Understanding the Rehabilitation Psychology Specialty Career Pathway

Objective: Little is known about how psychologists choose their specialty practice area, and rehabilitation psychology is no exception. Specialization and specialty certification in professional psychology have been controversial topics impacting the field during the training sequence and across the span of professional careers (Drum & Blom, 2001; Robiner & Fossum, 2017). The American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (ABRP) has been providing specialty certification since 1995 and rehabilitation psychology was recognized as a unique specialty in 2015 by the APA's Council for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP). There are limited established training programs and minimal information about the specialty in undergraduate course materials. The current survey is intended to provide information about how people are introduced to the field of rehabilitation psychology, specialty identification, and to identify opportunities for improvement. Method: A survey of members of APA Division 22 and ABRP specialists was conducted to collect information about their exposure to and involvement in rehabilitation psychology. Results: Results from 174 respondents suggest that personal relationships are the current key means of recruitment and confirms that rehabilitation psychology has limited presence in undergraduate training. Most professionals come to identify with rehabilitation psychology after training in clinical neuropsychology and health psychology. Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest that the current generalist training sequence does not provide sufficient exposure to, or preparation for the field of rehabilitation psychology. Recruitment opportunities should emphasize student leadership network activities and the identification of early and midcareer practitioners unaware of the rehabilitation specialty.