                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

DEFINITIONS (§ 54.1-3600)

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
		&#8220;Applied psychologist&#8221; means an individual licensed to practice
applied psychology.
		&#8220;Board&#8221; means the Board of Psychology.
		&#8220;Certified sex offender treatment provider&#8221; means a person who is
certified to provide treatment to sex offenders and who provides such services
in accordance with the provisions of §§ 54.1-3005, 54.1-3505, 54.1-3611, and
54.1-3705 and the regulations promulgated pursuant to these provisions.
		&#8220;Clinical psychologist&#8221; means an individual licensed to practice
clinical psychology.
		&#8220;Practice of applied psychology&#8221; means application of the
principles and methods of psychology to improvement of organizational function,
personnel selection and evaluation, program planning and implementation,
individual motivation, development and behavioral adjustment, as well as
consultation on teaching and research.
		&#8220;Practice of clinical psychology&#8221; includes, but is not limited to:

1. &#8220;Testing and measuring&#8221; that consists of the psychological
evaluation or assessment of personal characteristics such as intelligence,
abilities, interests, aptitudes, achievements, motives, personality dynamics,
psychoeducational processes, neuropsychological functioning, or other
psychological attributes of individuals or groups.

2. &#8220;Diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders&#8221; that
consists of the appropriate diagnosis of mental disorders according to standards
of the profession and the ordering or providing of treatments according to need.
Treatment includes providing counseling, psychotherapy, marital/family therapy,
group therapy, behavior therapy, psychoanalysis, hypnosis, biofeedback, and
other psychological interventions with the objective of modification of
perception, adjustment, attitudes, feelings, values, self-concept, personality,
or personal goals, the treatment of alcoholism and substance abuse, the
treatment of disorders of habit or conduct, as well as of the psychological
aspects of physical illness, pain, injury, or disability.

3. &#8220;Psychological consulting&#8221; that consists of interpreting or
reporting on scientific theory or research in psychology, rendering expert
psychological or clinical psychological opinion or evaluation, or engaging in
applied psychological research, program or organizational development, or
administration, supervision, or evaluation of psychological services.
			&#8220;Practice of psychology&#8221; means the practice of applied
psychology, clinical psychology, or school psychology.
			The &#8220;practice of school psychology&#8221; means:

1. &#8220;Testing and measuring&#8221; that consists of psychological
assessment, evaluation, and diagnosis relative to the assessment of intellectual
ability, aptitudes, achievement, adjustment, motivation, personality, or any
other psychological attribute of persons as individuals or in groups that
directly relates to learning or behavioral problems that impact education.

2. &#8220;Counseling&#8221; that consists of professional advisement and
interpretive services with children or adults for amelioration or prevention of
problems that impact education. Counseling services relative to the practice of
school psychology include but are not limited to the procedures of verbal
interaction, interviewing, behavior modification, environmental manipulation,
and group processes.

3. &#8220;Consultation&#8221; that consists of educational or vocational
consultation or direct educational services to schools, agencies, organizations,
or individuals. Psychological consulting relative to the practice of school
psychology is directly related to learning problems and related adjustments.

4. Development of programs such as designing more efficient and psychologically
sound classroom situations and acting as a catalyst for teacher involvement in
adaptations and innovations.
			&#8220;Psychological practitioner&#8221; means a person licensed pursuant to
&#xA7; 54.1-3606.3 to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders by
providing counseling, psychotherapy, marital therapy, family therapy, group
therapy, or behavioral therapy and to provide an assessment and evaluation of an
individual&#8217;s intellectual or cognitive ability, emotional adjustment, or
personality, as related to the treatment of mental or emotional disorders.
			&#8220;Psychologist&#8221; means a person licensed to practice school,
applied, or clinical psychology.
			&#8220;School psychologist&#8221; means a person licensed by the Board of
Psychology to practice school psychology.

HISTORY: 1976, c. 608, § 54-936; 1987, cc. 522, 543; 1988, c. 765; 1994, c.
778; 1996, cc. 937, 980; 2004, c. 11; 2024, cc. 754, 761.