American Board Of Professional Psychology

The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) is an independent credentialing organization that certifies psychologists as having met advanced standards for specialty practice in professional psychology. The ABPP (originally called the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology) was developed in 1947 because psychological services were needed for veterans following World War II, and it was thought that some means to indicate to the public which psychologists were qualified as practitioners should be established. Psychological licensure by state psychology boards did not become common until the 1950s and 1960s. Although the ABPP Diploma could have been the credential upon which to base standards for state licensure, it became a credential used to certify psychologists at a high level of practice (Pryzwansky, 1998). The ABPP grants ...