Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners—Board should seek statutory authority to require criminal background checks for licensure, improve timeliness of complaint and claim handling, and review appropriateness of its licensing fees

The Arizona Board of Psychologist Examiners (Board) regulates psychologists and behavior analysts in Arizona through licensure, providing information about licensees to the public, and investigating and resolving complaints against licensees. We found that the Board should obtain statutory authority to require fingerprint-based criminal background checks for license applicants, ensure timely review of claims against court-appointed psychologists, investigate and adjudicate complaints in a timely manner, review the appropriateness of its licensing fees, and determine whether it can rely on the efforts of a national certification board to more efficiently license behavior analysts. Additionally, the Board should ensure that licensees submit sufficient documentation to support compliance with continuing education requirements.