Introduction
Welcome to the website of the Specialty Council for Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Psychology. This site is designed for those interested in training and information about the most up to date methods for helping persons with serious mental illness and severe emotional disturbance (SMI/SED) recover and achieve their full functional capability. The approaches, methods, and content on the website are intended to provide training and information about the principles of the recovery paradigm, and the practices and methods of psychosocial rehabilitation. The SMI Psychology Specialty Council encourages all those interested in working with the SMI/SED population to remain current and up to date with the latest research, practice developments, training information, competency certification developments, and continuing education offerings. We hope readers will find the information available on this website useful. Please note that the website is an on-going effort and is updated as new information becomes available.
To learn about the history and purposes of the Specialty Council, visit the About Us page.
On the Training Materials page, you can obtain a free, fifteen-chapter, training Curriculum. You can also access the Competency and Training Guidelines for Post-Doctoral Psychology Programs in SMI Psychology, and an Instrument for use by practitioners and training supervisors to evaluate competency development. The Petition to the American Psychological Association (APA) for recognition of the post-doctoral Specialty in SMI Psychology with expanded information about the Specialty is also available on this page.
The Training Materials page also contains information about APA accreditation for post-doctoral training programs in the SMI Psychology Specialty; these programs may apply for accreditation from APA in the SMI Psychology Specialty. Post-doctoral programs should consult the APA Commission on Accreditation's most recent Standards of Accreditation and the most recent Implementing Regulations for requirements and information. Programs should also contact the APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation for guidance and assistance.
For psychologists interested in becoming credentialed to work with persons with SMI/SED, the Credentialing page provides information about board certification through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and also provides information about continuing education courses and opportunities, along with other pertinent information. Psychologists working with, or on behalf of individuals with SMI/SED should visit the Credentialing page and visit the ABPP website for the latest information about applying for board certification in SMI Psychology.
Visit the Research page to find information about some of the latest research relevant for psychologists and other mental health professionals in this field.
The Practice page contains information and resources about some new and emerging clinical practice-related developments.
On the Psychology Training Programs page, you can find a list of some post-doctoral programs that offer training for psychologists in the recovery paradigm and psychosocial rehabilitation methods and practices. Post-doctoral training programs should also consult the Training Materials page for links to the Competencies and Training Guidelines document and the Instrument to Assess Knowledge and Skills of Psychologists working with Individuals with Serious Mental Illnesses and Severe Emotional Disturbances (SMI/SED).
Information for Members of the Public
Members of the public and mental health professionals, including non-Specialty psychologists, can become informed about SMI psychologists via the following means:
- Psychology licensing boards may list areas of specialization of psychologists in the state who specialize in SMI/SED;
- The APA Task Force on SMI/SED lists current members on its website. These individuals are sometimes contacted by members of the public;
- The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Psychosis and Schizophrenia Special Interest Group (PASS-SIG) is comprised of practitioners in this Specialty and lists those who identify as Specialists by posting a contact point, e mail address, and the website offers the opportunity to find a specialist in one's geographic area. Similarly to state licensing board listings and the APA Task Force, members of the public can use this resource to identify Specialty psychologists;
- Members of the public and interested professionals often contact authors of relevant articles in publications such as the APA Monitor, the American Psychologist, other APA journals such as Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Psychological Services, and journals published by other organizations that specialize in this field such as Psychiatric Services, Schizophrenia Bulletin, Schizophrenia Research, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Early Intervention in Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, Archives of General Psychiatry, British Journal of Psychiatry, BMJ (British Medical Journal), Community Mental Health Journal and World Psychiatry, among others;
- The Specialty Council hopes to list psychologists with competence in SMI/SED on the website once they are board certified via the ABPP credential. Once psychologists are certified by ABPP in SMI Psychology and listed on the Specialty Council website, they may also be listed on other sites such as their state licensing board website and the ABCT PASS-SIG website.