If you live in Pennsylvania, or have colleagues that reside there, please send them this link: http://capwiz.com/apapractice/issues/alert/?alertid=14198531 that will enable them to contact their legislators to oppose this act. If this passes, it will set a bad precedent for psychologists' scope of practice. Also, if you are a member of any psych listserves, please forward this onto them
Effort to Amend PA Professional Psychologists Practice Act
We are writing to urge you to write to your state representative asking them to strongly oppose HB 1250, which would restrict the practice of psychologists in Pennsylvania. Although this is ostensibly a bill to modify the act that licenses social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists, it has language that would restrict the current practice of psychology in Pennsylvania. Our efforts to persuade the advocates to back away from the Professional Psychologists Practice Act have failed and we must fight this bill in the House Professional Licensure Committee.
Here are two of our major concerns with this bill:
1. Under this bill, as the current social work-supported amendment reads, psychologists would not be permitted to supervise anyone unless that person were receiving the supervision to become a licensed psychologist. Therefore, psychologists would not be able to supervise persons with graduate training in psychology, as currently permitted in the Professional Psychologists Practice Act, nor would psychologists be permitted to supervise individuals who are licensed in other professions.
According to the way the bill is currently written, even psychologists-in-training would have to resign their positions and provide no psychological services from the time that they have completed their post-doctoral hours until the time they have received a notice that they have passed the licensing examination and can become licensed.
2. The current exemptions to the Professional Psychologists Practice Act are not, in our opinion, adequately protected by this bill. For example, psychologists who are licensed in other states and who practice here temporarily, such as providing a forensic evaluation or entering the state to provide services in the event of a disaster, would no longer be permitted to do so.
Please write to your state Representative and express your opposition to House Bill 1250, unless it is substantially amended to address the concerns of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association.
Effort to Amend PA Professional Psychologists Practice Act
We are writing to urge you to write to your state representative asking them to strongly oppose HB 1250, which would restrict the practice of psychologists in Pennsylvania. Although this is ostensibly a bill to modify the act that licenses social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists, it has language that would restrict the current practice of psychology in Pennsylvania. Our efforts to persuade the advocates to back away from the Professional Psychologists Practice Act have failed and we must fight this bill in the House Professional Licensure Committee.
Here are two of our major concerns with this bill:
1. Under this bill, as the current social work-supported amendment reads, psychologists would not be permitted to supervise anyone unless that person were receiving the supervision to become a licensed psychologist. Therefore, psychologists would not be able to supervise persons with graduate training in psychology, as currently permitted in the Professional Psychologists Practice Act, nor would psychologists be permitted to supervise individuals who are licensed in other professions.
According to the way the bill is currently written, even psychologists-in-training would have to resign their positions and provide no psychological services from the time that they have completed their post-doctoral hours until the time they have received a notice that they have passed the licensing examination and can become licensed.
2. The current exemptions to the Professional Psychologists Practice Act are not, in our opinion, adequately protected by this bill. For example, psychologists who are licensed in other states and who practice here temporarily, such as providing a forensic evaluation or entering the state to provide services in the event of a disaster, would no longer be permitted to do so.
Please write to your state Representative and express your opposition to House Bill 1250, unless it is substantially amended to address the concerns of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association.
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