For this month’s column, I spoke with Karen Naufel, PhD, chair of APA’s Board of Education Affairs (BEA), about the important work BEA is doing to secure the future of psychology training and the biggest challenges facing the training community.
APA’s strategic plan aims “to prepare the field of psychology for current and future opportunities and challenges.” What major challenges has the BEA identified?
BEA is addressing several challenges, including the growing mental health crisis. The most recent Health Resources and Services Administration data show that many areas in the United States are in dire need of mental health providers, and providers predict that wait times to see a mental health provider are only likely to increase. These challenges augment the need for many more qualified mental health service providers.
Unfortunately, the “Great Cliff,” a term describing how the ebbing birth rate of U.S. citizens is affecting enrollment in higher education, will likely slow the growth of mental health providers. Lower enrollment could lead to closures of colleges and universities, and to mergers of academic programs that could dilute the quality of a psychology education. These changes in higher education could also lead to fewer students seeing possibilities for psychology-related careers. The application of psychology enhances education at all levels, so these effects may ripple into pre-K–12 education as well.
How is the BEA addressing these challenges?
BEA is taking steps to advance education and credentialing for master’s-level health service psychology, which has the potential to go a long way toward addressing our nation’s mental health needs. Focusing on master’s-level health service provider credentialing offers opportunities to increase the number and diversity of qualified mental health professionals in the field, including extending psychology’s reach into underserved areas.
Indeed, BEA’s mission advances education in psychology at multiple points in a person’s academic career, as well as applying psychology to promote education in schools through the work of APA’s Center for Psychology in Schools and Education. APA’s Quality Principles for Undergraduate Education in Psychology and Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major (version 3.0) are resources that promote education in psychology at the undergraduate level. Similarly, APA’s Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools and Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education provide a wealth of support and resources that promote top-notch psychology education at the high school and undergraduate levels, respectively, and provide entry points into the discipline.
Despite the many challenges ahead, I am incredibly grateful to BEA members and others in the training community who are dedicated to creating high-quality educational opportunities at every step in the academic journey and to growing the mental health workforce our country needs.
