How This May Affect You:

If this bill passes, these are some of the ways that it may affect you:

1. Your right to choose will be violated. Legislators have a responsibility to the public to help them maintain their right to choose.

2. The wide spectrum of training and techniques employed by many different types of psychotherapists will be limited to only what licensed providers offer, thus excluding many valuable and innovative alternatives.

3. Consumers want access to the care they are most comfortable with. Their present choice between licensed and unlicensed providers will be eliminated. The many consumers who prefer alternative treatments for their mental health issues will no longer have that option.

4. This bill will put many earnest, conscientious, experienced, well trained, and helpful psychotherapists out of business.

5. At a time when our health care system is in crisis and the public's need for mental health services is growing to the point where it can take weeks for someone in serious trouble to get an appointment and some people can't get help at all, the number of available providers will be reduced.

6. The public can be protected from fraudulent providers (both licensed and unlicensed) by means other than this bill. For example, the state of can require a central registry of licensed and unlicensed providers that is available for consumers, which could list provider credentials, areas of expertise and any past disciplinary actions taken. This would allow consumers to make informed decisions when hiring a psychotherapist.