Incorporated, 1981 from the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology
under the auspices of the American Board of Professional Psychology

The American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) is the affiliated specialty board of the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) which is responsible for the examination for the diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology. Attainment of the diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology designates individuals as Clinical Neuropsychologists who have had their credentials thoroughly reviewed, have been subjected to a rigorous examination of their knowledge and practice by their peers, and have been found competent to practice. ABCN was incorporated in 1981 in the State of Minnesota. Through ABPP, ABCN has awarded the diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology to 805 individuals by May 2011 who practice in a wide variety of settings in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and 4 provinces in Canada. In 2002, ABCN endorsed the training model proposed by the Houston Conference on Specialty Education And Training In Clinical Neuropsychology. The diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology awarded by ABCN through ABPP is the clearest recognized credential for competence to practice according to the guidelines of the Division of Clinical Neuropsychology of the American Psychological Association.

Procedures for Obtaining the ABPP Diploma
An individual seeking the diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology proceeds through the following steps:

1. Review Candidate Manual and Download an Application

Candidate Manual
Application Form

2. Approval of Application

Application materials (including transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc.) should be forwarded to the ABPP central office along with the initial application fee. Application materials are reviewed by ABPP central office in regard to meeting general ABPP eligibility guidelines as follows:

	•	An earned doctorate in psychology from a regionally accredited institution.
	•	The equivalent of three years of experience in the specialty area, met by:
		•	three years of experience, only one of which can be predoctoral, or
		•	one year of pre- or postdoctoral experience and successful completion of an accredited postdoctoral program in the specialty.
	•	Two years of supervision in the practice of the specialty, met by:
		•	two years of postdoctoral supervision, or
		•	one year of predoctoral and one year of postdoctoral supervision, or
		•	successful completion of an accredited postdoctoral program in the specialty.
	•	Licensed for independent practice in the individual's state or province, which practice must be ethical and professionally responsible within applicable laws.

Once approved by ABPP, the applicant's materials are forwarded to the ABCN credentials committee which determines eligibility specific to Clinical Neuropsychology. The mission of the ABCN is to promote competence in the practice of clinical neuropsychology. One way in which this is accomplished is by promoting uniformity in training standards. Towards this end, ABCN has endorsed the Houston Conference guidelines for specialty training in clinical Neuropsychology. However, we also understand that training standards have changed significantly over the relatively short period during which clinical neuropsychology has been a specialty. In order to encourage applications from competent Neuropsychologists trained during all eras (including those who completed training prior to the Houston Conference), eligibility criteria are defined in relation to the criteria in place at the time the candidate obtained training in neuropsychology.

For candidates whose Neuropsychology education and training occurred primarily during their graduate education (including relevant course work, practica, internship and post-doctoral training), eligibility for ABCN is tied to the date of their graduate training (see criteria below).

Applicants initially trained in another specialty who complete a formal re-specialization program in clinical neuropsychology are expected to meet criteria for eligibility in place at the time they complete their re-specialization program, not the date of their original graduate education.

The applicant must demonstrate some formal foundation for the acquisition of the neuropsychological skill set. Experiential or informal training models will be considered only for those applicants trained prior to 1981; detailed documentation of those experiences will be helpful for the credential review. The specific criteria used are as follows:

For persons receiving their doctoral degree, or respecialization, after 1/1/05:
	•	Training conforms to guildelines of The Houston Conference (PDF).*
	•	Houston Guidelines require that the residency be the equivalent of 2 years and completed on at-least a half-time basis. ABCN will accept minor deviations from these requirements that may arise based on medical, personal or professional factors. Under these circumstance the candidate must provide written documentation from the residency director that the candidate:
		1) left the residency in good standing,      2) met all requirements of the residency,      3) obtained the requisite skills and knowledge base described by the Houston Guidelines.
	•	ABCN will not require that the faculty of the 2-year residency include a board certified neuropsychologist (as stipulated in the Houston Guidelines). However, the program must provide a structured and sequenced set of clinical and didactic experiences, provide on-site supervision of all clinical cases, and put the learning needs of the candidate ahead of the operational needs of the program. The candidate may be asked to provide additional materials regarding details of the residency program and/or curriculum vitae for their primary neuropsychology supervisors.
	•	Canadian Guidelines




For persons receiving their doctoral degree, or respecialization, between 1/1/90 and 1/1/05:
	A. Successful completion of systematic didactic and experiential training in neuropsychology and neuroscience at a regionally accredited university;
	B. Two or more years of appropriate supervised training applying neuropsychological services in a clinical setting, only one of which may be pre-doctoral. Supervision must be provided on-site and for all clinical cases. The program should include didactic and experiential training and experience in basic neurosciences, functional neuroanatomy, neuropathology, clinical neurology, psychological assessment, clinical neuropsychological assessment, psychopathology, and psychological intervention. A letter of endorsement from a supervisor who can document the extent, nature and completion of such training is requested if available.




For persons receiving their doctoral degree, or respecialization, between 1/1/81 and 12/31/89:
	1600 hours of clinical neuropsychological experience supervised by a clinical neuropsychologist at the predoctoral or postdoctoral level.




For persons receiving their doctoral degree, or respecialization, prior to 1981:
	4800 hours of postdoctoral experience in a neuropsychological setting, involving a minimum of 2400 hours of direct clinical service.


3. Written Examination

Once an individual's credentials are approved, candidates are notified of their eligibility to take the written examination.

The examination consists of 100 multiple choice items in the areas of Neuropsychological Assessment, Clinical Neuropsychology, Basic and Clinical Neurosciences, Behavioral (Clinical) Neurology, and General Clinical Psychology.

Beginning in 2012, the ABCN written exam will be administered electronically at Prometric Centers across North America. A candidate registers for this examination by filling out the appropriate form and forwarding it with the examination fee to ABPP central office at least one month prior to the examination. The exam will be taken at a Prometric center in or near the Candidates' home towns rather than by paper and pencil at the four major professional meetings (INS, AACN, APA, NAN). The written exam will be available at Prometric Centers during four 2-week time frames over the course of the year.

The dates for 2012 are:
March 1st to March 17th
June 1st to June 16th
September 1st to September 15th
December 1st to December 15th

4. Review of Practice Samples

Once the written examination is passed, the candidate is then instructed to forward the oral examination fee to the ABPP central office and to prepare two practice samples for review.

Each practice sample includes a candidate's original clinical report (with appropriate confidential and identifying information obscured), a summary sheet of test scores, and copies of the raw data. The summary sheet should contain normative information, i.e., either cutoff scores, percentiles, means and standard deviations or t-scores for each test result. Optional supplementary material may be submitted in the form of a 3 page document (double-spaced, no smaller than 11 point font) used to explain any aspects of the clinical decision making involved in the 2 cases. Explanations may address test selection, norms selected, differential diagnoses considered, and treatment or dispositions considered. This background supplements the content found in most typical clinical reports and can be provided to help the Reviewers understand your clinical approach to the cases submitted. It is acceptable for technicians or students to administer the test battery under the supervision of the candidate. The clinical report, however, must be the complete and original work of the candidate, not an edited version of a trainee’s report.

The practice samples are forwarded to three individuals already holding the diploma who determine if the samples are ready to be defended at the oral examination.

A vote of two of the three reviewers renders the decision.

5. Oral Examination

After the practice samples are accepted, the candidate is placed on a waiting list until the next oral examination is scheduled in Chicago. Typically, oral examinations are held twice per year, usually late spring (May) and late fall (October/November).

The oral examination consists of three parts.

	•	The candidate is examined on his/her practice samples, including their appropriateness, the rationale for the assessment approach employed, and the clarity of the candidate's report and conclusions.
	•	The candidate is examined on ethics and professional issues; this includes the candidate's ethical analysis of a presented vignette, and an explanation of the nature of the candidate’s professional activities and efforts to foster continuing education.
	•	The candidate is given a brief clinical vignette and is then required to extract all relevant clinical information (i.e. test scores, results of medical procedures, relevant patient history, etc.) from the examiner, as if the candidate were conducting a genuine clinical neuropsychological evaluation. The candidate is then asked to formulate findings, render a diagnosis, and provide a rationale for conceptualizing the patient’s case.

Afterward, the examiners for each of the three areas meet and discuss their examination from the standpoint of the candidate's evaluative skills, interventional knowledge and skills, scientific and professional knowledge, ethics and social responsibility, and professional commitment. After discussion, the examiners vote to either pass or fail the candidate, with the decision of two out of three examiners determining the outcome.

6. Final Decision

The decision of the examiners is summarized and forwarded to ABPP central office which, after final ABPP board approval, sends a letter of decision to the candidate. If the candidate has passed, the diploma attesting to competence in the specialty area is awarded at the annual ABPP Convocation held in conjunction with the meeting of the American Psychological Association.

The ABCN examination, under the auspices of ABPP, is designed to assess full competence in the practice of clinical neuropsychology. It is intended not just as a measure of fund of knowledge, but as a tool to determine the effectiveness of application of neuropsychological principles in the clinic setting and the promotion of the welfare of the patient.

The examination is designed to provide a standard by which to judge the competence to practice clinical neuropsychology, and thus assesses the ability to integrate appropriate neuropsychological and clinical knowledge in the care of patients. As such, the diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology awarded by ABPP is the recognized credential that provides external evidence of an individual's competency for this area of specialized practice.

All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the examination for the diploma in Clinical Neuropsychology and to participate in the maintenance of quality standards for the practice of the profession.

To Obtain Application Materials:

Download from: http://www.abpp.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3402, or write to:

American Board of Professional Psychology
600 Market Street, Suite 300
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Local Phone: 919-537-8031
Fax: 919-537-8034

For Further Information, email or write to:
(Regarding ABCN or a Copy of the ABCN Directory of Diplomates)

Annunciata Porterfield (nunce@umich.edu)

American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology
Department of Psychiatry
The University of Michigan Hospitals
1500 East Medical Center Drive, SPC 5295
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5295

Phone: (734) 936-8269
FAX: (734) 936-9761


 

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Page Last Updated: May 6, 2007