The Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists is the state agency responsible for overseeing the practice of psychology in Georgia. This is the agency that reviews credentials and administers examinations to individuals applying for license to practice psychology in Georgia. This agency also handles consumer complaints against individual psychologists, and conducts disciplinary hearings to determine whether a psychologist has acted contrary to practice regulations for psychology in the state.
Georgia State Board of Examiners of Psychologists
237 Coliseum Drive
Macon, GA 31217-3858
(912) 207-1678
Email the Georgia State Board
http://www.sos.state.ga.us/acrobat/PLB/ ... apt510.pdf (10) 10. Therapy.
(a) 10.01 Informed Consent to Therapy.
1. (a) When obtaining informed consent to therapy as required in Standard 3.10, Informed Consent, psychologists inform clients/patients as early as is feasible in the therapeutic relationship about the nature and anticipated course of therapy, fees, involvement of third parties, and limits of confidentiality and provide sufficient opportunity for the client/patient to ask questions and receive answers. (See also Standards 4.02, Discussing the Limits of Confidentiality, and 6.04, Fees and Financial Arrangements.)
2. (b) When obtaining informed consent for treatment for which generally recognized techniques and procedures have not been established, psychologists inform their clients/patients of the developing nature of the treatment, the potential risks involved, alternative treatments that may be available, and the voluntary nature of their participation. (See also Standards 2.01e, Boundaries of Competence, and 3.10, Informed
Consent.)
3. (c) When the therapist is a trainee and the legal responsibility for the treatment provided resides with the supervisor, the client/patient, as part of the informed consent procedure, is
informed that the therapist is in training and is being supervised and is given the name of the supervisor.(7) Supervisee. Supervisees are individuals who are
not authorized or licensed to practice psychology independently and who function under the extended authority of the psychologist, the internship/SWE supervisor or secondary supervisor in the provision of psychological services. Supervisees are individuals who are either: (a) employees of the supervisor, (b) employed by the supervisor?s employer, or (c) in training.
(
Supervisor. Supervisors are psychologists who have responsibility for the professional activities of individuals who are supervisees.
Associates: L.A.P.C., L.A.F.M.T. or L.M.S.W.s
(3) Delegation to and Supervision of Supervisees of Psychological Services.
(a) Psychologists shall not delegate professional responsibilities to a person who is not qualified to provide such services.
Psychologists delegate to supervisees, with the appropriate level of supervision, only those responsibilities that such persons can reasonably be expected to perform competently and ethically based on the supervisee's education, training, and experience.(b) Psychologists shall not delegate responsibilities or accept supervisory responsibilities for work which they are not qualified and personally competent to perform.
Psychologists must retain full, complete, and ultimate authority and responsibility for the professional acts of supervisees.(c)
The supervisee must have appropriate education and training, including training in ethical issues, to perform the delegated functions. The psychologist is responsible for determining the competency of the supervisee and will not assign or allow the supervisee to undertake tasks beyond the scope of the supervisee's training and/or competency. The psychologist is also responsible for providing the supervisee with specific instructions regarding the limits of his/her role as supervisee.
(d)
The supervisee must fully inform the patient or client receiving services of his or her role as supervisee and the right of the patient or client to confer with the supervising psychologist with regard to any aspect of the services, care, treatment, evaluation, or tests being performed.
(e) When
clinical psychological services are rendered, the psychologist must take part in the intake process, must personally make the diagnosis when a diagnosis is required, and must personally approve and co-sign a treatment plan for each patient or client. The psychologist must meet personally with the supervisee on a continuous and regular basis concerning each patient or client and must review the treatment record, including progress notes, on a regular basis as appropriate to the task(s). The psychologist must provide a minimum of one hour of supervision for every 20 hours of face-to-face clinical contact. The
psychologist shall not take primary supervisory responsibility for more than three supervisees engaged in psychological services concurrently without Board approval.(f) The selection and interpretation of psychological tests shall only be made by the psychologist.
The psychologist must personally interview the patient when a diagnosis is made or is requested. In any written report, including psychological evaluations, the psychologist must approve and sign the report. When the supervisee does not participate in the actual writing of a report, but does administer and/or score psychological tests, the supervisee is not required to sign the report, but his or her name must be listed as the person who participated in the collection of the data in the report. When the supervisee personally participates in the writing of any report, then both the psychologist and the supervisee must sign the report.
(g) When the delegation and supervision of psychological services is being conducted
for training purposes towards licensure, psychologists must comply with the Rules regarding internships, fellowships and/or postdoctoral supervised work experience.Authority O.C.G.A. Secs. 43-1-19, 43-1-25, 43-39-5, 43-39-13. History. Original Rule entitled "Welfare of Clients and Other Professional Relationships? adopted. F. July 27, 1994; eff. Aug 16, 1994.
Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Mar. 18, 2004; eff. Apr. 7, 2004.
Are any of the PG counselors Interns?,
(3) Supervision Requirements for Predoctoral Practicum.
(a)
Supervisors of doctoral practicum students must hold a current psychology license that is in good standing in the state in which the training is taking place.
510-2-.05 Internship and Postdoctoral Supervised Work Experience.
(1) Requirements. In order to satisfy the experience requirement for licensure the applicant must have completed an internship or residency and a postdoctoral supervised work experience (SWE).
(b) An Internship (or Residency) is an organized, coherent set of training experiences in the specialty/concentration area of the practice of psychology (i.e., clinical, counseling, school, mental retardation/ developmental disability or industrial/organizational psychology) that are characterized by greater depth, breadth, duration, frequency, and
intensity than practicum training and is either APA accredited or meets the equivalency criteria set by the Board.
(e) A Postdoctoral Supervised Work Experience (SWE) is 1500 hours of individually supervised experience following the internship and the completion of the doctoral degree.
(f) An Internship or Postdoctoral Supervisor (internship/SWE Supervisor) is a person who oversees an internship or SWE and who meets one of the criteria outlined below.
1. The internship/SWE Supervisor who is a psychologist must meet the following requirements:
(i) Current licensure by the Georgia Board of Examiners of Psychologists or current licensure by a psychology board in another jurisdiction whose standards are not lower than those of Georgia; and
(ii) Three years of practice as a licensed psychologist prior to the inception of the supervision. Practice under a temporary or provisional license does not accrue toward the three year period.
(g) A Secondary Supervisor is a person who oversees no more than 20% of an internship or SWE. For interns, the secondary supervisor must be affiliated with an internship program. All secondary supervisors must meet the following requirements:
1. Current licensure by the State of Georgia or by a licensing board in another jurisdiction in Psychology, Medicine (Psychiatry, Neurology, or other relevant medical field), Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy or Professional Counseling;
2. Three years of practice as a licensed professional in Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurology (or other relevant medical field), Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy or Professional Counseling; and
3. Pre-approval (in writing) by the primary internship/SWE supervisor.
(a) Supervisory relationships are governed by the Code of Ethics in Chapter 510-4. The internship/SWE supervisor may not be an employee of an agency which is headed by the supervisee, nor be employed by an entity in which the supervisee has an interest.
(b) The internship/SWE supervisor shall not take primary supervisory responsibility for
more than three interns or fellows concurrently without Board approval.
(c) The internship/SWE supervisor shall:
1. co-sign all written reports of interns or unlicensed fellows;
2.
co-sign insurance claims with the intern or unlicensed fellow;
3. assure that claims to third-party payers clearly reflect who rendered the service;
4. assure that the intern or fellow:
(i)
informs clients/patients of the supervisor-intern/fellow relationships; and
(ii)
informs clients/patients that they may confer with the internship or postdoctoral supervisor about any aspect of the services provided.(viii) At least 80% of the internship supervision must be provided by one or more licensed psychologists. Final evaluations by supervisors must indicate satisfactory completion of the internship.
(ix) The intern
must use a title which identifies a trainee status, i.e., "intern", or "resident".