Certification Process

Certification in Therapeutic Assessment

Certification Process

The Therapeutic Assessment Institute offers TAI members who are licensed psychologists the opportunity to become certified practitioners of Therapeutic Assessment (TA). (See Finn, 2007 for distinctions between Therapeutic Assessment, therapeutic assessment, and collaborative assessment.)

Separate certifications are available for TA with four client types: adult individuals, children, adolescents, and couples. Clinicians with at least one certification can be listed as such on this website.

Rationale

Certification in Therapeutic Assessment is designed to meet five goals:

  1. To provide a "marker" for practitioners who wish to know that they are practicing TA with fidelity and competence.
  2. To ensure that research on TA is done using practitioners who are well trained in the model.
  3. To provide a structure for advanced training in TA.
  4. To provide direction for clients who wish to work with assessors trained in TA.
  5. To build a community of assessors who have common language and training and who can promote the development of TA in years to come.

Competencies

The specific competencies required for each type of certification are listed under the Training tab.

Please note: If you wish to be certified in TA with couples, you must first be certified in TA with individual adults.

Certification Process

First Step Pass the online Level 1 Certification Exam.

Choose One of Two Certification Pathways

After completing the Level 1 exam, choose the pathway that best fits your training process.

PATHWAY 1

Certification Through Videotaping One Completed Case

With this method, first seek consultation from one or more TAI faculty members on one or more TA cases. You and the faculty member will then decide together whether you are ready to apply for certification.

Certification is granted as the end point of a case review/discussion involving you, the applicant, and a Therapeutic Assessment Institute faculty member who is different from the faculty member with whom you trained.

To apply, video record an entire assessment and provide electronic copies of:
  1. Videos of all sessions
  2. All test materials, typed or in legible format
  3. The plan for the summary/discussion session
  4. Written report(s), letter(s), or stories resulting from the assessment
  5. A completed "Self-evaluation for Certification"
  6. A completed application form

Application Fee: $950 USD
Payment may be made by check, bank transfer, or PayPal.

Once the materials have been received and reviewed by a faculty member, a discussion of the materials will be scheduled with you. The discussion may take place in person, by video chat, or by phone and is expected to last 60–90 minutes.

Several weeks following the discussion, you will receive a letter providing detailed feedback and either granting certification immediately or suggesting next steps that could lead to certification.

If certification is not granted immediately, the reapplication process will be streamlined and tailored to the recommendations of the faculty who considered your application.

PATHWAY 2

Certification Through Working With One Mentor/Supervisor

Certification is granted when a mentor/supervisor passes you, the supervisee, on each of the competencies required for working with one of the four client types you selected.

This process requires you to work closely with a TAI faculty member who is qualified to supervise your work and who reviews your videos.

During the process, the supervisor will be able to approve your skills in each of the competency areas. This can be accomplished through supervision of different cases.

The focus is on the competencies that all certified individuals are required to obtain.

Continuing Education

Because TA is a rapidly evolving field, certificates are granted for 5 years. At the end of that period, if you wish to maintain your certification, you must complete a "Renewal of Certification" form and describe activities you have participated in to continue developing your skills in psychological assessment and TA.

Because of TAI's strong belief that it is inadvisable to practice TA in isolation, maintaining certification also requires demonstrating ongoing involvement with the TA community.

Multiple Certifications

Because the different forms of TA require different skill sets and expertise, you must undergo the same certification process for each client type.

However, skills do generalize across the different forms of TA, and we expect that once you have achieved one kind of certification, the preparation needed for others will be greatly reduced.