Colorado River
Information on Complaints, Claims, and Reporting Criminal Charges

General Information About Filing Complaints and Claims

 

A Complaint is filed when unprofessional conduct is alleged against a psychologist, behavior analyst, or applicant for licensure. However, in cases where unprofessional conduct is alleged against a psychologist who provided services that were ordered by the Court, a Claim, rather than a Complaint, should be filed. Before filing a Complaint or Claim, please verify that the individual is licensed by the Board through verification of their license on the Board's directory. If you cannot locate their information on the directory, please contact Board staff for direction and provide the professional's first and last name.

It is also important to note that Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-2081(B) states: "The Board shall not consider a complaint against a psychologist arising out of a judicially ordered evaluation, treatment or psychoeducation of a person charged with violating any provision of title 13, chapter 14 [Sexual Offenses] to present a charge of unprofessional conduct unless the court ordering the evaluation has found a substantial basis to refer the complaint for consideration by the board. Complaints filed under A.R.S. §32-2081(B) will be returned to the Complainant with instructions that those Complaints must be filed with the Court that heard the original court case."

Arizona Revised Statutes 32-3224 addresses the four-year statute of limitations (with exceptions) for filing a complaint/claim.

  • Click on this Link to access a list of Board actions taken in the last 5 years. 
  • Click on this Link to access a list of other state health boards and facility licensing agencies. 
  • For information regarding the Board's Rehabilitation and Monitoring Program ("RAMP") for impaired psychologists and behavior analysts, please click here

If you have questions regarding the information on this page, you can contact the Board’s Deputy Director by email.

Complaints

A Complaint may be filed when unprofessional conduct is alleged against a psychologist (except as noted above for Court-ordered services), behavior analyst, or applicant for licensure. To submit a complaint against a licensed psychologist, licensed behavior analyst, or applicant for licensure, click below for the online complaint filing system:

Complaint Submission Link

Please complete and submit your complaint in one session once you have gathered all pertinent information/materials. Our online system will not allow you to retrieve and edit a complaint once it is submitted. You are encouraged to supply a detailed statement when submitting your complaint, along with any supporting documentation or evidence, to delay processing. 

Complaints are initially reviewed by Board staff to determine whether the Board has jurisdiction. Those Complaints for which the Board has jurisdiction are logged, assigned a number, and the Complainant is notify of the Agency's receipt of the complaint. The Respondent (psychologist, behavior analyst, or applicant) is sent a copy of the complaint and provided the opportunity to respond in writing. Once a Complaint is opened, it must go through the entire Complaint process and cannot be withdrawn or rescinded. Materials related to a Complaint are confidential. If the Complainant submits any additional complaint information or documents, the Board is required by law to provide copies of that additional information to the Respondent for a response.

Board staff may contact you at various points in the investigation if additional information is needed.  For complaints filed against a licensed psychologist or psychologist applicant, once Board staff’s investigation is complete, the complaint  will be placed on a future agenda of the Board's Complaint Screening Committee (CSC) meeting. You will be notified in writing when the complaint has been scheduled for the CSC’s review. CSC consists of one public member and two psychologist members of the Board. The CSC meets virtually and provides the first level of review for complaints against psychologists. The CSC may dismiss the complaint, refer the complaint to the full Board for further consideration, or request additional information.

For complaints filed against a licensed behavior analyst or behavior analyst applicant, they are reviewed by the Board's Committee on Behavior Analysts (CBA), which is comprised of five licensed behavior analysts. The CBA meets virtually and provides the first level of review for complaints against behavior analysts. The CBA makes a recommendation to the Board regarding complaint disposition, which the Board may accept or reject. You will be notified in writing when the complaint has been scheduled for the CBA’s review.

Claims

To submit a claim against a psychologist who has provided services ordered by a Court, click below for the online claim filing system:

Claim Submission Link

Please complete and submit your claim in one session once you have gathered all pertinent information/materials. Our online system will not allow you to retrieve and edit a claim once it is submitted. You are encouraged to supply a detailed statement when submitting your claim, along with any supporting documentation or evidence, to delay processing. 

Pursuant to A.R.S. 32-2081(C), the claim will be independently reviewed by three members of the Board (“Reviewers”), including one public member. Board staff may contact the Claimant with follow up questions or to request additional documentation in order to process the claim.  Each Reviewer will review the Claim and will independently make a recommendation to the Board’s Executive Director regarding whether there is merit to open a Complaint.  If the three Reviewers independently recommend not opening a Complaint, a Complaint will not be opened and the matter is closed. If, however, one or more Reviewer(s) recommend opening a complaint, a complaint will be opened and an investigation will follow.  You will be notified of the outcome of the review. The psychologist will be notified of the Claim pursuant to A.R.S. 32-2081(E).

Please note that the Board cannot remove a psychologist from a particular case, overturn opinions or decisions made by a psychologist, or influence a court of law or judge to disregard the opinion of a psychologist.

 

Mandatory Reporting for Criminal Charges

This document outlines the misdemeanor charges that must be reported by a licensee to the Board in writing within 10 working days after the charge has been filed, pursuant to A.R.S. 32-3208 (Criminal charges; mandatory reporting requirements; civil penalty). All state and federal felony charges are reportable under A.R.S. § 32-3208.

Self-reports shall be submitted using the Board’s online system using the link below:

Self-Report Submission Link

The statement shall address what the licensee has been charged with, the circumstances leading to the charge(s), the status of the criminal charge(s), and the name of the arresting agency and court where the case is being reviewed. You may include any other pertinent information in your statement and supply any supporting documentation. 

 

Survey

Tell us how we're doing! The Board would appreciate it you would take a moment to complete this optional survey regarding investigations and your contact with Board staff and/or the Complaint Screening Committee. The survey can be accessed by clicking on this Link.