As a part of its efforts to support the Black Mental Health Workforce, The Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. (ABPsi) has partnered with AATBS, a Triad company, to tackle a significant barrier for future Black psychologists, the Examination for the Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).
The ABPsi and AATBS partnership includes a substantial discount on EPPP study materials, plus discounted access to continuing education courses for those who have already attained their licensure.
“Triad is committed to promoting a diverse behavioral health workforce. That starts with working towards more equitable outcomes on licensure exams, which historically have seen large pass-rate gaps between white-identifying test-takers and all other populations,” said Brandon Jones, CEO of Triad.
Black psychologists comprise only 5% of all psychologists, despite Black/African descent people representing nearly 13% of the US population. Many factors contribute to this disparity, including the high cost of undergraduate and graduate-level training, high barriers to entry for psychology training programs, hostile learning environments for Black and Brown students, and biased content in addition to the costs associated with the licensing exam, which has been shown to produce
racial disparities in pass rates.“While we will continue to fight for fairness in the profession, we are excited to make this support available to our members,” said Donell Barnett, ABPsi President.
Dr. Barnett continued, “We want to see our students and early career professionals succeed, and this is one way we can support them by breaking down barriers and removing stumbling blocks to their success.”
“We are excited to partner with the Association of Black Psychologists to reduce the cost burden of exam prep to achieve licensure, continuing education to maintain licensure, and to work with ABPsi and its members to help more Black professionals attain and maintain their license – and through those efforts, help promote diversity in the workforce and also help those seeking therapy find better representation among therapists,” said Brandon Jones.
This effort to tackle EPPP pass rates stems from ABPsi listening to its members. “For a long time, we have heard our students and Early Career Professionals express frustration about the EPPP and the systemic barriers to entering the field. So we took on the challenge through our Black Mental Health Workforce initiative and by advocating for tangible support, like this partnership. Ultimately, these efforts will translate to a workforce that clients and patients can relate to and get the support they are looking for,” said President Barnett.