The Minnesota Board of Psychology (Board) appreciates the opportunity to respond to recent assertions by the Minnesota Psychological Association (MPA) President, Dr. Robin McLeod, Ph.D., LP on behalf of its Executive Committee.

 

The mission of the Board is to "protect the public through licensure, regulation, and education to promote access to safe, competent, and ethical psychological services." The Board's core values, responsibility, commonality of purpose, professionalism, integrity and communication drive Board vision, decision making, strategy, licensing, investigations, and educational programming executed by the Board through staff pursuant to the statutory authority granted in Minnesota Statutes, Sections 214 and in the Minnesota Psychology Practice Act, Minnesota Statutes, Section 148.88 to 148.98 and the administrative rules of Chapter 7200.

 

The Board's vision is to be "customer-centric." The commitment of resources to achieve this vision have vastly improved Board operations. The Board's connections with Minnesota citizens, provide a wealth of information the Board was not previously privy to. The information is the foundation of the Board's continuous improvement efforts, and informs the day to day decisions of the Board allowing it to meet both its vision and mission in a complex and ever-changing government environment.

 

A primary way the Board protects the public is through licensure and education. The Board has not changed any law or administrative rule related to the licensure of individuals engaged in either teaching or research in the State of Minnesota. The Board has not changed any law or administrative rule related to the requirements of postdoctoral supervised psychological employment as represented in the recent communications by MPA. The Board has not issued discipline or corrective action to any individual involved in teaching and research of psychology without a license.

 

These recent assertions do not represent how the Board executes its mission. Based upon the correspondence that was issued, the Board understands the concerns and is committed to providing additional information and to following up on any and all concerns. The Board is reviewing the recent assertions and actions of MPA and will proceed slowly and thoughtfully on licensure and all other related issues.

 

Individuals with specific concerns on this matter or any other Board related matter are encouraged to contact Angelina M. Barnes, Executive Director at: 612.548.2100 or Angelina.Barnes@state.mn.us so the Board can provide an accurate and timely response to your specific inquiry.