What is a Prescribing Psychologist?

“Clinical psychopharmacology is a professionally recognized specialty field within clinical psychology dedicated to the study and therapeutic use of psychotropic medication, in addition to traditional psychological interventions, for the treatment of mental disorders and promotion of overall patient health and well-being.” https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/clinical-psychopharmacology

Colorado RxP: https://www.coloradopsych.org/prescribing-psychologists-rxp

RxP Research

2022 CATO Briefing Paper: Expand Access to Mental Health Care Remove Barriers to Psychologists Prescribing Medications By Je f f r ey A. Singer https://www.apadivisions.org/division-55/about/prescription-briefing.pdf

Harvard Library: Comparing Psychopharmacological Prescriber Training Models via Examination of Content-Based Knowledge By Ryan R. Cooper https://www.apadivisions.org/division-55/about/comparing-psychopharmacological-prescriber-training-models.pdf

Curtis SE, Hoffmann S, O'Leary Sloan M. Prescriptive authority for psychologists: The next step. Psychol Serv. 2023 May;20(2):363-381. doi: 10.1037/ser0000667. Epub 2022 May 5. PMID: 35511569. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35511569/

RxP Timeline

  • March 19, 2024: Utah becomes the 7th state to enact prescriptive authority for specially trained psychologists.

  • March 3, 2023: Colorado becomes the 6th state to enact RxP. https://www.coloradopsych.org/prescribing-psychologists-rxp

  • 2019: APA adopts revised RxP Model Curriculum, Model Legislation, and Designation Criteria documents in February. Rules implementing RxP statutes in Iowa and Idaho are approved.

  • 2017: Idaho becomes the 5th state to enact RxP legislation with the signing of HB 212 into law on April 4.

  • 2016: Iowa passes legislation granting licensed psychologists who are trained in psychopharmacology with prescriptive authority.

  • June 25, 2014: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signs the prescriptive authority bill into law, authorizing licensed Illinois psychologists who have additional specialized training in psychopharmacology to prescribe certain medications for the treatment of mental health disorders. This makes Illinois the third state to grant prescriptive authority for properly trained psychologists.

  • 2010: On Feb. 24, the Oregon Legislature passes RxP legislation. The bill is subsequently vetoed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski on April 8.

  • 2007: The Hawaiian legislature passes an RxP bill. Unfortunately the bill was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Linda Lingle on July 10, 2007, and the legislature was unable to override the veto.

  • May 6, 2004: Louisiana’s Gov. Katherine Blanco signs the RxP bill into law, granting appropriately trained medical psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medications and emphasizing a collaborative relationship between prescribing psychologists and patients’ primary care physicians.

  • March 6, 2002: In New Mexico, Gov. Gary Johnson signs into law a bill that grants prescriptive authority to psychologists who have met certain educational and training requirements.

  • September 2000: The APA College of Professional Psychology’s Psychopharmacology Examination for Psychologists (PEP) becomes available for states and provinces to use in granting prescriptive authority to psychologists.

  • December 1999: The territory of Guam, overriding a gubernatorial veto, passes the Collaborative Practices Act, granting psychologists limited prescriptive authority.

  • June 1997: The fourth and final PDP class graduates. By the conclusion of the PDP, it has successfully trained 10 military psychologists to prescribe psychoactive medications.

  • August 1996: The APA Council of Representatives approves the Model Legislation for Prescriptive Authority and the Recommended Postdoctoral Training in Psychopharmacology for Prescription Privileges as APA policy.

  • August 1995: The APA Council of Representatives adopts a resolution on prescription privileges for appropriately trained psychologists. The resolution reaffirms that physical interventions are part of the practice of psychology and supports the APA seeking prescription privileges for psychologists.

  • 1991: The Department of Defense PDP begins training two Navy psychologists.

  • August 1989: APA staff joins the Department of Defense Blue Ribbon Panel to create the curricula for the Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project (PDP).

  • 1985: Hawaii Psychological Association introduces the first bill seeking to grant prescriptive authority for psychologists.

  • 1984: At the Hawaii Psychological Association Convention, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, challenges psychology to seek prescriptive authority (RxP) as a way to address the needs of underserved populations.