04/11/2006 03:00 PM House HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES

SB 177-PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WILSON announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
CS  FOR  SENATE  BILL  NO.  177(HES),  "An  Act  eliminating  the                                                               
prohibition  on  the use  by  certain  licensed professionals  of                                                               
titles  or descriptions  of services  that incorporate  the terms                                                               
'psychoanalysis,'        'psychoanalyst,'        'psychotherapy,'                                                               
'psychotherapeutic,' or 'psychotherapist.'"                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:50:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JASON  HOOLEY,   Staff  to  Senator  Fred   Dyson,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  presented  SB  177,  on behalf  of  Senator  Dyson,                                                               
paraphrasing  from the  sponsor statement  which read  as follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     AS   08.86.180   prohibits   professionals-except   for                                                                  
     licensed  psychologists  and clinical  social  workers-                                                                    
     from using certain terms to  describe their services or                                                                    
     their  titles.   These  terms   include:  "psychology,"                                                                    
     "psychological,"     "psychologist,"     "psychometry,"                                                                    
     "psychotherapy,"                   "psychotherapeutic,"                                                                    
     "psychotherapist,"         "psychoanalysis,"        and                                                                    
     "psychoanalyst." This statute was  written prior to the                                                                    
     licensure   of  professional   counselors  (LPCs)   and                                                                    
     marital  and   family  therapists  (LMFTs),   who  also                                                                    
     provide  these types  of  psychological services.  LPCs                                                                    
     and  LMFTs  constitute  a  large  portion  of  Alaska's                                                                    
     licensed mental health  professional workforce, and are                                                                    
     an even  larger percentage of professionals  working in                                                                    
     state funded community mental health centers.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     CS SB 177 (HES) was  composed with the collaboration of                                                                    
     the Alaska  Board of Licensed  Professional Counselors,                                                                    
     the Alaska Psychological  Association, the Alaska Board                                                                    
     of Psychologist and  Psychological Associate Examiners,                                                                    
     the  Alaska  Chapter  of the  National  Association  of                                                                    
     Social Workers, the Alaska Board  of Marital and Family                                                                    
     Therapists,  and  the  Alaska   Board  of  Social  Work                                                                    
     Examiners.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     SB  177  updates  these  statutes  to  reflect  current                                                                    
     practice and  training as well as  maintaining a degree                                                                    
     of  protection  to  the public.  The  language  affects                                                                    
     licensed clinical social  workers, licensed marital and                                                                    
     family    therapists,    and   licensed    professional                                                                    
     counselors   and  explicitly   allows  these   licensed                                                                    
     professionals to provide and bill for these services.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:53:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANNE HENRY, offered to answer questions on SB 177.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:53:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOHN MILLER, Ph.D., Psychologist;  Member, Board of Psychologists                                                               
and  Psychological  Examiners, stated  support  for  SB 177,  and                                                               
agreed with  Mr. Hooley's testimony.   He said that  the licensed                                                               
mental  health professionals  and groups,  which he  has been  in                                                               
contact with, also support this bill.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:54:12 p.m. to 3:54:44 p.m.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:54:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ANDERSON  moved to  report CSSB  177(HES), Version                                                               
24-LS0893\G,  out of  committee  with individual  recommendations                                                               
and the  accompanying fiscal  notes.   There being  no objection,                                                               
CSSB 177(HES),  Version G,  was reported  from the  House Health,                                                               
Education and Social Services Standing Committee.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:55p.m. to 3:56 p.m.