APA Division 12: Assessment Psychology

The Assessment Psychology Section of the Society of Clinical Psychology (APA Division 12) is dedicated to the promotion of quality assessment in the practice and science of psychology. Although the vital importance of assessment is demonstrated in such specialized areas as forensic, neuropsychological, and psycho-educational applications, its utility is more broadly demonstrated in contemporary clinical practice as applied in differential diagnosis, treatment planning, and the measurement of treatment effectiveness. Clinical assessment is the unique contribution that psychologists make to the field of mental health. We believe that assessment plays an important role in all areas of applied psychology. We promote quality assessment and support excellence in assessment training and supervision at the graduate, internship, and postdoctoral level.

In clinical practice, we support third-party reimbursement at appropriate rates for the assessments performed by competent practitioners as well as proper practice standards administered by state psychology boards. We likewise encourage well-designed research on psychometric foundations as well as the practical applications of all assessment methods. We strongly support psychology journals devoted to assessment and encourage test authors and publishers to pursue the highest professional standards in their efforts to develop new or improve existing test instruments. We believe that, because assessment is such an important area of psychology, increasing numbers of practitioners should seek to demonstrate assessment competence by such means as the board certification offered by the American Board of Assessment Psychology (ABAP Diplomate).

Psychologists and graduate students engaged in teaching, practicing, supervising, or conducting research in psychological assessment, or interested in increasing their awareness of facts and issues in assessment psychology, are encouraged to join Section IX of the Society of Clinical Psychology (APA Division 12). Membership in Section IX provides opportunities to become informed about new developments in assessment psychology, to interact with colleagues with similar interests, and to participate in a broad range of efforts to advance our previously noted purposes.

[Mission Statement – full original document]

Announcements:

Assessment Throwdown 2023!

Dear Psychology Assessment Students and Interns,

You are hereby invited to flex your clinical assessment skills and participate in the most exciting psychological assessment event of the year!

The Assessment Section of APA’s Division 12 invites students from clinical, counseling, or school psychology graduate programs to participate in the first-ever ASSESSMENT THROWDOWN!

We are excited to share that this year’s event is co-sponsored by the Buros Center for Testing!

The goal of the Assessment Throwdown is for trainees to show off their assessment knowledge and receive feedback from experts in the assessment field in a welcoming, nonjudgmental, and fun atmosphere! Students in any year of their clinical, counseling, or school psychology doctoral training are welcome to participate.

The competition will include two rounds:

ROUND I: STUDENTS WILL READ A CLINICAL ASSESSMENT VIGNETTE AND SUBMIT A WRITTEN STATEMENT ANSWERING KEY QUESTIONS/PROMPTS ABOUT THE PRESENTED CLINICAL AND ASSESSMENT DATA. ONLY A SELECT FEW WILL MOVE TO THE SECOND ROUND.
ROUND II: STUDENTS will ‘compete’ at the LIVE virtual event, where they will be presented with a different clinical assessment vignette and asked questions about the data by expert judges in the field!

THE WINNER of the Assessment Throwdown will receive a $200 prize and two runner ups will receive $50 each. The prize money has doubled since last year thanks to the Buros Center for Testing!

Each student who moves on to ROUND II will also receive a free one-year membership to the assessment section of APA’s Division 12.

To participate: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L2QHQTG

ROUND I DEADLINE: JULY 30th, 2023

For more information about Division 12’s Assessment Section: www.apadiv12secix.com

For more information about the Buros Center for Testing: www.buros.org

*Please note, this year’s case entails a conceptualization of an adult while 2024 will be a child/adolescent caSE.