This paper examines three major organizations that govern and support the psychology profession: the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (NRHSPP), and the American Psychological Association (APA). It describes each organization's purpose, structure, and functions, and explains how they work together to advance the field and protect the public. The paper then analyzes the APA Code of Ethics, highlighting its primary purpose, a potential weakness in Principle 1.02 regarding conflicts between ethical and legal requirements, and the foundational importance of the principle of Beneficence and Non-Maleficence.
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The purpose of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) is the creation and maintenance of a standardized Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. This has been the primary purpose of the organization since 1965. It also coordinates cooperative efforts and communication among member boards. Additional functions include maintaining a Disciplinary Data Bank, issuing a Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology, and creating a platform for the advancement of mobility — encouraging boards to accept the CPQ and the ASPPB Agreement of Reciprocity. The Association also maintains the Credentials Verification Program and provides Score Transfer Services. Furthermore, the ASPPB serves as a voice for regulators of psychology practice and is responsible for a number of publications aimed at both psychology students and practicing professionals. Academic and private institutions also use these publications for instructional purposes.
The ASPPB is organized around member boards. In all fifty states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the ten provinces of Canada, the psychology boards are members of the ASPPB (Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, 2012). The Association maintains a list of contact information for all of these member boards.
Administration is the responsibility of the Board of Directors, which consists of seven members: a president, past-president, president-elect, secretary/treasurer, and three members-at-large. The Central Office is located in Montgomery, Alabama, where staff facilitate day-to-day activities for the ASPPB, the Board of Directors, and the committees and task forces associated with the Association. Committees include the Annual Meeting Committee, the Board Administrators/Registrars Committee, the Examination Committee, the Finance and Audit Committee, the Item Development Committee, the Midyear Meeting Committee, the Mobility Committee, the Model Act and Regulations Committee, and others.
The National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (NRHSPP) is a listing of service providers in the psychology profession who are licensed and/or certified and operating at an independent practice level in their state, province, territory, or country. Practitioners on the list are trained and experienced to prevent, consult, assess, and treat clients in need of these services.
Whereas the ASPPB provides psychologists and students with informative and credentialing services, the NRHSPP provides and maintains a list of those already qualified and experienced in the field (National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, 2012). The stated vision of the NRHSPP is to "improve the health of a diverse and global community." The mission of the Register is to provide credentials, promote health service psychologists, provide distinction and value, guide students and those early in their career, enhance the profession's contribution to healthcare, and identify those who are qualified in their field. One major difference between the NRHSPP and the ASPPB is that the latter operates mainly across the United States and nearby territories, whereas the Register's operations occur across the globe.
Specifically, the functions of the Register include providing free access to a database of credentialing and contact information for approximately 11,000 health service psychologists. The Register also includes articles, a list of useful websites, and self-help resources. The National Register additionally provides the public with specific information such as qualification details and general value indicators for individual psychologists.
The Register Report is published both online and in print, and the Register uses social media and other online methods to build stakeholder networks. It also offers free continuing education programs for health service psychologists. The American Psychological Association has approved the continuing education program and its sponsorship by the National Register. To provide effective services to the public, the National Register also monitors healthcare reform, advocates for the role of health service psychologists, provides effective models for quality service delivery, and advocates for the integration of psychology into primary healthcare services.
"APA's membership, governance, and advocacy role"
"Ethics Code history, weakness in Principle 1.02, and beneficence"
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