Arizona Board
of Psychologist
Examiners
Miki Paul, Ph.D., Chairperson
Gary D. Lovejoy, Ph.D., Vice-Chairperson
Maryann Santos de Barona, Ph.D., Secretary
Melissa Del-Colle
Joseph C. Donaldson
Cheryl L. Karp, Ph.D.
Ramona N. Mellott, Ph.D.
Fred Wiggins, Ph.D.

Staff

Board’s Mission
To protect the health, safety and welfare of Arizona
citizens by regulating the practice of psychology.

Board Members
The composition of the State of Arizona Board of
Psychologist Examiners includes six licensed
psychologist members and three public members
who do not have a substantial business interest in
the health care industry. At least two of the six
licensed psychologists must be full-time faculty
members from the state universities and at least
three must be in professional practice. All Board
members are appointed by the Governor of the
State of Arizona and confirmed by the State Senate.
Members serve an initial five-year term or they can
be appointed to fill an unexpired term of a previous
member.

Board Function
Maxine McCarthy, Executive Director
Marcus E. Harvey, Deputy Director
Vicki Fox, Investigator
Shari S. Courtnay, Administrative Assistant

Address
1400 W. Washington Street, Suite 235
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 542-8162
Fax: (602) 542-8279
E-Mail: info@psychboard.az.gov
Web Address: www.psychboard.az.gov

Alternate Format
Individuals with disabilities who require
this information in an alternate format may
contact the Board’s Office at (602) 5428162.
This pamphlet may not be reproduced
without the permission of the Board of
Psychologist Examiners.
S: Boilerplate forms/Consumer Information Guide (01/07)

The function of the Board is to regulate and monitor
the practice of psychology on behalf of the citizens
of Arizona. The Board has two major areas of
regulatory authority.
First, the Board licenses
individuals to practice psychology in the State of
Arizona.
Second, the Board investigates and
adjudicates allegations of unprofessional conduct
filed against psychologists licensed in the State of
Arizona.

Board Meetings
The Board meets on the first Friday (and Saturday if
necessary) of every other month in February, April,
June, August, October, and December. These
meetings are open to the public and usually begin at
8:30 a.m. Even if the Board’s agenda items do not
involve you personally, you may still attend and
listen to the meeting. The Board sets aside time to
hear comments from public.

Complaint Screening Committee
The Complaint Screening Committee (CSC) meets
monthly at various times to provide the initial review
of complaints. Like the Board meetings, CSC
meetings are open to the public.

Board Office
The Board office is staffed Monday through Friday,

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except on state holidays.
The staff consists of four full-time employees,
including the Executive Director, whose major
responsibility is to carry out the Board’s decisions
and directives. A Deputy Director, an Investigator,
and an Administrative Assistant make up the rest of
the staff.

Licensing
The Board issues licenses to individuals who have a
doctoral degree in applied psychology, supervised
training in psychology and who have passed the
national examination. Licenses must be renewed
every two years.

Complaints
An individual, who believes that a psychologist has
committed an act of unprofessional conduct, may
submit a Request for Investigation form. The Board
recommends that a Request for Investigation not be
submitted until ALL supporting documentation has
been assembled so that the entire packet can be
submitted at one time. This will avoid delays in the
investigation process. The Board’s jurisdiction over
a psychologist is limited to certain enumerated acts
or omissions listed in its statutes and rules.
The Board’s Investigative process is as follows:
When a Request for Investigation regarding a
licensee of this Board is received by the Board
office, the complainant will promptly receive a letter
acknowledging receipt of the investigation request.
The letter will explain the Board’s investigation
process. The Request for Investigation and all
supporting documentation will be sent to the
psychologist along with a letter requesting that the
psychologist respond to the allegations in writing.
The psychologist’s response, pursuant to
statute, is confidential and will not be provided
to the complainant. The Board’s Investigator may
be contacted at any time to check on the status of
the investigation.
All investigative materials are reviewed by the
Board’s Investigator who will then contact the
psychologist, the complainant and others to obtain
additional information or to clarify specific issues.
Once the investigation is complete, the Investigator
writes a report and provides the report and the
investigative materials to the Complaint Screening
Committee (CSC) at a regularly scheduled meeting.
This is the “initial review” of the case and is not a

hearing. Please note that witness testimony is not
taken unless the case proceeds to a Formal
Hearing. Each time that a case appears on the
CSC’s or the Board’s agenda, the complainant, and
the licensee (or their representative), who are
present at a meeting, may address the Committee
or the Board regarding the case. Presentations are
limited to five minutes. An audio recording of the
CSC’s or Board’s discussion of the case may be
purchased for a charge of $10.00 per CD. Copies
of Minutes may also be purchased at 25¢ per page;
however, the Minutes do not contain the details of
the audio recordings.
After the CSC’s initial review, the CSC can vote to
dismiss the case if it determines that the complaint
is without merit, or refer the case to the full Board
for further review and action.
Cases referred to the full Board may result in
dismissal, issuance of a non-disciplinary Letter of
Concern, issuance of a Decree of Censure, a
Consent Agreement between the licensee and the
Board, a fixed period and terms of probation, or the
scheduling of an Informal Interview or a Formal
Hearing.
The complainant and the licensee will be notified in
writing of the CSC’s or the Board’s decision.
According to Board rules, only a “party” may file a
Motion for a Rehearing or Review of a Board
decision. A “party” means the Board, an applicant,
or a licensee and does not include the complainant
(the person who requested the investigation).

Public Information
When choosing a psychologist, you may check the
psychologist’s background and history by calling the
Board office at (602) 542-8162. Please note that
the Board office does not give referrals or
recommendations as to which psychologist to
choose; that is your decision.
The Board staff will confirm that a psychologist is
currently licensed and where he or she is currently
practicing. The staff can also tell you over the
phone whether the psychologist’s license is in good
standing and whether any disciplinary action has
been taken against his or her license. Cases
dismissed by the CSC cannot be disclosed in
response to a telephone inquiry and are not placed
on the Board’s website. You may purchase copies

of all or a pertinent portion of the psychologist’s
licensing file and public portions of any disciplinary
files as well as Board minutes and audio recordings
of Board proceedings. The charge per audio
recording is $10.00 (available by CD or e-mail file)
and there is a copying charge of 25¢ per page for
printed documents.
The Board maintains two types of public records
regarding psychologists that you may review and/or
purchase.
The first is the licensing file.
A
psychologist’s licensing file contains documents
such as his or her application for licensure and
biennial applications for license renewal.
The second type of public record is the complaint
file, if any.
According to Arizona statutes,
documents associated with an investigation are
confidential. However, you may review and/or
purchase certain public documents from the
complaint file such as dismissal letters, letters of
concern, Board disciplinary orders, minutes and any
audio recordings of CSC or Board meetings that are
still available (Audio recordings of Board and CSC
meetings are kept for 6 months.)
It is best to call ahead to arrange for a mutually
convenient time to review a psychologist’s file. The
staff will prepare the public file before you arrive and
arrange for a comfortable place for you to read the
file. You may request a copy of the file at a cost of
25¢ per page. You may download a Public Records
Request
form
at
the
Board’s
website,
www.psychboard.az.gov, or put your request in
writing and fax or mail it to the Board office. The
Board will contact you when your copies are ready
and will inform you of the charge. At no time may
an original file leave the Board office.
If you have any questions regarding the Board’s
functions, please contact the Board office at (602)
542-8162.

Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners
Citizens have the right to file a complaint about an
administrative act of a state agency with the office of
the Ombudsman-Citizens’ Aide. This office may be
of assis tance in resolving a complaint against a
state agency. To contact the Ombudsman-Citizens’
Aide, call: Phoenix: (602) 277-7292;
Statewide toll-free: 1-800-872-2879.

Arizona Board of
Psychologist Examiners

Consumer
Information
Guide
Protecting the health, safety
and welfare of the Arizona
citizens by regulating the
psychology profession.

www.psychboard.az.gov