Other Health Care Licenses >  Psychologist License Defense

Ray & Bishop, PLC, defends psychologists from accusations filed by the California Board of Psychology, appeals the denial of psychology licenses, represents psychologists in Board of Psychology investigations, and guides psychologists through the disclosure of adverse events on psychologist license renewals and applications.

A California psychologist is licensed by the California Board of Psychology, a branch of the Department of Consumer Affairs. The California Board of Psychology oversees the licensing, monitoring, regulating, and disciplining of psychologists, registered psychologists, and psychological assistants. The Psychology Board’s Enforcement Program investigates criminal and administrative violations, which, if established, could lead to criminal or administrative prosecution.

When a psychologist is faced with allegations of misconduct, the Board of Psychology may decide to launch an investigation into the actions of the licensee. The investigation is conducted by the Board of Psychology’s Enforcement Program, a branch of the Psychology Board responsible for performing investigations of criminal and administrative violations. If you are faced with an investigation imposed by the Board of Psychology, the experienced license defense attorneys at Ray & Bishop, PLC can help you defend your license through meticulous preparation and wise counsel. Our attorneys can serve as intermediaries between you and the Board’s investigator, and can represent your interests at a Board of Psychology interview before a Board of Psychology interviewer.

Investigations that establish unlawful activity committed by California psychologists are filed with the California Office of the Attorney General for administrative prosecution. When the Attorney General, or A.G., seeks to discipline the license of a psychologist, the Attorney General files and serves an accusation against the dentist. The license defense attorneys at Ray & Bishop, PLC defend psychology licenses from accusations filed by the Attorney General. If you receive a Statement to Respondent, an Accusation, a Notice of Defense and other documents, you have a license defense case which has to be defended at an administrative proceeding before the Office of Administrative Hearings. Our license defense attorneys have extensive experience defending psychology licenses at administrative hearings and also defending applicants who are applying for their psychology license but have been denied.

The California Board of Psychology may choose to impose various discipline on its psychologists, which could range from license revocation to a letter of reproval. Common accusations include conviction of crimes substantially related to practice, sexual contact with a patient, violating patient confidentiality, etc. If you receive an accusation, you have just fifteen (15) days to file the notice of defense with the Attorney General. If the notice of defense is not filed on time, the Attorney General can ask the Board of Psychology to discipline the license by default, which typically means revocation. Therefore, it is critical to file the notice of defense on time to avoid default and request a hearing at the Office of Administrative Hearings.

The defense of a psychology license or appeal of a denial of a psychology license does not necessarily entail the need to go to trial. A stipulated settlement may be achieved without ever having to step foot inside a courtroom. At Ray & Bishop, PLC, our well-qualified attorneys strive to settle your license defense case for the best possible outcome prior to any potential hearing. However, if the license case cannot reach a satisfactory outcome by settlement, we are prepared to employ our experience, knowledge and expertise to defend your psychology license.