Over
the years, claims have been made that diagnostic appraisals
are neither within the legal scopes of practice nor part
of the graduate education of LPCs and LMFTs. These false claims
have taken their economic toll despite our best efforts to
correct the record.
On
January 10, 2008, however, things began to change. This date
marks the official "review" by the Oregon
Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists
of a Coalition document/table, Scopes of Practice for
Licensed Professional Counselors and Licensed Marriage and
Family Therapists Under Oregon Statutes and Rules.
In
a letter dated January 11, 2008, the Board specifically referenced
this Scopes of Practice table, stating,
"...it
is the position of the Oregon
Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists (OBLPCT)
that the scope of practice for LPC's and LMFT's includes
the diagnosis and treament of personal problems,
conditions and other behavioral health issues."
[emphasis added]
This
table is the result of research by Art
Tolentino, Ph.D. Art was also crucial in communicating
his findings to the Board, and his efforts helped persuade
the Board to take this new position. Because
the Board's letter references the Scopes of Practice table,
both can be considered a single "statement" for
distribution.
Together,
the OBLPCT
Scopes of Practice and
Comparison
of Mental Health Providers
documents counter two common misperceptions about LPCs and
LMFTs. The first compiles existing Oregon statutes and rules
that allow scopes of practice comparable with that of LCSWs.
The second provides irrefutable evidence that our professional
training and competence matches or exceeds that of LCSWs and
LMHNPs.
When
printing out the combined letter and table, we suggest using
light yellow paper. Experience with the blue Comparison
of Mental Health Providers reveals
that colored paper can help legislators quickly locate (and
remember!) critical Coalition documents during committee hearings.
