Article archive / July 1, 2010
Originally published: . Volume 1, No. 11. Source pages: 1, 3.
In a June 9th letter, the Committee for the Advancement of Profes- sional Practice (CAPP) responded to concerns of the Interdivisional Healthcare Committee (IHC) about Louisiana’s statute restricting the use of the term “medical psycho- logist.” The Chair of CAPP, Dr. Sanford Portnoy, wrote Dr. Robert Glueckauf, Chair of IHC, to share CAPP’s opinion. He wrote, “CAPP opposes the use of the term ‘medical psychologist’ exclusively by psychologists with prescriptive authority.”
Dr. Portnoy explained in the letter that CAPP had created a working group in response to the April 21st letter received from the IHC. The IHC had listed a number of concerns regarding Act 251, both for the public and for the profession.
The working group included CAPP members, and members representing APA Divisions 55 (American Society for the Advancement of Pharmacotherapy) and 38 (Health Psychology).
Dr. Portnoy noted that the opinion is not a policy statement or a recommendation of a policy statement for APA. He mentioned that CAPP recognizes the right of state legislatures to decide on terminology.
Copies were sent to Dr. Katherine Nordal, Executive Director of the APA Practice Directorate, and Dr. Ronald Palomares, Assistant Executive Director, Governance Operations in the Practice Directorate.
IHC is independent of APA, but is composed of two representatives from each of the APA divisions of Health Psychology, Rehabilitation Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Society of Pediatric Psychology, Society of Clinical Psychology/Clinical Geropsychology, Counseling Psychology, and Family Psychology. IHC developed the Health & Behavior codes, allowing a psychologist to be reimbursed for treating physical problems with psychological methods.
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