Protecting the Public and the Profession

"The National Register serves the public interest in efficiently disseminating information to the marketplace with respect to the training and experience of healthcare providers."1

The National Register's mission includes serving the public interest. Listed below are some of the ways we accomplish this self-imposed responsibility

1. Public Representation on the Board of Directors

The National Register (NR) was established in December 1974. In 1976, three public representatives became an integral part of the board of directors, making the NR the first and only, for twenty years, national psychology organization to require public representation on the policy-making and governing body. Today that commitment continues. Three of the eleven directors represent the public.

2. Actions by the Committee on Professional Practice and Ethics

In 1987, the National Register initiated the review of cases of misrepresentation or ethical violations. The Committee on Professional Practice and Ethics (COPPE) reviews disciplinary actions reported against psychologists credentialed as Health Service Providers in Psychology (Registrants) to determine which, if any, of the "Guidelines Concerning Withdrawal of the National Register Credential Due to Professional Conduct" have been violated. These "Guidelines" help protect the public and assist Registrants in complying with national and jurisdictional professional/ethical standards.

COPPE does not investigate complaints, other than in cases of potential misrepresentation in connection with application for the Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP) credential. COPPE relies on the state, provincial and territorial licensing boards and APA to investigate, adjudicate and report final actions to the National Register. The National Register maintains a comprehensive database of all final disciplinary actions.

3. Mandated Reporting by Registrants of Failure to Adhere to Ethical/Professional Standards

Since 1991 Registrants have been required to advise the National Register of any final disciplinary actions within 30 days, and through submission of an annual ethical attestation form as part of maintaining their credential. We have been pleased with the response by Registrants to voluntarily report even potential actions early in the adjudication process. Now, the American Board of Professional Psychology requires this attestation statement from their board certified specialists.

4. Public Notice on Deletion Actions Taken by the National Register

The final decision to discontinue a Registrant's HSPP credential is posted on the National Register web site (www.nationalregister.org/publicnotices.htm) for the length of the term of deletion (up to five years for permanent withdrawal). Citations include reference to (a) which sections of the Guidelines have been violated, (b) the period of time the Registrant must wait to apply for reinstatement of the HSP credential (if the period is less than 2 years) or to re-apply (if 2 years or more) and (c) a brief description of the action taken by the jurisdiction, which is the basis for the finding of the violation. No other national psychology credentialing organization posts its disciplinary actions for public inspection. To facilitate the public obtaining more information from the regulatory authority, the citation hyperlinks to the licensing board's web site, if available.

5. Verification of Disciplinary History

In addition to requiring the applicant to submit primary source documentation of education, training and licensing, the applicant attests to (a) adherence to ethical/professional conduct statutes, regulation and codes, (b) the absence of disciplinary action against ANY license to practice, and (c) the veracity of information provided in the application.

1 MacHovec v. Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, 616 F. Supp. 258, 272 (E.D. Va. 1985).