Testing and Assessment track: Further requirements and limitations with examples
1. Treatment planning:
a. The scope of practice includes testing and assessment to inform mental health treatment planning by other professionals, such as psychologists and psychology practitioners, medical or other healthcare professionals, psychiatrists, and counselors in professions other than psychology.
b. Testing and assessment for mental health treatment planning by other health professionals is limited to mental health treatment planning by those professionals.
c. The scope of practice does not include treatment planning in domains other than mental health treatment planning, such as risk assessment or appropriateness of organ transplant or other surgical interventions.
Examples:
A pediatrician expresses concern that a child is responding atypically to a treatment protocol for ADHD and requests diagnostic assessment for further clarification of the child's symptoms. Because the assessment is related to mental health treatment planning, the assessment would be within the scope of practice for the individual practicing independently at the master's level who is trained and competent inasmuch assessment.
A psychiatrist requests a psychological battery, including personality testing and "that inkblot test" to aid in the psychiatrist's need to differentiate symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder from personality disorder. The use of projective measures and personality assessment is outside the scope of practice for an individual practicing independently at the master's level, and the referral should be declined.
An internist requests a psychological assessment to determine whether a patient is a good candidate for liver transplant surgery. Because the assessment is not related to mental health treatment planning, the assessment would not be within the scope of practice for the individual practicing independently at the master's level.
2. Educational Planning and Placement:
a. The scope of practice includes testing and assessment requested by educational institutions where the individual being assessed receives services or is enrolled. Purposes of the assessment may include eligibility for services, clarification of educational needs, remediation planning, and disability manifestation determinations related to school-based discipline.
b. The scope of practice includes testing and assessment requested by individuals and organizations other than educational institutions where the referral and the assessment serve the purposes of educational planning and placement for the individual being assessed.
c. The scope of practice is limited to measures of cognitive ability and potential, adaptive functioning, academic achievement, and data from parent and teacher reports of behavioral and school functioning. Parent and teacher reports maybe obtained by standardized measurement or structured or unstructured interview.
d. The scope of practice does not include testing and assessment for determination other than educational planning and placement, such as institutional liability for failure to meet a student's needs.
Examples:
A primary school requests psychological assessments of applicants to its specialized programming, which requires a specified range of intellectual functioning for eligibility purposes. Because the assessment serves the purpose of educational placement, the assessment would be within the scope of practice for the individual practicing independently at the master's level.
An attorney requests psychological assessment of a school-aged child for the purposes of lawsuit against the school district claiming damages for the school's refusal to provide special education services to the child. Because the assessment is for litigation purposes and not for educational planning and placement services, the assessment would not be within the scope of practice for the individual practicing independently at the master's level.
3. Occupational Planning and Placement:
a. The scope of practice includes referrals from governmental agencies responsible foredetermining an individual's eligibility for disability, based on the individual's scope affability and limitations in the workplace, including the individual's needs for accommodation in the workplace.
b. The scope of practice includes referrals from individuals or educational institutions assess an individual's interest in or goodness of fit for occupational fields or career paths.
c. The scope of practice does not include referrals from employers, licensing boards, or other sources of privileges to determine an individual's fitness for duty, fitness for practice, fitness for tenure, or fitness for continued service.
d. The scope of practice does not include referrals for assessments related to wrongful termination, compensation and damages, failure to provide accommodations, discrimination, or other personal injury, regardless of the referral source.
Examples:
An agency with responsibility for determining eligibility for disability benefits seeks evaluation related of an individual to determine the individual's employability, ability to work, and ability to perform tasks. Because the referral and assessment are related to the individual's scope of abilities and limitations in the workplace, the assessment would be within the scope of practice for an individual practicing independently at the master's level. The referral would be included whether initiated by a government agency or a private contractor, so long as its purpose is within the scope of practice.
An employer seeks psychological assessment of an individual's needs for accommodations related to diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Because the referral and assessment are related to an individual's need for accommodations in the workplace, the referral would be within the scope of practice for an individual practicing independently at the master's level.
A governmental agency seeks psychological assessment to determine whether an employee's psychological symptoms were caused by the behavior of the employer or the workplace environment. Because the referral and assessment are not related to occupational planning and placement for the individual being assessed, the referral would not be within the scope of practice for the individual practicing independently at the master's level.
A police department seeks psychological assessment of a law enforcement officer to determine whether the officer remains fit for sworn duty. Although the referral and assessment are related to occupational planning for the individual being assessed, the assessment requires a level of specialized training which is not expected to be included at the master's level of education, training, and experience. The referral would not be within the scope of practice for an individual practicing independently at the master's level.
4. Practice of Psychology, Intervention Track:
a. The following provisions regarding scope of practice apply to all activities in the Intervention Track by those individuals authorized to practice with a master's degree, regardless of application or licensure status, and regardless of the requirement of supervision.
b. The Intervention Track includes the observation, description, interpretation, prediction, and modification of human behavior by the application of psychological principles, methods, and procedures, for the purposes of:
1) preventing, eliminating, or predicting symptomatic, maladaptive, or undesired behaviors.
2) facilitating the enhancement of individuals or groups of individuals including personal effectiveness, adaptive behavior, interpersonal relationships, and work and life adjustment.
c. Scope of practice for the Intervention Track:
1) An initial assessment intake shall be conducted on individuals, couples, families, or individual members of a group for treatment planning. It includes assessments for clients of the psychology practitioner or for a group practice or organization to which the psychology practitioner belongs. Referrals for assessments for other purposes, or under other referral circumstances, are include din the Testing and Assessment Track.
2) An initial assessment intake includes interviewing and screening methods for the purpose of case formulation, diagnosis, and treatment planning. An initial assessment intake does not include personality measures, neuropsychological assessment, or forensic assessment measures.
3) Continuing assessment for treatment planning includes the use of screening measures for patient status within the scope of a continuing therapeutic relationship.
