1. Certification
Structures for Philosophical Practitioners
2. Application Materials
3. Certification Standards for
Client Counselors
4. Certification Standards for
Group Facilitators
5. Certification Standards for
Organizational Consultants
6. Certification Standards for
Certified Affiliates
1. Certification Structures
Preamble
Adjunct Members or qualified Affiliate Members in good
standing may apply for certification. There are three
areas of certified practice: client counseling, group
facilitation and organizational consulting. The APPA offers
two categories of certification in each area: Associate
and Fellow. Within each category, there are two levels:
Primary and Full Certification. An Associate or Fellow
with Primary Certification may practice as a Certified
Member with supervision from the APPA. An Associate or
Fellow with Full Certification may practice as a Certified
Member without supervision. All Certified Members are
bound by the APPA Code of Professional Ethical Practice.
Certification in Multiple Areas
A Member certified in one area of practice may seek certification
in another area of practice, but must fulfill respective
requirements. Certification in one area of practice does
not automatically confer certification in another. Members
who become certified in more than one area do not pay
multiple dues; they pay normal certified membership dues,
independent of the number of areas in which they are certified.
Academic Credentials
The minimum academic requirement for certification as
an Associate is an earned Master's Degree or ABD in Philosophy
(or Licensura in Hispanic countries). The academic requirement
for certification as a Fellow is an earned Doctoral Degree
in Philosophy.
Recertification from Associate to Fellow
A Primary or Fully Certified Associate who earns a Doctorate
in Philosophy from an accredited institution of higher
learning may be recertified, respectively, as a Primary
or Fully Certified Fellow, by submitting official proof
that the Doctorate has been conferred. There will be no
charge for such recertification. All other conditions
of certified membership apply.
Temporal Constraints on Primary Certification (from APPA
operating procedures, section 13.2)
Primary certificates will normally be valid
for a period of up to two years, during which the holder
may renew the primary certificate by renewing annual certified
membership. However, an implied condition of primary certification
is that the holder seek full certification, which is attained
by advanced education and training programs. Primary certificates
held by persons who do not subsequently qualify or seek
to qualify for full certification will normally expire
after two years, and said holders will not be eligible
to renew their certified memberships until such time as
they qualify for full certification. Extensions are possible
on medical or compassionate grounds.
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2. Application Materials
Qualified persons are invited to apply for APPA Certification.
Applications should include:
• APPA Membership Application Form (if not already
a member), with Adjunct or Affiliate status initially
selected (whichever is most appropriate for you.)
• letter stating area, category and level of certification
held (if any) and/or sought;
• current curriculum vitae;
• proof of advanced degree in philosophy;
• graduate transcripts;
• types and dates of APPA training programs completed
(if any);
• summary and evidence of experience as a philosophical
practitioner (include written case studies or relevant
publications);
• three letters of recommendation from personal
referees;
• $60 ($USD) processing fee, check or money order
payable to APPA;
Please mail applications to:
APPA
The City College of New York
137th Street at Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
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3. Certification Standards
for Client Counselors
Certification as an Associate
Primary Certification as an Associate signifies basic
competency minimally required for supervised practice
with individuals. The minimum academic requirement for
certification as an Associate is an earned Master's Degree
or ABD in Philosophy (or Licensura in Hispanic countries).
Candidates must demonstrate evidence of appropriate competency
in ethics (values analysis/clarification), logic (formal
and informal reasoning), epistemology (belief justification),
metaphysics (world views) and at least the major figures
and themes of the history of western (and preferably also
eastern) philosophy. While no particular philosophical
orientation is expected or required, candidates should
also be familiar with the basic principles and themes
of both the analytic and existential/phenomenological
traditions of recent philosophy. In addition, candidates
must demonstrate practical knowledge of the principles
of interpersonal psychology, psychopathology, experience
and/or training in personal counseling, familiarity with
the history of philosophy as a discipline of counsel,
and evidence of personal stability and good character.
Evidence of satisfactory demonstration of these requisites
and skills may be established by successful completion
of the APPA Primary Certification Training Program for
Philosophical Counselors.
Private Practice
Primary Certified Associates may practice as Certified
Members of the APPA under the supervision of an APPA approved
Fully Certified Fellow in Client Counseling. Supervision
is normally conducted by submission of audio cassette
or written case study (with prior consent of the client)
to an APPA supervisor. Recorded or written commentary
on the cases will be provided by the supervisor for which
a fee will be charged. Upon the submission of a minimum
of ten cases over a period of at least one year of practice,
or a one-year internship under APPA supervision, Primary
Certified Associates will be eligible to complete an APPA
Advanced Certification Training Program for Client Counselors.
Upon the successful completion of that program, candidates
will be granted Full Certification in Client Counseling.
Certification as a Fellow
Primary and Full Certification as a Fellow are identical
to Primary and Full Certification as an Associate, respectively,
except that the minimum academic preparation for a Fellow
is an earned Doctorate in Philosophy. Fully Certified
Fellows are eligible, by APPA invitation, to provide training
and supervision of candidates for APPA Certification.
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4. Certification Standards
for Group Facilitators
Certification as an Associate
Primary Certification as an Associate signifies basic
competency minimally required to work with groups philosophically
in both informal and formal settings. The minimum academic
requirement for Certification as an Associate is an earned
Master's Degree or ABD in Philosophy (or Licensura in
Hispanic countries). In addition to demonstrated competency
in academic philosophy, Primary Certified Facilitators
must demonstrate 1) the knowledge, skills, and principles
of large and small group facilitation, conflict resolution,
and the dynamics of consensus, adversarial and open-ended
discussion formats, and 2) the application of an identifiably
philosophical methodology or approach to group discussion
and problem solving. The requisite skills and experience
for Primary Certification as a Facilitator can be acquired
through an APPA training program or by documentation of
other appropriate training or experience. Evidence of
satisfactory demonstration of these skills may be established
by successful completion of Nelsonian Socratic Dialogue
Training, or other demonstrably formal philosophically
based methodologies. Full Certification will be granted
to those Facilitators who can demonstrate the completion
of at least one year experience as a Primary Certified
Facilitator and successful completion of an APPA approved
Advanced training program.
Informal Facilitation
The setting for informal group facilitation is usually
a public venue, such as a bookstore, cafe, restaurant,
library, shopping mall, or other public meeting place.
The Facilitator is able to institute such a gathering
on a regular basis and is able to facilitate and moderate
a spontaneous philosophical discussion either of a preselected
topic or of one selected by the group. The Facilitator
does not lecture to the group but rather facilitates its
philosophical interchange and maintains its philosophical
character.
Formal Facilitation
The setting for formal group facilitation is usually
a private venue (corporation, government organization,
or other private group). The purpose of a formal gathering
is to participate in a structured and focused philosophical
discussion on a specific topic leading to a common resolution
or outcome.
Certification as a Fellow
Primary and Full Certification as a Fellow are identical
to Primary and Full Certification as an Associate, respectively,
except that the minimum academic preparation for a Fellow
is an earned Doctorate in Philosophy. Fully Certified
Fellows are eligible, by APPA invitation, to provide training
and supervision of candidates for APPA Certification.
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5. Certification Standards
for Organizational Consultants
Certification as an Associate
Primary Certification as an Associate signifies basic
competency minimally required to work with organizations
philosophically. The minimum academic requirement for
certification as an Associate is an earned Master's Degree
or ABD in Philosophy (or Licensura in Hispanic countries).
In addition to demonstrated competency in academic philosophy,
Primary Certified Organizational Consultants must demonstrate
1) practical knowledge of organizational structures, missions,
policy, management, and principles of strategic planning
and 2) the application of identifiably philosophical principles,
knowledge, and skills to the resolution of problems and
facilitation of goals in organizations and corporate entities.
The requisite skills and experience for Primary Certification
as an Organizational Consultant can be acquired through
an APPA training program or by documentation of other
appropriate training or experience. Evidence of satisfactory
demonstration of these skills may be established by successful
completion of an APPA Training Program for Organizational
Consultants, or other demonstrably formal philosophically
based methodologies. Full Certification will be granted
to those Organizational Consultants who can demonstrate
the completion of at least one year experience as a Primary
Certified Organizational Consultant and successful completion
of an APPA approved Advanced Training Program.
Relation to Counseling and Facilitation
While Certified Organizational Consultants need not be
cross certified in Group Facilitation or Client Counseling,
the methods, skills and knowledge of these other certification
areas are also relevant-sometimes essential-to Organizational
Consulting. Candidates for Certification as Organizational
Consultants are therefore encouraged to participate in
acquiring at least the basic knowledge and skills of these
other certification areas.
Certification as a Fellow
Primary and Full Certification as a Fellow are identical
to Primary and Full Certification as an Associate, respectively,
except that the minimum academic preparation for a Fellow
is an earned Doctorate in Philosophy. Fully Certified
Fellows are eligible, by APPA invitation, to provide training
and supervision of candidates for APPA Certification.
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6. Certification Standards
for Certified Affiliates
NB: An APPA Certified Affiliate is not an APPA Certified
Philosophical Practitioner; rather, is a co-professional
with abiding philosophical interests.
An APPA Certified Affiliate is a
practicing professional in a recognized (e.g. licensed,
certified, registered, etc.) field other than philosophy
(e.g. medicine, psychology, law, social work, management),
who sustains interests both in philosophical aspects of
the given field, and in philosophical applications within
it, and who has completed an APPA Certified Affiliate
program.
All Certified Affiliates are
bound by the APPA Code of Professional Ethical Practice.
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