ASPPB: Its Role in the History of Psychology Licensure

A Mission of Public Protection

Psychology licensure emerged from a shift from emphasizing scientific study to focusing on practical application and professional practice, particularly in light of a traumatic global conflict: World War II. Early licensure efforts focused on establishing education and training standards, codified in the first state licensure laws by the mid-1940s. Connecticut was the first state to have licensure for psychologists in 1945, followed by Virginia in 1946.

However, efforts to create standards can be traced to organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Association of Applied Psychology, which began organizing to develop standards for education, training, and licensure as early as the 1910s.

The Impact of the Second World War

The Second World War highlighted the importance of applied psychology in addressing the health needs of veterans by exposing the significant impact of combat stress on soldiers. This stress created a demand for mental health professionals to treat veterans and those experiencing psychological trauma, leading to the growth of clinical psychology. It also increased interest in independent practice and the need for credentialing and professional recognition.

Clinical Psychology also grew out of the tragedy of WWII, as many veterans entered the profession and established training programs in graduate schools. The federal government further advanced the field by investing in mental health services, training programs for psychologists, and funding for Veterans hospitals and community health centers.

According to the University of Washington, “WWII transformed the American psychological field, bringing the treatment of mental health out of state hospitals and asylums and making psychological medicine available to the average person.” The public’s perception shifted, with it, the interest in understanding and sustaining soldiers’ resiliency before, during, and after the war.

The Foundation of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards

The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) was founded in 1961 as the American Association of State Psychology Boards. The American Psychological Association (APA) played a pivotal role in ASPP’s foundation due to the APA’s Board of Professional Affairs Committee on State Licensure. The committee aimed to address the challenge of ensuring psychologists could practice across state and national borders, specifically in the U.S. and Canada. The ASPPB was formed to address this need, focusing on developing a standardized examination to facilitate mobility. 

ASPPB’s mission is to support member jurisdictions in fulfilling their responsibility of public protection. Licensure is fundamental to accomplishing ASPPB’s mission.

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)

One of ASPPB’s first initiatives was a standardized examination for those aspiring to become licensed psychologists. The Association created the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) in 1965 to serve as the bedrock of the early mobility movement, which enabled psychologists to move from one member jurisdiction to another without being relicensed.

By the mid-1980s, nearly all U.S. states and Canadian provinces adopted the EPPP as the entry-level exam for licensure at the independent practice level, greatly enhancing the mobility of psychologists.

As ASPPB grew in membership and reputation, it enhanced its value to the professional psychology community with additional licensure and certification programs, research, insights, and advocacy. Our staff and board of directors support 66 member jurisdictions, 21 committees, and multiple task forces each fiscal year.

In 2001, ASPPB began offering the EPPP in a computer-administered format, which is the norm in almost all jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada today. The exam is among all professions’ most researched, validated, and defensible professional exams.

In 2024, 8,179 candidates took the EPPP. An individual must be a candidate for licensure in one of the 66 ASPPB member jurisdictions to take the test. For a copy of the EPPP Candidate Handbook, click here.