Continuing the conversation from September’s Monitor column on APA’s efforts to create a multitiered profession, I spoke with APA’s Board of Professional Affairs (BPA) Chair Teri Strong, PhD, about the biggest challenges facing the practice community and the important work BPA is doing to secure the future of psychology practice.
APA’s strategic plan aims “to prepare the field of psychology for current and future opportunities and challenges.” What are the biggest challenges for the field?
As has been widely referenced there is a severe shortage of professionals to meet the great demand for mental health services. To help address this need, BPA is working with APA’s Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) and other APA groups to envision a multitiered psychology profession. Master’s-trained professionals, with solid grounding in psychology and psychological science, will serve to increase access to care and expand psychology’s unique contribution to the behavioral health workforce.
What are the specific steps BPA is taking to mobilize psychology as a multitiered profession?
BPA and BEA have prepared a competency framework for master’s and doctoral degree education and training in health service psychology, which describes a unified profession with both shared competencies as well as separate and distinct competencies that trainees gain in their graduate training programs. Our vision is to enhance value, instill quality, and create consistency within the profession, in psychology education and training, and across jurisdictions in licensing statutes and regulations. The framework went out for public comment in August 2024. BPA has also established the APA Model Licensure Act (MLA) Task Force, which is producing recommendations to update APA’s MLA as well as recommendations regarding scope of practice and title for individuals seeking licensure with a master’s degree in health service psychology. The task force recommendations for scope of practice and title will go out for public comment this fall.
How else is BPA addressing these challenges to benefit society and improve lives?
BPA is committed to increasing access to care and focusing on reducing disparities in health outcomes by advancing a population health approach. BPA takes the lead in partnering with state, provincial, and territorial psychological associations, APA Divisions, and other external groups to increase the effectiveness of federal-, state-, and local-level advocacy efforts. BPA’s overarching goal is to promote psychology’s unique contributions in health, health care, and individual well-being to improve society.
I am very grateful to the BPA members and others in the practice community who are so dedicated to creating practice opportunities that grow the mental health workforce to address our country’s needs.
