Policy on Licensure
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
Mike Campion
Background
A special task force was assembled to reexamine SIOP's policy
on licensure in 1993. A report and draft revision of the policy
was published in 1995 (The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist,
1995, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 12-20). Comments from the membership
were collected, and further revisions were made to the policy.
On April 28, 1996, the SIOP Executive Committee voted to adopt
the revised policy on licensure. This revised policy reflects
a three-year effort of past presidents (Mike Campion, Wally Borman,
and Paul Sackett), the State Affairs Committee (chaired by Jay
Thomas), a task force, the Executive Committees, and dozens of
SIOP members who took the opportunity to comment.
Preamble
Licensure of the title of "Psychologist" and/or practice
of "Psychology" is restricted in many states. Industrial
and Organizational Psychologists, as citizens, obey the laws in
the states in which they live and work. Concurrently, it is also
true that many of the work and research activities of I/O psychologists
are not unique to this discipline, do not pose a threat of harm
to the public, and are not subject to licensure. In accord with
these principles, SIOP has formulated the following policy on
licensure:
SIOP recognizes that some states require that certain areas
of I/O practice be licensed. SIOP members should be allowed to
be licensed in these states if they desire, and SIOP should provide
guidance to state licensing boards on how to evaluate the education
and training of an I/O psychologist.
In addition, many, if not most, I/O psychologists practice in
more than one state from time to time. SIOP recognizes that some
states require that I/O psychologists must be licensed in that
state before practicing in that state. SIOP believes this is inappropriate
for I/O Psychologists. Therefore, it is SIOP s position that:
A licensed I/O psychologist should be allowed to practice in
another state for a reasonable period of time without having to
obtain a license in that state (e.g., 60 days of professional
services per year).
Practice Definition
The Model Acts of the American Psychological Association (APA,
1987) and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards
(ASPPB, 1992) (these are identical) define the areas of practice
which they believe are licensable as follows:
"Practice of Psychology is defined as the observation, description,
evaluation, interpretation, and/or modification of human behavior
by the application of psychological principles, methods, or procedures,
for the purpose of preventing or eliminating symptomatic, maladaptive,
or undesired behavior and or enhancing interpersonal relationships,
work and life adjustment, personal effectiveness, behavioral health
and mental health. The practice of psychology includes, but is
not limited to, psychological testing and the evaluation or assessment
of personal characteristics, such as intelligence, personality,
abilities, interests, aptitudes, and neuropsychological functioning;
counseling, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, hypnosis, biofeedback,
and behavior analysis and therapy; diagnosis and treatment of
mental and emotional disorder or disability, alcoholism and substance
abuse, disorders of habit or conduct, as well as psychoeducational
evaluation, therapy, remediation, and consultation. Psychological
services may be rendered to individuals, families, groups, organizations,
institutions and the public. The practice of psychology shall
be construed within the meaning of this definition without regard
to whether payment is received for services rendered" [certain
exemptions are noted, e.g., for teaching and research] (ASPPB,
1992, pp. 4-5).
Education and Training of I/O Psychologists
There is a continuing need to work with, and to educate, boards
and other public bodies regarding the profession of I/O psychology.
Otherwise, well-intentioned rules appropriate for health care
psychologists may be adopted which are incompatible with the role,
training, and work of the I/O psychologist. In this section, SIOP
has recommended provisions regarding training and experience for
licensing laws and regulations so these situations may be avoided.
The regulation of a profession generates the problem of identifying
basic qualifications in training for members of the profession.
SIOP has adopted Guidelines for Education and Training at the
Doctoral Level in Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP,
1985). The Guidelines are specified relative to competencies rather
than specific course work, reflecting the diverse paths by which
I/O psychologists come into the field. Not every qualified I/O
psychologist possesses every competency. Below are listed the
competencies that may be considered in advising licensing boards
and others as to the areas that are relevant for I/O psychology.
The competency categories are based on the Guidelines.
Basic Fields of Psychology (All are required)
1. Biological Bases of Behavior: e.g., Physiological, Comparative,
Neuropsychology, Sensation and Perception, Psychopharmacology
2. Cognitive-Affective Bases of Behavior: Learning, Thinking,
Motivation, Emotion
3. Social Bases of Behavior: Social, Group Process, Organizational
and System Theory
4. Individual Differences: Cognitive Ability, Personality, Human
Development, Abnormal Psychology
5. History and Systems: How the discipline of psychology developed
and changed into its present configuration
6. Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues: Knowledge and awareness
of relevant principles and guidelines as they relate to psychology
Research Fields (All are required)
1. Research Methods: Methods, procedures, and techniques useful
in the conduct of empirical research of phenomena of interest
to I/O psychology
2. Statistical Method/Data Analysis: Statistical methods used
in the analysis of data generated by empirical research
3. Measurement of Individual Differences: A sound background in
both classical and modern measurement theories
Core I/O Fields (All are required)
1. Work Motivation: Conditions within the individual and his or
her environment that influence the direction, strength, and persistence
of individual behaviors
2. Organizational Theory: An understanding of the complex nature
of organizations
3. Understanding Jobs and Job Performance: Job analysis, criterion
development, and performance appraisal (i.e., methods of measuring
and evaluating individuals as they perform organizational tasks)
4. Individual Differences in Worksettings: Identification and
measurement of job related knowledges, skills, abilities, and
other personal characteristics
5. Evaluating Psychological Interventions: Conducting personnel
selection research, assessing the effectiveness of training, and
evaluating other interventions
Additional I/O Fields (Not all required but expectation is
that there is competency in some of these fields)
1. Organizational Development
2. Attitudes
3. Career Development
4. Decision Theory
5. Human Performance/Human Factors
6. Consumer Behavior
7. Small Group Theory and Process
8. Criterion Theory and Development
9. Job and Task Analysis
10. Individual Assessment
The rationale for the list in each of the fields is as follows:
The basic fields of psychology are required for a fundamental
orientation to our roots in psychology as a scientific field.
The list is virtually identical to those found in the APA and
ASPPB Model Acts and is consistent with most state and provincial
licensing laws.
The research fields are required by the scientific approach we
have adhered to in our training model. We are a scientist-practitioner
field and our training must reflect these skills.
These core I/O fields reflect the basic beginnings for both the
industrial and organizational areas. The list is not intended
to be exhaustive but rather it embodies the major themes that
have been present in the field of I/O psychology.
The additional fields of I/O psychology are a reflection of two
trends. Some of the fields represent areas where I/O psychologists
have made major contributions (e.g., human factors, career development,
etc.), but they are not necessarily practiced very often by I/O
psychologists. Other fields represent subsets of the core areas
(e.g., criterion development, job and task analysis, etc.). We
believe it is unreasonable to require an I/O psychologist to show
competence in all of these fields, but the expectation is that
individuals should be able to demonstrate competence in at least
some fields.
The following recommendations are provided for how a candidate
for licensure in the area of I/O psychology might demonstrate
competence in the basic, research, core, and additional I/O fields:
1. Competencies can be demonstrated in a number of ways. Many
will be demonstrated through formal course work as part of the
doctoral program. Others may be acquired through a program of
directed study under the guidance of an I/O psychologist in the
course of, or subsequent to, the doctoral program. A full and
detailed description of the program of directed study should be
provided.
2. The applicant for licensure must have a doctoral degree in
an institution of higher learning with these characteristics:
a. The institution awarding the doctoral degree must be accredited
by one of the regional accrediting associations or be a recognized
candidate for accreditation within three years of the time the
degree was conferred.
b. The doctoral degree must be awarded by a program in which the
psychological content is clearly identified as such in official
catalogues, written statements by chief administrative officers
of the institution, or other descriptive materials. While the
program may be located in a unit other than a traditional psychology
department (e.g., a college of education or business) and it may
have a different official designation (e.g., educational systems
or organizational behavior), the psychological nature of its course
offerings must be obvious from their titles, course descriptions,
or other information (e.g., syllabi, lists of readings, etc.).
The most obvious non-psychology department example is the considerable
number of business school programs directed by I/O psychologists
and possessing curricula substantially similar to those in psychology
departments.
c. The doctoral program in psychology, organizational behavior,
management, etc., must be an integrated, organized program as
opposed to an accumulation of credits or courses.
3. The applicant should have had supervised experience. The purpose
of supervised experience is to help guide the psychologist in
ethical practice, in professional conduct with or within client
or employing organizations, and to appreciate the impact of situational
factors on interventions. These form the foundation for the recommended
supervised experience guidelines:
a. An applicant will document that during the supervised work
experience he/she has acquired the competencies to practice applied
psychology in a professional, responsible, and ethical manner.
Among the competencies which must be demonstrated are knowledge
of and application of the following areas as they related to the
person's field of expertise:
- Ethical principles and professional guidelines,
- Relevant state/provincial and federal laws, administrative
orders, and legal procedures, and
- The organizational context in which I/O psychologists work.
b. Supervised experience in the practice of psychology must include:
- A written statement of goals of the supervised work experience
and specification of the nature of the experiences,
- Time spent in professional psychological activities with or
on behalf of a client,
- Supervision provided by a qualified psychologist who is responsible
for the program. The supervising psychologist need not necessarily
have the status of organizational supervisor, provided all relationships
are made explicit.
- Professional activities conducted in a setting where a supervisor
is available for consultation within a reasonable time (whether
or not the supervisor is an employee of the organization),
- Supervision of work experience will include reviewing and
commenting on any research or intervention designs, monitoring
progress on such efforts, and reviewing and commenting on any
reports, and
- Documentation of the supervised work experience in the form
of a log, diary, or contemporaneously recorded notes or observations.
- Finally, SIOP recognizes and would like to encourage diversity
and innovation in approaches to training I/O psychologists.