Vermont RxP Legislative Update
Presented by Rick Barnett, Psy.D., MSCP, LADC
Recorded on Thursday, March 14th, 2024
Access provided upon registration on “My Courses” page
Vermont has some of the highest suicide rates in the country as well as some of the highest drug overdose deaths in the country despite ranking as having good access to care and low prevalence of mental health conditions in adults and youth. The problem is that most mental health care takes place in primary care settings with poor access to psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners. Since 2017, Vermont has been working to pass prescriptive authority legislation for advance trained psychologist-doctorates.
Dr. Rick Barnett has been working with legislators, lobbyists, and other key stakeholders for the past 8 years to pass this legislation. Most recently, Dr. Barnett has worked with the Office of Professional Regulation using their newly enacted Sunrise Review Process. Dr. Barnett with discuss the history of RxP efforts in Vermont and provide an update on where things are currently, as well as the unique challenges for this small state in passing this kind of legislation. Recommendations for improved RxP legislative actions will be provided.
When attended in full, this program offers 1.0 APA CEs for Psychologists.
Vermont has some of the highest suicide rates in the country as well as some of the highest drug overdose deaths in the country despite ranking as having good access to care and low prevalence of mental health conditions in adults and youth. The problem is that most mental health care takes place in primary care settings with poor access to psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners. Since 2017, Vermont has been working to pass prescriptive authority legislation for advance trained psychologist-doctorates.
Dr. Rick Barnett has been working with legislators, lobbyists, and other key stakeholders for the past 8 years to pass this legislation. Most recently, Dr. Barnett has worked with the Office of Professional Regulation using their newly enacted Sunrise Review Process. Dr. Barnett with discuss the history of RxP efforts in Vermont and provide an update on where things are currently, as well as the unique challenges for this small state in passing this kind of legislation. Recommendations for improved RxP legislative actions will be provided.
After attending this intermediate-level program, participants will be able to:
1. Describe two unique aspects of legislative efforts for RxP in Vermont.
2. List two changes made to Vermont’s RxP bills over the years in order to gain greater support.
This program meets APA’s continuing education STANDARD 1.2: Program content focuses on ethical, legal, statutory or regulatory policies, guidelines, and standards that influence psychological practice, education, or research.
This program meets APA’s continuing education GOAL 1: Program is relevant to psychological practice, education, and/or science.
Rick Barnett, Psy.D., MSCP, LADC; Carter Inc.
Dr. Rick Barnett, Psy.D., LADC, is a clinical psychologist and addiction specialist. Dr. Barnett holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Columbia University, a Doctorate and Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology. He is a licensed alcohol and drug counselor and has been trained in problematic sexual behavior (PSB-S) and gambling disorder. In 2020-2021, Dr. Barnett completed the yearlong Certificate Program for Psychedelic Therapy and Research through the California Institute for Integral Studies. He also completed Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy training with Polaris Insight Center and the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI) in 2021.
Dr. Barnett founded the non-profit organization CARTER, Inc. in 2015 to expand addiction-related resources in Vermont. He is Legislative Chair and a Past-President of the Vermont Psychological Association. In 2020 he served as President of the Society for Prescribing Psychologists (Division 55) of the APA. Rick maintains a private practice in Stowe, VT. He is an active advocate for mental health and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery.
American Psychological Association. (2019, February). Designation criteria for education and training programs in psychopharmacology for prescriptive authority. https://www.apa.org/education/grad/rxp-designation-criteria.pdf
Gordon, J. A. (2020). Addressing disparities: Advancing mental health care for all Americans. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/messages/2020/addressing-disparities-advancing-mental-health-care-for-all-americans.shtml
Linda, W. P., & McGrath, R. E. (2017). The current status of prescribing psychologists: Practice patterns and medical professional evaluations. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 48(1), 38-45.
https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000118
Muse, M., & McGrath, R. E. (2010). Training comparison among three professions prescribing psychoactive medications: Psychiatric nurse practitioners, physicians, and pharmacologically trained psychologists. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66(1), 96–103.
Sammons, M. (2019). What does the collapse of Argosy University tell us about the state of graduate education in psychology? National Register of Health Service Psychology. https://www.nationalregister.org/eo-desk-mar-2019/
Target Audience: Psychologists and psychology students.
Psychologists. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 1.0 continuing education credits. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is also committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods.
Non Psychologists. Most licensing boards accept Continuing Education Credits sponsored by the American Psychological Association but non-psychologists are recommended to consult with their specific state-licensing board to ensure that APA-sponsored CE is acceptable.
*Participants must attend 100% of the program in order to obtain a Certificate of Attendance.
If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to [email protected]. There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.