Quarterly Newsletter, March 2010, Vol. 19 No. 1
NEWS ALERT!!!
LPC
BOARD REVISES POSITION STATEMENT ON THE USE OF APPRAISAL INSTRUMENTS
The LPC Board recently developed a new position statement entitled "Position Statement on Appraisal Activities: Clarification of the Distinction between Appraisals and Psychological Tests" (adopted 11/22/09). This statement replaces our previous position statement, which did not provide specific guidance to LPCs regarding the Board's interpretation of the law in this area. We believe that our revised position statement provides more clarity for LPCs regarding what is allowable under the law and also provides greater protection for the public by clarifying LPC scope of practice regarding appraisal.
In understanding these changes, it is important to note that the LPC Board has been engaged in multiple efforts over the past several years to clarify the scope of practice specifically related to appraisal. The way in which we define our scope of practice is not a matter of opinion but is rather a legal issue that is determined by our law. The Board has been directed by the Inspector General’s Office as well as the Joint House and Senate Health and Welfare Committee to clarify the Board’s position on testing and appraisal. In response to those directives, the Board sought legal expertise including our board attorney and a legal consultant hired specifically to advise us on scope of practice issues. The resulting position statement is not simply the board’s opinion regarding appraisal and testing, rather it is the outcome result of many months of collaborative efforts between the Board and our attorneys.
It is also important for LPCs to consider the distinctions between psychological tests (which are considered outside of the scope of practice) and appraisal instruments (which are within our scope). The list of prohibited psychological tests we included in the statement appendix is not intended to be comprehensive in nature but rather was developed to assist LPCs in making these distinctions. Further, this list of tests is not arbitrary; we included only those tests that have been identified as “psychological tests” by either legal precedent (i.e., La. State Board of Psychologists vs. Atterberry), tests that have come up in multiple disciplinary cases, or tests that are clearly categorized by leading scholars in the field (e.g., Mental Measurements Yearbook, 2010; Anastasi, 1997) as belonging to categories which are outside of the LPC scope of practice.
All LPCs who are
privileged to use appraisal instruments should have already received a copy of
the new position statement via mail. We have also posted the new position
statement on our website. We would like for all LPCs to be familiar with the new
statement and to be aware of changes in policy around the issues of appraisal.
From this point forward, the Board will actively regulate LPC activities related
to appraisal as delineated in the new position statement and will respond in a
timely manner to any violations of the law in this regard. If you have any
questions regarding the revised position statement, please inform the board via
e-mail at
lpcboard@eatel.net. We
will be glad to address your concerns.
Louisiana Licensed Professional Counselors Board of Examiners
Position Statement on Appraisal Activities
Clarification of the Distinction between Appraisals and Psychological Tests
Adopted 11/22/09
It is the position of this board that LPCs in Louisiana should be allowed to engage in appraisal activities within their scope of practice as provided by the statute and rules governing the practice of mental health counseling in the State of Louisiana. To ensure LPCs are qualified in the area of appraisal, they must be privileged by the board to utilize formal appraisal instruments.
The purpose of this position statement is to clarify the distinction between “Appraisals,” which LPC’s Privileged for Appraisals are allowed to perform as within the scope of practice, and “Psychological Testing,” which all LPCs, including Privileged LPCs, are not allowed to perform because these tests are outside LPC scope of practice.
According to La. Rev. Stat. Ann.§37:1103(10)(e), “appraisal” is defined as
the use or administration of tests of language, educational and achievement tests, adaptive behavioral tests, and symptoms screening checklists or instruments, as well as tests of abilities, interests, and aptitudes for the purpose of counseling persons in coping with or adapting to, changing life situations that are due to problems in living.
Thus, LPCs who are privileged to utilize formal appraisal instruments are authorized to administer the following:
tests of language, educational and achievement tests;
adaptive behavioral tests;
symptoms screening checklists or instruments;
tests of abilities;
tests of interests; and
tests of aptitudes;
LPC Board Position Statement on Appraisal Activities
RS 37:1101. (7) states the following:
(7) "Mental health counseling services" means those acts and behaviors coming within the practice of mental health counseling as defined in this Chapter, including the diagnosis and treatment, which includes psychotherapy, of conditions or disorders requiring mental health counseling as defined in Subparagraph (10)(a) of this section. However, except as provided in this Section nothing in this Chapter shall be construed to authorize any person licensed hereunder to administer or interpret tests in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 37:2352(5), except as provided by Title 46, Part LXIII, Chapter 17, Section 1702(E) of the Louisiana Administrative Code, or engage in the practice of psychology or to prescribe, either orally or in writing, distribute, dispense, or administer any medications.
Therefore Licensed Professional Counselors are prohibited from performing “psychological testing.” “Psychological testing” is defined in the definition of the “practice of psychology” in RS 37:2352(5) and in La. Admin. Code Title 46, 1702(D)(1-3) which states the following:
1702 D. Psychological testing explicitly includes the following three areas:
1. intellectual, which includes those normative-based individually administered instruments used to measure cognitive functions such as abstract reasoning, fund of knowledge and problem solving;
2. personality and emotional, which includes those normative-based instruments used to measure both trait and state aspects of personality and emotional characteristics and functioning; and
3. neuropsychological, which includes those normative-based instruments used to make inferences about brain and behavior relationships. These relationships include, but are not limited to, sensorimotor functioning, attention and concentration skills, memory functioning, language function, concrete and abstract problem solving, and measures of cognitive flexibility and creativity.
LPCs
who are privileged shall recognize the limits of their competence and perform
only those appraisal services for which they have been trained and are within
the statutes governing the practice of mental health counseling [La. Admin. Code
Title 46, §2111(B)(1).].
Appendix to LPC Board Position Statement on Appraisal Activities
Clarification of the Distinction between Appraisals and Psychological Tests
According to RS 37: 2352(5) and La. Admin. Code Title 46, 1702(D)(1-3), Licensed Professional Counselors are prohibited from performing psychological testing. The following list contains examples from the three categories of psychological tests as identified in these statutes. Please note that these tests are provided as examples only and this list is not to be considered exhaustive:
Examples of Psychological Tests
Tests of Intelligence
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SB-IV)
Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT4)
Wechsler Intelligence Scales, including the WISC-IV and WAIS-III
Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery
Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI3)
Personality and Emotional Tests
Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist
California Psychological Inventory (CPI)
Draw-a-Person Test
Incomplete Sentences Blank
Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD)
Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III)
Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI)
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-II (MMPI-2)
Rorschach Inkblot Test
Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16-PF)
Neuropsychological Tests
Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration
Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Tests (Bender-Gestalt II)
Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery
Gordon Diagnostic System
Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC-II)
Kaufman Functional Academic Skills Test (K-FAST)
Kaufman Short Neuropsychological Assessment Procedure (K-SNAP)
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Board Welcomes New Members The Board welcomes Gerra Perkins, Ph.D., LPC, replacing Roxane Dufrene, Ph.D., LPC, LMFT. Roxane served on the Board from December 28, 2005, to December 28, 2009. The Board would like to thank Roxane for all her hard work and dedication to the Board and especially for her work as Chair of the Disciplinary Committee. The Board would also like to also welcome
Mark R. Reynaud, MA, LPC, LMFT, as it newest MFT Advisory Committee
Member, replacing Anna Cole, MS, LMFT. Anna served on the Board from
October 30, 2001, to March 10, 2010. Anna served as Chair of the MFT
Advisory Committee. The Board would like to thank Anna for all her hard
work and dedication to the MFT Advisory Committee and to the Board. Congratulations to Anthony “Tony” Williams, MA, LPC, LMFT who was reappointed to the Board for a second four-year term. The Board would like to thank Tony for his work thus far and for his willingness to continue to serve. |
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LPC License Renewals for 2010 Renewal applications for the June 30, 2010 renewal period will be mailed out the fifteenth of March 2010. Please advise the Board office if you have new address. There is a rule which gives you thirty days to notify the Board of any and all changes in name, address and phone number. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a $50.00 fine. You can change your address by e-mailing lpcboard@eatel.net, faxing 225/765-2514, or by calling the Board office 225/765-2515. To complete the renewal process complete the renewal form and attach to it any required documentation. You only need to fill out the front page on the renewal form if you did not receive an orange audit slip. If you received an orange audit slip, please complete the back of the form and submit materials verifying your continuing education activities (e.g. certificates, transcripts, letters). As soon as your application is processed, you will receive a renewal card stating your next expiration date of June 30, 2012. In order to be considered on time, all renewals must be postmarked on or before June 30, 2010. If all materials are not received in the Board office postmarked by June 30, 2010, your license will become inactive. All renewal applications postmarked after this date will be assessed a $50.00 late fee and any application assessed a late fee will be required to include documentation of continuing education. Information regarding CEUs can be found in Chapter 9 of the LPC rules. You can view these rules on the LPC Board website at www.lpcboard.org. If you have any questions regarding the renewal process, please contact the Board office. |
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Presented by Dr. Barry Duncan and other internationally known authors June 17-19, 2010 InterContinental Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana Reviewed and Approved by the Louisiana Counseling Association for 18.0 CE contact hours. Also approved for LMFT, Social Workers, LASACT CE contact hours. Registration is available at www.lacounseling.org |
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TRAINING for LPC SUPERVISORS The
next 3-day training session to become a Board Approved Supervisor will
be conducted at the Holiday Inn in Gonzales, LA on June 5-6 and July 10. No training is scheduled in North LA but I can do one if there is enough interest. Just let me know.
Tuition is $325 if registration is
received by May 25, 2010 and $345 after that date. |
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Examination schedule for 2009/2010
Exam registration forms can be obtained by calling the LPC Board office at 225/765-2515 or the LPC Board website at www.lpcboard.org and also on the NBCC website at www.nbcc.org/stateboardmap. Fee $185.00 make checks payable to NBCC. Questions about the Exam: Tel: 336/547-0607 FAX: 336/547-0017 E-mail: nbcc@nbcc.org |
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BOARD ACTION As of March 31,2010 there were: LPCs 2324 LMFTs 888 Counselor Interns 905 MFT Interns 139 127 LPC Applications Reviewed 8 LMFT Applications Reviewed 43 Approved for Licensure 3 LMFTs Approved for Licensure 65 Counselor Interns Registered for Supervision 4 MFT Interns Registered for Supervision 19 Counselor Interns Changed Supervisor 0 MFT Intern Changed Supervisor
Ten complaints have been filed in FY 02/03. None remain under investigation Eleven complaints have been filed in FY 03/04. None remain under investigation. Ten complaints have been filed in FY 04/05. None remain under investigation Eight complaints have been filed in FY 05/06. None remains under investigation Eighteen complaints have been filed in FY 06/07. Two remain under investigation Eighteen complaints have been filed in FY 07/08.Four remain under investigation Twenty-one complaints have been filed in FY 08/09. Eight remain under investigation. Eighteen complaints have been filed in FY 09/10. Ten remain under investigation. |
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BOARD MEETING DATES 2010 January 22, 2010 February 12, 2010 March 12, 2010 April 16, 2010 May 21, 2010 June 11, 2010 July 16, 2010 August 20, 2010 September 10, 2010 October 15, 2010 November 19, 2010 December 17, 2010 |
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BOARD MEMBERS AND MFT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS As of March 31, 2010
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