Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-03-.01 - SCOPE OF PRACTICE

(1) The scope of practice of Psychological Examiners and Senior Psychological Examiners is prescribed and limited by Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 11 and the rules set forth in this chapter and Chapter 1180-1. A license issued by the Board specifies licensure as a Psychological Examiner or as a Senior Psychological Examiner.

(2) Psychological Examiners and Senior Psychological Examiners shall limit their practices to the use of those techniques, and to providing services to those populations, for which they have formal education, formal professional training and supervised experience, and for which they hold licensure.

(3) Psychological Examiners who have had appropriate education, training and supervised practica experience may provide the following psychological services without supervision:

(a) Interviewing or administering and interpreting tests of mental abilities, aptitudes, interests and personality characteristics for such purposes as psychological evaluation or for educational or vocational guidance, selection or placement, including establishment of intellectual level of functioning or learning deficit for school placement; or

(b) Psychological research services to industrial, business and corporate organizations.

(4) Psychological Examiners who have had appropriate education, training, and supervised practical experience may provide the following psychological services only under the qualified supervision of a licensed Psychologist designated as a HSP:

(a) Overall personality appraisal or classification, including assessment and diagnosis of psychopathology or mental illness; or

(b) Personality counseling, psychotherapy, behavior analysis, or personality readjustment techniques.

(5) Senior Psychological Examiners are Health Service Providers and may provide the following psychological services without supervision:

(a) Interviewing or administering and interpreting tests of mental abilities, aptitudes, interests and personality characteristics for such purposes as psychological evaluations, or for educational or vocational guidance, selection or placement, including establishment of intellectual level of functioning or learning deficit for school placement; or

(b) Psychological research services to industrial, business and corporate organizations; or

(c) Overall personality appraisal or classification, including psychological testing, projective testing, evaluation for disability or vocational purposes, and diagnosis of nervous or mental disorders; or

(d) Personality counseling, psychotherapy, behavior analysis, or personality readjustment techniques.

(6) Standards for supervision of Psychological Examiners.

(a) Supervision must meet minimum standards and a supervisor of record must be made known to the Board.

1. Before supervision of Psychological Examiners may occur, a Board-supplied form shall be submitted to the Board's administrative office. Such form shall be signed by both the supervisor and the supervisee, and shall list

(i) those Psychological Examiners whom the Psychologist supervises and for whom he or she is the supervisor of record; or

(ii) a Psychological Examiner must list his/her primary supervising Psychologist(s) if engaging in activities requiring supervision.

2. The Board-supplied form may be obtained by contacting the Board's administrative office, or by downloading it from the Board's web page on the Internet.

(b) Qualified supervision requires that a licensed Psychologist, qualified by experience and training to practice the overall supervised activity or activities, provide supervision on a regular and frequent basis. The supervising Psychologist for Psychological Examiners delivering health services must also be designated as a HSP.

(c) The supervising Psychologist shall limit the number of supervisees in order to assure an adequate ratio of supervision hours to practice hours consistent with professional standards and guidelines which insure the welfare of the supervisees and their clients.

(d) Specific case monitoring and skill training requires significant supervisory contact and must be in addition to overall administrative supervision.

1. Supervision is to be conducted primarily on a one-on-one basis and shall be in addition to any group seminar or group consultations which are also deemed appropriate. Thus, adequate supervision will require considerable one-on-one contact and time with respect to each client. Records of the supervision process must be maintained by the supervisor covering the number of hours of supervision activities, the number and duration of one-on-one supervisory meetings and documentation of clients discussed at each supervisory session.

2. A supervisor, at the time of supervision, must not be in a dual relationship with the supervisee, e.g., be a spouse, other close relative or therapist.

(e) In all cases the specific terms of the supervisory arrangement are the responsibility of the supervising Psychologist upon whom it is incumbent to assure supervisory time and service delivery. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the supervisee to obtain supervision. The education, training, experience, ongoing performance and level of licensure of the supervisee must be considered by the supervisor. The arrangements for supervision must be agreed to by both the supervisor and the supervisee. In situations where supervision has been regular and frequent and one-on-one contact has occurred, the frequency and intensity of supervision may, at the discretion of the supervising Psychologist upon determination of the supervisee's competence and readiness, be modified. Normally such supervision will occur weekly. Ultimately, the supervising Psychologist of record must protect the welfare of the client and assure compliance with Tennessee law and professional ethics. (Requirements for Psychologists receiving supervision as part of the experience requirement for designation as a HSP are contained in 1180-2-.02(2)(d).)

1. The standard for supervision of newly licensed Psychological Examiners is one (1) hour per week.

2. The standard of supervision for experienced (licensed for at least five [5] years) Psychological Examiners is that it shall occur no less than monthly. If an experienced Psychological Examiner changes supervisors, the experienced Psychological Examiner may follow the monthly supervision standard if agreed to by both the Psychologist supervisor and the experienced Psychological Examiner in question.

(7) The Board shall consider that an individual, either licensed or unlicensed, is violating these limits of practice if his/her conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:

(a) Claiming expertise or using techniques or procedures of assessment or treatment for which the practitioner has not completed appropriate academic course work or supervised training experience;

(b) Knowingly assigning, permitting or hiring any unqualified person(s) to perform functions of assessment or treatment or delegating the provisions of psychological services to unqualified person(s);

(c) Failing to adequately supervise any assigned trainee or employee who is providing psychological services;

(d) Aiding, abetting, assisting, or hiring any individual to violate or circumvent any law or duly promulgated rule intended to guide the conduct of psychological services; or

(e) Providing or claiming to provide the services listed in paragraph (4) without supervision, unless licensed as a Senior Psychological Examiner.

Notes

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1180-03-.01

Original rule filed August 29, 2000; effective November 12, 2000. Amendment filed June 18, 2002; effective September 1, 2002. Amendment filed January 5, 2004; effective March 20, 2004.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-204, 63-11-104, 63-11-201 through 63-11-208, 63-11-214, 63-11-215, and Public Acts of 2001, Chapter 123.