In preparation for recent hearing, I came across an extremely complex legal topic. The issue is to what extent of can licensees under the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors  practice their profession short of practicing psychology.What are these practices?

• “PRACTICE OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY.” The professional application of psychotherapeutic and family systems theories and techniques to the evaluation, assessment and treatment of mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective or behavioral. The term includes the evaluation and assessment of mental and emotional disorders in the context of significant interpersonal relationships and the delivery of psychotherapeutic services to individuals, couples, families and groups for the purpose of treating such disorders.

• “PRACTICE OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING.” Includes, to the extent compatible with a practitioner’s education and professional competence, all of the following:
  • (1)  The application of principles and practices of counseling, mental health and human development to evaluate and facilitate human growth and adjustment throughout the life sp and to prevent and treat mental, emotional or behavioral disorders and associated stresses which interfere with mental health and normal human growth and development.
  • (2)  The evaluation and assessment of normal and abnormal mental, emotional, social, educational, vocational, family and behavioral functioning throughout the life span; individual, group, family counseling and psychotherapy; crisis intervention, career counseling and educational and vocational counseling; functional assessment of persons with disabilities; and professional consulting.
  • (3)  Professional counselors’ utilization of verbal and nonverbal approaches and specialization in the use of arts-based therapeutic approaches, such as art, dance, music or drama, to accomplish treatment objectives.

• “PRACTICE OF SOCIAL WORK.” Offering to render or rendering a service in which a special knowledge of social resources, human personality and capabilities and therapeutic techniques is directed at helping people to achieve adequate and productive personal, interpersonal and social adjustments in their individual lives, in their families and in their community or holding oneself out to the public by any title or description of services incorporating the term “social worker” or using any words or symbols indicating or tending to indicate that one is a social worker, except as otherwise provided by this act.

Conversely, the Professional Psychologists Practice Act, 63 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1203(3) also provides significant guidance.  The Psychologist Act creates a separate exemption for qualified members of other recognized professions including, but not limited to Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors. This section  1203(3) of the Psychologists Act states:

Nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent qualified members of other recognized professions, including, but not limited to, clergy, drug and alcohol abuse counselors, mental health counselors, social workers, crisis intervention counselors, marriage and family therapists, pastoral counselors, rehabilitation counselors and psychoanalysts, from doing work of a psychological nature consistent with the training and the code of ethics of their respective professions or to prevent volunteers from providing services in crisis or emergency situations. This exemption applies only to the practice of the respective listed profession.

So, what is practicing Psychology?  “Practice of psychology” means offering to render or rendering to individuals, corporations, institutions, governmental agencies, or the public for remuneration any service involving the following:

(i) The application of established principles of learning, motivation, perception, thinking, and emotional relationships to problems of personality evaluation, group relations, and behavior adjustment. The application of said principles includes, but is not restricted to, counseling and the use of psychological methods with persons or groups with adjustment problems in the areas of work, family, school, and person?-1 relationships; . measuring and testing· of personality, intelligence, aptitudes, and emotions, and offering services as a psychological consultant.

(ii)(a) “Measuring and testing,” consisting of the psychological assessment and evaluation of abilities, attitudes, aptitudes, achievements, adjustments, motives, personality dynamics and/or other psychological attributes of individuals, or groups of individuals by means of standardized measurements or other methods, techniques or procedures recognized by the science and profession of psychology, (b) “psychological methods,” consisting of the application of principles of learning and motivation in an interpersonal situation with the objectives of modification of perception and adjustment, and requiring highly developed skills in the disciplines, techniques, and methods of altering through learning processes, attitudes, feelings, values, self-concept, personal goals· and adaptive patterns, ( c) “psychological consulting,” consisting of interpreting or reporting upon scientific fact or theory in psychology, rendering expert psychological opinion, psychological evaluation, or engaging in applied psychological research.

This definition contains numerous elements, which can be broken down as follows: (1) the practitioner offers to render or renders (2) to individuals, corporations, institutions, governmental agencies, or the public (3) for remuneration ( 4) any service involving one or more of the following:

(a) the application of established principles of learning, motivation, perception, thinking, and emotional relationships to problems of personality evaluation, group relations,, and behavior adjustment, which established principles include measuring and testing of personality, intelligence, aptitudes, and ’emotions, and offering services as a psychological consultant; or (b) psychological assessment and evaluation of abilities, attitudes, aptitudes, achievements, adjustments, motives, personality dynamics and/or other psychological attributes of individuals by means of standardized measurements or other methods, techniques or procedures recognized by the science and profession of psychology; or (c) “psychological consulting,” consisting of interpreting or reporting upon scientific fact or theory in psychology, rendering expert psychological opinion, psychological evaluation, or engaging in applied psychological research.

In applying these definitions to the exemptions, 49 Pa. Code § 41.7 incorporates a statement of policy that provides guidelines for determining whether a given group qualifies as a “recognized profession” for the purposes of section 63 P .S. § 1203(3). Those guidelines read as follows:

(1) The group’s activity and focus must be based on an identifiable body of theoretical knowledge which, although it may include areas of coII1I11on knowledge shared with psychology, is demonstrably different, in the aggregate, from the body of theoretical knowledge underlying psychology.(2) The group must regulate entrance into professional membership by means of standards of knowledge, training and proficiency generally accepted by the profession with which it identifies.(3) ) . The group’s activity must be guided by generally accepted quality standards, ethical principles and requirements for an independent profession.(4) The group must exhibit the ordinary accoutrements of a profession, which may include, but are not limited· to, professional journals, regional and national conferences, specific academic curriculand degrees, continuing education opportunities, regional and national certification and awards for outstanding practice within the profession.

More importantly, Section 1203(3) does not absolving these other licensed professionals from the prohibition against holding themselves out to the public by any title incorporating the words “psychological,” “psychologist” or “psychology” without first obtaining a license to practice psychology pursuant to the act.  The blanket advertising limitation set forth in section 1203 states:

It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the practice of psychology or to offer or attempt to do so or to hold himself out to the public by any title or description of services incorporating the words “psychological,” psychologist” or “psychology” unless he shall first have obtained a license pursuant to this act, except as hereinafter provided:

Pursuant to the Ethical Principal 4(b) of the board’s regulations, “only psychologists licensed by a state board of psychologists examiners may be listed under the heading of psychologists in the yellow pages of the telephone directory.” 49 Pa. Code § 41.61.

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