Bacon, Dr. Frank S., president, Medical Society of the District of Columbia. Cummings, Dr. Jonathon W., president-elect, District of Columbia Hildreth, Mrs. June, legislative officer, American Psychological Association_ Legault, Dr. Oscar, Washington Psychiatric Society and Washington Levy, Dr. Bernard I., president, District of Columbia Psychological 30 Little, Dr. Kenneth B., executive officer, American Psychological 21 26 34 Magee, Warren, attorney Meltzer, Dr. Malcolm L., associate professor and director of the graduate Nardini, Dr. John E., president, Washington Psychiatric Society.. REPORTS American Medical Association___. 40 Federation of Citizens Associations_. APPENDIX "A Critical Look at Professional Education in the Mental Health Field," American Psychologist, April 1967. 65 "A Model for State Legislation Affecting the Practice of Psychology 1967," American Psychologist, December 1967 55 Arnold & Porter opinion letter.. Comments of District of Columbia Psychological Association: Answers to questions of Senator Spong.... Proposed section amendments__. "Ethical Standards of Psychologists," American Psychologist, May 1968. 85 "Medicine, Practice of: Practice of Psychotherapeutics," opinion of attorney general, State of Michigan.. Opinion of attorney general, State of California__ "Quackery Rising in Mental Health," by Sylvia Porter, Washington Evening Star, April 8, 1969__ (III) REGULATE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 1969 U.S. SENATE, PUBLIC HEALTH, EDUCATION, WELFARE, AND SAFETY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in room 6226, New Senate Office Building, Senator William B. Spong, Jr. (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senator Spong. Also present: John T. McEvoy, staff director; Jack W. Lewis, counsel; James S. Medill, minority counsel; and Edith B. Moore, assistant chief clerk. Senator SPONG. The subcommittee is meeting today to consider S. 1626, to regulate the practice of psychology in the District of Columbia. The bill would require persons who practice psychology or represent themselves as psychologists to be licensed and to have a doctoral degree plus 2 years of postgraduate experience. Unlicensed practice, except as provided in the bill, would be a misdemeanor subject to a $500 fine and/or 6 months in jail. While I will reserve judgment on the merits of this particular bill until the testmony is in, I think it is clear that some regulation of this profession is necessary to protect the public from unqualified practitioners and from outright quacks. Forty States, including Virginia and Maryland, have such laws, but in the District of Columbia, any person, regardless of training, may hang out his shingle and begin selling his services to the public. We are concerned here with the treatment of highly complex and delicate human problems which require great training and skill to deal with. The public needs the assurance that those offering this professional service are qualified to do so. Before we hear from our first witness, I will place in the record a copy of S. 1626 and the staff memorandum outlining its provisions. I submit also a letter from Mayor Walter Washington and a resolution of the Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia. (S. 1626, the staff memorandum, letter from Mayor Washington, a resolution of the Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia and attachments referred to follow :) 91ST CONGRESS 18T SESSION S. 1626 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 20, 1969 Mr. BIBLE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the District of Columbia A BILL To regulate the practice of psychology in the District of Columbia. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the "Practice 4 of Psychology Act." 5 SEC. 2. The practice of psychology in the District of 6 Columbia is hereby declared to affect the public health, 7 safety, and welfare, and to be subject to regulation and con8 trol in the public interest to protect the public from the 9 practice of psychology by unqualified persons and from 10 unprofessional conduct by persons licensed to practice 11 psychology. 2 (A) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the 3 District of Columbia. The Commissoner may delegate any 4 or all functions assigned to him by this Act to a Board of 5 Psychologist Examiners established by this Act. 6 (B) "Person" includes an association, partnership, or 7 corporation, as well as natural persons. 8 (C) "Accredited college or university" means any 9 college or university which, in the Commissioner's deter10 mination, offers either an acceptable full-time resident grad11 uate program of study in psychology leading to the doctoral 12 degree, or a comparable program. In making his deter13 mination concerning domestic educational institutions, the 14 Commissioner shall accredit those institutions included in 15 the listings of approved academic institutions published by 16 the United States Office of Education; in determining what 17 foreign educational institutions shall be accredited the Com18 missioner may take into account the published lists of recog19 nized accrediting agencies and professional associations. 20 21 (D) "The practice of psychology" means the rendering of or offering to render to the public for a fee, monetary or 22 otherwise, any service involving the application of estab 23 25 lished methods and principles of the science and profession of psychology. These principles and methods are concerned. with understanding, predicting, and changing behavior, and |