ABSTRACT
The evolution of training for the specialty of clinical neuropsychology has been remarkable in terms of its exciting beginnings, gradual coalescence, and systematic development toward a formal model. The Houston Conference guidelines laid out a recommended sequence of training, starting at the undergraduate level, for students wishing to eventually specialize in clinical neuropsychology. In the 1990s, doctoral and internship programs that provided specialty training in clinical neuropsychology also began to organize in response to the Houston Conference guidelines. At the undergraduate level, student typically complete an undergraduate degree in psychology, with emphases on the biological bases of behavior, cognition, and basic neuroscience. The Houston Conference, which identified clinical neuropsychology as a postdoctoral specialty, also specified that training should occur in accredited programs. In addition to specifying the recommended training sequence for specialization in clinical neuropsychology, the Houston Conference also specified a knowledge base and skill base thought to be necessary for specialization in clinical neuropsychology.
