A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how individuals relate to each other and to their environments.
The Doctor of Psychology is a professional doctoral degree intended to prepare graduates for careers that apply scientific knowledge of psychology and deliver empirically based service to individuals, groups and organizations. Earning the degree was originally completed through one of two established training models for clinical psychology. However, Psy.D. programs are no longer limited to Clinical Psychology as several universities and professional schools have begun to award professional doctorates in Business Psychology, Organizational Development, Forensic Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and School Psychology.
Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development. Central to its practice are psychological assessment, clinical formulation, and psychotherapy, although clinical psychologists also engage in research, teaching, consultation, forensic testimony, and program development and administration. In many countries, clinical psychology is a regulated mental health profession.
The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) was founded in 1969 by the California Psychological Association. It is part of the for-profit Alliant International University where each campus's Clinical Psychology Psy.D. and Ph.D. program is individually accredited by the American Psychological Association. The school has trained approximately half of the licensed psychologists in California.
Palo Alto University (PAU) is a private university in Palo Alto, California that focuses on psychology and counseling. It was founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology and became Palo Alto University in 2009.
The prescriptive authority for psychologists (RxP) movement is a movement in the United States of America among certain psychologists to give prescriptive authority to psychologists with predoctoral or postdoctoral graduate-level training in clinical psychopharmacology; successful passage of a standardized, national examination ; supervised clinical experience; or a certificate from the Department of Defense Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project; or a diploma from the Prescribing Psychologists Register to enable them, according to state law, to prescribe psychotropic medications to treat mental disorders. This approach is non-traditional medical training focused on the specialized training to prescribe for mental health disorders by a psychologist. It includes rigorous didactics and supervised clinical experience. Legislation pertaining to prescriptive authority for psychologists has been introduced over 180 times in over half of the United States. It has passed in seven states, due largely to substantial lobbying efforts by the American Psychological Association (APA), the largest professional organization of psychologists in the world with over 157,000 members. Prior to RxP legislation and in American states where it has not been passed, this role has been played by psychiatrists, who possess a medical degree and thus the authority to prescribe medication, but more frequently (60-80%) by primary care providers who can prescribe psychotropics, but lack extensive training in psychotropic drugs and in diagnosing and treating psychological disorders. According to the APA, the movement is a reaction to the growing public need for mental health services, particularly in under-resourced areas where patients have little or no access to psychiatrists.
The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) is the primary organization for specialty board certification in psychology.
The North American Society of Adlerian Psychology (NASAP) was created in 1952 and is the primary organization in the United States for the promotion of the psychological and philosophical theories of Alfred Adler, known as Adlerian Psychology or Individual psychology. Adler was a one-time collaborator with Sigmund Freud in the early days of the psychoanalytic movement who split with Freud to develop his own theories of psychology and human functioning.
The Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) is an organization offering training for behavioral health professionals who provide mental health services unique to the experience of deployment in the United States Armed Forces for active-duty military service members, veterans and their families. CDP is headquartered at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Maryland, and is funded by the United States Department of Defense.
Robert J. Resnick is an American psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association (APA). He was a faculty member at Randolph-Macon College and established one of the first clinics dedicated to the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. While practicing in Virginia, he was the plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case that established the autonomy of clinical psychologists.
Dorothy Cantor is an American psychologist and a former president of the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Chris E. Stout is a licensed clinical psychologist who has a varied background in multiple domains. He is the founding director of the Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) which was ranked as a Top Healthcare Nonprofit by GreatNonprofits. His entrepreneurial experience is demonstrated in multiple ventures that include the areas of financial management, healthcare start-ups, engineering, two dot-coms, real estate, and executive coaching. He currently is Vice President of the Department of Research at ATI Physical Therapy, a national Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation organization.
Nancy McWilliams, Ph.D., ABPP., is emerita visiting professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. She has written on personality and psychotherapy.
Barry S. Anton, Ph.D., ABPP is an American psychologist. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Puget Sound where he taught for 34 years. Anton founded Rainier Behavioral Health, a multi-discipline mental health practice where he practices clinical child and adolescent psychology and neuropsychology. Anton has co-authored, along with Professor Janet Matthews, a clinical psychology textbook, published over 90 articles, and has presented numerous conference workshops, invited addresses, keynote addresses, and panel discussions nationally and internationally. Anton served as the president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2015.
Divine Mercy University (DMU) is a private Catholic graduate university of psychology and counseling located in Sterling, Virginia.
Anne E. Kazak is an American clinical psychologist, educator and editor. She has focused on pediatric psychology. Much of her research involves "interventions to enhance adaptive functioning and reduce child and family distress associated with serious pediatric illnesses."
George S. Everly Jr., PhD, ABPP is an American psychologist whose writings greatly shaped the fields of psychological crisis intervention and human resilience. He currently holds, or has held, academic posts as Professor in Psychology, Professor in Public Health, and associate professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Loyola University Maryland, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Cynthia D. Belar is a scientist known for her contributions to clinical psychology with specific focus on health psychology, clinical service, and education. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of Florida Health Science Center.
Jessica Henderson Daniel is a psychologist and educator, known for her work on mental health in the Black community, racial trauma, and the effects of stress and violence on Black children and adolescents. Daniel was the first African American woman to lead the American Psychological Association (APA), serving her term as President of the organization in 2018.
