This article reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the current requirements for continuing professional education for psychologists to renew their license to practice. Whereas most states already require completion of classroom or workshop instruction during each license renewal cycle, the authors argue for a more comprehensive system of continuing professional development (CPD) that will focus on the ongoing assessment of competence throughout the professional's career and thus better ensure public protection from the incompetent or unethical practitioner. The authors describe the major elements of this more comprehensive CPD process and how adoption of such a system in psychology licensing laws would require participation in a variety of learning activities that focus on professional engagement, practice relevant topics and better assessment of instructional outcomes; provide peer input and monitoring to better identify gaps in knowledge or skills; and reduce instances of professional isolation that could lead to lapses in judgment and decision making, occupational stress, and ultimately impairment or burnout. Challenges for the profession to move to a system of CPD, and the need for studies that can determine whether using CPD in licensure renewal requirements actually produce the desired outcomes, are also addressed. Public Significance Statement This article reviews the current requirements for a psychologist to renew their license to practice and discuses both the strengths and weaknesses of this process. The authors argue for a more comprehensive system of continuing professional development that will focus on the ongoing assessment of competence throughout the professional's career and thus better ensure public protection from the incompetent or unethical practitioner.

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the Editorial in this issue of the Journal of College Student Psychotherapy by editors Philip Rosenbaum and Ryan Weatherford, who express concerns about the new Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology Step 2 (EPPP Step 2). Our discussion describes the constellation of factors that influenced ASPPB's decision to develop the EPPP Step 2 at this point in time. We also respond to the concerns expressed about the increasing costs of graduate training and the timing of the EPPP Step 2. Finally this commentary will highlight the difference between the training and licensing processes and will describe how the EPPP Step 2 will help licensing boards fulfill their mandate to protect a vulnerable public.

Psychology in the United States has struggled with defining and specifying competencies for the practice of psychology since the Boulder Conference of 1949 outlined the first training model for graduate programs in psychology. Competency was largely defined by types of experiences and "seat time" until 1986, when the first major competency model in professional psychology in the United States was proposed. By 2000, discussions about the competencies had begun in earnest, and since that time, psychology's focus on competencies has intensified, resulting in a shift away from a model of training that involved tracking the number of hours spent learning specific knowledge or skills to a "culture of competence" that emphasizes outcome, that is, the acquisition of the essential knowledge and skills. In order to develop this culture, competence must first be defined and described. A number of efforts to do so have been completed, initially resulting in a confusing array of different models or perspectives. Over time, however, the models have become more refined and similar in their structure and framework. This article provides an overview of these efforts and discusses the next steps in the implementation of a competency model that is comprehensive enough to be useful, but simple enough to be used. The implications of the competency development process for training, practice, and regulation are discussed.

The history of licensing and credentialing in psychology and its relationship to education and training are reviewed. The purposes, processes, and methods that licensing boards utilize are discussed in both the credentialing of entry-level licensees and in the responsibility to monitor and investigate complaints from the public. Finally, current challenges facing licensing boards, particularly the use of technology in the education of psychologists and in provision of psychological services and the inconsistency in licensure requirements across jurisdictions, are explored.

This paper provides a summary of the data released by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards describing the performance of 7,402 doctoral candidates for licensure who took the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) from April 2008 through July 2010. The data provide a snapshot of the factors (gender, type of degree, program accreditation status. program specialty, program size, time since graduation, study method, amount of time spent studying) that were related to performance on the EPPP. Implications of these performance factors are discussed and suggestions are provided.

As a profession we are committed to maintaining and enhancing our competence as psychologists in order to most effectively serve the public throughout our careers. While this is a widely shared commitment among psychologists, there is considerably less consensus regarding how best to accomplish this goal. This dilemma is examined from the ethical, educational and legal perspectives. The American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Code clearly articulates that competence is an ethical duty, although there is little guidance provided in the code as to how to meet this standard. As a profession we have tended to focus on the construct of life-long learning and we have incorporated this principle into our education and training standards. In fact, APA accreditation requires that doctoral programs inculcate this value into our foundational training. The majority of Psychology Licensing Boards have addressed this issue through the endorsement of mandatory continuing education requirements that primarily focus on hours and the content or structure of approved programs. Potential limitations to our ability to effectively self-assess our professional training needs are discussed and several innovative models are presented for integrating effective self-assessment and continuing education. Three invited experts provide commentaries that further explore the challenges and dilemmas posed by the ethical, legal and professional duty to maintain and enhance competence throughout our professional careers. These commentaries broaden the considerations, provide practical suggestions from other professions and provide a vision for the future.

ABSTRACT These papers on child and adolescent sexual abuse address the psychological consequences, psychological assessment techniques, and clinical issues in group therapy with sexually abused girls. In the first paper. S. Elizabeth Xing discusses the psychological consequences of sexual assault and incest on minors particularly in regard to family dynamics; the victim's age, cognitive development, and affective problems; and the effects on long term interpersonal relationships. Next, Carol Webb considers the psychological assessment of sexually abused adolescents in the context of a clinical study of 14 abused girls. Results of the study are presented in which the differences between this population and "normals" in objective, projective, cognitive, and affective processes are addressed. Differences between incest victims and those individuals with a onetime-only occurrence of sexual abuse are discussed also. In the final paper, Ann Hazzard explores the effects of group therapy over time with Ae same group of sexually abused girls, focusing on the benefits of interaction, and the sharing and fulfillment of dependency needs. The clinical issues in such therapy and the counseling format are discussed, as well as therapeutic strategies which were found to be effective in helping much girls deal with their feelings. Long term themes and issues, e.g., relationships with mothers, trust, and sexual concerns, are described. The paper concludes with the results of preand post-tests administered to 5 out of the original 14 girls who attended at least 5 group therapy sessions. (BL)

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of two short-term individual therapy interventions for sexually abused girls and their nonoffending female caretakers. Thirty-two girls, ages 8 to 13, and their caretakers from primarily low-income, African-American families were randomly assigned to a theoretically based, structured experimental treatment program or to a relatively unstructured comparison intervention. Measures of child outcome were completed before and after the treatment program by each parent and child, and by a clinician blind to treatment condition. Pre- and postmeasures of maternal outcome were completed by the caretaker and a clinician not involved in the treatment. Both treatment programs yielded decreases in children's posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and traumagenic beliefs reflecting self-blame and powerlessness, and increases in children's overall psychosocial functioning. The experimental intervention was more effective than the comparison program in increasing abuse-related caretaker support of the child and in decreasing caretaker self-blame and expectations of undue negative impact of the abuse on the child. Clinical implications of these findings include the development of interventions targeting sexually abused children's traumagenic beliefs and nonoffending parents' support of their victimized children.

Previous studies of sexual abuse prevention programs conducted in schools have not compared the effectiveness of teachers versus outside consultants in implementing these programs. The current study contrasted three treatment conditions: (1) 15 regular teachers with their own classes (237 children); (2) eight lead teachers with unfamiliar classes (114 children); and (3) expert consultants with unfamiliar classes (201 children). All trainers used an adaptation of the Feeling Yes, Feeling No prevention curriculum, and both lead teachers and classroom teachers went through extensive training before implementing the program. No significant differences were found in the relative efficacy of using teachers versus expert consultants to present the program, with children demonstrating equivalent knowledge gains and equivalent skill scores on a videotape vignettes measure. Children in each condition made equivalent numbers of disclosures and had similar positive reactions to the programs.

This paper reviews the literature on the crisis and the aftermath of rape. This review suggests that women experience both short and long term psychological difficulties as a result of being raped. Two questionnaires were sent to various rape crisis centers across the country in an attempt to identify the nature and extent of services provided by the centers, to determine the number of rape victims seen at the centers, and to understand some of the problems confronted by the service providers. From the data gathered from the centers it is clear that women are receiving crisis intervention and supportive services immediately following a rape incident. However, the areas of crisis counseling and long term follow‐up remain problematic. It was found that 62% of rape victims received one follow‐up contact, 33% received two to five follow‐up contacts and only 8% received six or more follow‐up contacts. Differences found based on center location and staffing patterns are also discussed.