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Become an MBPA CLASP Provider Want to work with psychologists in your practice? Become a CLASP provider! Once you become a provider you work under your own policies and procedures, fee structure, and limits of confidentiality. CLASP Committee Chair Sheila Namir, Ph.D. (831) 425-5300 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Download the application Policy and Procedures Statement
for California Psychological Association's Colleague Assistance & Support Program (CLASP) and CLASP Information and Referral Service I. Definitions A. Colleague Assistance and Support Program (CLASP) 1. CLASP is a program operated by the CLASP committee, which is a standing committee of the California Psychological Association (CPA) and is formed as a service to all California psychologists. 2 The policies and procedures of CLASP and the CLASP Information and Referral (I&R) Service are governed by the Board of Directors of CPA and monitored by the CLASP Executive Committee. B. The CLASP Committee 1. The CLASP Committee consists of the CLASP Executive Committee and the chapter representatives from member chapters. C. CLASP Executive Committee 1. The CLASP Executive Committee consists of seven psychologists appointed by the chair of the Executive Committee who develop and administer activities derived from the mission statement of CLASP, such as the CLASP Information and Referral (I&R) service. D. Member chapter of CLASP 1. A member chapter of CLASP is any regional psychological organization that is a chapter of CPA (e.g., Santa Clara County Psychological Association) and that has met the criteria specified in Section VIII of this document. 2. A regional psychological organization that is a chapter of CPA is referred to in this document as a "CPA chapter." E. Chapter representatives 1. A chapter representative is a person selected by the Chapter Board to represent their chapter in the CLASP program. (Refer also to sections VIII.A.3, VIII.A.4, and VIII.B). F. Prevention/Resiliency 1. Proactively developing and maintaining self-care concepts and wellness check-ins including strength-based strategies such as those that enhance resilience (or the ability to adapt to, cope with, or prevent negative experiences). Such a foundation not only assists in better coping with personal and professional stressors, but also serve as a preventive approach to mitigate or lessen typical and unusual challenges. G. Wellness Continuum 1. Normalizing inherent stressors throughout developmental span of our personal and professional lives as people and as psychologists. Encourage psychologists to reach out for support anywhere along the continuum from wellness to crisis. H. Self-Care 1. Creating and sustaining a balance of attitudes and behaviors conducive to a healthy quality of personal and professional life and fulfillment. I. Stress 1. In the context of this document, stress is considered to be a characteristic of an environment that is personally disturbing or disruptive and which can cause a reaction of emotional strain. J. Distressed psychologist 1. A distressed psychologists is one who is experiencing anxiety, pain, or suffering. Being distressed does not automatically mean that the quality of the individual’s work is suffering or has suffered as a consequence. Nearly all psychologists are distressed at some point in their professional careers, yet most continue to perform effectively. 2. Distress is often, though not always, a precursor to impairment. K. Impaired psychologist 1. Professional impairment refers to an observable deficit in professional functioning. 2. A professionally impaired psychologist is one whose work-related performance is observably inadequate in quality and/or quantity when measured by prevailing and accepted standards of practice as evidenced by any of the following: a. A pattern of inadequate or inappropriate care for one or more clients (e.g., a pattern of missing appointments with clients, not making appropriate referrals, not implementing effective treatment plans, insufficient care of high risk clients). b. Unprofessional management of teaching, supervisory, or direct services responsibilities (e.g., coming to class drunk). c. Inadequate efforts to maintain professional competence as defined by Principle A of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (e.g., failure to meet CEU requirements for licensure). d. Violations of ethical standards for the practice of psychology as defined by the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (e.g., violating the confidence of a client). e. Violations of state or federal law (e.g., conviction for assault and burglary). f. Other verifiable evidence of improper or inadequate work performance (e.g., charging fees for phone calls made to a client without the client's solicitation or approval of such phone calls or fees). L. The following conditions, situations, or problems that if not treated or attended to may cause, contribute to, and/or be symptoms of distress or impairment: 1. Physical conditions, e.g., dementia, chronic illness, traumatic illness 2. Psychological conditions, e.g., mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, psychotic episodes, somatoform disorders 3. Environmental situations, e.g., job stress, financial difficulties, bereavement 4. Interpersonal problems, e.g., marital discord, relational problems 5. Substance-related disorders, e.g., alcohol or drug abuse or dependence 6. Impulse-control disorders and other addictive behaviors, e.g., compulsive gambling or compulsive sexuality. M. Applicable Ethical Standards 1. Principle E, Concern for Others’ Welfare, states that psychologists are concerned with the welfare of those with whom they interact professionally and act in a responsible fashion to avoid or minimize harm. 2. According to Ethical Standard 1.13, Personal Problems and Conflicts, a distressed or impaired psychologist is obliged to recognize distress or impairment in him or herself and take appropriate action to correct a problem long before it reaches the level of a serious boundary violation. This could include seeking consultation, supervision, therapy, and/or voluntarily limiting practice. 3. At other times, the behavior of a distressed or impaired psychologist may come to the attention of colleagues or the organization for whom the therapist works. Ethical Standards, 8.04, Informal Resolution of Ethical Violations, and 8.05 Reporting Ethical Violations, address taking action when there is reason to believe that an ethical violation has been committed by another psychologist. Taken together, these two principles advocate first attempting an informal intervention and if necessary proceeding with formal reporting of an ethical violation to the appropriate authorities. (Note: there is an exception to the formal reporting guideline for members of the CLASP Committee while they are in the role of being the active, on-call I&R resource person. II. History of CLASP CLASP was founded in 1992 as a pilot program of Santa Clara County Psychological Association (SCCPA) under the auspices of SCCPA and CPA. In 1994 the pilot program was elevated to CPA task force status in order to expand the program statewide. In 1996 the status of CLASP as a task force was revised and CLASP became an official standing committee of CPA. III. Mission of CLASP A. The mission of CLASP is to: 1. Provide preventive resources that will support us as psychologists in maintaining and enhancing our general health and mental well-being throughout the developmental spectrum of our personal and professional lives. 2. Destigmatize help seeking and health seeking behaviors and interventions. 3. Endeavor to reduce the occurrence, frequency, and severity of distress and/or impairment of California psychologists through prevention, education, early identification, and referral. 4. Encourage collegial understanding, support, and referral for California psychologists who are experiencing distress and/or impairment. IV. Means for implementing the CLASP Mission Statement A. In order to implement its mission statement, CLASP and the CLASP Executive Committee will: 1. Establish and maintain policies and procedures to organize and guide implementation of the CLASP Mission Statement. 2. Provide a functioning structure, which would include at minimum an Executive Committee and a system of chapter representatives and I&R providers to carry out implementation of the CLASP Mission Statement. 3. Create and maintain a network of member CLASP chapters among CPA regional chapters wherever possible, and provide assistance, and support to CLASP chapter representatives in the establishment and maintenance of local CLASP services. 4. Maintain an Information and Referral (I&R) telephone service available to any California psychologist. 5. Endeavor to inform all California psychologists about the importance of prevention, the risks of stress, distress, and impairment, and encourage a forum for discussing such issues, including how to help a distressed or impaired colleague. Some methods for achieving this include: a. Submitting relevant articles for publication in The California Psychologist. b. Making available a brochure on colleague assistance. c. Presenting workshops and programs at the annual CPA convention aimed at educating psychologists about the importance of self-care, resilience, and prevention; destigmatizing help-seeking behaviors; normalizing inherent stressors through out the developmental span of our careers; and exploring the problems and impact of distress and impairment on ourselves and our clients. 6. Maintain a bibliography related to prevention, self care, and resiliency as well as professional stress, distress, and impairment. (Copies are available at www.cpaclasp.org or by writing the CLASP Executive Committee, 3835 North Freeway Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95834-1955.) V. Program Philosophy A. The psychology profession has recognized the need to encourage the use of rehabilitative mechanisms for those of its members who may experience behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and/or substance-related impairments that affect the performance of their professional duties. The CLASP program was established to encourage the provision of education, prevention, early intervention, and confidential (within the limits of the law) supportive assistance in the form of information and referral of those psychologists and psychology doctoral students who are experiencing stress, distress, or impairment. These referrals will be made on the basis of the following beliefs about professional distress and impairment: 1. Evidence suggests that stress, distress, and impairment may fall on a continuum and that stress when improperly managed may lead to distress or impairment. 2. Prevention, early intervention, treatment and rehabilitation of stressed, distressed or impaired colleagues is generally preferred over other alternatives. 3. In most cases, stressed, distressed or impaired psychologists can benefit from psychotherapeutic interventions (e.g. workshops on self-care, mindful meditation, individual or group consultation, psychotherapy, substance abuse treatment). 4. Stressed, distressed or impaired psychologists can benefit from education about the problem of professional distress and impairment, from the support of concerned colleagues, and from therapy aimed at rehabilitation. Actions taken by CLASP are intended to be in the best interests of CPA member psychologists in particular and the profession in general. 5. It is not the CLASP Executive Committee’s role or the role of the CLASP I&R telephone service to protect the public generally, nor specific individuals or clients in particular. Responding to callers through the CLASP I&R service does not establish a psychologist-client relationship. By assisting stressed, distressed or impaired psychologists through the provision of information and referral services, CLASP believes that the overall care of patients and clients will generally be enhanced. VI. Membership on the CLASP Executive Committee A. The CLASP Executive Committee shall be composed of seven members and will reflect, insofar as possible, the diversity of psychologists within the State of California. B. The CLASP chairperson shall be appointed by CPA President and serves at will. C. Members of the CPA CLASP Executive Committee shall be appointed by the CLASP Chairperson using the following criteria as guidelines. The nominee shall have: 1. At least five years post-graduate experience, 2. No current ethics charges pending or licensure limitations, 3. Current membership in CPA and in a regional CPA psychological association, 4. Interest in the issues related to psychologists' self care, resiliency, models of prevention, stress, distress and impairment, 5. A positive reputation and credibility within the psychological community, 6. Willingness to serve a minimum of two years, and 7. The ability to contribute to the gender, cultural, and ethnic diversity make-up of the Executive Committee. D. The CLASP Chairperson may elect to waive some of the above mentioned criteria, except membership in CPA) with a majority vote of the remaining Executive Committee members, if a nominee to the Committee is judged to have special attributes deemed to be valuable to the functioning of the Committee. E. Members of the CLASP Executive Committee shall: 1. Serve on the CLASP Executive Committee for two years, 2. Attend scheduled meetings to administer CLASP business, 3. Serve on subcommittees as needed and contributing to the efficient functioning of meetings, 4. Participate in the design and conduct of trainings, workshops, and programs to educate psychologists about prevention, distress and impairment and the role of CLASP, 5. Serve on a rotating basis as the on-call psychologist who answers calls that come in to the CLASP confidential telephone line, 6. Contribute articles on a CLASP-related topic for possible publication in The California Psychologist. VII. Duties and role of the CLASP Executive Committee A. As a whole, the CLASP Executive Committee shall: 1. Undertake activities to implement the purpose and mission of CLASP, 2. Oversee the CLASP I&R Service, including maintaining an I&R provider list and other necessary documentation, 3. Provide training, support, and guidance to CLASP representatives, and 4. Manage the CLASP Committee’s budget. B. On behalf of the CLASP Executive Committee, the chair of the Committee shall: 1. Notify in writing a CLASP I&R provider who appears to have acted inappropriately and to attempt to work out an amicable solution for a first offense, or in the case of an flagrant ethics violation, to take appropriate action, including implementing sanctions as necessary and appropriate. 2. Notify the CPA Executive Director, the president of CPA, and the member chapter president when appropriate in the event that there is actual or threatened litigation against CLASP or the CLASP I&R Service. VIII. Membership Of Regional CPA Chapters In CLASP A. A regional CPA chapter (or several chapters that deem it desirable to combine their efforts or resources) can become a member chapter of CLASP by meeting the following criteria: 1. Participation in CLASP by a CPA chapter must be approved by that chapter's Board of Directors and a letter from the chapter president indicating this approval must be sent to the CLASP Executive Committee. 2. The CPA chapter must indicate agreement and willingness to comply with the criteria and procedures specified in the CLASP Policy and Procedures document. 3. The CPA chapter must appoint a member of that chapter to serve as the CLASP representative who will be a member of the CLASP Committee and function as liaison between the CPA chapter and the CLASP Executive Committee. 4. The CPA chapter should also appoint one alternate representative who will serve should the primary representative be unable to do so. 5. The CPA chapter should designate a minimum of $200 per year to be used at the discretion of their CLASP representative and their Board of Directors to fund CLASP efforts at the local level. 6. The CPA chapter should be informed about and support the efforts of their CLASP representative in carrying out his or her duties. B. As the liaison between the CLASP Executive Committee and the member chapter, the duties of the CLASP chapter representative include: 1. Recruiting, qualifying and maintaining no less than five, members of the member chapter to serve as CLASP I&R providers (with the goal in mind of recruiting all eligible members to become providers). a. Criteria for membership in the CLASP I&R panel are provided in IX.C. b. The CLASP Executive Committee will provide the CLASP representative with the necessary I&R membership applications, as well as other materials for recruiting and qualifying I&R providers. It is strongly recommended that the CLASP I&R applications are passed out at board meetings, chapter I&R members, chapter events, as well as posted on the Chapter’s Website for easy access for members. c. CLASP Chapter Representatives will be provided with a CPA CLASP Ad to be placed on their Chapter Website as well as in each Newsletter. 2. Serving on a rotating basis as the on-call psychologist who answers calls that come in to the CLASP I&R telephone service. a. The CLASP Executive Committee will provide to all CLASP chapter representatives on a timely basis information on all approved I&R providers statewide to be used for making referrals. 3. Complete monthly report of activities to the CLASP Executive Committee. 4. Write or obtain articles on CLASP activities as necessary and appropriate for inclusion in the member chapter's newsletter. 5. Attending at least one training workshop per year sponsored by the CLASP Executive Committee. 6. Participating in statewide CLASP activities (e.g., CPA convention, CLASP public relations efforts) as deemed appropriate. IX. CLASP Information and Referral Panel A. Introduction to I&R 1. The CLASP I&R Service is intended to provide information and referrals only to any California psychologist. It is not intended to provide therapy. 2. A toll free number (888-262-8293) is provided for contacting the CLASP on-call psychologist. 3. All calls are confidential and the content of such calls is not passed on to CPA, the BOP, or any other organization except in the form of coded, aggregate data. 4. A caller to the CLASP I&R service need not identify himself or herself. B. The responsibilities of the CLASP on-call psychologist are to: 1. Access CLASP I&R voice mail on a daily basis and return calls promptly. a. When necessary, calls that are unfinished due to a shift change should be passed on to the next on-call psychologist 2. Provide information, support, and a referral if requested in a courteous and reasonable manner, keeping in mind the caller's best interests. a. The CLASP I&R provider information list should be used to refer a caller to an identified CLASP I&R provider. b. When a licensed psychologist is not available or appropriate as a resource for referral, other licensed mental health professions or facilities may be utilized as I&R providers if appropriate and under the following circumstances: 1. Such action is deemed clinically appropriate by the CLASP Executive Committee. 2. Non-psychologist mental health providers who receive such referrals are appropriately licensed and certified in their area of specialty (e.g., psychiatry, social work, etc.), and meet criteria C.4 and C.5 outlined above. 3. Facilities to which referrals are made are appropriately licensed, accredited, and insured to provide services offered by their programs. c. The on-call psychologist should consult as necessary with members of the Executive Committee to fully utilize the expertise of the Committee. 3. Document all calls as prescribed by the Executive Committee. 4. Maintain confidentiality of the caller and treat the information obtained as confidential within the limits of the law. 5. Distinguish between CLASP-related calls and calls that are more appropriate for the member chapter I&R, or the administration of the member chapter, and redirect calls as necessary. 6. Notify the next-in-line on-call psychologist when a shift change is about to occur. 7. Notify the Chair of the Executive Committee if any caller threatens or gives notice of litigation they intend to undertake against CLASP, CPA, and/or a member chapter. C. To qualify as a CLASP I&R provider, the applicant must complete an application form (Appendix A) and meet the following criteria: 1. Be currently licensed as a psychologist in the State of California without pending ethics charges or licensure limitation. 2. Be a fully paid member of a CPA chapter. 3. Be a fully paid member of CPA. 4. Maintain current malpractice insurance in the amount of $1 million/$3 million. 5. Have completed at least 10 continuing education credits within each licensing period in any of the following areas: a. CLASP Presentation b. Knowledge of strategies for stress prevention and reduction c. Prevention, resiliency, self care, mindful meditation d. Burnout e. Chemical dependency/substance-related disorders f. Couple/marital and family therapy g. Boundary issues h. Anxiety disorders i. Mood disorders j. Grief/bereavement k. Sex therapy/sexual issues l. Gender and sexual orientation issues m. Physical or emotional abuse n. Other issues that may affect a psychologist's performance 6. Have post-licensure experience as reflected by at least one of the following: a. ABPP certification, or b. At least five years post-licensure experience and at least 15 hours of continuing education in CLASP related issues (self-care/resiliency/prevention, occupational hazards, impaired psychologists, factors the impact a psychologists ability to practice at optimal standards) , or c. At least three years post-licensure experience with documented consultation (individual or group) of at least 75 hours and at least 15 hours of continuing education in CLASP related issues (self-care/resiliency/prevention, occupational hazards, impaired psychologists, factors the impact a psychologists ability to practice at optimal standards) d. Applicants who do not meet the above criteria may petition the CLASP Executive Committee for a waiver. 7. Submit a signed Contract for Participation (see Appendix B) a. Contracts are in effect for one year from January 1 of the current year through December 31 of the same year. b. Contracts specify that the signer will hold harmless and indemnify CPA, member chapter Boards of Directors, the CLASP Executive Committee, and CLASP I&R providers from liability due to acts and omissions. c. Contracts must be renewed annually and documentation of relevant CE (IX. C. 5 a. above) must be provided each renewal cycle. d. The provider must notify the local representative of changes in licensing, membership or other relevant information. 8. Submit a signed Ethics Statement (see Appendix C) a. This statement specifies that a provider who is charged with any wrong-doing through an accusation filed with any state or national ethics committee or the State of California Board of Psychology will notify the chairperson of the CLASP Executive Committee and will be placed on inactive status as a CLASP I&R provider until such charges are dispensed with, resulting in no sanctions to the provider in question. b. This statement also specifies that other CLASP I&R providers and members of the CLASP Executive Committee will be notified of such actions. D. Responsibilities of the CLASP I&R provider are to: 1. Meet the qualifications stated in IX.C for CLASP I&R providers, 2. Meet the highest ethical and professional standards as delineated in the most recent APA Ethical Principles or Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 3. Be available to accept referrals made by the CLASP I&R Service and to notify the chairperson of the CLASP Executive Committee, California Psychological Association, 3835 North Freeway Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95834-1955 if no longer available to accept referrals, 4. Notify the chairperson of the CLASP Executive Committee, California Psychological Association, 3835 North Freeway Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95834-1955, if charges of wrong-doing are filed with any state or national ethics committee or with the State of California Board of Psychology, and 5. Submit written notification to terminate participation in the CLASP I&R during the service year, to the CLASP Executive Committee, California Psychological Association, 3835 North Freeway Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95834-1955, indicating the date of termination. E. How to become an CLASP I&R provider 1. Contact the CLASP Executive Committee by calling the published toll free number and ask to receive relevant materials, or contact your local CPA chapter CLASP representative. 2. Sign and return to the CLASP chapter representative the following: a. A completed CLASP I&R provider application (Appendix A) and specialty practice addendum, b. A signed Contract for Participation (Appendix B), c. A signed Ethics Statement (Appendix C), d. A copy of current license, e. A copy of insurance face sheet, and f. A copy of your C.V. g. A copy of your most recent Continuing Education course work |