Why NCPA Opposes SB 171
- SBI 171 does NOT differentiate doctoral-level psychologists from master’s-level practitioners.
- SB 171 does NOT distinguish between master’s level practitioners who are practicing independently or under supervision.
- SB 171 does NOT propose a scope of practice for master’s level that reflects their education, training, experience, and supervision.
- SB 171 does NOT incorporate the American Psychological Association’s education and training standards for accreditation for master’s psychology programs.
- SB 171 does NOT address future MA-level practitioners and as such will create a situation where NC is out of step with other jurisdictions in the US and other North American stakeholders.
SB 171 does NOT bring NC into harmony with other states which would limit professional mobility and interstate practice opportunities for master’s-level practitioners.
Myths vs. Facts of SB 171
MYTH: SB171 will greatly increase access to mental health care, particularly improving access to therapy, assessments and getting patients out of Emergency Rooms more quickly.
FACT: SB 171 will NOT immediately provide even one more master’s-level psychologist in NC. SB 171 will NOT create new Licensed Psychological Associates (LPAs) and will NOT increase the mental health work force. LPAs are a minority of licensed psychologists compared to doctoral level psychologists. There are 3,309 Licensed Psychologists and 980 LPAs according to the February 2025 NC Psychology Board Register. Of note, in June 2024, there were 1,050 LPAs; a decline of 70 (or 7%) of LPAs in NC over less than 1 year.
MYTH: SB171 will immediately allow master’s level psychologists to participate on more insurance panels.
FACT: SB 171 will NOT immediately guarantee that Licensed Psychological Associates (LPAs) can be added to insurance panels. All mental health providers must take affirmative steps to become a provider with private and public insurance panels. There are no guarantees that independent practice for LPAs will have any impact on insurers’ decisions about who to impanel.
MYTH: SB 171 is part of a “turf war” between doctoral-level psychologists and master’s-level psychologists.
FACTS:
- The NC Psychological Association surveyed its members and 67% supported independent practice for master’s-level psychologists with sufficient experience, appropriate training, and a slightly limited scope of practice.
- It is common practice for many professions to have different tiers of professionals based on their education and training. Psychology is no different.
- Clinical education and training for doctoral-level practitioners is more rigorous in terms of depth and breadth of education and training. Doctoral level training is based on a scientist-practitioner model, which plays a significant role in providing direct evidence based mental health care.
- Pretending that there is no distinction between doctoral level and master’s level providers is disingenuous, inaccurate, and denigrates the field.
MYTH: There is no need to limit the scope of practice of independent master’s level psychologists because they have practiced safely since 1967.
FACT: It is generally accepted that a doctoral degree in psychology combined with a concentration specialty, a postdoctoral fellowship, state licensure, and potential board certification is typically required to safely and ethically practice in certain high-stake fields of psychology. It cannot be overstated that public safety and protection requires areas of high-stakes practice, like forensics, neuropsychology, fitness for duty evaluations for airline pilots, law enforcement officers, healthcare providers, etc., and pre-surgical evaluations, for North Carolinians require post-doctoral training and must remain outside the scope of practice for independent master’s level psychologists.
MYTH: Master’s level practitioners can safely and successfully administer and interpret neuropsychological assessment instruments and provide competent neuropsychological evaluations.
FACTS:
- Clinical neuropsychology is a specialty formally recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA).
- Education and training guidelines were first established in 1997.
- These guidelines clearly establish that the education and training of clinical neuropsychologists should:
- Begin with doctoral education and should continue through internship and residency programs;
- doctoral-level coursework study of brain-behavior relationships (e.g., neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, etc.), and courses related to the practice of clinical neuropsychology (e.g., specialized assessment techniques and interpretation; specialized intervention techniques).
- By this widely accepted standard, current master’s level practitioners are not qualified to perform neuropsychological evaluations.