Training Materials
The training materials available from the Specialty Council include the Curriculum developed by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Competency and Training Guidelines for Post-doctoral Psychology Residency Programs, an Instrument to assess competency development, and the Petition to the APA for recognition of the post-doctoral Specialty in Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Psychology.
Curriculum
The Curriculum was developed by the APA with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and released in 2014. The aim of the Curriculum is to train psychologists in the principles and practices of psychosocial rehabilitation within a recovery oriented framework.
The Curriculum comprises 15 chapters plus an introductory module. The chapter topics are: Introduction to Recovery Based Psychological Practice, Role of Psychologists and Health Care Reform, Assessment, Partnership and Engagement, Person Centered Planning, Health Disparities, Interventions I: Guiding Principles and Integrated Framework, Interventions II - Evidence Based Practices, Interventions III - Promising or Emerging Practices and Supporting Services, Issues in Forensic Settings, Interventions in Forensic Settings, Community Inclusion, Peer Delivered Services, Systems Transformation, Scientific Foundations. Each chapter contains a fully referenced literature review, a sample learning exercise and a short evaluation. There is also a set of slides available for each chapter. (Curriculum Chapters, Curriculum Slides)
Competencies and Training Guidelines
The Competencies and Training Guidelines for Post-doctoral Psychology Residency Programs in SMI Psychology describe important training components of post-doctoral residency programs in this field and the competencies that residents should acquire during their residency training. The document also contains important information for post-doctoral training programs applying for APA accreditation in the SMI Psychology Specialty. All SMI Psychology post-doctoral programs are strongly encouraged to seek APA accreditation in SMI Psychology. (Competencies and Training Guidelines)
Competency Evaluation Instrument
Individual practitioners and supervisors can evaluate knowledge and skills in the area of this Specialty by using the Instrument to Assess Knowledge and Skills of Psychologists working with Individuals with Serious Mental Illnesses and Severe Emotional Disturbances (SMI/SED). This Instrument is a modification of the Pikes Peak Geropsychology Knowledge and Skill Assessment Tool (Karel, et al., 2012) developed by the Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs which granted permission to modify and use it. We are grateful to the Geropsychology Council for granting their permission, and encourage all programs providing training for work with individuals with SMI/SED to use this Instrument. (Evaluation Instrument)
Petition
The Specialty Petition offers a comprehensive review of the research and practice literature, a description of the problems faced by persons with SMI/SED, and detailed information on the assessments and evidence-based and promising practices specifically designed and researched for this population. APA's recognition of the Specialty must be renewed periodically and the renewal petition will be posted on this website when it becomes available. (Petition)