Description: Since the early 1990s, the prescriptive authority for psychologists (RxP) movement has been spreading across the United States and now, globally into countries such as South Africa, Taiwan, Brazil, Norway, and others. What started as a pilot project in the United States Department of Defense has become increasingly present in other federal systems, as well as in several state- and territory-level jurisdictions. RxP represents the potential to transform how psychologists interact with and treat their patients and begin a new paradigm in behavioral health at-large that truly works from a biopsychosocial model. In addition to the traditional and foundational psychological competencies of psychotherapy, psychological assessment, supervision, teaching, consultation, and management/administration, etc., RxP adds the ability to treat patients by prescribing or “un-prescribing” medication and ordering laboratory blood work and imaging studies. What has long been relegated to physicians and other “physical health” providers is now included in the education, training, and scope of practice of prescribing/medical psychologists in the jurisdictions in which they have the authority to practice. This presentation will provide a brief history and status update of the RxP movement, the common arguments for and against RxP, as well as outline the education and training involved in becoming a prescribing/medical psychologist.

CEs: 1.0 CE Available
Program Level: Introductory

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the history and current status of the RxP movement.
• Explain the various education and training requirements to become a prescribing/medical psychologist.
• Assess and critique the arguments for and against RxP.

Speaker: Derek C. Phillips, PsyD, MSCP, ABMP