RESOLUTIONS 
THIRD NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APPLIED MASTER'S TRAINING
JUNE 22-25, 2000
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY, FLORENCE, SC

I. ON THE TEACHING OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY

A. Supervision of students' applied work

Resolved: CAMPP and NAMP should enact a plan for improving the supervision provided to applied psychology students.

Data needs: How is this currently done? Do programs have in-house training clinics? What models of supervision are used? What have other disciplines learned about how to supervise (e.g., ACES, I/O)?

Suggested actions: Encourage programs to evaluate the process and outcomes of applied experiences. Encourage programs to provide training in supervision for field supervisors of their students. Assist programs in benchmarking and developing evaluations of placements. Develop a list of "best practices" in supervision, e.g., group supervision, clinical vs. administrative supervision, how to be a good supervisee.

Motion approved: Continuing education workshops in supervision should be provided at meetings of regional psychology associations (e.g., SEPA).

B. Applied Master's training in psychology

Resolved: CAMPP should facilitate dissemination of information on the teaching of applied psychology.

Resolved: CAMPP should explore collaboration with the Society for the Teaching of Psychology by proposing a special issue of Teaching of Psychology on best practices in the teaching of applied master's psychology. 

Data needs: What models are being used? Are Master's and Doctoral programs similar? Different? How? What are the training needs of master's psychologists in the field?

Motion approved: CAMPP should publish examples of "best practices;" decide if a model of applied psychology (e.g., scientist/practitioner, local clinical scientist) can be endorsed; participate with APA's Education Directorate in studying and improving the training of applied psychology. This information should be included in a potential special issue of Teaching of Psychology. 




Motion approved: The Master's Advocate and/or the Journal of Psychological Practice should be used to solicit and disseminate information on the teaching of applied psychology at the master's level.

C. The role of applied Master's psychologists

Resolved: The Executive Committee of CAMPP should study the feasibility of a project to examine and clarify the roles and functions of applied Master's psychologists, and to explore by whom those roles are defined. This should include the development of job descriptions.

Data needs: Job and task analyses to develop matrix of levels and roles in psychology.

Suggested actions: Because Master's programs are likely to be "local" in their orientation 
to the surrounding community, they should solicit input from community advisory committees. Information can be listed on CAMPP's web site about opportunities in applied psychology for Master's graduates.

II. ENHANCING THE LEGITIMACY OF MASTER'S PSYCHOLOGY

A. Title

Motion approved: Recognizing statutory and political requirements, the participants in this Conference endorse "Master's Psychologist" as the appropriate professional reference for those holding the appropriate Master's degree in psychology and providing services to clients. Organizations and individuals should use the term "Master's Psychologist" in their language when appropriate. 

Suggested actions: Use the title "Master's Psychologist" in our organizations' documents, recognizing that there is some objection to the qualifier "level" in the title; another preferred term would be "Licensed Master's Psychologist" for those with licenses. Feedback on the issue of title is needed from members of CAMPP and NAMP. It was recommended that NAMP survey its membership, and that CAMPP consider endorsing an appropriate title.

B. Professionalism

Motions approved: CAMPP and NAMP should:
1) encourage universities to develop continuing education opportunities in supervision. 
2) pursue APA sponsor approval for continuing education credits. 
3) through at least one CAMPP institution in each region, work with that region's CE coordinator to facilitate provision of continuing education credits at the regional psychological association meetings. This idea should be conveyed to the regional organizations.


C. Data

Motion approved: The Conference recommends to the CAMPP and NAMP Executive Committees that they endorse efforts to seek grant support for projects that will enhance the legitimacy of Master's Psychology.

D. Recommendations to enhance legitimacy of CAMPP and NAMP

Motions approved: 
1) NAMP should prepare information packets to send to CAMPP member programs. The CAMPP Chair should prepare a cover letter for the packet, requesting that program directors encourage current students to join NAMP. The same information should be posted on the CAMPP listserv and in "Letters from CAMPP."

Implementation: NAMP office (Pam Qualls) and CAMPP Chair (Frank Yeatman) will coordinate this mailing, to be accomplished by November, 2000.

2) CAMPP should encourage member programs to promote master's identity by sponsoring one event per year for Continuing Education Units for Master's Psychologists.

Implementation: CAMPP Chair Frank Yeatman will provide this information to CAMPP members by the end of the Spring 2001 semester.

3) CAMPP should survey member schools via the listserv concerning the nature of internships (pay, supervision, number of hours).

Implementation: CAMPP EC will coordinate collection and analysis of data and report findings at the CAMPP Annual Member meeting in February 2001 and by means of the Master's Advocate.

4) CAMPP should devise and distribute to member schools a survey of their graduates similar to the APA Research Office's survey of master's graduates. 

Implementation: The CAMPP EC will appoint a coordinator for this project. The survey instrument will be complete by December 2000 and will be distributed to member schools during the Spring 2001 semester.

5) CAMPP member schools should encourage the formation of student NAMP chapters for their students. 

Implementation: Avila College's NAMP chapter will accomplish this task by March 2001.

6) CAMPP should work to increase the number of MPAC accredited programs by collecting testimonials from MPAC schools and distributing to other members. 


Implementation: CAMPP EC will appoint a coordinator for this project, to be completed by the end of the Spring 2001 semester. A website for MPAC should be encouraged. David Solly and Dana LeTendre will work on this set of activities.

7) CAMPP should continue to develop productive relationships with other organizations such as APA's Education Directorate, Division 17 (Counseling Psychology), the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, the American Psychological Society, and the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology.

8) NAMP should develop a Speaker's Bureau with public relations material and information.

9) Consensus should be sought on a unified title for master's psychology graduates. Realizing the aspirational nature of this resolution, we will work toward using a version of "psychologist" but will be cognizant of litigation and cost concerns.

III. STRATEGIES FOR COLLABORATION

(Editor's note. Several approved recommendations about collaboration also appear in other sections. Therefore this section has been edited to reduce redundancy.)

A. Recommendation to NAMP: Review, prioritize, develop and implement action plans concerning: 

Suggested targets of collaboration
Consumer advocacy groups
Master's I/O psychologists and I/O organizations
Regional psychological associations
Half-day programs on master's level issues, abilities, or accomplishments
Representatives of other mental health disciplines
Invitations to national NAMP conferences
Fair Access Coalition on Testing (FACT)
Purchasers of the services of master's level psychologists (potential advocates)
State affiliates of NAMP 
Assistance in identifying master's psychologists
Training in the legislative process with development of "how to" packages
for developing and passing legislation 
Coordination of shared information and resources among state affiliates

Recommendations to state NAMP affiliates
Develop collaborations with consumer advocacy groups, associations of employers of master's psychologists (state and national), university psychology departments, and other master's level mental health professionals on licensing boards.
Participate in state psychological association conferences.

Develop joint workshops with other mental health professional associations to provide multi-audience continuing education opportunities.

Activities
Develop matrix of training requirements by disciplines as information source for employers, students, mental health professionals, and other decision-makers. 
Support inclusion of CAMPP general standards of education and training into state licensing statutes.
Provide additional benefits to members such as group health insurance.
Publish articles about master's psychology training and expertise.
Advertise employment openings in variety of mental health publications.
Advocate with other professionals about special areas of training and expertise.
Develop internet-based "e-collaborations" and communication.

B. Recommendations to CAMPP:

Suggested targets of collaboration
Networks of master's degree psychology programs in each state
Developing job opportunities for graduates
Networks of master's psychology graduates in each state
Opportunities and licensure issues in neighboring states
Encouragement to join NAMP
American Psychological Association
Education Directorate, especially Paul Nelson's new efforts on graduate education; work to revive the BEA's Master's Education Working Group.
Practice Directorate, informal discussions through Laura Barbanel and Paul Nelson, Teachers of Psychology in the Secondary Schools (TOPPS)
Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP), through Lenore Suchman.
Division of Counseling Psychology (Div. 17 of APA), through James Lichtenberg
American Psychological Society, through Alan Kraut

Activities
Support inclusion of CAMPP general standards of education and training into state
licensing statutes
Strategically pair exceptional students with new internship sites to increase awareness of their capabilities and to build acceptance of master's graduates
Publish articles about master's psychology training and expertise.

IV. NEW FRONTIERS IN PRACTICE


Resolution: A tentative action plan should be adopted to move Master's Psychology into the field of behavioral health care. The Executive Committees of CAMPP and NAMP should establish a Task Force to proceed on this activity.

Suggested actions: NAMP and CAMPP might team with the American Medical
Association, the American Psychiatric Association, NIMH as a source of grant funding. The organizations should explore collaboration with the American Psychological Association's task force on "new roles" for psychologists in primary care. (Noted: A term such as "physician extender" and services provided in conjunction with physicians may begin to erase the stigma of mental health services. Reimbursements might be available through managed care organizations.)