Code of Massachusetts Regulations
251 CMR - BOARD OF REGISTRATION OF PSYCHOLOGISTS
Title 251 CMR 3.00 - Registration of Psychologists
Section 3.06 - Certification as a Health Service Provider (HSP)
Universal Citation: 251 MA Code of Regs 251.3
Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024
(1) All of the requirements of 251 CMR 3.06 must be satisfied in order to meet the health service provider certification requirements under M.G.L. c. 112, § 120.
(2) Eligibility for certification as "Health Service Provider" shall require the applicant to have completed a doctoral program which is sufficient to provide education in the practice of psychology, as defined in M.G.L. c. 112, § 118. Applicants from doctoral programs which do not meet this requirement shall be required to document the completion of a formal re-specialization program meeting Board approval, including supervised practica and course requirements in specialty areas, and meeting all course requirements outlined in 251 CMR 3.03(2)(i).
(3) The reference to "a site where health services in psychology are normally provided" in M.G.L. c. 112, § 118 shall mean that any training experience for which an applicant seeks credit under M.G.L. c. 112, § 118 must take place in a setting which provides health services and where clients usually seek health services.
(a) The setting must have the following characteristics in order to qualify the training experience for HSP certification. It must:
1. be a defined entity with programmatic coherence (e.g., clinic, hospital, school counseling center, department, division).
2. have a secure place for confidential records.
3. teach HIPAA regulations (in addition to FERPA, where relevant).
4. provide clinical supervision by qualified licensed professionals who are on-site. The supervisors should have the competencies described in 251 CMR 3.06(3)(b).
5. have a protocol covering emergencies, after-hours coverage, vacation periods, and extended breaks.
6. have a referral network for services that are not provided by the health service setting (e.g., medication).
7. For facilities in which research is a major component of their mission, the setting must have:
a. clients/patients who are not participating in research protocols;
b. other clinical service not part of the research protocols that are available to all clients/patients; and
c. a protocol for ensuring continuity of care for clients who withdraw from research projects.
(b) In cases where it is not clear whether the training setting qualifies as a health service setting as defined in 251 CMR 3.06(3)(a), the Board will make a decision based on the following considerations:
1. The extent to which the following competencies are taught:
a.
Psychological Assessment Skills. Comprehensive and integrated assessment from interviews, psychological testing, and direct observation. Includes selection of methods and instruments, systematic collection of data, and interpretation of the resulting data. Ability to communicate the results to the relevant audience(s) in a manner that is understandable and useful to them.
b.
Psychological Intervention Skills. Conducting psychotherapy based on knowledge of theory and research. Includes the whole range of psychotherapeutic intervention (e.g., family therapy, group therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, applied behavior analysis, psychoeducation). Includes case formulation, development of treatment plans, and implementation of treatment plans. In child settings, the trainee should have contact with a variety of different family members involved in the child's care.
c.
Consultation Skills. Includes knowledge of the roles of other professionals, including other health service professionals, and the ability to relate to them in a collegial fashion. Knowledge of the formal and informal organizational structure and the ability to apply that knowledge so that consultations can have maximal impact. Trainees should have significant exposure to other health care professionals.
d.
Evidence-based Practice. Integration of the best available research with clinical skill in all areas of functioning (i.e., psychological assessment, psychotherapeutic intervention, consultation). Application of knowledge from the classroom to clinical situations and problems.
e.
Relationship/Interpersonal Skills. Ability to form and maintain productive relationships with others. Productive relationships are respectful, supportive, professional, and ethical. Ability to understand the role of psychologists in the setting and to maintain appropriate professional boundaries. Ability to work collegially with other professionals and to form positive therapeutic alliances with clients/patients. Ability to work collaboratively with one's supervisor.
2. The extent to which the training involves providing services to a clientele of sufficient number and clinical diversity.
a. The extent to which the trainee is exposed to clients with psychopathology and a significant level of impairment.
b. The extent to which the trainee has the opportunity to work with a variety of clinical problems.
(4)
(a) The reference to "at least two years of full time supervised health service experience" in M.G.L. c. 112, § 120 shall mean not less than 3200 clock hours which have been completed within 60 consecutive calendar months, 800 clock hours of which were spent providing health services directly to clients. Each training experience for which an applicant seeks credit under 251 CMR 3.06 must be at least four months in duration and at least 16 hours per week.
(b) The reference to "supervised health service experience" in M.G.L. c. 112, § 118 shall mean that in each of the two years of supervised health service experience, at least half of the supervision must be provided by a licensed psychologist, and in each of the two years of supervised health service experience at least 25% of the applicant's hours must be in direct client contact with clients seeking assessment or treatment.
(5) The reference to "supervised health service experience" in M.G.L. c. 112, § 120 shall not include the following services: vocational guidance services; industrial or organizational consulting services; teaching; or conducting research. Client contact exclusively for research purposes shall not be admissible to meet this requirement.
(6) The reference to "health service training program" in M.G.L. c. 112, § 120 shall mean a pre doctoral internship program or a post doctoral training program which:
(a) was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association at the time such training was completed or offered by a department holding such pre doctoral accreditation; and
(b) meets the training experience requirements described in 251 CMR 3.06(4). Programs which are not accredited by the American Psychological Association must meet the following criteria:
1. The training must occur in an organized training program in contrast to on the job training. It must be designed to provide the trainee with a planned, programmed sequence of training experiences. The primary focus and purpose are assuring breadth and quality of training. Those seeking to utilize sites at which they were employed as staff members shall be responsible for demonstrating that their program met these criteria;
2. Said training program must have a clearly designated staff psychologist, or one who is clearly eligible for licensure in the opinion of the Board, who is responsible for the integrity and quality of the trainee's training;
3. Supervision must be provided by a staff member of the training agency who carries legal and clinical responsibility for the cases being supervised. At least half of the required supervision hours must be provided by one or more psychologists;
4. The program must provide training in a range of assessment and treatment interventions conducted directly with clients seeking health services;
5. At least 25% of a trainee's time must be in direct contact with clients seeking assessment or treatment (minimum 400 hours);
6. The training experience must include supervision at a minimum ratio of one hour of acceptable supervision per 16 hours of work involving weekly, formal, face to face, individual supervision with the specific intent of overseeing the health services directly rendered by the trainee.
7. The program must provide at least four additional hours per week in structured learning activities such as: case conferences involving a case in which the trainee was actively involved; seminars dealing with clinical issues; group supervision; or additional individual supervision. The program must also provided at least four hours (total) in structured learning activities on issues related to racial/ethnic bases of behavior with a focus on people of color. These requirements shall be prorated for part-time internships, provided the sum of the structured learning activities meets the four hour requirement.
8. The training must be at a post practicum level; and
9. The training experience (minimum 1600 hours) must be successfully completed within 24 months.
10. The training program must have two or more psychologists on the staff as supervisors, two of whom are licensed as psychologists by the relevant state board of examiners of psychologists; however, if the agency in which the training program is based has a professional mental health staff of five persons or less, and said staff includes at least one full time psychologist, then said training program will qualify if said staff includes either a physician who is a board certified in psychiatry or a licensed independent clinical social worker;
11. The training agency must have a minimum of two psychology interns at the internship level of training during an applicant's training period;
12. The trainee must have a title such as "intern", "resident", "fellow", "psychology trainee", or other designation which clearly indicates his or her training status; and
13. The training program must have a written statement or brochure which describes the goals and content of the training program, stating clear expectations for quantity and quality of intern's work and which is made available to prospective interns at or prior to the onset of the training program.
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