialties.
- Visit the following links for relevant APA sources of information:
- APA Specialties, Subspecialties, and Proficiencies
- Principles for the Recognition of Specialties in Professional Psychology (PDF, 233KB)opens in new window
- Education and Training Guidelines: A Taxonomy for Education and Training in Professional Psychology Health Service Specialties and Subspecialties (APA, 2020) (PDF, 124KB)opens in new window
- Recognition of Organizations that Provide Certifications in Specialties and Subspecialties in Professional Psychology
- Visit the Council of Specialties websiteopens in new window for detailed information and representatives for each recognized specialty for further discussion .
e. Do the organizations in the proposed subspecialty have to be sponsored by the relevant specialty council?
Yes, an established relationship with a parent/sponsor specialty is required for a subspecialty to be formally recognized by CRSSPP. Given the parent/sponsor’s specialty has demonstrated the presence of its own council and organizations, the subspecialty’s relationship with the council is necessary.
f. What do I do if our organization wants to be a subspecialty of more than one specialty?
There is no limit to the number of specialties by which subspecialties may be sponsored for recognition. The Commission recommends that subspecialties who deem that they have evolved out of more than one parent specialty should initially select the specialty area that mirrors the foundational education and training that best represents its practitioners since the administrative relationship between the subspecialty and the parent specialty will involve procedural commitments and reporting procedures. Nevertheless, coordination and collaboration between two or more specialties can occur within a single petition for a subspecialty vis-a-vis multiple parent specialties. CRSSPP will require a petition of this nature to be clear and address all criteria completely from the perspective of each of its parent specialties of affiliation.
g. How will my organization’s subspecialty taxonomy differ from that of the parent specialty's taxonomy?
Your organization’s subspecialty taxonomy will articulate the specific training and education experiences relevant for your subspecialty.