Rick McCarthy Public Comments 5-8-26
Rick McCarthy Public Comment 5-8-26 to BBS Board
Good afternoon, my name is Rick McCarthy, LMFT, former Oral Examiner. Thank you for the opportunity to return and offer a constructive update.
The Opportunity Before Us
My purpose today is encouraging: I believe there is a practical path forward to strengthen those standards through a modern, virtual clinical competency assessment, a streamlined oral component that evaluates real-time judgment, ethics, and therapeutic presence.
When the oral exams were discontinued in 2003, the decision was driven by cost and administrative burden, not because the exam lacked validity or usefulness. In fact, the oral format uniquely assessed what written tests cannot, how a clinician thinks, responds, and communicates in live clinical situations.
We have an opportunity to address it in a way that is efficient, scalable, and fair. A virtual model, short, structured, rubric-based, with trained evaluators, can preserve rigor while reducing cost and logistical strain. This is not a return to the past; it is an evolution aligned with today’s technology and workforce realities.
Raise the Bar!
I also want you to know that this effort is gaining momentum beyond this room. I have had encouraging discussions with Senator Tony Strickland’s office, and I am in the process of forming the California Coalition for Clinical Competency, a cross-disciplinary group of licensed professionals committed to supporting the Board in strengthening entry standards and safeguarding the public.
Our shared goal is simple: ensure that every licensed clinician has demonstrated, not just assumed, the capacity to practice safely and effectively.
Open to Collaboration
I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the Board on a pilot or exploratory workgroup to develop a modern competency component that fits within your current framework.
Thank you for your time and your service.
Got Something to Say?
These posts are based on the beliefs and personal experience of the post's author. Please feel free to leave your civil, constructive comments below. We try very hard to back up our statements with fact-based data and we ask you to do the same in your comments. You do not need to be logged in to leave a comment.
Become a Member!
Registration is quick and simple and the cost is very affordable. Join a group of like-minded counselors and take your practice to the top.
AMHP's Annual Conference
While this conference is targeted towards wholistic minded mental health professionals and related professions, as well as advocacy against the woke ideology, you are invited! Get CE credit and a chance to meet like-minded people. You've never experienced anything like this!
Therapy Disruptors Podcast Show
Featuring Kathleen Mills LPC-S and fearless moderator, Phillip Crum, we discuss topics no one else is touching and advocate for common sense. Listen on Spotify account or in the AMHP website for CE credit (members only). Tune in each week. It's fun!
Partner Programs
Our solid list of money-saving offers for tools and services you use in your practice. Website Development, Credit Card Processing, HIPAA Compliance Programs, EHR Platform, and Marketing Support, Use just one and cover your annual membership fee.!
Counselors' Community Webinar
Monthly event for AMHP Members this webinar features a monthly guest speaker, time for Q&A, and CE credit.
