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 1180-01. 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 practice 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; and/or (b) Psychological research services to industrial, business and corporate organizations. (4) Psychological Examiners who have had appropriate education, training, and supervised practice experience may provide the following psychological services only under the qualified supervision of a licensed Psychologist designated as a HSP or Senior Psychological Examiner: (a) Overall personality appraisal or classification, including assessment and diagnosis of psychopathology or mental illness; and/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; RULES GOVERNING PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINERS CHAPTER 1180-03 AND SENIOR PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINERS (b) Psychological research services to industrial, business and corporate organizations; (c) Overall personality appraisal or classification, including psychological testing, projective testing, evaluation for disability or vocational purposes, and diagnosis of nervous or mental disorders; (d) Personality counseling, psychotherapy, behavior analysis, or personality readjustment techniques; and (e) Supervision of a Psychological Examiner and/or a Certified Psychological Assistant and/or a Certified Psychological Testing Technician. (6) Standards for supervision of Psychological Examiners and Certified Psychological Assistants by Senior 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) A Senior Psychological Examiner must list the Psychological Examiners and/or Certified Psychological Assistants for whom they are the supervisor of record. When a Senior Psychological Examiner renews their license, the Senior Psychological Examiner must list those Psychological Examiners and/or Certified Psychological Assistants whom the Senior Psychological Examiner supervises and for whom they are the supervisor of record. (ii) A Psychological Examiner must list their primary supervising Senior Psychological Examiner if engaging in activities requiring supervision. When a Psychological Examiner renews their license or certificate, that individual must list their primary supervisor(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 Senior Psychological Examiner, qualified by experience and training to practice the overall supervised activity or activities, provide supervision on a regular and frequent basis. (c) The supervising Senior Psychological Examiner 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. Supervision conducted via face-to-face video conferencing equipment and/or technology is acceptable, assuming compliance with subparagraphs (6)(a) through (6)(e) of this rule. “Face-to-face” means (a) can see one’s face and (b) occurring in real time via video conferencing equipment RULES GOVERNING PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINERS CHAPTER 1180-03 AND SENIOR PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINERS and/or technology. No more than seventy-five (75) percent of supervision can be obtained through video conferencing. 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 Senior Psychological Examiner upon whom it is incumbent to assure supervisory time and service delivery. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the supervisee to obtain supervision. The supervisor must consider the education, training, experience, ongoing performance, and level of licensure of the supervisee. 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 Senior Psychological Examiner upon determination of the supervisee’s competence and readiness, be modified. Normally such supervision will occur weekly. Ultimately, the supervising Senior Psychological Examiner of record must protect the welfare of the client and assure compliance with Tennessee law and professional ethics. 1. The standard for supervision of newly supervised (less than five [5] years) Psychological Examiners is one (1) hour per week. 2. The standard of supervision for experienced (supervised 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 the Senior Psychological Examiner supervisor and the experienced Psychological Examiner in question. 3. The standard for the supervision of Certified Psychological Assistants is direct and frequent supervision taking place at the site of service, while considering the Certified Psychological Assistant’s number of hours worked per week and experience level. (7) Standards for supervision of Certified Psychological Testing Technicians by Senior Psychological Examiners. (a) Supervision must meet minimum standards and a supervisor of record must be made known to the Board. When a Senior Psychological Examiner renews the Senior Psychological Examiner’s license the Senior Psychological Examiner must list those Certified Psychological Testing Technicians whom the Senior Psychological Examiner supervises and for whom the Senior Psychological Examiner is a supervisor of record. (b) 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 treating therapist. RULES GOVERNING PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINERS CHAPTER 1180-03 AND SENIOR PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINERS (c) In all cases, the specific terms of the supervisory arrangement are the responsibility of the supervising Senior Psychological Examiner upon whom it is incumbent to assure supervisory time and service delivery. Likewise, it is the responsibility of the supervisee to obtain supervision. The supervisor must consider the education, training, experience, and ongoing performance of the supervisee. 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 Senior Psychological Examiner upon determination of the supervisee’s competence and readiness, be modified. Ultimately, the supervising Senior Psychological Examiner of record must protect the welfare of the client and assure compliance with Tennessee law and professional ethics. (d) The standard for supervision of Certified Psychological Testing Technicians is ongoing indirect supervision with direct supervision available while the Certified Psychological Testing Technician is engaged in clinical activities. As such, the supervisor is available to come to the site of care in order to provide direct supervision or is immediately available via telephone or face-to-face video conferencing. “Face-to-face” means (a) can see one’s face and (b) occurring in real time via video conferencing equipment and/or technology. (8) The Board shall consider that an individual, either licensed or unlicensed, is violating these limits of practice if the individual’s 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.