This past fall semester, having just gone through the tenure process, I decided to hit the books once again. Not to research or write a journal article, but to study for an exam. Gasp...why in the name of Waldo would a newly tenured professor be taking an exam? Was I actually short a graduate course that is necessary for my doctorate? Was I respecializing and getting another degree? No, nothing so drastic. Instead, I decided 9 years after graduate school to study for the psychology licensure exam (known as the EPPP).
At Virginia Commonwealth University (Dept of Psychology), I was trained in the scientist-practitioner model of psychology, which meant that I learned the nuts and bolts of the science and the application of psychological research. I had seen hundreds of clients at university counseling centers and community clinics as a graduate student and predoctoral intern. I even had completed a professional postdoctoral fellowship during which time I worked full-time seeing clients for a wide range of psychological issues.
But my plan was to pursue an academic career, not a full-time practice career. So, in 1997, after finishing my postdoctoral fellowship, I accepted a faculty position at UT-Austin. Three years later, I accepted another faculty position at the University of Minnesota. During this journey toward tenure, I had thought from time to time about licensure as a psychologist but I was not very motivated. I had bigger, more pressing issues to tackle. Namely, I needed to get tenure. And to get tenure, I needed to produce. I had to initiate and sustain a programmatic line of empirical research that would lead to peer-reviewed journal publications and, importantly, name recognition. That is, a national (and if possible, an international) reputation as a leading scholar in the field.
Well, fast forward now to 2005. I am now tenured and had the luxury of not having to teach in the Fall semester. Here was finally the opportune time to take the licensure exam. But the question remained...did I really want to get licensed? What is the benefit of it to me? Would I ever practice counseling and therapy again?
When I first started out in academia, I had quietly resolved to not worry about getting licensed. As I moved further and further toward engaging in research, I gradually convinced myself that it was less relevant to my professional development. In the last couple of years, however, I have re-evaluated this position. Being more actively involved in different communities, especially various Asian immigrant/refugee/adoptee communities, I came to realize the necessity of being a licensed psychologist. There is a great need out there. Additionally, I began to question the value of all my research if I was not able to translate it into practice.
So I went ahead signed up to take the licensure exam. I bought the study materials and studied hard for 6 weeks or so. On the one hand, I was confident that I still knew my stuff even though I had been out of graduate school for so long. On the other hand, I was worried that I had forgotten too much. Well, the truth was somewhere in between. I quickly learned that I knew a lot. In fact, I knew much more now in all areas of psychology than I ever did as a graduate student. However, I had forgotten one important thing...how to study!
It took a while but after 4 weeks of struggling to find my rhythm I finally remembered how to study. Two weeks left before the exam and I found myself nervous but excited. It was oddly "fun" to study again. To learn new things and to connect the dots between brain activity, child development, and psychopathology or between career assessment, personality, and employee productivity. Yes, the geek in me re-emerged.
Well, I did take the EPPP and I did pass (phew!). However, I am not yet a licensed psychologist because I still need to take the Minnesota ethics exam and get my postdoctoral training hours approved by the MN Board of Psychology. I'm in no rush but will likely be licensed by my 10th year out of graduate school.
Some things take time but fortunately time is still on my side...
Posted by richlee at February 8, 2006 09:34 AM