ABPP Counseling Psychology study plan
ABPP Counseling Psychology · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 8 hours per week
Counseling Psychology Specialty Practice
Map the full Domain 1 content outline into a written topic inventory with self-rated confidence scores
Define the scope of counseling psychology specialty practice (history, identity, training model, scope vs. adjacent specialties) in your own notes
Build a weekly study calendar allocating 60% of time to Domain 1 and 40% to Domain 2
Complete a 30-item baseline self-assessment across Domain 1 topics and log every weak area
Your checkpoint
A one-page Domain 1 topic inventory with confidence ratings and a written 8-week calendar
Counseling Psychology Specialty Practice
Explain the scientist-practitioner and counseling psychology identity frameworks from memory in writing
Compare counseling psychology with clinical psychology and other applied specialties across at least five dimensions
Draft a glossary of 25 core Domain 1 terms with definitions you can defend
Self-quiz on week 2 material and re-rate confidence
Your checkpoint
A 25-term glossary plus a one-page comparison table of counseling vs. clinical psychology
Counseling Psychology Specialty Practice
Summarize major career and vocational development theories and their practice applications
Describe multicultural and social justice frameworks as applied in counseling psychology practice
Outline assessment and appraisal concepts relevant to counseling psychology (test selection, interpretation, limits)
Write practice vignettes connecting theory to intervention choices
Your checkpoint
Three written case vignettes, each linking a theory to a concrete intervention plan
Counseling Psychology Specialty Practice & Ethical and Professional Standards
Review intervention and consultation models used in counseling psychology and note decision rules
Begin Domain 2 by outlining the major ethical principles and the structure of professional standards
Identify the distinction between ethical, legal, and clinical decision-making
Complete a mixed 40-item self-test spanning Domains 1 and 2
Your checkpoint
A scored 40-item self-test with a written error analysis for every missed item
Ethical and Professional Standards
Explain informed consent requirements and apply them to a written practice scenario
Describe confidentiality and its limits, including exceptions and documentation duties
Outline competence, supervision, and scope-of-practice standards
Draft a decision tree for resolving an ethical dilemma
Your checkpoint
A one-page ethical decision-making flowchart with a worked example
Ethical and Professional Standards
Summarize multiple-relationship, boundary, and conflict-of-interest standards
Describe record-keeping, documentation, and release-of-information obligations
Explain assessment ethics, including test security and feedback practices
Apply standards to three written vignettes and justify each resolution
Your checkpoint
Three written vignette resolutions citing the relevant standard category for each
Counseling Psychology Specialty Practice & Ethical and Professional Standards
Integrate Domain 1 and Domain 2 by analyzing ethics-in-practice vignettes that require both clinical and ethical reasoning
Re-review all previously flagged weak areas from weeks 1 through 6
Practice timed item sets to build pacing under exam conditions
Teach back two difficult concepts aloud or in writing to confirm mastery
Your checkpoint
A revised weak-area tracker showing resolution status for every flagged item
Counseling Psychology Specialty Practice & Ethical and Professional Standards
Complete two full-length timed practice exams under exam-like conditions
Analyze every missed item by domain and error type (knowledge gap vs. misread vs. reasoning)
Final-review high-yield summaries for both domains
Write a test-day plan covering timing, breaks, and flagging strategy
Your checkpoint
A final score report with a per-domain error analysis and a one-page test-day plan
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 70% on a self-made 25-term Domain 1 recall quiz without notes
Week 4: Complete the 40-item mixed self-test and show a written error analysis for 100% of missed items
Week 6: Correctly resolve all three ethics vignettes with cited standard categories and no unaddressed exceptions
Week 8: Score at or above your target passing threshold on both full-length timed practice exams and complete the test-day plan