Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 8. Source pages: 5.
The Board of Examiners of Psychologists published a new Rule in the July 20 issue of the Louisiana Register, under the Emergency Rules section.
According to the rationale, the new Rule is needed for filling unexpected board member vacancies in order for the board to officially function and carry out the duties of the Louisiana state Board of Examiners of Psychologists to safeguard life, health, property and the public welfare of this state. This Emergency Rule was effective June 25, 2015. It can remain in effect for 120 days.
The rule has to do with section 1201, “Vacancies,” of the psychology licensing law.
The Rule, Notes: “A. The board will notify the Governor’s Office of any vacancy occurring in board membership.
“B. The governor shall fill, within 30 calendar days, for the remainder of the term, any vacancy occurring in board membership for an unexpired term from a list of qualified candidates provided in the most recent election.”
Some in the community note that aspects of the Rule are inconsistent with current laws.
The Rule when into effect on June 25, and notes that the Governor is to comply in 30 days. However, no notice of an appointment has been made.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 4.
November 9-16 Designated “School Psychologist Week”
Senator Morrish authored a Resolution to designate November 9 through 16, 2015, as “School Psychologist Week.” The Resolution noted that school psychologists are critical players of the school team, helping to ensure a quality education for all students, supporting the educational process needed to prepare students for academic success, healthy development, and responsible citizenship.
President of the Louisiana School Psychological Association, Dr. Chavez Phelps, said, “LSPA is humbled Senator Morrish would honor the hard work of school psychologists by authoring this resolution. This resolution increases our visibility as a profession and a resource. I hope this is the impetus for stronger professional ties with our elected officials and other relevant stakeholders.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 4.
Sen. Heitmeier, Rep. Simon Author Resolutions Commending Psychology
The Resolutions, SR171 and HR137, noted that psychology is a diverse discipline, grounded in science, and that psychologists help others who experience health problems and use an assortment of evidence-based methods to help people improve their lives. The authors also noted that the Louisiana Psychological Association, is the state professional association and represents psychologists in all practice, research, and academic settings, and works to further psychology as a science, applied practice, and a means of promoting human welfare
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 7.
In a press release on June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Eastern District Louisiana, announced that 11 individuals – including two physicians and a clinical psychologist – were charged for their roles in five separate fraud schemes based in New Orleans that, combined, submitted close to $110 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
Rodney Hesson, PsyD, and Gertrude Parker, were charged for their roles in a $25 million psychological testing program that was carried out through eight companies in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
Hesson and Parker owned and operated Nursing Home Psychological Service (NHPS) and Psychological Care Services (PCS), and each had separate companies in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama. The indictment alleges that these companies contracted with nursing homes in these states to allow NHPS and PCS clinical psychologists to administer psychological tests to nursing home residents, said the U.S. Attorney.
Dr. Hesson and Parker caused these companies to bill Medicare for psychological testing services that these nursing home residents did not need or in some instances did not receive, said the news release. Between 2009 and 2015, NHPS and PCS submitted over $25.2 million in claims to Medicare.
According to a report by Psychiatric Crime Database, Hesson was convicted of Medicaid fraud in 2012, in Picayune, Mississippi. The report noted that “Hesson threw himself on the mercy of Circuit Court Judge Anthony Mozingo by entering an open plea.”
The report also notes that an investigation uncovered that Hesson would meet once with a patient, then bill for multiple services. The report notes that Hesson, a Slidell psychologist, closed his office in Picayune in 2008. However, the current charges suggest that he was billing Medicare from 2009 to 2015.
Other indictments, according to court documents, were Elaine Davis, Pramela Ganji, M.D., and Godwin Ogboukiri, M.D., for their involvement in a home health care fraud scheme carried out through Christian Home Health Care, Inc. (Christian). Separately, a grand jury sitting in New Orleans charged Sheila White with defrauding Medicare in connection with the alleged provision of psychotherapy services to Medicare beneficiaries.
One source told the Times, there will be more indictments coming.
An indictment is only a charge, and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 7.
In an email on June 24 to licensed psychologists, the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP) said it will force the Louisiana Psychological Association to conform to the LSBEP’s view of the law regarding how names are submitted to the governor for appointment.
The new policy, sent by Executive Director, Kelly Parker, noted “… the Louisiana Psychological Association shall report to the Governor’s Office the results of the entire election, including all nominees and the votes for each nominee.” The policy included the warning, “If the Louisiana Psychological Association fails to report the all of the information (sic), in one way or another, the Board will also notify the Governor’s Office with the accurate results of the board election.”
The policy conflicts with current law that gives the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA) the right to determine how the final list to the governor is composed. The Psychology Practice Act, LA R.S. 37:2353(2), is: “All appointments shall be from a list provided by the Louisiana Psychological Association.”
LPA’s current policy is to include the two top vote-getters, which officials have said is to support the democratic method.
The wording is common in laws for other Louisiana boards, some which vet the list by other methods.
The LSBEP held a special meeting on June 1 where they voted to force LPA to include the third vote getter on the list to the governor, which was the Louisiana Academy of Medical Psychology candidate Dr. Jesse Lambert. The vote and the meeting violated Open Meetings Law. ((See “Psychology Board Pushes to Include LAMP Candidate on List to Governor,” June PT issue.)
Two appointments are currently at stake, a 2014-15 election, in which Dr. Beverly Stubblefield received the top votes and Dr. Karen Boggs, second, and a recent vacancy left by Dr. Joe Comaty, who failed to be confirmed. Dr. Constance Patterson was the top vote getter in that election cycle.
In a letter to the LSBEP, LPA President Dr. Lacey Seymour reminded the board that the current law was still in effect, and asked, “We would like to respectfully request that the list of candidates submitted to the Governor’s office be derived from the 2014-2015 election conducted by the Louisiana Psychological Association.” It is not clear from the letter why LPA viewed that they needed to request from the board, a right already determined by law.
“We would also like to request that a Task Force be formed,” Seymour wrote, “in order to facilitate open discussion and communication between the Louisiana Psychological Association and the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists regarding the adoption of policies for future elections as we strongly feel as if it is in the best interest of psychologists across the state to have input regarding how these elections are conducted.”
According to Seymour, Parker said the board voted against the recommendations. A source right at press time, indicated that LPA may take further action to protect its rights.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 8.
Psychology Times Honored with 14 Awards from Louisiana Press Association at June Convention
The Psychology Times took home 14 awards from the 135th Annual Louisiana Press Association Convention held jointly with the Mississippi Press Association in New Orleans on June 18 to 20.
The Times earned a 2nd place in the prestigious Community Service Award, in Division C, for its promoting of vision and values through it community awards program.
For the second year in a row, the Times swept its division in Best Investigative Reporting, with the Times winning first, second, and third places, and earning the special Gibbs Adams Award, named in memory of long-time State Times-Morning Advocate investigative reporter.
The Times won its first place for “Emails Point to LAMP in Recent LSBEP Appointment, Not DHH.” The judges remarked, “This story demonstrates the importance of open-records requests. Traditional media outlets could learn some lessons from The Psychology Times.”
Other Gibbs Adams winners in their respective divisions were the New Orleans Advocate, the Livingston Parish News, the Ouachita Citizen, the West Side Journal, and Central City News.
Dr. Tom Stigall, for the second time, earned the top spot in Best Photo Package, with his composition of views from Antelope Canyon. The judges said, “Absolutely breathtaking. The absence of life forms is key to telling the story of the canyon.”
The Times cartoonist, Jake Nelson- Dooley, swept first, second, and third in Division C for Best Editorial Cartoon. First place went to the satirical cartoon, “Media Guide,” a response to the state psychology board’s publishing of media policies.
In news coverage, the Times earned a second place in Best News Coverage. Also the Times won a 2nd and 3rd place in Best News Story. The paper took home a 1st Place for Best Continuing Coverage of a Single News Event, for its reporting on the convoluted politics in the 2014 election involving Drs. Patterson, Comaty, and Chapman. The Times also won in its Division for the Best Overall Website.
Winning Newspaper of The Year honors in their respective divisions were The Advocate (Baton Rouge), The Times (Houma), the Ruston Daily Leader, the West Side Journal (Port Allen), and the Southwest Daily News.
This year’s Freedom of Information Award went to The Advocate (Baton Rouge) for fighting to protect reporters’ sources in a story about drug dealers in New Orleans. “For its work to protect the press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment, The Advocate has earned this years’ Freedom of Information Award,” noted the association.
The prestigious award was created in part by Gordon Nelson, father of the publisher of the Psychology Times, and current journalism consultant to the Times, Bob Holeman, over three decades ago. Their paper, The Coushatta Citizen, also won the FOI Award the first time it was bestowed on a Louisiana newspaper.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 10.
Website Up & Running for Louisiana Academy of Medical Psychologists, Inc.
The Louisiana Academy of Medical Psychologists, Inc., has published a website and member application processes.
The site can be found at Louisianamedpsych.com, which lists members, membership information, meeting dates, and educational activities.
According to the website, the group hosted a six-hour CE training, “Emovera and Emotion Mining: Self-Help App Meets Collaboration-As- A-Service,” presented by Thomas Snyder, MD, PhD, from Boston. Also, the group hosted “The Basics of Addiction Management,” by Kension Roy, MD of New Orleans.
Application for membership is available on the site. Members must be licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. Annual dues are $1500 and $500 for students enrolled in a post-doctoral masters in clinical psychopharmacology.
Members are listed on the website and include those from Northern Louisiana, from the Greater New Orleans, and from Southern Louisiana.
Also, members from the Greater Baton Rouge are listed as well as individuals other areas such as Tampa, FL.
The webstite was created last year and is managed by Ms. Gail Lowe.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 11.
Drs. Jill Daniel’s and Edward Golob’s Brainy Work Featured in Tulane Magazine Article on Neuroscience
Drs. Jill Daniel and Edward Golob, researchers in neuroscience and faculty in the Tulane University Psychology Department, had their work featured in the June issue of Tulane Magazine, “Brain Signals: The Mysteries of the Brain Lead Tulane Researchers Down Paths of Discovery.”
Dr. Daniel is Professor in the Tulane Psychology Department and Director of the Neuroscience Program at Tulane.
Her and her team’s research aims to help understand the mechanisms of estrogens and androgens and how these impact areas of the brain, according to her website. This includes the importance of cognition and memory. She and her group of master’s and doctoral students look at the impact of hormones on both the brain and cognitive funcition across the lifespan. Daniel publishes in journals such as Psychopharmacology, Hormones and Behavior, and Endocrinology. With her efforts, she hopes to guide understanding of how hormones help organize mammalian brains as male or female, and also what impact these have on the aging brain.
Dr. Edward Golob is Associate Professor in the Psychology Department and focuses his research on aspects of hearing that are important to humans. Examples include determining a sound’s location and recognizing speech and music. His research and his lab students are focusing on how auditory processing is affected by attention, short-term memory, and the relations between perception and action, according to his site.
The group is working to understand the cognitive and neurobiological changes that accompany normal aging, Alzheimer's disease, and speech fluency disorders. To do this they monitor the brain’s electrical activity using EEG and study patterns while participants are performing cognitive tasks. According to their site, they are also study MRI-guided transcranial magnetic or electrical stimulation.
Musicians have to learn complicated musical parts. And their brains are demonstrably different from non- musicians’ brains. “We can literally see that,” says Golob.
“We have over 400 people in the Tulane community who are involved in the neuroscience endeavors,” says Daniel. The long- range goal is to create a Tulane Brain Institute.
… interdisciplinary work flourishes in four main areas of strength: hormones and the brain, cognition (learning, memory and attention), the autonomic nervous system and its disorders, and neurodegeneration.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 12.
LaTech Grad Student Marcus Cherry Awarded First in Research Poster
Mr. Marcus Cherry, M.S., graduate student at Louisiana Tech was awarded the first place honors for his research and poster, “Personality and Coping Strategies as Predictors of Help-Seeking Attitudes among Military-Affiliated and Civilian Students.” Cherry’s co-author is Dr. Margaret Cochran, professor at Northwestern State in Natchitoches.
Cherry collected date from 282 participants in an online survey composed of a demographic questionnaire, the Big Five Inventory, the Revised COPE, and the Beliefs About Psychological Services Scale.
Cheery and Cochran found therapy use was significantly associated with higher help-seeking attitudes. He wrote that students who participated in therapy reported higher scores on the Beliefs About Psychological Services scale, when compared to the non-help-seeking counterparts.
In a second hypothesis, he examined results about personality and coping. Cherry and Cochran found that agreeableness, openness, self-help, approach, accommodation, and avoidance were significantly related to help-seeking attitudes.
Results also revealed an insignificant military affiliation main effect, a significant gender main effect, and an insignificant interaction between military affiliation and gender, according to the presentation. He also produced a multiple regression to better understand the variables predicting help-seeking attitudes.
Mr. Cherry’s professor at LaTech is Dr. Lore Dickey.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 13.
Colorful Emotions: A Workbook to Help Children Express Their Feelings
Michelle B. Moore, PsyD
Dr. Michelle Moore, using her strong background in psychotherapeutic and educational techniques, has created and produced a delightful book that can be used to help youngsters express and label their emotions.
Colorful Emotions: A Workbook to Help Children Express Their Feelings is an all-in-one activity book that can help parents, teachers, and professionals in their interactions with children of any age.
Dr. Moore, a licensed clinical psychologist with a certificate in Infant Mental Health Specialist Certification, is also Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, at LSU Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry, Section of Psychology, in New Orleans. At the Center she is also Associate Director of Pre-Doctoral Training.
The workbook includes beautiful cover art that is immediately pleasing, and two-page sections with a line drawing of a youngster and large type labels such as “Happy,” “Sad,” “Lonely,” and “Helpful.” Adjacent to the artwork is a description to read to the child, or allow them to read for themselves.
For example, “Worried,” is described. “When I feel worried, my mind starts to race with thoughts, sometimes it is hard to breathe and my heart beats really fast. I also tell others that I am nervous or anxious about something.” And then, “What do you think happened that has made him feel so worried?” And, “When is a time when you have felt worried?”
Loved: “When I feel loved, my heart fills with happiness, and I feel protected by someone special. I am ready to take on any challenge that comes my way.” Then, “Who do you think makes him feel loved?’ And “Who makes you feel loved?”
Moore covers an array of emotions including being shy, embarrassed, relaxed, or angry, and many others.
The parent, teacher, or therapist can engage the youngster to “develop a language to express their emotions with others,” writes Moore in the introduction. “Sometimes children have a hard time using their words to express how they feel which is how this coloring book can come in handy.”
Moore also relates how one child, who was having difficulties, “… began to color the picture, while he talked about a time when he was sad.” In this manner, the book may serve as a useful therapeutic or play therapy method.
“I work primarily with children and adolescents,” Dr. Moore said to the Times. “I often find that children aren't taught to use feeling words in their everyday language and they get confused about what different emotions actually are,” she said.
“I was looking for a simple and effective means to convey information about feelings to children while providing a multi-sensory experience for them,” Moore said. “Rather than just reading a book they can color the pages while they talk to get a better understanding of what each feeling means. Ideally, parents will read this book with their children and parents will also become more informed about how to use emotion words and why it is important to do so.”
Moore has extensive background in instruction and teaching and the text draws on her experience with youngsters and parents. Dr. Moore has worked in the Louisiana Rural Trauma Services Center research project funded by Mental and Behavioral Health Capacity Project- Louisiana. She provided mental health screenings and psychological interventions to children and adults who have been affected by a natural or man-made disaster.
She has also developed a series of workshops for parents of elementary school age children. Topics have included: Positive discipline strategies; Being a single parent; How to help your child succeed in school; “How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk”; and Success in the summertime: How to maintain a peaceful household and happy child all summer long.
She has also created, organized and led quarterly consultation groups for elementary school counselors to discuss how to handle challenging cases and collaborate with other professionals to best serve population.
And Dr. Moore has also organized, created and led resiliency and social-emotional skills building workshops for children in St. Bernard Parish. Topics included: Managing difficult emotions, Bullying, Increasing positive change in communities and Hurricane preparedness.
Moore also teaches psychology interns, developing course materials, and she has also created a series of workshops for children to address social-emotional difficulties, build resilience and encourage community engagement.
Dr. Moore’s background is strong in the arts, having completed a major in theatre, along with her studies in psychology. Colorful Emotions clearly shows her talents and enjoyment of the arts. The work is delightfully creative and children will be comfortable with the presentation.
Dr. Moore wanted to keep publishing control and so she has crafted the drawings and the language for the workbook herself.
“I decided to publish on an independent platform,” she explained, “for my first book publication after consulting with several colleagues about their experiences. It was convenient and cost-effective. From what I learned, independent publishing would give me the most control over the final product and produce the highest amount of royalties,” she said. “I also wanted to start on a smaller scale to see how the book would be received before submitting a work to an actual publishing company.”
“The project began in 2009 and slowly evolved over time,” she said. “I already have an idea for a second edition which would address relationships and common problems that may arise, such as dealing with bullies, feeling shy, being assertive, being thankful and appreciative, being respectful with others, etc.”
Colorful Emotions: A Workbook to Help Children Express Their Feelings is available from Amazon. Get several copies for kids and grandkids, and while you at it, get one for yourself. You won’t be sorry.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 15.
Investigating the Investigators
The Times is researching the methods used by Boards in the community.
If you have been treated in what you consider an unfair, unethical, or illegal manner while involved in an interaction, especially an investigation, by any one of our several boards, we would like to talk with you, off-the-record and confidentially.
Contact the Times or publisher J. Nelson at drj@drjulienelson.com
All sources will be protected.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Governor Jindal said in a June 19 press release that the budget, HB1, is balanced and protects higher education and health care.
“This is the eighth year in a row we are signing a balanced budget without tax increases. The budget continues the trend of making smart reductions to the size of government, while strengthening the state’s health care system and protecting higher education,” Jindal said.
The announcement noted that the budget reduces the size of state government by nearly 3 percent and also cuts corporate welfare spending by over $129 million per year. The budget decreased from $25.8 billion to approximately $25.1 billion. The number of government positions decreased by 724. Jindal said that $626 million in additional recurring revenue was raised in this budget. This was accomplished without a net increase in taxes, he said.
The budget includes $2.36 billion to fund higher education across the state. The SAVE program also provides a recurring, statutorily revenue stream of $350 million for higher education institutions by providing tax credits to students receiving new assessments, the announcement noted.
In health care, the budget invests $9.65 billion in funding for The Department of Health and Hospitals, an increase of 1.5% over the previous fiscal year. The budget commits more than $53.7 million for state partner hospitals around Louisiana.
In a Reuters report, Moody's analyst Marcia Van Wagner said the legislature closed that gap with a heavy reliance on short-term measures, suggesting the state "will likely see continued large budgetary gaps next year, when it has to craft the budget for fiscal year 2017.”
Kristy Nichols, the state's Commissioner of the Division of Administration, who is in charge of the state's budget and a spokeswoman for Jindal, said most of the revenues and savings were recurring rather than one- off measures. "Louisiana did what it intended to do, which was to close the structural imbalance of the state's budget and to create long-term solutions that close that gap over the next 2-3 years and even further," said Nichols Other sources say new money for many higher education and health care expenses will have to be found, and a special session in 2016 likely.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 16.
Organization Starts July 11 Katrina 10th Anniversary Wellness Workshops Planned for August
Members of the mental health community and organizers in the Louisiana Psychological Association will hold a planning meeting on July 11, in New Orleans for resiliency workshops to be held in August.
Dr. Darlyne Nemeth, who will serve as the Lead Workshop Author and Facilitator, noted in a recent press release that volunteers are needed to help with Anniversary Workshops to be conducted on August 15, 22, and 29, 2015.
“Anniversary reactions typically occur on or around the date of an environmental trauma and involve emotionally charged responses that cause people to re-experience the event,” Nemeth said. “This August will mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. As we anticipate strong Anniversary reactions, members of the Louisiana Psychological Association are preparing 10th Anniversary Wellness Workshops. We intend to hold these Workshops, as a community service, for those in New Orleans who were and remain strongly affected by Hurricane Katrina.”
The first workshop will be held to train the trainers, noted Nemeth, and will be open to all practicing psychologists and psychotherapists. They will be trained in successful anniversary reaction techniques as were cited in a 2012 journal article authored by Nemeth, Kuriansky, and others. Workshop participants will be given an opportunity to share their experiences and to focus on their resilient recovery, she said. These workshops will be offered to the New Orleans public, free of charge, as coordinated by the trainers.
The primary coordinator is Kerritt Saintal, B.S., a Loyola graduate, and a native of New Orleans. Members of the workshop development committee include Drs. Gail Gillespie, Beverley Stubblefield, Fernando Pastrana, Kim VanGeffen, Carolyn Weyand, Janet Matthews, Lee Matthews, Lucinda DeGrange, and Joseph Tramontana. Kathleen Randall is serving as a community liaison volunteer.
The group is asking community leaders and organizations to contribute their expertise, meeting space, transportation, funding, and/or food for participants. The Louisiana Psychological Association will offer Continuing Professional Development credits for qualified volunteers who participate in the training and facilitate groups.
For those interested in participating, donating resources, or for more information, contact Dr. Nemeth at dgnemeth@gmail.com, or Kerritt Saintal at saintalkerri@yahoo.com.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
In a twist to one of the most unusual psychology board elections ever, the Senate declined to confirm Dr. Joseph Comaty to serve a second term on the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (LSBEP).
While no one in the community is officially taking responsibility for lobbying against the appointment, numerous undisclosed sources tell the Times that Dr. Comaty’s decisions have drawn criticism from psychologists, licensed professional counselors, and also from marriage and family therapists, and that these and other issues motivated efforts to block his serving again on the board.
Confirmations occurred on the final day of the legislative session, June 11. Senators have the right to reject any of the 400 or so appointments. A single Senator can blackball the appointee and no reason has to be given.
While discussions may take place in open committee, they do not. Presiding Chair of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Jody Amedee, said, “We don’t typically get red cards against them [appointees]. Most of the time people send letters, call, whatever. But most of them don’t come face- to-face.” After only about 10 minutes of open meeting, he adjourned and moved to closed, executive session.
Dr. Comaty’s political positions while previously serving on the psychology board have caused a variety of concerns from different groups in the community.
Some consider his interests to be aligned with Louisiana Academy of Medical Psychologists (LAMP), who has controlled a majority vote on the state psychology board since 2009 and Act 251. Comaty lists himself as a member on LAMP’s website, had donated to LAMP Pac, and he was serving on the psychology board when LAMP and the Medical Board negotiated Act 251. The legislation has been criticized by those outside of the state, including APA Board of Educational Affairs, the Interdivisional Healthcare Committee, Committee for the Advancement of Professional Psychology, and Academy of Medical Psychology.
Comaty has assured the community that he does not have a conflict of interest, stating so in a board newsletter last year, following his initial appointment.
A 2011 decision by Dr. Comaty has also been a source of controversy. As Chair of LSBEP, Comaty was asked by representatives from the state medical board to reverse an opinion and allow medical psychologists, those without a state psychology license, to qualify as supervisors for psychology interns. Comaty and the board agreed, making Louisiana the only state in the U.S. with such an arrangement.
Dr. Comaty’s decisions have also drawn disfavor from the community of Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT), decisions considered by some to be an unfair effort to restrain trade.
In a 2012 newsletter the Legislative Affairs Chair of the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy noted to members, “Dr. Joseph Comaty has been the main psychologist advocating against LPCs and LMFTs in Louisiana.” The author also expressed concerns that the psychology board had allowed this, pointing to ethical requirements for a public board to remain neutral.
In 2010 and 2011 these issues culminated in a move by Senator Willie Mount to support the counselors and marriage and family therapists in their bid to clarify scope of practice. Department of Health and Hospitals, Secretary Kathy Kliebert, described the need in her 2011 testimony before the Senate Committee and her support for Mount’s goals. “We have problems in terms of getting the provider capacity we need for mental health in Louisiana,” she said. […] “That clarification of the scope of practice would certainly help in our future, … .”
Senator Mount created the Behavioral Health Professionals Working Group and told psychologists and counselors to resolve problems, but the group failed. Dr. Comaty, joined by Drs. Darla Burnett and Jessica Brown, participated and suggested that LPCs place themselves under the psychology board, an idea that was met with dismay by LPCs. Later Comaty wrote to the Senate Committee saying “… LSBEP’s patient efforts to bring its legitimate concerns to the attention of the LPC board have been met with intransigence.”
Some in the community have objected to the 2014 election, one of the strangest elections for a board seat that many can remember. Dr. Comaty sent multiple communications to Boards & Commissions with complaints about election matters, clerical errors and even possible election tampering by members of the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA). He also complained that his opponent, top vote getter Dr. Constance Patterson had a conflict of interest, an idea aggressively picked up by the psychology board and elevated to the state Ethics board. The conflict of interest idea was dismissed.
But despite strong support from the community for Patterson, Comaty was appointed because of the influence of Bud Courson, LAMP lobbyist, and Dr. Jim Quillin, LAMP leader, who were mentioned in an obscure office email.
Lack of confirmation is rare. But in 2010, top vote getter and widely admired clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr. John Simoneaux was also torpedoed.
Dr. Simoneaux had openly criticized Act 251 and confronted irregularities having to do with LAMP and the LAMP leaders within the LPA. Later documents confirmed that funds were in fact used from LPA to pay for LAMP’s political goals.
In 2010, Simoneaux reluctantly spoke with the Times, indicating that he had been told that, if he had any questions, to speak with his Senator, Joe McPherson. At that time, McPherson was the Senator for both Simoneaux and Jim Quillin.
Last year the Times obtained records off the internet from a court proceeding involving a relative of Senator McPherson. In these proceedings, Dr. Simoneaux was the court- appointed psychologist.
According to the records, the relative objected to Simoneaux helping with the case, alleging that he was biased “… because her uncle, state Senator Joe McPherson, blocked his appointment to the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.”
In a 2009 letter from LAMP leaders to the American Psychological Association attorneys, explaining why LAMP negotiated Act 251, Dr. Glenn Ally noted, “[It] So happens it is Sen. McPherson who was the sponsor of our initial RxP bill and friend of Dr. Quillin.”
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 7. Source pages: 16.
PTR Summer Symposium July 15 -17 in Marksville
The 13th Annual Summer Symposium, a conference hosted by Professional Training Resources and Dr. John Simoneaux, will be held July 15 through 17 in Marksville at the Paragon Casino- Resort. This year’s presenters include Dr. Simoneaux, Dr. Larry Dilks, Dr. Kimberly Hutchinson, Dr. Byron Simoneaux, and Dr. Mkay Bonner.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.