KEEP OUR LICENSING BOARD INDEPENDENT

Please keep TSBEP independent and not consolidated with the master's level mental health professionals.

Please keep TSBEP independent!

Please keep TSBEP independent!

In full support of keeping TSBEP independent

I am asking the Sunset Advisory Commission to keep the TSBEP independent.

Exclude TSBEP in HB 1501 proposed consolidation.

Please keep TSBEP independent and not consolidated with the master's level mental health professionals.

Please allow the specialized training and licensing of doctoral-level psychologists to remain rigorous and independent.

Please keep our efficient and cost effective Board independent!

Keep psychologists licensing boards independent!

TSBEP is an efficient and effective licensing board. Another layer of bureaucracy is unnecessary.

Please keep TSBEP independent!

I am opposed to item 4 of the Sunset Advisory Commission staff report. We urge the Sunset Advisory Commission to remove the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (TSBEP) from the proposed licensing board consolidation in [Senate Bill 611].

The independence of the TSBEP is critical to the protection of the citizens of Texas who will access mental health care. The advanced and specialized training of psychologists at the doctoral level insures that the public is receiving care provided by properly trained providers, and licensure by TSBEP upholds the standards of the profession to the benefit of the Texas public. I urge the continued independence of this board for the safe care of Texans for these reasons.

Please keep the TSBEP independent. It is in the best interest of not just our profession but the general public in need of our services.

Psychologists have doctoral level training and expertise, and should not be grouped with the predominantly master's level mental health professions. Please keep the TSBEP independent from the proposed BHEC.

TSBEP is a model Board. Adding another layer of bureaucracy and removing regulatory authority from our Board makes no sense and only costs Texans extra money. The Sunset bill would also decrease standards in our profession by removing the post-doc year. Plus, how would the public be served by the BHEC managing complaints. Psychology is so specialized that TSBEP has difficulty managing complaints about neuropsychology, for example. How could the BHEC with possibly only one licensed psychologist hope to process complaints and protect the public?

Dear Legislators, 1. Consolidations like this have been failures in other states. 2. Aggregating a doctoral level board with those having lower requirements for licensure is a disservice to your constituents and society in general. 3. Would a state board of physicians ever agree to be consolidated with a state board of physicians assistants? This proposal is doing that in the field of behavioral health. 4. TSBEP already operates with incredible efficiency that would be disrupted if consolidated.

As psychologists, our training, supervision, and clinical practice are distinct from those of other mental healthcare professionals. We are primarily doctoral level practitioners with advanced knowledge and expertise in diagnostic assessment, testing, and psychotherapy. Maintaining an independent licensing board is crucial to the integrity of our profession.

The TSBEP is currently an effective entity that has always served a vital function to the public. This function is to ensure that psychologists in Texas are appropriately trained in order to provide mental health services. Eliminating TSBEP would hurt the State of Texas, the people of Texas, and the field of psychology. In order to ensure that Texas continues to recruit and retain professionals and that these professionals are able to adequately serve/treat the people of Texas TSBEP must be retained.