Finding aid for the California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners records
0465
Finding aid prepared by Sue Luftschein
USC Libraries Special Collections
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California, 90089-0189
213-740-5900
specol@usc.edu
2011 May
Title: California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners records
Collection number: 0465
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
1.67 Linear feet
4 boxes
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1975-1980
Date (inclusive): 1946-1987
Abstract: The California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners records consists of memorandums, correspondence, minutes, and reports,
1946-1987 (bulk 1975-1980) that describe the primary activities of this body--licensing, examinations for certification, and
professional standards and ethics for registered social workers and licensed clinical social workers.
creator:
California. Board of Behavioral Science Examiners.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder# or item name], California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners records, Collection no. 0465, California Social
Welfare Archives, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Conditions Governing Access
Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
The use of archival materials for on-site research does not constitute permission from the California Social Welfare Archives
to publish them. Copyright has not been assigned to the California Social Welfare Archives, and the researcher is instructed
to obtain permission from the copyright holder to quote from or publish manuscripts in the CSWA's collections.
Acquisition
Assembled by Professor Lola Selby of the USC School of Social Work.
Scope and Content
The California Board of Behavioral Science Examiners records consists of memorandums, correspondence, minutes, and reports,
1946-1987 (bulk 1975-1980) that describe the primary activities of this body--licensing, examinations for certification, and
professional standards and ethics for registered social workers and licensed clinical social workers. Included are correspondence
and memorandums regarding the structure of oral and written exams for social work licensure with especial reference to the
state of the oral examination; information on California laws and legislation relating to registered social workers and licensed
clinical social workers, California codes for licensed clinical social workers, and recommendations for changes in licensing
laws; memorandums and documents regarding professional ethics and conduct, including information about conflict of interest;
policy manuals for the Board; information on general licensing requirements; copies of licensing examinations; information
on hypnosis as clinical practice; and information on educational accreditation.
Historical note
In 1968 the Board of Social Work Examiners was abolished and its funds and functions transferred to the short-lived Social
Worker and Marriage Counselor Qualifications Board. In the same year Senate Bill 1224 provided for licensing of clinical social
workers, with the designation LCSW required after June 21, 1969 for all clinical social workers in independent practice. Social
workers who had earned the RSW administered by the Board of Social Work Examiners were "blanketed" into the LCSW program.
Some 1,500 school social workers and others who did not consider their practice to be primarily clinical nevertheless chose
to maintain their RSW standing. But the program declined over the next decade and in 1979, when no more than 50 applicants
took the RSW examination, the legislature effectively killed social worker registration by denying further funding.
Meanwhile, in 1970, Assembly Bill 2393 created the Board of Behavioral Science Examiners (BBSE) to supersede the Social Worker
and Marriage Counselor Qualifications Board. The new, eleven member Board was also responsible for the licensing of educational
psychologists. In 1971 the BBSE ceased to operate under the old Board of Professional and Vocational Standards and became
a part of the "Healing Arts" division of the State Dept. of Consumer Affairs. This Department oversaw some 38 regulatory bodies
which in turn were responsible for over one million occupational licenses. Governor Brown, intent on reducing the size of
state government, announced a plan to invoke Sunset laws to end all regulatory boards that could not demonstrate a clear contribution
to public welfare and safety.
The papers reflect a period of active reform in the affairs of the BBSE, following events of 1975 when the Governor's office
received strong complaints about the Board's administration of its examinations from many candidates, and also from the California
Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the California Association of Marriage and Family Counselors.
Criticism centered on the relevance of the content of written examinations to actual practice, and on the inadequate preparation,
unprofessional demeanor, and "consensus" grading practices of Commissioners of the oral examinations. There were also complaints
that Commissioners discriminated against applicants on the bases of gender, race, and age, that the examination as a whole
was biased in favor of the psychotherapeutic model in clinical social work, and that the Board was unreasonably slow in notifying
applicants about their eligibility to take the examination. Dissatisfaction had become so pronounced by 1975 that the oral
section of the examination that fall was canceled at the last minute, and delayed indefinitely.
The collection reflects the Board's attempts to rectify the situation, with a major re-organization of its administrative
regulations occupying much of 1976, and with training seminars for oral examiners introduced, together with a rule that audiotapes
be made of all their examination sessions. The Board had no funds with which to employ outside expertise in the reconfiguration
of the LCSW examinations, having always relied on the barely-compensated efforts of experienced social workers and social
work educators in the writing of exam questions. Volunteer spirit in these groups was clearly flagging, but the Board did
make a concerted effort to improve the relevance of exam questions, holding workshops in their composition and particularly
inviting the participation of experienced African-American and Latino social workers.
Members of minority racial groups, by 1976, had begun to complain that they were culturally disadvantaged by the character
of the LCSW examinations, and some attempts were made by Board members to investigate this charge of unfairness. But no demographic
studies had yet been made of applicants for the examination, so no meaningful analysis could be made of outcomes for differing
groups--even if the Board had considered making such analyses, which it evidently did not. Meanwhile the State of California
had begun to interest itself in affirmative action programs for its own employees, which included state regulatory boards
and their staffs, and in the needs of linguistic minorities in their communications with state government. The Board was evidently
startled in 1977 by a question from the Department of Consumer Affairs about its readiness to allow candidates for the LCSW
examination to take the test in a language other than English.
While it moved ahead with improvements in its licensing function, and dealt with ongoing concerns in the areas of credentialing,
accreditation, discipline and ethics, the Board had also to respond to issues raised in the legislature. For the period represented,
major topics included the use of medical hypnosis by clinical social workers, the use of the terms "psychotherapy" and "marriage
counseling" in professional advertising, and a new and contested requirement that all licensed social workers take a graduate
level course in Human Sexuality. (In searching for an acceptable model, the Board found that many medical schools offered
no such instruction to their students.)
The collection reflects fully the activities of the Board in relation to its professional constituency and to the Department
of Consumer Affairs, but is revealingly uninformative about the Board's dealing with actual "consumers" in the state of California.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
California. Board of Behavioral Science Examiners. -- Archives
Correspondence
Examinations (documents)
Memorandums
Minutes
Reports
Social work education--California--Archival resources
Social workers--Certification--California--Archival resources
Social workers--Examinations--Archival resources
Social workers--Legal status, laws, etc.--California--Archival resources
Box 1, Folder 1
Memorandums and correspondence of Board
1975-1976
Box 1, Folder 2
Memorandums and correspondence of Board
1978
Box 1, Folder 3
Memorandums and correspondence of Board
1979
Box 1, Folder 5
Minutes, memorandums, etc.
1978
Box 1, Folder 7
Minutes, legislative materials, reports, etc.
1978
Box 1, Folder 8
Minutes, memorandums
1979
Box 2, Folder 1
Minutes, memorandums, etc.
1980
Box 2, Folder 2
Administrative materials
1976-1977
Scope and Content
Filings of administrative regulations; appointments to the Board; budget information; policy manual; student guides to training
modules; licensing laws in other states.
Box 2, Folder 4-5
Letters to the Board re 1976 LCSW exam
1977
Box 2, Folder 8
Examination characteristics
undated
Box 3, Folder 1
Oral exam commissioner instructions
1982
Box 3, Folder 2
Hypnosis regulation I (hearings transcript)
1964
Box 3, Folder 3
Hypnosis regulation II (memorandums and reports)
1976-1977
Box 3, Folder 5
Accreditation issues
1976-1977
Box 3, Folder 6
Continuing education
1977
Box 3, Folder 7
Instruction in human sexuality
1977
Box 3, Folder 8
Credentials/qualifications
1977
Box 3, Folder 11
Professional ethics and standards
1978
Box 3, Folder 12
Lola Selby--collected licensing papers
1976-1980
Box 3, Folder 13
Statement of economic interests
1977
Box 3, Folder 14
License revocation for felony--litigation
1978-1979
Box 4, Folder 1
Marriage, family and child counseling
1978
Box 4, Folder 2
Linguistic minorities
1977
Box 4, Folder 3
Use of term "Psychotherapy", issues in advertising
1977-1979
Box 4
Reports and publications
1946-1947, 1949-1951, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1976-1977, 1984
Scope and Content
Legislation, directories, biennial reports.
