State agency checks allegations at Haley

Supervision of unlicensed psychologists is lacking, a complaint says.

By WILLIAM R. LEVESQUE, Times Staff Writer
Published January 12, 2008

TAMPA - The Florida Department of Health has opened an investigation into allegations that unlicensed psychologists at the nation's busiest veterans hospital receive lax supervision.

The department is looking into a complaint by a staff psychologist at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center about the unlicensed people, including several in Haley's post-traumatic stress disorder clinic.

The psychologist who filed the complaint, Brian Nussbaum, said he has been contacted by the department. But he declined to comment Friday about the pending inquiry.

A department spokeswoman said she could not comment on or confirm a pending inquiry, and Haley officials said they have not yet been called by an investigator handling the case.

"Nobody that I'm aware of has been contacted by them," said Haley spokeswoman Carolyn Clark.

Nussbaum, 31, of Wesley Chapel, who has a license, filed a complaint last month with the Board of Psychology, a group under the department that oversees licensing issues.

Nussbaum said in the complaint that up to 12 unlicensed psychologists at Haley receive little, if any, of the supervision required by state law, which includes two hours of direct supervision a week.

The number of unlicensed people often changes. The Department of Veterans Affairs said on Dec. 28 that only eight of the psychologists lacked licenses.

"For many of these unlicensed psychologists, there is no face-to-face supervision," Nussbaum's complaint said. "For others, there is sporadic supervision, clearly not meeting the required two hours per week."

The VA vehemently denied Nussbaum's allegations at a Dec. 28 forum called by U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, saying Haley patients receive the best psychological care available.

"Our supervision not only meets state and federal regulations, it exceeds them," Dr. Edward Cutolo, Haley's chief of staff, said last month.

He said all the unlicensed staff members are on a track to get their licenses and are more than adequately qualified.

The VA said it examined two months of patient notes by unlicensed psychologists and found just 2.5 percent didn't have mandatory signatures from supervisors showing they had been reviewed.

"We're not apologetic about the process," Cutolo said. "It's an excellent process."

In an interview last month, Nussbaum said the unlicensed people "often lack the specialized skills and experience that this extremely sensitive population of veterans often requires. They've been in combat. Developing a strong, empathetic relationship with them is essential.

"That's something not easily taught in a class," he said. "It takes experience."

William R. Levesque can be reached at levesque@sptimes.com or 813 226-3436.

[Last modified January 11, 2008, 23:19:08]