Kansas BSRB advisory committee discusses background-check requirement, CEbroker uptake and training gaps

The Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board's (BSRB) master's-level psychology and licensed clinical psychotherapy advisory committee on Aug. 6 heard that the board intends to begin requiring fingerprint-based background checks for some licensure actions and discussed several operational and workforce issues raised by a new licensee survey.

David Fye, executive director of the BSRB, told the advisory committee that the board is preparing to require Kansas applicants seeking initial licensure or reinstatement to undergo criminal-background checks and is coordinating with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to implement the process. "There's a standard fee for the background check, which I believe is $57, and that money would all go directly to KBI," Fye said, noting staff are working through logistical and training details before going live.

The background-check proposal grew from Kansas' recent adoption of multistate licensure compacts for several professions regulated by the BSRB. Fye said the compacts include background checks as a condition of practicing under the compact and that the board supported adding a background-check requirement so Kansas licensees will be eligible for interstate practice. "While it is not a requirement in Kansas for licensure, the standard set by those compacts is that background checks would be a requirement of licensure for people wanting to practice under those compacts," he said.

Why it matters: The board flagged the change as necessary to preserve licensees' eligibility for multistate compacts and to support the board's public-protection mission. Fye told members staff will provide more information to licensees before the requirement is implemented.

Operational updates and CEbroker uptake

Fye also reported two operational items: recognition of the BSRB website by a national psychology licensing association and licensee uptake of a continuing-education tracking portal. He said the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards highlighted Kansas' licensure website for user-friendly navigation. On CEbroker, the voluntary portal that allows licensees to upload continuing-education records, Fye said about 1,757 of roughly 16,500 licensees (about 11%) have active CEbroker accounts since the board launched the service in January 2025. He said CEbroker provides basic free accounts to all BSRB licensees and higher-tier paid options for individuals who choose them.

Fye noted that using CEbroker can simplify audits at renewal because licensing staff can verify uploaded records directly. He reported 26 service tickets were opened since January from BSRB-connected users (19 from licensees and seven from non-licensees tied to a preapproved-provider workflow for social work education).

Survey findings: training gaps, telehealth, supervision

The advisory committee spent much of its meeting reviewing a draft survey report for master's-level psychology licensees. Fye summarized respondent themes: many licensees (about 39% of masters-level respondents on one question) reported seeing no areas needing additional training, but others flagged needs in suicide prevention, addiction treatment, child-focused assessment and intervention (including autism), forensic/court testimony skills, and telehealth competency.

Committee members described recurring workforce concerns: limited availability and cost of qualified supervisors, difficulty getting credentialed with payers and credentialing services that lack a distinct designation for master-level psychologists, and uneven familiarity among employers about the master's-level psychology license. Iris Pauley, clinical director at South Central Community Mental Health Center, described credentialing challenges: "They don't have any master level psych listed under either of those," she said of NPI and CAQH entries used for credentialing, adding the result is extra phone time and confusion when completing applications.

On supervision, many survey respondents reported no recent negative experiences, but committee members heard complaints about supervisor availability, cost of supervision and occasional "power struggles" between supervisors and supervisees. Members suggested potential mitigations: promoting televideo supervision (which the committee noted is permissible), encouraging group supervision, and exploring a voluntary public directory or renewal checkbox identifying licensees willing to supervise.

Education and outreach

Fye described planned outreach and education measures the BSRB is developing in response to survey feedback: free jurisprudence-style webinars covering agency rules and relevant state statutes; continuing webinars to highlight resources such as CEbroker; and more active outreach to students, educators and employers. "Our proposal to the board…was to design a series of free webinars…to focus on the same topics that a jurisprudence exam would cover," Fye said.

Artificial intelligence and alternative licensure pathways

Committee members briefly discussed regulation of artificial intelligence and an alternative pathway to licensure for candidates who struggle with standardized exams. The committee considered two regulatory approaches: regulating the technology itself or regulating a practitioner's conduct when using AI (for example, requiring informed consent and preserving confidentiality). Fye said the board's regulatory authority most directly covers practitioner conduct.

The group also discussed whether to create alternatives to passing the e‑PPP (licensing examination) for independent licensure, such as extended supervised practice or structured attestations from multiple clinical supervisors. Members cautioned that any alternative should preserve an objective standard that maintains public confidence and third-party recognition of the licensure category, and several members said they worried a subjective pathway could weaken the professional standing of the clinical license.

Formal actions

The committee approved the minutes of its June 4 meeting by voice vote after a motion and second; no individual votes were recorded on the transcript. Chair Dave Anderson declared the motion carried. The meeting adjourned by a separate motion and second.

What’s next

Fye asked members to review two questions from the survey for the committee's October meeting: (1) licensee use of artificial intelligence in practice, and (2) issues specific to telehealth. He also asked members to review several short regulations on a rotating schedule as part of a multi-year regulatory housekeeping project.

Quotes (selected)

"There's a standard fee for the background check, which I believe is $57, and that money would all go directly to KBI," — David Fye, executive director, Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board.

"They don't have any master level psych listed under either of those [NPI and CAQH]. So I'm just curious what everybody marks on those," — Iris Pauley, clinical director, South Central Community Mental Health Center.

Ending

The advisory committee did not take any final policy votes at the Aug. 6 meeting beyond approving the June minutes. Staff said they will return with implementation details on background checks, more survey analysis and proposals for outreach and jurisprudence webinars at future meetings.