Hello fellow KPA members.

This past legislation season was tumultuous and had potential to impact the work of many psychologists in the field related to gender-affirming care. Thankfully, with the collaboration of Loud Light, Mainstream, APA, and the Kansas Chapter of the ACLU, we were able to help Governor Kelly retain her veto for a bill that would have had a lasting impact related to gender-affirming care. The fight is not over though as we foresee other legislative acts that could impact the communities we serve and our work related to immigration, diversity, education, and reimbursement. No matter what side of the aisle you lean, your Board is always advocating on behalf of the membership, the communities you serve, and the field of psychology.

Last February and August, I attended the annual Spring and Fall Council of Representatives meetings in Washington DC and Seattle as the KPA Council Representative. Here is a quick snapshot of the work done during those meetings:

• Reaffirmed our duty to confidentiality related to reproductive health
• Updated and approved the APA Principles for Quality Undergraduate Education policy
• Adopted a resolution involving support to infuse equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in our CEs
• Accepted and offered an apology to First Peoples on behalf of APA
• Adopted a policy statement supporting a population health-based approach to working with immigrants and a condemnation of immigration detention policies that harm immigrants and their families
• Approved a policy addressing the impact of AI in our field
• Passed a statement calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict
• Called for more attention and research for supporting girls’ and women’s human rights globally
• Advocated for restitution and reparations for the survivors of individual and collective trauma and their descendants
• Approved guidelines:
• Clinical Practice Guidelines for Psychological and Nonpharmacological Treatment of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in Adults
• Guidelines for Working with Adults with Complex Trauma Histories
• Guidelines on Key Considerations for Working with Adults with PTSD and Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Guidelines for the Practice of Telepsychology
• Guidelines for Psychological Evaluations in Child Protection Matters
• Guidelines for Behavioral Projects with Nonhuman Animals in Schools (K–12)
• Met with the offices of Senator Moran, Senator Marshall, and Representative Sharice Davids to promote funding to research, education, and training in psychology

Additionally, as your Federal Advocacy Coordinator, I have organized advocacy efforts with the Missouri Psychological Association and that work is ongoing. We are hopeful that our next Association conference will be in person in collaboration with MOPA this Spring. Keep an eye out for more information on that. This July KPA coordinated with the APA Health Care Financing department to address deficiencies in the CMS proposed rule for 2025 which impacted telehealth services, new billing codes, and other reimbursements. We advocated for an increase in overall reimbursement; making our telepsychology services permanent; and reimbursement for the use of digital mental health treatment devices. That final rule has been revealed and we are happy with the results of our advocacy.

If wanted to mention a few things about our growing relationship with the BSRB and their executive director, David Fye. We have established a quarterly meeting to address all regulatory issues related to psychology and we have already made significant progress on a number of issues. KPA with the BSRB were able to create an opposition statement towards the establishment of the EPPP-2 as the standard licensure exam for all states starting in 2026. Thankfully, this decision was postponed and most likely dead on the vine as ASPPB has now issued a statement that they are pulling that roll-over requirement and working towards the creation of a “better” assessment tool for the future. We have also talked about allowing practicum hours that meet a specific criterion to count towards licensure after graduation which several states, including MO, have adopted. More on that to come! Some other highlights to expect in 2025 from the BSRB are the reduction in initial application fees; the reduction in CEU hours for licensure renewals; access to free CEU online sponsored by the BSRB; and a database to house your CEU for ease if you are audited.

Finally, I would like to introduce your new KPA President, Dr. Dakota McNamara (she/her). Dr. McNamara received her PsyD from Kansas City University and is currently working as a staff psychologist at KCCAT after completing a 2-year specialty postdoctoral fellowship. For the past few years, Dr. McNamara has represented KPA as our Early Career Chair and as a Student Representative. Her early Board experiences have allowed her the opportunity to attend APA Leadership Training and I am looking forward to passing the baton to a new generation of psychologists. Be on the lookout for a free webinar from Dr. McNamara this January as a benefit of your membership!

I am hopeful that you will all renew your memberships and remind your colleagues to become members as well. We offer a variety of free webinars throughout the year, a mentorship program for ECPs and students, and reduced fees to our conference and the yearly Trust Ethics webinar. Your money also pays for a lobbyist to address psychology-related bills and all of the work our Executive Director, Sherry Reisman, provides to keep our organization afloat! We have worked hard to reduce fees for almost all members, especially first time and ECPs so please take advantage of those changes. Though we cherish you as members, we would also encourage any member to nominate themselves or others to our Board! We couldn’t function without our Board and I want to thank all of them for the time they volunteer for all Kansas psychologists and the communities we serve.

That’s all for now. I will be relieving my Presidential duties at the end of 2024 but still functioning as your Council Rep. and as the FAC.

Take care and happy holidays,

Jason R. Malousek, PsyD

KPA President 2024

Council of Representatives (KS)

Federal Advocacy Coordinator