Talk:LA Shrinks

Any evidence that Nicolino has a license to practice psychology or any other kind of mental health profession in the state of California?
SHE DOES NOT NEED TO BE LICENSED. SHE IS A LIFE CONSULTANT, NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST. LOOK AT HER WEBSITE AT: http://www.talk2drv.com/. It never describes Dr. V as a licensed Psychologist or Therapist. She is neither, and makes it clear. The original post, put up by the production company for LA Shrinks, and which YOU REMOVED, made it clear that she was a life consultant. In fact, you removed the words life consultant from the page and made it misleading. That's the problem. You are not just posting false information, you are removing correct information, and then arguing that Dr. V is misleading the public when you are the only one doing so. Perhaps you will start stalking other motivational speakers and life-consultants next. Perhaps you think that the only people who can give advise or life coaching are psychologists. But that is not the law. You are the one infringing on Dr. V's fee speech rights, not the other way around, since you are arguing that she can't be a life consultant without being licensed (again, not the law).

Also, nobody is censoring you. You are defaming people on Wikipedia, claiming that they are misleading the public (and breaking the law), and hiding behind the internet anonymity. We are reaching out to you to ask you to stop, but you refuse. Your are citing to references that are about to be taken down from the internet (because they are wrong), and you are misreading the law. You also refuse to call me to discuss the situation, or to reveal your identity. The bottom line is that you are violating the law and creating liability for yourself. You can admit your mistake, or you can continue to stalk my client and publish false information about her on the internet. It's your choice, and this is not censorship. It's common decency and respect for others. If you are right, why are you hiding? Call me at 949-812-4781. I am not hiding because I have nothing to hide. I suggest you call me to have a full discussion. I'm sure you will change your mind.

We keep having problems with Nicolino's fans, allies, and/or partisans deleting text I added a while back about the fact that she doesn't seem to have a license. I supported that with a citation to an article posted months ago by Vonda Lozano as well as a citation to the relevant California Department of Consumer Affairs database. Nicolino's apparent lack of a license is notable because, after all, she is on a show called LA Shrinks, which is being filmed in a state whose legislature has expressed a strong public policy for over a century against the unauthorized practice of the healthcare professions.

California Business and Professions Code section 2903 provides a broad definition of the practice of psychology. The California appellate courts have interpreted that section extremely broadly, including, for example, the recent decision in Rand v. Board of Psychology, 206 Cal. App. 4th 565, 580 (2012). That case held, in pertinent part:


 * Rand disputes that he was engaged in the practice of psychology as a special master, arguing that "[t]he `purposes' to which psychological principles and methods are applied cannot be different in kind from `diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and amelioration of psychological problems and emotional and mental disorders [(§ 2903)],' and still constitute a psychological service." He believes that the services he performed were "different in kind."


 * Rand interprets both section 2903 and his function as a special master too narrowly. The statute states that the practice of psychology is rendering, for a fee, any psychological service involving the application of psychological principles and methods, and "[t]he application of these principles and methods includes, but is not restricted to: diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and amelioration of psychological problems and emotional and mental disorders of individuals and groups...." (Ibid., italics added.) Rand was hired to use psychological principles that involve understanding and influencing behaviors—such as principles pertaining to motivation, emotions and interpersonal relationships—in order to assist the parents in a contentious divorce to deal with visitation and parenting issues, thereby ameliorating any emotional and psychological problems suffered by the children as the result of their parents' inability to cooperate with each other. This is within the statutory definition of the practice of psychology.

One of the most important policies of Wikipedia is that Wikipedia is not censored (see WP:CENSOR). If it's true, relevant, notable, and not original research (i.e., supported by citation to a source), it stays. Unless anyone can cite to evidence that Nicolino has a current, valid license to practice any mental health profession in California, that section stays. --Coolcaesar (talk) 04:03, 20 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Update: I was just contacted via my talk page by someone claiming to be Nicolino's attorney; I've requested that he respond on this page. --Coolcaesar (talk) 13:40, 21 May 2013 (UTC)