Our vision is to have competent mental health care accessible for all New Mexicans, including children, the poor, the elderly, and the silent sufferers – all of whom need and could benefit from our compassion, expertise, and commitment and ever present advocacy on their behalf.

Mission Statement

Psychologists are trained in the empirical study and treatment of mental disorders. As our understanding of psychopathology evolves, so must our treatment. It is incumbent upon us to provide comprehensive, timely care that is consistent with the nature of mental health disorders. As scientists trained in the study of behavior, we too can become trained and competent practitioners in the prescription of psychotropic medications. To truncate our treatment plan to fit the exigencies of our clients’ lives is not the solution. The solution is to simultaneously keep ourselves knowledgeable in the field of psychotherapy, to learn the common skill set necessary for the competent administration of psychotropic medications, and to advocate for our clients’ well-being – including access to the full continuum of mental health treatment.
Our society has extended our prescription authority to optometrists, podiatrists, and other non-medical degreed professionals. We doctoral level psychologists have shown the ability and determination to learn the curriculum and accept the supervision needed to develop expertise. We psychologists can do that, as shown by the Department of Defense demonstration project that has trained 10 prescribing psychologists.

Action Plan

Our action plan is evolving and will be influenced by our Board of Examiners and the New Mexico Psychological Association.

We believe the plan will incorporate the following:

That we will continue to train psychologists to be effective and safe prescribers of psychotropics;

That we develop protocol of treatment that will include:

Obtaining relevant family, medical, and psychological histories;

Collaborating with the primary care physicians;

Requesting medical records, including results of physicals, lab work, and lists of medications;

Ordering any unavailable baseline and follow-up laboratory tests that are necessary for the safe monitoring of psychotropic medications;

Conducting ongoing, objective assessments of patient treatment gains; and

Ensuring to the extent possible that patients receive comprehensive services, built upon the therapist-patient relationship so that patients can use their individual strengths to make better choices in their lives.