FL Psych Juris cheat sheet

Section 490.003 defines the practice of psychology as rendering services involving the application of principles, methods, and procedures of understanding, predicting, and influencing behavior for diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and amelioration of psychological problems and emotional and mental disorders.

The practice of psychology includes psychological testing and evaluation, counseling, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, hypnosis, biofeedback, and behavior analysis, whether rendered in person or by electronic means.

Section 490.005 sets doctoral-level licensure requirements: a doctorate in psychology from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association or an equivalent program, plus supervised experience and examination as set by board rule.

Section 490.0051 provides the limited license pathway for doctoral-level applicants completing postdoctoral supervised experience; the limited licensee must practice under supervision and may not hold out as a fully licensed psychologist.

Section 490.006 addresses licensure by endorsement, allowing the department to license applicants licensed in another jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements, subject to board rule and examination requirements.

Section 490.0085 requires continuing education for license renewal, with the specific hour counts, mandatory subject areas, and reporting cycle established by the board in Chapter 64B19.

Section 490.009 authorizes disciplinary action, including revocation, suspension, reprimand, probation, and fines, for grounds such as fraud in obtaining a license, incompetence, misconduct, and violation of board rules.

Section 490.012 requires psychologists to report to the department any person practicing psychology without a license, and provides confidentiality protections for the reporting psychologist.

Section 490.0141 governs the confidentiality of communications between psychologist and client, with exceptions including client waiver, court order, and mandatory reporting duties such as child abuse.

Rule 64B19-11 sets the supervised experience requirement: postdoctoral supervised experience hours, supervision ratios, supervisor qualifications, and documentation submitted on board forms.

Rule 64B19-13 addresses continuing education, specifying required hours per renewal cycle, mandatory coursework such as ethics and Florida laws and rules, and recordkeeping obligations.

Rule 64B19-17 governs disciplinary guidelines, providing the range of penalties the board prescribes for each statutory ground of discipline.

Rule 64B19-18 addresses the practice of psychology by electronic or telephonic means, including requirements for the psychologist to be licensed in Florida when the client is located in Florida.

Rule 64B19-19 covers the standards of practice, including recordkeeping requirements, informed consent, and the handling of client records upon termination of practice.

Rule 64B19-12 addresses licensure examinations, including the national examination and the Florida jurisprudence examination required for licensure.

Rule 64B19-16 addresses fees and licensure application procedures, including initial licensure, renewal, and reactivation of an inactive license.

Rule 64B19-13 also requires reporting of continuing education completion and allows the board to audit compliance; failure to comply can result in license suspension or a fine.

The board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor, including five licensed psychologists and two consumer members, as set by Chapter 490 and implemented in board rules.

Informed consent must be obtained before services, covering the nature of services, fees, confidentiality limits, and the client's right to withdraw; for minors, consent comes from a parent or legal guardian.

Multiple relationships that could impair objectivity or create risk of exploitation must be avoided; when a foreseeable conflict arises, the psychologist must resolve it in the client's best interest.

Confidentiality may be broken when required by law, such as mandatory reporting of child abuse, elder abuse, or when the client poses a serious danger to self or others.

Psychologists must maintain client records for the period required by Florida law and board rule, and must provide for the secure transfer or disposition of records when closing a practice.

Competence boundaries require psychologists to practice only within the scope of their training and experience, and to obtain consultation or refer when a case falls outside that scope.

Sexual intimacies with current clients, and with former clients within a defined period, are prohibited; Florida law also criminalizes certain sexual misconduct by therapists.

Test data and test security must be protected, and psychological tests must be administered, scored, and interpreted only by qualified persons.

Fee arrangements must be established early, and bartering is permitted only when it is not clinically contraindicated and not exploitative.

Psychologists must report unethical conduct of colleagues when it raises a serious question, after attempting informal resolution where appropriate.