Dr. Elisabeth Crim www.MoonstoneCenter.com     Time Sensitive Professional Update:

                                     for California Psychologists


 

 

ANNOUNCEMENT                   

 

From Dr. Elisabeth Crim and Moonstone Center

 

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Psychotherapy ~ Wellness ~ Professional Development

 

February 20, 2015

Greetings Fellow Healers, 

I have a special message for California Psychologists, of whom I am one.

I am deviating from my typical message of health and wellness in this announcement.  However, I do think that part of caring for yourself as a health care professional is to be aware of what is going on in your profession.  If you are a Psychologist licensed in California, please read below.  Many of you are members of LACPA and CPA in addition to APA, and many are not.  

I am a member of both and learned through the LACPA ListServ discussions of some major changes that are happening at the California Board of Psychology, a division of the CA Department of Consumer Affairs, that will directly affect how you maintain your license beginning in 2016.

There is a proposal to be voted on by the California Board of Psychology next week (Feb 26-27) in Sacramento, CA.  The proposal came to awareness of the vast majority of of the LACPA membership and other colleagues just last week.  The remainder of this message is based on very limited knowledge and understanding, but genuine interest, concern and many questions, on my part.

The new CA BOP proposal incorporates much greater flexibility in how we get our 36 credits that we are required to earn every 2 years to maintain an active license to practice in the state of California.  It proposes changing the term CEU (Continuing Education Unit) to CPD (Continuing Professional Development). The latter change incorporates a shift from the traditional 36 CEUs that have been required historically to present to maintain a license. The newly proposed CPM credits can be accrued in many various ways, from peer consult to a published article to professional board meeting attendance to the traditional attending of a CEU course.  The latter proposed flexibility sounds positive, yet invites many questions.  There is some confusion and concern that the new categories allowing for CEU/CPM credit are not just new and more options, but new requirements and mandates with arbitrary caps on the number of each type that can or must be accrued, including the more traditional CEU. There is confusion.

At issue is the lack of full, clear communication by the Board of Psychology with the individual psychologists it governs as well as the incorporation of this feedback into the final proposal on which the vote is held.The official period of review and comment to the BOP has already expired, however an urgent letter voicing your request of the following could still affect an important action.   

I encourage you to review the proposal, its supporting documents, and if motivated, that you write a letter asking the CA BOP to halt the vote and reschedule to a time after thorough and well communicated period of comment.  Further, you can voice any needed clarification, concern, like or dislike re: the specific changes to the CEU->CPD proposal to both the CA BOP and your own Professional Membership Organization, your advocate as a Psychologist.



Be encouraged that LACPA and CPA will have representatives at the CA BOP meeting next week.

The following is a statement issued today by LACPA Board Member and Past President, Pamela McCrory, PhD.:

"Dear Colleagues, 
I want to let you all know that the proposed changes have been discussed at the LACPA Board meetings and will be a focus of discussion again tonight. I have been in communication with Dr. Bhatia and other Board members and we want to let you know that we are planning to ask BOP to hold off on putting these new regulations into practice, and instead allow for an additional period of time for further review and discussion. Such a period of time could offer the BOP the opportunity to hear concerns of psychologists and offer psychologists the opportunity to understand more about the BOP's rationale for the proposed changes, and other items may be included in this statement.  I will forward to the listserv the written statement crafted by the LACPA Board. I will be attending the BOP meeting next week, February 26 & 27 in Sacramento and will relay  this statement as directed by the LACPA Board of Directors during during public comment. Here is the link to the meeting agenda." - Pamela McCrory, PhD

I am grateful that Dr. McCrory and Dr. Jo Linder-Crow, CEO of CPA, will be in attendance at the CA BOP meeting next week in Sacramento, CA.  

I am also sending an urgent letter to the following email address: Jonathon.Burke@dca.ca.gov

With the following requests and recommendations.
  • The vote on this proposal needs to be taken off of the table at next week's BOP meeting. 
  • An explanation of the proposed changes and the reasoning behind those changes needs to be communicated clearly, widely, and well to all psychologists through BOP channels (emails and mailings) and through Professional Psychology Organization communication channels.
  • A new period for comment needs to be scheduled and communicated well.
  • BOP needs to attend to and amend specific areas of concern raised by those psychologists who communicate individually and collectively.
  • A new vote needs to be scheduled on proposed changes incorporating feedback received during this period of comment/discussion/revision.
I think the time requested and the opportunity for communication between the BOP and California psychologists could yield the following:  
  • Understanding of the proposed changes by California psychologists re: what is potentially a good and more flexible proposal if it incorporates some of the amendments that have been voiced.
  • Yield a better proposal of change to the CEU requirement.
  • A much more positive and interactive response and potential welcome to change by the psychologists who are governed by the California BOP.
  • The BOP can gain greater understanding of California Psychologists as individuals, including their needs in maintaining their profession that allows them to better serve California consumers.
  • Allow California psychologists a greater communication with and understanding of the role that their professional organizations play in advocating on their behalf.
Thank you for reading above and taking a moment to attend to this issue, regardless of your decision toward action.  Each of us must read, listen and decide what is best for us.  As much as I want to inform you and even encourage you, I do not want to direct or even ask that you do anything that does not match with your own inner sense of what is best for you.

I do want you to be informed.

Take good care.
I look forward to connecting again very soon!

Peace and Joy, 

Elisabeth 


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