• Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology • Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology •
• Clinical Health Psychology • Clinical Neuropsychology • Clinical Psychology •
• Counseling Psychology • Couple and Family Psychology • Forensic Psychology •
• Geropsychology • Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy •
• Police and Public Safety Psychology • Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychology and Psychoanalysis •
Rehabilitation Psychology • School Psychology • Serious Mental Illness Psychology •
The Council of Specialties in Professional Psychology (CoS) is a non-profit joint venture, initially sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), to represent and support the development and functioning of recognized specialties in Professional Psychology.
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CoS Policy on Specialty Councils
CoS is composed of representatives from each of the specialty councils in professional psychology. These specialty councils comprise a process of governance through joint sovereignty, and each specialty council consists of the professional groups and organizations that represent the major educational, training, and professional constituencies and stakeholders relevant to the particular specialty in professional psychology.
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Each Specialty Council holds at least one meeting each year.
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Each Specialty Council elects a representative to attend all CoS meetings.
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Each Specialty Council representative is responsible for communicating the issues and concerns of the CoS meetings to their Specialty Council and the issues and concerns of their Specialty Council to the CoS.
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Each Council Member is responsible for communicating the issues and concerns of the Council to their respective organizations in the form of an annual report to be included on the agenda of those organizations' meeting, and shall include any action items required for the agenda of that meeting.
CoS Definition of a Specialty in Professional Psychology
A specialty is a defined area of professional psychology practice characterized by a distinctive configuration of competent services for specified problems and populations. Practice in a specialty requires advanced knowledge and skills acquired through an organized sequence of education and training in addition to the broad and general education and core scientific and professional foundations acquired through an APA or CPA accredited doctoral program.* Specialty training may be acquired either at the doctoral or postdoctoral level as defined by the specialty.
(*Except where APA or CPA program accreditation does not exist for that area of professional psychology)
