Early Career Psychologists

Exciting NJPA Advocacy News!
NJPA is a recipient of the 2018 Early Career Licensure Project Award! The award of $1,000 is given to support NJPA’s efforts to promote legislative change in New Jersey by using the award funding to offset cost of printing of supplies, mileage and miscellaneous costs to meet with legislators, and miscellaneous costs of the governmental affairs agent.

NJPA is working to amend the New Jersey licensure law to allow all predoctoral hours to count toward licensure requirements (that is, by elimination of the current predoctoral/postdoctoral distinction). This would allow more psychology graduates to become licensed sooner, which would incentivize them to remain in New Jersey. A more efficient road to licensure would result in Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance companies providing reimbursement for early career psychologists’ services sooner. This would be beneficial for both the public and for early career professionals. As they would be able to obtain reimbursement for services sooner, more early career psychologists would be able to work in clinics that cater to under-insured and Medicaid-only populations and make a livable salary.

NJPA made this issue a top priority for the past two years, and it remains the number one legislative priority for 2019. In 2017, a task force consisting of early career psychologists (ECPs) and psychology students was created to assess the most important needs of permit holders and ECPs. Difficulty becoming licensed in New Jersey emerged as the foremost issue for the majority of participants. The NJPA ECP Committee was re-established in 2018 with the goal of representing the many needs of New Jersey ECPs, including advocating change to the licensure process. NJPA recognizes the importance of retaining young psychologists, not only for the sake of mental health care in the state, but for the future of NJPA itself. As older generations of psychologists retire, there is a need for young psychologists to fill the void they leave. Moreover, NJPA depends on the dues of constituents and their service in leadership positions within the organization.

Thank you to Drs. Lucy Takagi and Lale Bilginer who guided the work of the ECP Task Force. A huge thank you to Drs. Michelle Pievsky, Stacie Shivers, Christopher Thompson, Anastasia Bullock, Brittany Bertani, Dina Silverman, and Mary Toolan for all of their hard work! We would also like to thank those who participated in the ECP licensure workgroup.

NJPA recognizes the unique interests and concerns of early career psychologists — that is, those who have received their doctoral degree within the past ten years.  Join the NJPA Early Career Listserv dedicated to the needs of early career psychologists. Call Central Office at 973-243-9800 to make sure you are on the list!

The purpose of the Early Career Psychologist Committee is to (1) promote the needs of permit holders and early career psychologists, (2) strengthen the representation of permit holders and early career psychologists in NJPA, (3) support and expand resources for permit holders and early career psychologists within New Jersey, and (5) raise the consciousness of NJPA members and New Jersey psychologists about issues of diversity that specifically impact permit holders and early career psychologists.

To Apply for a license in New Jersey as a psychologist, please contact the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Board of Psychology Examiners at https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/psy/Pages/default.aspx

As of September 1, 2018 this is the link to the application to be licensed (it is also the form to fill out for a temporary permit):

https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/psy/Applications/Application-for-Licensure-as-a-Practicing-Psychologist.pdf