Certification

There are a number of mechanisms designed to protect and/or inform the public by identifying psychologists and other professionals who are qualified to provide particular services. Licensure, [Page 625]which is typically a governmental (i.e., state) function, protects the public by limiting provision of services to only those professionals who have completed specified education, training, and experience requirements. Licensure is considered to protect the public because it is presumed that those who meet these requirements are competent. Because licensure is typically granted at the broadest level (e.g., to practice psychology, to practice medicine, to practice law), it requires that licensed professionals provide only services for which they have the requisite competence. For example, although licensure as a psychologist allows a psychologist to assess a criminal defendant’s ...