Psychologists seeking to obtain a license in another state, whether for purpose of relocation, for a multi-state practice, or for engaging in tele-health, might find themselves facing a real nightmare. The Board of Psychology in the new state might ask the psychologist to jump over many hurdles, such as producing notarized supervision forms, when some of the supervisors have retired or passed on. As former APA President Pat DeLeon (2000) has observed, "few psychologists realize how difficult it is to get relicensed in a new state."

     The problem arises because each state determines the qualifications for professional licensure. By 1977, all states had enacted a psychology licensure law, however with a great deal of variation in the requirements. The APA Practice Directorate, using the APA Model Licensure law, has attempted to reduce some of this variation in order to promote mobility. However, many variations remain. Other professions have addressed this problem. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing has endorsed a model based on the driver's license, in which mechanisms exist for mutual recognition and reciprocity. Licensure is recognized across state lines, with the nurse subject to the laws and rules of the new state. So too, the pharmacists facilitate mobility through uniform licensure requirements and a clearinghouse program which transfers the pharmacists license to the new state, verifying background information and screening for disciplinary actions.

     APA has been attempting to address this problem. In February 2000 the APA Council of Representatives suspended its rules and approved a new business item, titled "Reciprocity of Licensure Among States", introduced by Dr's. Carol Goodheart, Ron Levant, and 20 other Council Representatives. This item affirmed that the attainment of reciprocity of licensure and other mechanisms for professional mobility are urgently needed. It directed the Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP), as the lead group, and BPA to work in collaboration with ASPPB to develop a plan to achieve this goal. In response CAPP has been implementing a strategic plan to provide a supportive environment for the existing mechanisms for professional mobility available through the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (National Register), the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB), and the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). CAPP conducted programs at the annual State Leadership Conference, disseminated invited articles to state and provisional psychological association newsletters and other publications (e.g., Smith, 2001, Sullivan, 2000-01), and took other strategic actions. In addition, the author and Jay Benedict, Associate Editors of the journal, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, are preparing a special section on this issue.

     CAPP also convened a conference call among representatives of CAPP, BPA, and ASPPB, which highlighted several relevant issues, the potential implications of technology changes and tele-health for licensure. Of considerable importance, the participants on the call noted that there are two different mechanisms for promoting professional mobility: Reciprocity, which refers to agreements between jurisdictions in which states are willing to recognize each other's licensees based on comparable requirements for licensure, and Endorsement, which is a vehicle to recognize individuals as having met a high standard qualification, such as the Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) developed by ASPPB which is accepted by jurisdictions as meeting most of the qualifications for licensure. In the past 10 years only 10 states have entered into reciprocity agreements. This makes endorsement the more promising mechanism for promoting mobility since more than two dozen states are in various stages of recognizing the more recently developed CPQ.

     At this point in time it seems clear that the need for mobility for psychologists will continue to increase. However, since we really don't know how events will unfold in the future, all of the vehicles for increasing psychologists' mobility should be supported. Readers are encouraged to contact the sponsoring organizations to learn more about each of the mobility mechanisms: the National Register, the ASPPB, and ABPP.

     As always, I welcome your thoughts on this column. You can most easily contact me via email: (new address): levant@uakron.edu

References

DeLeon, P. (2000). The critical need for licensure mobility. Monitor on Psychology, 31(4), 9.

Smith, D. (2001, May). Helping psychologists on the move: States and provinces make professional mobility easier for psychologists. Monitor on Psychology, 32(5), 73.

Sullivan, M. J. (2000-2001, Winter). Directorate helps to promote mechanisms for mobility. Practitioner Focus, 13, 4, 16.

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