Laws and Rules: Psychology Act and Psychology Rules
What this domain tests
Laws and Rules tests the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act and the Illinois Administrative Code: scope of practice, title protection, exemptions, confidentiality, mandated reporting, and discipline.
Core rules
- Scope. Clinical psychology includes assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, and consultation for mental disorders.
- Title protection. Only a licensed clinical psychologist may use the title “clinical psychologist” or practice clinical psychology.
- Exemptions. The Act exempts certain persons, such as school psychologists working within their scope, students in supervised training, and federal employees. Exemptions are narrow.
- Confidentiality. The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act (MHDDCA) governs records; disclosure requires written consent or a statutory exception.
- Mandated reporting. Psychologists must report suspected child abuse or neglect under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act and elder abuse under the Elder Abuse and Neglect Act.
- Discipline. Grounds include unprofessional conduct, incompetence, fraud, breach of confidentiality, and practicing beyond scope.
Worked example
A licensed psychologist releases a client’s full record to the client’s employer after a phone request. The employer is not a permitted recipient, and no written consent was obtained. This violates the MHDDCA and is grounds for discipline, even if the psychologist thought the employer needed the information.
Traps
- Believing a school psychologist certificate permits private clinical practice.
- Disclosing records without the specific written consent required by the MHDDCA.
- Failing to report suspected abuse because the client is an adult.
- Practicing across state lines without checking Illinois licensure.