California Psychological Association

The Government Affairs Department at CPA is responsible for protecting and advancing legislation related to the practice of Psychology. This department houses the lobbying efforts of the Association. The Advocacy staff member reviews approximately 2,500 pieces of legislation annually, seeks input from our Local Advocacy Network representatives, and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding CPAs position on bills of interest. The Local Advocacy Network Representatives share this with their constituencies, and we share with the broader psychological community. CPA staff write letters of support/opposition/neutrality and testify in legislative committees on relevant bills. In 2022, CPA sponsored two bills, both of which were signed by the Governor. The first bill permanently codified the remote supervision of psychological trainees that began during the pandemic. CPAs second bill adds a formal registration category of psychological testing technicians within the law that are similar to in other states psychometrists. These professionals would be registered under the Board of Psychology and could only practice under the direct supervision of a licensed psychologist. These professionals, requiring at least a bachelors degree in psychology or related field and an additional 80 hours of training and education, would be the first service extenders for our professionals in California.Leading a coalition of other licensed behavioral health professionals, including marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, clinical counselors, and psychiatrists, CPA was successful in including more than $450 million in the budget to be directed towards expanding behavioral health services for youth and developing the next generation of psychologists.

Continuing Education Program CPA has developed over the year a robust Continuing Education (CE) program for all California Psychologists, including non-CPA members. To keep their licenses valid, Psychologists must maintain a curriculum of continued education about their profession and earn CE credits by attending the various courses available from many organizations, including CPA. There have been workshops conducted in various parts of California, but more recently the internet is the more cost-effective vehicle for providing training for both the provider and the attendees. CPA provides a month webinar and some of the CPA Divisions conduct their own training via our facilities. Specialists in various fields of psychology are used to do the presentations. For all of the CE courses, there were over 2,200 attendees in 2022.

The Professional Affairs Department at CPA is responsible for providing professional practice consultations and resources to CPA members. This year, the departments director provided over 600 professional practice consultations (phone and email). To keep association members informed about key issues, such as new laws affecting psychologists, the director sent seven email alerts to members. She also maintained and updated the Practice Tools and Information webpage on the CPA website with information on topics such as licensure, laws and regulations, practice guidelines, confidentiality, ethics, risk management, child abuse reporting, billing and coding, recordkeeping, and telepsychology. The director also presented webinars on Trending Topics in Professional Practice: Changes in Telehealth, Continuing Education, and More and The New Continuing Professional Development Regulations.The departments director represented CPA at four meetings of the California Board of Psychology, several subcommittee meetings of the California Board of Psychology, and at the American Psychological Association practice leadership conference. The director supported CPA legislative advocacy efforts, mainly by providing analyses of relevant laws and regulations.