The state legislature has officially passed the legislation allowing appropriately trained psychologists to prescribe medication. We are now shifting our focus to the department of health to ensure the regulatory framework for implementation is drafted correctly.
March 18, 2024
Final supporters
Please take a moment to complete this petition to help increase access to behavioral health care in Tennessee. Access to behavioral health care in Tennessee is very limited, especially medication treatment. A recent Tennessee government report (Public Behavioral Health Workforce Workgroup: Strategies for Meeting the Need in our Communities, December 2021) noted that only 13.2% of the need for access to psychiatrists in Tennessee is being met – meaning patients are on long wait lists or not getting seen for care. Psychologists, with appropriate training (see below), have been providing this health care service for over 30 years! RxP is the abbreviation for psychologists prescribing medication. The Federal government and six other states (Louisiana, New Mexico, Illinois, Idaho, Iowa, and Colorado) allow psychologists to help care for patients by prescribing medication, in addition to other psychological care. Your voice will help bring this much needed care to Tennessee!
How did psychologists get involved in prescribing medication (RxP)? Beginning in 1991, the Department of Defense (DOD) created a program to train psychologists to prescribe medication for behavioral health problems. Following this initiative, civilian universities created post-doctoral graduate programs to train psychologists to do this. These programs, modeled after the DOD training, entail two years of study and a one year supervised clinical practicum prescribing medication. Graduates also have to pass a national examination in clinical psychopharmacology to practice. The graduates have a Masters degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology (MSCP), in addition to their doctoral degree. There are currently psychologists in Tennessee with this training who can help patients once a law is passed allowing them to provide this much needed service.
Updates
January 15, 2024
The current trajectory of this petition has captured the attention of several legislative offices. I am finalizing the briefing documents to present these findings to the chair of the House Health Committee.
Reached 100 supporters
January 15, 2024
39 Comments
The state of Tennessee has a significant deficit of qualified providers who can prescribe mental health medications. This results in our patients remaining mentally ill for prolonged periods of time because they cannot access care. Being able to prescribe limited amounts of psychotrophics will significantly improve care across the state.
I studied and presented a research paper advocating for prescription privileges during my doctoral program in 1990-1994 at TN STATE UNIVERSITY. I have always been in favor of this option to fill in the gaps for underserved psychiatric populations.
As a pediatric neuropsychologist working with a population of child and adolescents being served by primary care, I support the pursuit of expanding privileges to trained psychologists who are already working with these children and adolescents. Furthermore, as a neuropsychologist, our specialty is uniquely poised to be able to help fill the widening care gap given our extra training in neuroanatomy and neurologic conditions impacting brain developmnent.
Access to mental health providers with prescribing privileges is exceptionally limited in Tennessee, especially in rural areas. There are an increasing number of states that have experienced similar difficulties and added prescribing psychologists to better provide these needed services to their residents. It would be of great benefit to our state to pass legislation to enable psychologists with the requisite training to begin providing these desperately needed services.
Tennessee does not have enough psychiatrists. Most psychotropic medications are prescribed by physicians with little training in psychotropic medications. Appropriately trained psychologists would fix this problem.
More prescription rights for psychologists.
This is a no-brainer with plenty of established evidence and no downside.
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The state legislature has officially passed the legislation allowing appropriately trained psychologists to prescribe medication. We are now shifting our focus to the department of health to ensure the regulatory framework for implementation is drafted correctly.
March 18, 2024
Final supporters
Please take a moment to complete this petition to help increase access to behavioral health care in Tennessee. Access to behavioral health care in Tennessee is very limited, especially medication treatment. A recent Tennessee government report (Public Behavioral Health Workforce Workgroup: Strategies for Meeting the Need in our Communities, December 2021) noted that only 13.2% of the need for access to psychiatrists in Tennessee is being met – meaning patients are on long wait lists or not getting seen for care. Psychologists, with appropriate training (see below), have been providing this health care service for over 30 years! RxP is the abbreviation for psychologists prescribing medication. The Federal government and six other states (Louisiana, New Mexico, Illinois, Idaho, Iowa, and Colorado) allow psychologists to help care for patients by prescribing medication, in addition to other psychological care. Your voice will help bring this much needed care to Tennessee!
How did psychologists get involved in prescribing medication (RxP)? Beginning in 1991, the Department of Defense (DOD) created a program to train psychologists to prescribe medication for behavioral health problems. Following this initiative, civilian universities created post-doctoral graduate programs to train psychologists to do this. These programs, modeled after the DOD training, entail two years of study and a one year supervised clinical practicum prescribing medication. Graduates also have to pass a national examination in clinical psychopharmacology to practice. The graduates have a Masters degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology (MSCP), in addition to their doctoral degree. There are currently psychologists in Tennessee with this training who can help patients once a law is passed allowing them to provide this much needed service.
Updates
January 15, 2024
The current trajectory of this petition has captured the attention of several legislative offices. I am finalizing the briefing documents to present these findings to the chair of the House Health Committee.
Reached 100 supporters
January 15, 2024
39 Comments
I am a board certified neuropsychologist licensed in NJ and PA with PsyPact privileges. I strongly support prescription privileges for licensed doctoral level psychologist who have completed the MSCP, supervised experience in medication management and passed the PEP.
The state of Tennessee has a significant deficit of qualified providers who can prescribe mental health medications. This results in our patients remaining mentally ill for prolonged periods of time because they cannot access care. Being able to prescribe limited amounts of psychotrophics will significantly improve care across the state.
I studied and presented a research paper advocating for prescription privileges during my doctoral program in 1990-1994 at TN STATE UNIVERSITY. I have always been in favor of this option to fill in the gaps for underserved psychiatric populations.
As a pediatric neuropsychologist working with a population of child and adolescents being served by primary care, I support the pursuit of expanding privileges to trained psychologists who are already working with these children and adolescents. Furthermore, as a neuropsychologist, our specialty is uniquely poised to be able to help fill the widening care gap given our extra training in neuroanatomy and neurologic conditions impacting brain developmnent.
Access to mental health providers with prescribing privileges is exceptionally limited in Tennessee, especially in rural areas. There are an increasing number of states that have experienced similar difficulties and added prescribing psychologists to better provide these needed services to their residents. It would be of great benefit to our state to pass legislation to enable psychologists with the requisite training to begin providing these desperately needed services.
Tennessee does not have enough psychiatrists. Most psychotropic medications are prescribed by physicians with little training in psychotropic medications. Appropriately trained psychologists would fix this problem.
More prescription rights for psychologists.
This is a no-brainer with plenty of established evidence and no downside.
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I am a board certified neuropsychologist licensed in NJ and PA with PsyPact privileges. I strongly support prescription privileges for licensed doctoral level psychologist who have completed the MSCP, supervised experience in medication management and passed the PEP.