The Death of Difference: Psychology is Psychology

Abstract

The College of Educational and Developmental Psychologists (CEDP) in Australia, like other colleges, has exceptionally skilled and well-qualified practitioners. But, are the differences between the colleges significant? Is some of the psychology practised by one College so different to that of another? It is not clear that there are any general differences. It is at the level of the individual practitioner who, irrespective of her college membership, will either be particularly skilled or not. It seems pertinent to ask what particular skills does our College have over others. What is it that makes the CEDP practitioners different from the focus of other colleges? Practitioners in educational and developmental psychology have been trained across a wide range of psychological domains and practise in diverse areas, such as gerontopsychology and child development. However, in some ways it is about marketing the skill base and aligning with recognised areas of psychology. In Australia there is a bizarre disparity across states and territories vis-à-vis who is qualified to work as school psychologists but who are not members of the CEDP, either through choice or their qualifications not quite aligning. Focusing on bringing this group more into the fray will, in the opinion of the Editor, provide a clearer focus as to one of the areas of practice that falls clearly into that domain. This is an opportunity to strengthen our focus while strengthening the College's ability to accentuate the wide areas of practice that College endorsement offers.