CPA PROGRESS NOTES SPECIAL EDITION

Editor's Note: In perhaps the most dangerous turn of events that could have happened toCalifornia psychologists in the current State budget emergency, the Governor has hidden a budget proposal that will be devastating to psychologists. Every single California psychologist must act immediately on the advice provided below to defeat this unprecedented challenge to the profession.

The Governor's proposal will, if approved, fundamentally change psychologists' recognition inCalifornia by re-writing psychologists' Practice Act law to fold psychologists into a generic mixture of Bachelor and Master's degree "providers." Below is a short description of the problem and the actions every California psychologist must take very quickly to save the law under which we all practice. Please forward this Special Bulletin to colleagues and ask them to act immediately.

Charles Faltz, Ph.D.

A State budget proposal buried in a mass of agency cuts represents a crisis for California psychologists. Your immediate, personal action is needed to fight a proposed, drastic change in the 40 year-old law that recognizes and protects psychologists as an independent profession in California.

WHY IS THIS A CRISIS FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS?

The Governor proposes to consolidate the Board of Psychology with the Board of Behavioral Sciences (MFT/Social Work/Licensed Educational Psychologist Licensing Board).  This time he has also proposed the inclusion of Board of Psychiatric Technicians.  The result?  An omnibus and generic “Board of Mental Health.”  Only one psychologist would be on this large Board which will have the legal authority to decide how laws that apply to psychologists should be interpreted. Most of the other professions who will dominate this Board are recognized as competitors of psychologists.

The current Psychology Practice Act is the law that distinguishes psychologists from many members of other groups who often seek to blur important differences in professional credentials. This law is the legal foundation that allows you to call yourself a psychologist and for mandating that a Board with a majority of psychologists must oversee the practice of psychologists. The Governor has again decided to suggest that the elimination of the Board of Psychology will help fix California’s broken budget system.  It won’t.

WHY IS THE GOVERNOR DOING THIS?

This proposal is being wrongly represented as a cost savings measure. In reality there will be no General Fund or taxpayer savings because the Board’s operations are completely and solely funded through YOUR license and examination fees.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE BOARD OF PSYCHOLOGY IS ELIMINATED BY THIS PROPOSAL?

The single psychologist on the newly formed Board of Mental Health would be only one vote on a 10+ member Board which will oversee and approve psychologists’ licensing exam; assess the validity of a neuropsychological assessment or the appropriate role of an Industrial/Organizational psychologist in a business environment. This means that the training of most professional members of the new Board will not even be trained in many specialties of psychologists’ diverse practices. Further, when a complaint is filed against a psychologist, the final decisions about the process of considering the complaint and its disposition will be made by non-psychologists. Psychologists will no longer have control of the process that most affects our livelihood and license.

IMMEDIATE LEGISLATIVE ACTION NEEDED

We need your help to defeat this proposal again!

If legislators do not hear from their constituents on this issue, it can easily be contained in the fine print details of the budget.  The February budget that cut $42 billion dollars was a 1,244 page document that was voted on by the State Legislature in the dead of night, after a marathon 45-hour session.  Even most legislators did not know exactly what had been included in that budget. This final budget vote for the year can happen this way again, and the Board of Psychology can be eliminated by legislators who didn’t even know what they were voting on-unless we make it a priority for them. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Please click here to send an Individual Letter to your legislator via fax: 

Please click here for a legislator roster with fax numbers of all Assemblymembers and Senators. 

Not sure who your Assemblymember and Senator are? No problem…we’re here to help.

Please click on the following link and type in your address.

Together we can win!