Start your path

Board certification in group psychology

Whether you are a graduate student, early, mid, or late career psychologist, a good time to think about board certification is now.

See the candidate’s path Contact ABGP
  • Member board of the American Board of Professional Psychology
  • Group psychotherapy recognized as a specialty by APA in 2018

Your path to ABPP (Group)

Five phases, reviewed by board-certified group psychologists

1 Credentials review Up to 3 months
  • Fill out both the Generic and Specialist applications online and forward them to the ABPP Central Office.
  • Submit the application fee to the Central Office. Fees follow a sliding scale by career stage, from $125 to $25.
  • The Executive Officer and Central Office staff verify your license, doctoral degree and program; the specialty board may also review specialty-specific requirements.
  • Request that your original doctoral transcript be mailed or emailed ([email protected]) to the Central Office directly from your institution.
2 Group psychology review Up to 2 months
  • When passed by the Central Office, you become a “Candidate”.
  • Your application goes to the ABGP Exam Coordinator for a review of your group psychology education and experience.
  • When passed by ABGP, your application returns to the Central Office.
  • The ABGP Exam Coordinator makes sure you have a mentor.
3 Practice Sample & Professional Statement $250 fee
  • The ABGP Exam Coordinator invites you to prepare a Practice Sample and a Professional Statement. Your mentor reviews both before submission.
  • Submit the $250 Practice Sample fee directly to the Central Office.
4 Sample review Up to 2 months
  • Send the Practice Sample and Professional Statement to the ABGP Exam Coordinator. If your sample includes a recording of a group therapy session, prepare six unedited copies compatible with Windows and Apple.
  • The Exam Coordinator, with one additional board member, passes the materials or recommends revisions.
  • Once passed, the Exam Coordinator tells the Central Office you are ready for the Oral Exam.
5 Oral examination $450 fee
  • Submit the $450 Oral Exam fee to the Central Office.
  • The ABGP Exam Coordinator selects a Committee Chair, who chooses two more members and arranges the date (scheduling may take up to two months).
  • Your Committee meets with you for a four-hour collegial exam.
  • The Central Office informs you of the results within the week.
Full phase-by-phase guide
Four-hour collegial exam Awards for training directors Open to graduate students Exam results within the week

Welcome!

Greetings from the American Board of Group Psychology and the American Academy of Group Psychology.

What is a good place to start? The Candidate’s Path to ABGP will familiarize you with the process. Have questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the ABGP, as we would be delighted to talk to you.

Where are you in your career?

$25 Early Entry application fee

Must be pre-licensure — a $100 discount.

Even as a graduate student you can begin your board certification journey by submitting your application as you pursue licensure.

Fees per the ABPP fee schedule; paid online, non-refundable and subject to change. Practice Sample $250, Oral Exam $450.

At every stage of your professional life, board certification is for you.

An ABGP designation shows the public that the psychologist has attained a high level of competency in group psychotherapy and group dynamics, and practices group in an ethical and responsible way.

All twelve benefits
  • Board certification in Psychology indicates specialty expertise which distinguishes you from other psychologists who work with patients with health issues.
  • Board certification in Psychology distinguishes you on the job market!
  • Uniformed psychologists with board certification who work at the Department of Defense or Public Health Service receive a monthly specialty pay bonus.
  • Health care providers in other disciplines consider board certification as a minimum standard to document training and expertise for patient care.
  • Board certification facilitates license mobility in most states.
  • Many hospitals ask about board certification when applying for privileges.

You might be eligible for a scholarship or a grant

Since 2018, ABGP’s Training Director/Group Coordinator and Diversity Awards help two awardees each year complete board certification in group psychology within two years, with costs reimbursed after the oral examination.

Scholarship info

A specialty built by the people who practice it

Read the ABGP history
  1. 1991

    APA Council approves Division 49, Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy.

  2. 1998

    The ABPP Board of Trustees approves the new Board and authorizes its first exams.

  3. 1999

    Thirty individuals are examined at the initial examinations in Chicago.

  4. 2018

    APA declares group psychotherapy a specialty; ABGP launches its awards.

From the ABGP archive

American Psychological Association declares group psychotherapy a specialty

News · November 26, 2018

ABGP, Division 49 and AGPA petitioned for the recognition. What it may mean for training and coverage.

Read

A five-minute lesson: when a new member leaves the group

Lesson · Gil Spielberg, Ph.D., ABPP

Problem, intervention, result and reflections from a group that nearly turned a goodbye into an ambush.

Read

The Academy of Group Psychology

Serving the public and group psychologists in the United States and Canada.

Explore

Have questions? We would be delighted to talk to you.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the ABGP — whether you are a graduate student or a late-career psychologist.

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