The Bob Smith Award was created to recognize Bob Smith, Ph.D. for his many years of service to the psychological profession by upholding the highest standards when creating and publishing evidence based psychological assessments. Bob began his career as a psychologist and later went on to found Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR). Through Bob’s leadership PAR supported researchers whose work creating psychological measures would benefit both the profession, society and supports the code of ethics of the American Psychological Association, and the Standards for Psychological Measurement.
Award: The Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (SCCAP) will annually present the Bob Smith Psychological Assessment Award to an individual, or organization that has made a major contribution to the field of psychological assessment broadly defined.
The individual or organization selected must be committed to an evidence-based approach to assessment. While the development or validation of a measure would be an appropriate achievement deserving of recognition, the award’s purpose is broader. For example, individuals who have addressed the ethical issues related to psychological assessment would be equally appropriate, along with practitioners who have developed an evidence-based protocol/approach to assessment using multiple modalities, e.g. custody evaluations, learning disabilities, neuropsychological assessment of traumatic brain injuries, etc. Essentially a best practice, evidence-based protocol for any context in which a psychological assessment would inform a decision or treatment would meet the criteria. With the above criteria it is possible that a clinical researcher would qualify, but would not be preferred over a practitioner or group that created a model/protocol for an evidence-based assessment.
Awardees will receive a $500 honorarium and up to $1500 toward travel to the American Psychological Association Convention. They will be recognized at the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (SCCAP) business meeting at the convention.
Workshop:The award recipient will provide an educational opportunity based on their work that is designed to instruct practitioners in the use of the psychological assessment measure, procedures, or on a topic that is clinically relevant to psychological assessment. This educational opportunity can be presented live or by way of a recorded webinar and will be scheduled at a mutually agreed upon date. The SCCAP membership will be afforded the opportunity to sign up for the workshop and receive a free CE unit.
Eligibility:
- The nominee must be a member of the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (SCCAP) at the time of application.
- Individuals and organizations are both eligible to apply but the stipend and travel allowance remain the same.
- The awardee shall be no more than 10 years post-doctoral degree at the time of nomination.
- The nominee must be a member of the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (SCCAP) for at least one year at the time of application.
- Self-nominations will be accepted.
- Elected board members of SCCAP Division 53 are not eligible.
- Applicants must be domiciled in the United States of America.
- As this award is designed to recognize a contribution to the profession or clients both practitioners and researchers are eligible to apply
- Elected board members of Division 53 are not eligible
- Self-nominations will be accepted.
- The awardee must agree to having their workshop recorded and available free of charge on the SCCAP53.org website
How to Apply:
Please submit the following materials a single PDF file to our Director of Operations with the subject heading “Bob Smith Award”:
- A 2-3 page, double-spaced statement highlighting the history, nature, and focus of the nominee’s work, as well as any information that speaks to the impact of the work. Specific information should be provided regarding how the work addresses the needs of diverse groups and carries the potential for sustainability. Publications and grants will not be considered as evidence of the nominee’s impact, although they may co-occur with the activities for which the nominee is nominated.
- Two (2) documents that attest to the impact of the work. This might include letters of recommendation from others familiar with the work, or demonstration of changes in policy or community practice, among other methods.
- A recent copy of the nominee’s CV.
Application Period October 15-January 10
Due Date: January 10 11:59pm ET
Questions? Contact Puja Patel, PhD, Smith Committee Chair
SCCAP encourages and welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds with respect to age, ethnicity, disability, gender, geography, nationality, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
Previous Winners:
2019 Thomas Achenbach
2020 Cathy Lord
2021 Paul J. Frick
2022 Eric A. Youngstrom
2023 Anne E. Kazak