Title of Regulation: 18VAC125-20. Regulations Governing the Practice of Psychology (amending 18VAC125-20-10, 18VAC125-20-30, 18VAC125-20-41, 18VAC125-20-42, 18VAC125-20-43, 18VAC125-20-54, 18VAC125-20-65, 18VAC125-20-80, 18VAC125-20-120, 18VAC125-20-150).

Statutory Authority: § 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.

Public Hearing Information:

February 15, 2011 - 10 a.m. - 9960 Mayland Drive, 2nd Floor Conference Center, Richmond, VA

Public Comment Deadline: April 15, 2011.

Agency Contact: Evelyn B. Brown, Executive Director, Board of Psychology, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23233, telephone (804) 367-4697, FAX (804) 327-4435, or email evelyn.brown@dhp.virginia.gov.

Basis: Section 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia provides the Board of Psychology the authority to promulgate regulations that are reasonable and necessary to administer effectively the regulatory system. In addition, § 54.1-3605 of the Code of Virginia authorizes the board to promulgate regulations establishing the requirements for licensure of clinical psychologists to include appropriate emphasis in the diagnosis and treatment of persons with moderate and severe mental disorders.

Purpose: This regulatory action is necessary to eliminate any impediments to licensure for psychologists. For licensure by endorsement, it should be possible to ensure minimum competency and protect the health and welfare of citizens through documentation of having the appropriate degree, passage of the national examination, a license in good standing with practice in another U.S. jurisdiction, and malpractice and disciplinary history as evidence that the applicant has not committed acts that would be cause for discipline in Virginia. A requirement for lengthy practice in another state does not ensure competency for clients receiving services by an endorsement applicant.

For licensure by examination, the hours of post-doctoral clinical experience may be an unnecessary extension of the supervised training and experience an applicant would have received in his educational program. By standardizing the requirements for pre-internship experience, the board may be able to count hours of supervised experience in a pre-doctoral program in lieu of hours of post-doctoral experience, thereby allowing a person to obtain a license and began providing clinical services post-doctorate without having to complete an additional 1,500 hours in a residency. With the oversight incorporated in an accredited educational program for the supervised professional experience, the board is confident that a licensee would be qualified to provide clinical services with safety and competency to clients.

Substance: The substantive changes or provisions of this proposal are as follows:

Prerequisites for licensure by endorsement (18VAC125-20-42): The board has added a requirement for a report on malpractice and disciplinary history from the national data banks to ensure that applicants from other states do not have a significant malpractice history or disciplinary actions that would represent grounds for denial of licensure in Virginia. To simplify the qualifications for endorsement and make the process less burdensome, the board proposes eliminating the 20-year practice regulation and replacing it with requirements for 10 years in practice with evidence of holding the degree appropriate to the level of licensure sought, passage of the national examination, verification of a license in good standing, and no unresolved disciplinary or malpractice history.

Education requirements for clinical psychologists (18VAC125-20-54): The board has proposed changes or clarification to the requirements for graduate hours and practicum experiences in consultation and supervision. The proposed changes will allow an applicant to provide evidence of clinical experience that would be a part of his doctoral experience. Provided the supervised experience in a pre-doctoral program is part of an organized sequence of training and meets the criteria set out in regulation, those hours may be used to fulfill the supervised experience requirements for licensure.

Supervised experience (18VAC125-20-65): Subsection B is amended to eliminate the "one-year, full-time" language and provide that the residency (consisting of 1,500 hours of delivery of services) shall be completed in not less than one or more than three years. The board has added a hardship provision to allow approval of alternative supervision arrangements for geography or disability. The board proposes to allow the required 1,500 hours of supervised experience or some part thereof to be accomplished in pre-doctoral experiences as specified in subsection D of 18VAC125-20-54. If the supervised experiences in the practicum do not total 1,500, the remaining hours may be accomplished in a residency, as currently specified in subsection B.

Standards of practice (18VAC125-20-150): The board has amended its prohibition on sexual intimacies from two years after cessation of professional services to five years for consistency with other behavioral health professions.

Issues: The primary advantage to the public is the likelihood of an increased supply of clinical psychologists available to provide clinical services to citizens and institutions. There are no disadvantages; the regulations are amended with appropriate safeguards for supervised experience and evidence of competency to practice.

There are no disadvantages to the agency or the Commonwealth; mental health facilities may have more access to licensed psychologists as a result of less restrictive requirements for licensure by endorsement and examination.

The Department of Planning and Budget's Economic Impact Analysis:

Summary of the Proposed Amendments to Regulation. The Board of Psychology proposes 1) to start accepting pre-internship supervised professional experience in lieu of all or part of the post-doctoral residency currently required for licensure by examination, 2) to reduce the required experience in another state from 20 to 10 years for licensure by endorsement, 3) to require malpractice and disciplinary history reports for licensure by endorsement, 4) to extend the prohibition on sexual intimacies with clients from two years to five years, and 5) to clarify several other requirements.

Result of Analysis. The benefits likely exceed the costs for all proposed changes.

Estimated Economic Impact. The Board of Psychology proposes to start accepting pre-internship supervised professional experience in lieu of all or part of the post-doctoral residency currently required. Currently, applicants are required to complete 1,500 hours of post-doctoral residency for licensure. According to the Department of Health Professions (DHP), most residents have to pay a supervisor $50 to $60 per hour for supervision. The proposed changes will allow applicants to count the hours of their pre-internship experience that meet certain standards in lieu of the hours of post-doctoral experience.

According to DHP, all of the applicants will be able to count at least some of their pre-doctoral experience toward the 1,500 hours required for residency. Thus, the proposed change will reduce the compliance costs for applicants in terms of the number of hours worked without compensation and the fees paid for supervision. It will also allow an applicant to obtain a license and began providing clinical services after completing a doctorate sooner as they will not have to wait the additional time to complete the 1,500 hours in a residency. According to DHP, the board is confident that the standards for the pre-internship supervised professional experience that can be accepted will ensure that a licensee would be qualified to provide clinical services with safety and competency.

The proposed changes will also reduce the required experience in another state from 20 to 10 years for licensure by endorsement. The number of years of experience in another state is one of the several options an applicant may use to demonstrate competency for licensure by endorsement. According to DHP, it is also possible to assure minimum competency through documentation of having the appropriate degree, passage of the national examination, a license in good standing with practice in another U.S. jurisdiction, and malpractice and disciplinary history as evidence that the applicant has not committed acts that would be cause for discipline in Virginia. Thus, a requirement for lengthy practice in another state is not needed to ensure competency for clients receiving services by an endorsement applicant. This change will make it slightly easier to obtain licensure by endorsement and reduce the costs associated documenting an additional 10 years of experience.

Another proposed change will require submission of current reports form the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank and the National Practitioner Data Bank from the applicants for licensure by endorsement. These reports will be used to ensure that applicants from other states do not have a significant malpractice and disciplinary history. According to DHP, both reports are produced together at a cost of $16. Thus, this change will introduce additional costs on the applicants for licensure by endorsement.

The remaining proposed changes will extend the prohibition on sexual intimacies with clients from two years to five years and clarify several other requirements. These changes are not expected to have a significant economic effect, but are expected to improve the professional standards and the clarity of the regulations.

Businesses and Entities Affected. The proposed regulations will affect psychologists wishing to obtain licensure by examination and by endorsement. In 2009, there were approximately 125 people licensed by examination and about 35 people licensed by endorsement.

Localities Particularly Affected. The proposed regulations apply throughout the Commonwealth.

Projected Impact on Employment. The proposed change on accepting pre-internship supervised professional experience in lieu of all or part of the post-doctoral residency will allow graduates to start practicing sooner. This is expected to increase the supply of psychologists in Virginia.

On the other hand, the new graduates will no longer need the supervisory services of the experienced professionals reducing the demand for supervisory services.

The proposed changes will also make it slightly easier to obtain licensure by endorsement as the applicants will now be required to document only 10 years of out-of-state experience. This change could have a positive impact on the supply of psychologists as well.

Effects on the Use and Value of Private Property. The counting of the pre-internship supervised professional experience and reducing the out-of-state experience are expected to reduce the compliance costs and contribute to the asset values of the businesses providing these services. On the other hand, the cost of the additional reports malpractice and disciplinary history reports for licensure by endorsement would add slightly to the costs and balance some of the positive impact on the asset values.

Small Businesses: Costs and Other Effects. Since clinical psychologists work in private and public settings it is not known how many small businesses might be affected. However, the effects on the small businesses would be the same effects discussed above.

Small Businesses: Alternative Method that Minimizes Adverse Impact. The only change that may have an additional cost on small businesses is the requirement for malpractice and disciplinary history reports from licensure by endorsement applicants.

Real Estate Development Costs. No significant effect on real estate development costs is expected.

Legal Mandate.

The Department of Planning and Budget (DPB) has analyzed the economic impact of this proposed regulation in accordance with § 2.2-4007.04 of the Administrative Process Act and Executive Order Number 107 (09). Section 2.2-4007.04 requires that such economic impact analyses include, but need not be limited to, the projected number of businesses or other entities to whom the regulation would apply, the identity of any localities and types of businesses or other entities particularly affected, the projected number of persons and employment positions to be affected, the projected costs to affected businesses or entities to implement or comply with the regulation, and the impact on the use and value of private property. Further, if the proposed regulation has adverse effect on small businesses, § 2.2-4007.04 requires that such economic impact analyses include (i) an identification and estimate of the number of small businesses subject to the regulation; (ii) the projected reporting, recordkeeping, and other administrative costs required for small businesses to comply with the regulation, including the type of professional skills necessary for preparing required reports and other documents; (iii) a statement of the probable effect of the regulation on affected small businesses; and (iv) a description of any less intrusive or less costly alternative methods of achieving the purpose of the regulation. The analysis presented above represents DPB's best estimate of these economic impacts.

Agency's Response to Economic Impact Analysis: The Board of Psychology concurs with the analysis of the Department of Planning and Budget on proposed amended regulations for 18VAC125-20, Regulations Governing the Practice of Psychology, relating to changes in requirements for licensure and other amendments pursuant to a periodic review of regulations.

Summary:

The proposed amendments (i) reduce the required experience in another state to 10 years for licensure by endorsement, (ii) permit acceptance of pre-internship supervised professional experience in lieu of all or part of the post-doctoral residency currently required for licensure by examination, (iii) provide for consistency in requirements for a jurisprudence examination, (iv) extend the prohibition on sexual intimacies with clients from two years to five years following termination of professional services and expand such prohibition to include romantic relationships, (v) require malpractice and disciplinary history reports for licensure by endorsement, and (vi) clarify existing regulations.

Part I
General Provisions

18VAC125-20-10. Definitions.

The following words and terms, in addition to the words and terms defined in § 54.1-3600 of the Code of Virginia, when used in this chapter shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"APA" means the American Psychological Association.

"APPIC" means the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers.

"Applicant" means a person who submits a complete application for licensure with the appropriate fees.

"Board" means the Virginia Board of Psychology.

"Candidate for licensure" means a person who has satisfactorily completed the appropriate educational and experience requirements for licensure and has been deemed eligible by the board to sit for the required examinations.

"Demonstrable areas of competence" means those therapeutic and assessment methods and techniques, and populations served, for which one can document adequate graduate training, workshops, or appropriate supervised experience.

"Internship" means an ongoing, supervised and organized practical experience obtained in an integrated training program identified as a psychology internship. Other supervised experience or on-the-job training does not constitute an internship.

"NASP" means the National Association of School Psychologists.

"NCATE" means the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

"Practicum" means the pre-internship clinical experience that is part of a graduate educational program.

"Professional psychology program" means an integrated program of doctoral study designed to train professional psychologists to deliver services in psychology.

"Regional accrediting agency" means one of the six regional accrediting agencies recognized by the United States Secretary of Education established to accredit senior institutions of higher education.

"Residency" means a post-internship, post-terminal degree, supervised experience approved by the board.

"School psychologist-limited" means a person licensed pursuant to § 54.1-3606 of the Code of Virginia to provide school psychology services solely in public school divisions.

"Supervision" means the ongoing process performed by a supervisor who monitors the performance of the person supervised and provides regular, documented individual consultation, guidance and instruction with respect to the skills and competencies of the person supervised.

"Supervisor" means an individual who assumes full responsibility for the education and training activities of a person and provides the supervision required by such a person.

18VAC125-20-30. Fees required by the board.

A. The board has established fees for the following:

	Applied psychologists, Clinical psychologists, School psychologists	School psychologists-limited
1. Registration of residency (per residency request)	$50
2. Add or change supervisor	$25
3. Application processing and initial licensure	$200	$85
4. Annual renewal of active license	$140	$70
5. Annual renewal of inactive license	$70	$35
6. Late renewal	$50	$25
7. Verification of license to another jurisdiction	$25	$25
8. Duplicate license	$5	$5
9. Additional or replacement wall certificate	$15	$15
10. Returned check	$35	$35
11. Reinstatement of a lapsed license	$270	$125
12. Reinstatement following revocation or suspension	$500	$500
13. One-time reduction in fee for annual renewal due on June 30, 2010, for holders of an active license	$70	$35
14. One-time reduction in fee for annual renewal due on June 30, 2010, for holders of an inactive license	$35	$17

B. The fee for review of a continuing education provider seeking board approval shall be $200.

C. B. Fees shall be paid by check or money order made payable to the Treasurer of Virginia and forwarded to the board. All fees are nonrefundable.

D. Examination fees shall be established and made payable as determined by the board.

18VAC125-20-41. Requirements for licensure by examination.

A. Every applicant for examination for licensure by the board shall:

1. Meet the education requirements prescribed in 18VAC125-20-54, 18VAC125-20-55, or 18VAC125-20-56 and the experience requirement prescribed in 18VAC125-20-65 as applicable for the particular license sought; and

2. Submit the following:

a. A completed application on forms provided by the board;

b. A completed residency agreement or documentation of having fulfilled the experience requirements of 18VAC125-20-65;

c. The application processing fee prescribed by the board;

d. Official transcripts documenting the graduate work completed and the degree awarded. Applicants who are graduates of institutions that are not regionally accredited shall submit documentation from an accrediting agency acceptable to the board that their education meets the requirements set forth in 18VAC125-20-54, 18VAC125-20-55 or 18VAC125-20-56; and

e. Verification of any other professional license or certificate ever held in another jurisdiction.

B. In addition to fulfillment of the education and experience requirements, each applicant for licensure by examination must achieve a passing score on the required examinations for each category of licensure sought: Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology.

1. Clinical psychologist: State Practice Examination for Clinical Psychology, Jurisprudence and Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology;

2. School psychologist: State Practice Examination for School Psychology, Jurisprudence and Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology; or

3. Applied psychologist: State Practice Examination in Applied Psychology, Jurisprudence and Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology.

C. Every applicant shall submit an affidavit of having read and agreed to comply with the current standards of practice and laws governing the practice of psychology in Virginia.

18VAC125-20-42. Prerequisites for licensure by endorsement.

A. Every applicant for licensure by endorsement shall submit:

1. A completed application;

2. The application processing fee prescribed by the board;

3. An affidavit of having read and agreed to comply with the current Standards of Practice and laws governing the practice of psychology in Virginia;

4. Verification of all other professional licenses or certificates ever held in any jurisdiction. In order to qualify for endorsement, the applicant shall have no history of disciplinary action, shall not have surrendered a license or certificate while under investigation and shall have no unresolved action against a license or certificate; and

5. A current report from the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) and a current report from the National Practitioner Data Bank; and

5. 6. Further documentation of one of the following:

a. A current listing in the National Register of Health Services Providers in Psychology;

b. Current diplomate status in good standing with the American Board of Professional Psychology in a category comparable to the one in which licensure is sought;

c. Twenty Ten years of active licensure in a category comparable to the one in which licensure is sought, with an appropriate degree as required in this chapter documented by an official transcript; or

d. If less than 20 10 years of active licensure, documentation of current psychologist licensure in good standing obtained by standards substantially equivalent to the education, experience and examination requirements set forth in this chapter for the category in which licensure is sought as verified by a certified copy of the original application submitted directly from the out-of-state licensing agency or a copy of the regulations in effect at the time of initial licensure and the following:

(1) Documentation of post-licensure active practice for at least five of the last six years immediately preceding licensure application;

(2) Verification of a passing score on the Examination for Professional Practice of Psychology as established in Virginia for the year of that administration; and

(3) Verification of a passing score on other written and oral examinations or both as required by the jurisdiction which granted the license; and

(4) (3) Official transcripts documenting the graduate work completed and the degree awarded in the category in which licensure is sought.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the board may issue a license to any individual who qualifies for such a license pursuant to an agreement of reciprocity entered into by this board with a board of another jurisdiction or multiple jurisdictions.

18VAC125-20-43. Requirements for licensure as a school psychologist-limited.

A. Every applicant for licensure as a school psychologist-limited shall submit to the board:

1. A copy of a current license issued by the Board of Education showing an endorsement in psychology.

2. An official transcript showing completion of a master's degree in psychology.

3. A completed Employment Verification Form of current employment by a school system under the Virginia Department of Education.

4. The application fee.

B. At the time of licensure renewal, school psychologists-limited shall be required to submit an updated Employment Verification Form if there has been a change in school district in which the licensee is currently employed.

18VAC125-20-54. Education requirements for clinical psychologists.

A. The applicant shall hold a doctorate from a professional psychology program in a regionally accredited university, which was accredited by the APA within four years after the applicant graduated from the program, or shall meet the requirements of subsection B of this section.

B. If the applicant does not hold a doctorate from an APA accredited program, the applicant shall hold a doctorate from a professional psychology program which documents that it offers education and training which prepares individuals for the practice of clinical psychology as defined in § 54.1-3600 of the Code of Virginia and which meets the following criteria:

1. The program is within an institution of higher education accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or publicly recognized by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada as a member in good standing. Graduates of programs that are not within the United States or Canada must provide documentation from an acceptable credential evaluation service which provides information that allows the board to determine if the program meets the requirements set forth in this chapter.

2. The program shall be recognizable as an organized entity within the institution.

3. The program shall be an integrated, organized sequence of study with an identifiable psychology faculty and a psychologist directly responsible for the program, and shall have an identifiable body of students who are matriculated in that program for a degree. The faculty shall be accessible to students and provide them with guidance and supervision. The faculty shall provide appropriate professional role models and engage in actions that promote the student's acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies consistent with the program's training goals.

4. The program shall encompass a minimum of three academic years of full-time graduate study or the equivalent thereof.

5. The program shall include a general core curriculum containing a minimum of three or more graduate semester hours or five or more graduate quarter hours in each of the following substantive content areas.

a. Biological bases of behavior (e.g., physiological psychology, comparative psychology, neuropsychology, sensation and perception, health psychology, pharmacology, neuroanatomy).

b. Cognitive-affective bases of behavior (e.g., learning theory, cognition, motivation, emotion).

c. Social bases of behavior (e.g., social psychology, group processes, organizational and systems theory, community and preventive psychology, multicultural issues).

d. Psychological measurement.

e. Research methodology.

f. Techniques of data analysis.

g. Professional standards and ethics.

6. The program shall include a minimum of at least three or more graduate semester credit hours or five or more graduate quarter hours in each of the following clinical psychology content areas:

a. Individual differences in behavior (e.g., personality theory, cultural difference and diversity).

b. Human development (e.g., child, adolescent, geriatric psychology).

c. Dysfunctional behavior, abnormal behavior or psychopathology.

d. Theories and methods of intellectual assessment and diagnosis.

e. Theories and methods of personality assessment and diagnosis including its practical application.

f. Effective interventions and evaluating the efficacy of interventions.

g. Consultation and supervision (e.g., community mental health, organizational behavior, consultation liaison).

C. Applicants who graduated from programs which meet the criteria set forth under subsection A or B of this section shall submit documentation of having successfully completed practicum experiences in assessment and diagnosis, psychotherapy, consultation and supervision. The practicum shall include a minimum of nine graduate semester hours or 15 or more graduate quarter hours or equivalent in appropriate settings to ensure a wide range of supervised training and educational experiences.

D. An applicant for a clinical license may fulfill the residency requirement of 1,500 hours, or some part thereof, as required for licensure in 18VAC125-20-65 B, in the pre-doctoral practicum supervised experience that meets the following standards:

1. The supervised professional experience shall be part of an organized sequence of training within the applicant's doctoral program, which meets the criteria specified in subsections A or B of this section.

2. The supervised experience shall include face-to-face direct client services, service-related activities, and supporting activities.

a. "Face-to-face direct client services" means treatment/intervention, assessment, and interviewing of clients.

b. "Service-related activities" means scoring, reporting or treatment note writing, and consultation related to face-to-face direct services.

c. "Supporting activities" means time spent under supervision of face-to-face direct services and service-related activities provided on-site or in the trainee's academic department, as well as didactic experiences, such as laboratories or seminars, directly related to such services or activities.

3. In order for pre-doctoral practicum hours to fulfill the all or part of the residency requirement, the following shall apply:

a. Not less than one-quarter of the hours shall be spent in providing face-to-face direct client services;

b. Not less than one-half of the hours shall be in a combination of face-to-face direct service hours and hours spent in service-related activities; and

c. The remainder of the hours may be spent in a combination of face-to-face direct services, service-related activities, and supporting activities.

4. A minimum of one hour of individual face-to-face supervision shall be provided for every eight hours of supervised professional experience spent in direct client contact and service-related activities.

5. The hours of pre-doctoral supervised experience reported by an applicant shall be certified by the program's director of clinical training on a form provided by the board.

18VAC125-20-65. Supervised experience.

A. Internship requirement.

1. Candidates for clinical psychologist licensure shall have successfully completed an internship that is either accredited by APA, APPIC or the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, or one that meets equivalent standards.

2. Candidates for school psychologist licensure shall have successfully completed an internship accredited by the APA, APPIC or NASP or one that meets equivalent standards.

B. Residency requirement.

1. Candidates for clinical or school psychologist licensure shall have successfully completed a one-year, full-time residency, or its equivalent in part-time experience for a period not to exceed three years, consisting of a minimum of 1,500 hours in a period of not less than 12 months and not to exceed three years of supervised experience in the delivery of clinical or school psychology services acceptable to the board, or the applicant may request approval to begin a residency.

2. Supervised experience obtained in Virginia without prior written board approval will not be accepted toward licensure. Candidates shall not begin the residency until after completion of the required degree as set forth in 18VAC125-20-54 or 18VAC125-20-56. An individual who proposes to obtain supervised post-degree experience in Virginia shall, prior to the onset of such supervision, submit a supervisory contract along with the application package and pay the registration of supervision fee set forth in 18VAC125-20-30.

3. There shall be a minimum of two hours of individual supervision per week. Group supervision of up to five residents may be substituted for one of the two hours per week on the basis that two hours of group supervision equals one hour of individual supervision, but in no case shall the resident receive less than one hour of individual supervision per week.

4. Residents may not refer to or identify themselves as applied psychologists, clinical psychologists, or school psychologists; independently solicit clients; bill for services; or in any way represent themselves as licensed psychologists. Notwithstanding the above, this does not preclude supervisors or employing institutions for billing for the services of an appropriately identified resident. During the residency period they shall use their names, the initials of their degree, and the title, "Resident in Psychology," in the licensure category in which licensure is sought.

5. Supervision shall be provided by a psychologist licensed to practice in the licensure category in which the resident is seeking licensure.

6. The supervisor shall not provide supervision for activities beyond the supervisor's demonstrable areas of competence, nor for activities for which the applicant has not had appropriate education and training.

7. At the end of the residency training period, the supervisor or supervisors shall submit to the board a written evaluation of the applicant's performance.

8. The board may consider special requests in the event that the regulations create an undue burden in regard to geography or disability that limits the resident's access to qualified supervisors.

C. For a clinical psychologist license, a candidate may submit evidence of having met the supervised experience requirements in a pre-doctoral practicum as specified in 18VAC125-20-54 D in substitution for all or part of the 1,500 residency hours specified in this section. If the supervised experience hours completed in a practicum do not total 1,500 hours, a person may fulfill the remainder of the hours by meeting requirements specified in subsection B of this section.

D. Candidates for clinical psychologist licensure shall provide documentation that the internship and residency included appropriate emphasis and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of persons with moderate to severe mental disorders.

Part III
Examinations

18VAC125-20-80. General examination requirements.

A. An applicant for clinical or school psychologist licensure enrolled in an approved residency training program required in 18VAC125-20-65 who has met all requirements for licensure except completion of that program shall be eligible to take both the national and state written examinations examination.

B. A candidate approved by the board to sit for an examination shall take that examination within two years of the date of the initial board approval. If the candidate has not taken the examination by the end of the two-year period here prescribed, the applicant shall reapply according to the requirements of the regulations in effect at that time.

C. The board shall establish passing scores on the examinations examination.

D. Candidates who fail an examination may be reexamined once within a 12-month period without reapplying.

E. Candidates who fail any examination twice shall wait at least one year between the second failure and the next reexamination.

Part V
Licensure Renewal; Reinstatement

18VAC125-20-120. Annual renewal of licensure.

Effective January 1, 2004, every Every license issued by the board shall expire each year on June 30.

1. Every licensee who intends to continue to practice shall, on or before the expiration date of the license, submit to the board a license renewal form supplied by the board and the renewal fee prescribed in 18VAC125-20-30.

2. Beginning with the 2004 renewal, licensees Licensees who wish to maintain an active license shall pay the appropriate fee and verify on the renewal form compliance with the continuing education requirements prescribed in 18VAC125-20-121. First-time licensees by examination are not required to verify continuing education on the first renewal date following initial licensure.

3. A licensee who wishes to place his license in inactive status may do so upon payment of the fee prescribed in 18VAC125-20-30. No person shall practice psychology in Virginia unless he holds a current active license. An inactive licensee may activate his license by fulfilling the reactivation requirements set forth in 18VAC125-20-130.

4. Licensees shall notify the board office in writing of any change of address of record or of the public address, if different from the address of record. Failure of a licensee to receive a renewal notice and application forms from the board shall not excuse the licensee from the renewal requirement.

Part VI
Standards of Practice; Unprofessional Conduct; Disciplinary Actions; Reinstatement

18VAC125-20-150. Standards of practice.

A. The protection of the public health, safety, and welfare and the best interest of the public shall be the primary guide in determining the appropriate professional conduct of all persons whose activities are regulated by the board. Psychologists respect the rights, dignity and worth of all people, and are mindful of individual differences.

B. Persons licensed by the board shall:

1. Provide and supervise only those services and use only those techniques for which they are qualified by training and appropriate experience. Delegate to their employees, supervisees, residents and research assistants only those responsibilities such persons can be expected to perform competently by education, training and experience. Take ongoing steps to maintain competence in the skills they use;

2. When making public statements regarding credentials, published findings, directory listings, curriculum vitae, etc., ensure that such statements are neither fraudulent nor misleading;

3. Neither accept nor give commissions, rebates or other forms of remuneration for referral of clients for professional services. Make appropriate consultations and referrals consistent with the law and based on the interest of patients or clients;

4. Refrain from undertaking any activity in which their personal problems are likely to lead to inadequate or harmful services;

5. Avoid harming patients or clients, research participants, students and others for whom they provide professional services and minimize harm when it is foreseeable and unavoidable. Not exploit or mislead people for whom they provide professional services. Be alert to and guard against misuse of influence;

6. Avoid dual relationships with patients, clients, residents or supervisees that could impair professional judgment or compromise their well-being (to include but not limited to treatment of close friends, relatives, employees);

7. Withdraw from, adjust or clarify conflicting roles with due regard for the best interest of the affected party or parties and maximal compliance with these standards;

8. Not engage in sexual intimacies or a romantic relationship with a student, supervisee, resident, therapy patient, client, or those included in collateral therapeutic services (such as a parent, spouse, or significant other) while providing professional services. For at least two five years after cessation or termination of professional services, not engage in sexual intimacies or a romantic relationship with a therapy patient, client, or those included in collateral therapeutic services. Consent to, initiation of, or participation in sexual behavior or romantic involvement with a psychologist does not change the exploitative nature of the conduct nor lift the prohibition. Since sexual or romantic relationships are potentially exploitative, psychologists shall bear the burden of demonstrating that there has been no exploitation;

9. Keep confidential their professional relationships with patients or clients and disclose client records to others only with written consent except: (i) when a patient or client is a danger to self or others, (ii) as required under § 32.1-127.1:03 of the Code of Virginia, or (iii) as permitted by law for a valid purpose;

10. Make reasonable efforts to provide for continuity of care when services must be interrupted or terminated;

11. Inform clients of professional services, fees, billing arrangements and limits of confidentiality before rendering services. Inform the consumer prior to the use of collection agencies or legal measures to collect fees and provide opportunity for prompt payment. Avoid bartering goods and services. Participate in bartering only if it is not clinically contraindicated and is not exploitative;

12. Construct, maintain, administer, interpret and report testing and diagnostic services in a manner and for purposes which are appropriate;

13. Keep pertinent, confidential records for at least five years after termination of services to any consumer;

14. Design, conduct and report research in accordance with recognized standards of scientific competence and research ethics; and

15. Report to the board known or suspected violations of the laws and regulations governing the practice of psychology.