Back in the “old days” there were few choices when it came to selecting a doctor, lawyer, psychologist, dentist etc. Typically a town had one doctor to deliver local babies, perform necessary surgeries, diagnosis all kinds of maladies and treat whoever knocked on the door with a sundry of internal or external injuries. The same was true for lawyers; all barristers handled all cases in all courts. Other professions also lacked diversification; a psychologist treated all matters of the emotional heart as well as mental and behavioral maladies.
However with progress, society was steadily bombarded with rapid advancements in technology as well as science. Knowledge which had once been general and applied comprehensively to like conditions became highly technical and utilized with great precision and specificity. The world witnessed exponential individuation in every known profession—a singularly-titled physician for every imaginable ailment; a particular practice of law for every legal issue actionable as well as branches of psychology dedicated to handling issues of the mind with ever increasing exactitude.
For today’s professional aspirant, specializing in a particular field is almost not an option. A basic education is usually complemented with a brief academic encounter with the chosen specialty; only to be followed by another tier of instruction or practice in that particular field. Sometimes years of study and training are involved and many must intern in their area of expertise before establishing independent practices.
Interestingly, many believe that the American Psychological Association (APA) only recognizes the general practice specialties of clinical, counseling, industrial/organizational, and school psychology. Historically this was true, but as of April of 2014 there are now14 specialties which the APA recognizes:
- Clinical Neuropsychology (recognized in 1996)
- Clinical Health Psychology (recognized in 1997)
- Psychoanalysis in Psychology (recognized in 1998)
- School Psychology (recognized in 1998)
- Clinical Psychology (recognized in 1998)
- Clinical Child Psychology (recognized in 1998)
- Counseling Psychology (recognized in 1998)
- Industrial-Organizational Psychology (recognized in 1996)
- Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology (recognized in (2000)
- Forensic Psychology (recognized in 2001)
- Family Psychology (recognized in 2002)
- Professional Geropsychology (recognized in 2010)
- Police and Public Safety Psychology (recognized in 2013)
- Sleep Psychology (recognized in 2013)
Jules M. Stites is a retired psychologist from the time period immediately preceding the growth of specialization. He personally witnessed the changes in his profession:
“I was a psychologist before there was a plethora of recognized specialties. I must say that although it was almost surreal experiencing the transformation of the discipline, specialization greatly benefits the patients/clients. Help really needn’t come in a “one-size-fits-all” manner.”- Jules M. Stites Ph.D.
