Course overview Psychologists often work with vulnerable individuals in sensitive situations. An important aspect of being a mental health professional, whether you conduct research or provide therapeutic services, is being aware of the ethical issues faced by
all psychologists. If you provide psychological services, you are obligated to remain informed about current laws and regulations in your jurisdiction as well as to remain aware of ethical standards and issues.
THE 2022 FLORIDA STATE STATUTES AND FLORIDA ADMINISTRATIVE CODES
The Florida Statutes and the Florida Administrative Code are legislative documents that detail the standards of practice, guidelines for licensing and renewal, and other important factors that go into the everyday practice of the Florida psychology professional. Multiple Florida Statutes are particularly applicable to psychologists. Due to space constraints, the entirety of these statutes and rules will not be included in the law section of this update. This update will instead provide a general summary of each of these legislative documents with links to the full text of each. You are encouraged to visit these websites regularly to see if any changes have been made that apply to you as a Florida psychology professional. The current Florida legislative session ended on March 14, 2022. As of May 3, 2022, the Florida
Board of Psychology’s website lists the following new legislation impacting psychology: SB 768 sections 19, 20, and 21: Clarifies the definitions and educational requirements for licensure as a psychologist. It defines a doctoral degree from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)as a PsyD, an EdD in psychology, or a PhD in psychology from a psychology program that, at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated, had both an institutional accreditation from an agency recognized and approved by the U.S. Department of Education or was recognized as a member in good standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, and had programmatic accreditation from the American Psychological Association. (a) Assessment, which includes psychoeducational, developmental, and vocational assessment; evaluation and interpretation of intelligence, aptitudes, interests, academic achievement, adjustment, and motivations, or any other attributes, in individuals or groups, that relate to learning, educational, or adjustment needs. (b) Counseling, which includes short-term situation- oriented professional interaction with children, parents, or other adults for amelioration or prevention of learning and adjustment problems. Counseling services relative to the practice of school psychology include verbal interaction, interviewing, behavior techniques, developmental and vocational intervention, environmental management, and group processes. (c) Consultation, which includes psychoeducational, learning problems and adjustments to those problems. (d) Development of programs, which includes designing, implementing, or evaluating educationally and psychologically sound learning environments; acting as a catalyst for teacher involvement in adaptations and innovations; and facilitating the psychoeducational development of individual families or groups. 490.009 Discipline (1) The following acts constitute grounds for denial of a license or disciplinary action, as specified in s. 456.072(2): (a) Attempting to obtain, obtaining, or renewing a license under this chapter by bribery or fraudulent misrepresentation or through an error of the board or department. (b) Having a license to practice a comparable profession revoked, suspended, or otherwise acted against, including the denial of certification or licensure by another state, territory, or country. (c) Being convicted or found guilty, regardless of adjudication, of a crime in any jurisdiction which directly relates to the practice of his or her profession or the ability to practice his or her profession. A plea of nolo contendere creates a rebuttable presumption of guilt of the underlying criminal charges. However, the board shall allow the person who is the subject of the disciplinary proceeding to present any evidence relevant to the underlying charges and circumstances surrounding the plea. developmental, and vocational assistance or direct educational services to schools, agencies, organizations, families, or individuals related to
The 2022 Florida Statutes: Chapter 490 Psychological Services This Chapter details the standards of practice for Florida psychologists (Florida Legislature, 2022c). The full text can be found at: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/ index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400- 0499/0490/0490ContentsIndex.html&StatuteYear=2022 490.002 Intent
The Legislature finds that as society becomes increasingly complex, emotional survival is equal in importance to physical survival. Therefore, in order to preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the public, the Legislature must provide privileged communication for members of the public or those acting on their behalf to encourage needed or desired psychological services to be sought out. The Legislature further finds that, since such psychological services assist the public primarily with emotional survival, which in turn affects physical and psychophysical survival, the practice of psychology and school psychology by unqualified persons presents a danger to public health, safety, and welfare. 490.003 Definitions (4) “Practice of psychology” means the observations, description, evaluation, interpretation, and modification of human behavior, by the use of scientific and applied psychological principles, methods, and procedures, for the purpose of describing, preventing, alleviating, or eliminating symptomatic, maladaptive, or undesired behavior and of enhancing interpersonal behavioral health and mental or psychological health. The ethical practice of psychology includes, but is not limited to, psychological testing and the evaluation or assessment of personal characteristics such as intelligence, personality, abilities, interests, aptitudes, and neuropsychological functioning, including evaluation of mental competency to manage one’s affairs and to participate in legal proceedings; counseling, psychoanalysis, all forms of psychotherapy, sex therapy, hypnosis, biofeedback, and behavioral analysis and therapy; psychoeducational evaluation, therapy, remediation, and consultation; and use of psychological methods to diagnose and treat mental, nervous, psychological, marital, or emotional disorders, illness, or disability, alcoholism and substance abuse, and disorders of habit or conduct, as well as the psychological aspects of physical illness, accident, injury, or disability, including neuropsychological evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, etiology, and treatment. (5) “Practice of school psychology” means the rendering or offering to render to an individual, a group, an organization, a government agency, or the public any of the following services:
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Book Code: PYFL2024
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