SAMPLE OP-ED (for statewide outlets such as Boston Globe, CommonWealth Magazine, MassLive, or specialized outlets like Psychology Today, STAT News, and WBUR Cognoscenti, which publishes thoughtful local op-eds.
Massachusetts Must Join PSYPACT to Protect Mental Health Care
For many Massachusetts residents, getting access to consistent mental health care is already a challenge. Long waitlists, insurance limitations, provider shortages, and cost barriers leave too many people struggling without the help they need. But there is an additional, lesser-known barrier that is quietly disrupting care: the state’s reluctance to join the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, known as PSYPACT.
PSYPACT is an interstate compact - legislation adopted by participating states - that allows licensed psychologists to provide telehealth and temporary in-person services across state lines. To date, 43 states have already joined. Massachusetts has not. That means when Massachusetts clients cross state borders - to attend college, relocate for work, serve in the military, or care for family, or when the many college students studying here return home for breaks, internships, or summer jobs - they all risk losing access to their trusted provider.
The consequences are not abstract. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Massachusetts college students and young adults, according to state data. This is an age group that often leaves home for school or internships across state lines. When they do, our outdated licensing laws mean they can no longer access their own psychologist. At a moment when continuity of care can be the difference between life and death, Massachusetts law maintains a barrier instead of removing one.
This problem is not unique to students. The suicide rate in Massachusetts has increased by more than 25% over the past 20 years. Military families who relocate frequently, parents who travel for work, and professionals in today’s mobile economy all face the same disruption. In a state known for its universities, hospitals, and innovation-driven workforce, the need for modern, mobile mental health care is especially urgent.
Continuity of care is not a luxury. It is the foundation of effective therapy. A therapeutic relationship is built on trust and time. When that relationship is severed because a client is temporarily in another state, it undermines the very progress therapy is meant to support. The American Psychological Association’s ethics code calls on psychologists to minimize disruptions and ensure continuity of care whenever possible. PSYPACT provides the legal framework to make that ethical responsibility a reality.
Adopting PSYPACT would not only protect patients; it would also strengthen our strained mental health system. By allowing providers to serve clients across state lines, PSYPACT increases flexibility and helps fill gaps in areas where provider shortages are most severe. With demand for mental health care at historic highs, Massachusetts cannot afford to wall off its providers or its patients.
Other states have recognized that mobility, telehealth, and workforce shortages demand modern solutions. Until Massachusetts passes PSYPACT legislation, residents will be left with inferior options, and psychologists with one of the most frustrating and unnecessary obstacles to providing care. At a time when policymakers are rightly concerned about mental health, particularly among young people, this is a straightforward, minimal-cost step toward meaningful change. PSYPACT would ensure that therapy can continue without interruption when a patient crosses state lines. Passing these bills would show that Massachusetts is serious about the quality of its mental health services and the well-being of its citizens.
The Legislature should act now. I urge Massachusetts lawmakers to move PSYPACT forward towards a favorable vote on the floor. The stakes are too high to delay. For students, families, and all residents, continuity of care is not just a professional standard. It is a lifeline. Massachusetts should join the majority of states in adopting PSYPACT and give its residents the consistent, high-quality psychological care they require, and deserve.
Sample Letters-to-the-Editor for local newspapers (e.g., Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Worcester Telegram, Springfield Republican, local town papers):
Support PSYPACT to Protect Mental Health Care
Access to consistent mental health care in Massachusetts is harder than it should be. Long waitlists and provider shortages already strain the system. But there is another obstacle we can fix: Massachusetts has not yet joined the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, or PSYPACT.
PSYPACT is an interstate compact — legislation adopted by participating states — that allows licensed psychologists to provide telehealth and temporary in-person services across state lines. 43 other states have already joined. Massachusetts has not. That means when Massachusetts residents travel — to attend college, relocate for work, serve in the military, or care for family — or when the many out-of-state students studying here return home for breaks or internships — they all risk losing access to their trusted provider.
The consequences are real. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for Massachusetts college-age students and young adults, and the state’s overall suicide rate has risen more than 25% in the past 20 years. At a time when continuity of care can literally save lives, our laws are maintaining barriers instead of removing them.
Joining PSYPACT would not solve every problem, but it would remove one of the most unnecessary. It would give Massachusetts residents the ability to maintain treatment relationships, even when life circumstances take them across state lines, when they most need it.
Legislators must do help PSYPACT move foward through fiscal review and get it to the floor, and then, of course, give it a favorable vote. Continuity of care is not a convenience — it is a lifeline. Call and email your legislators today!
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another sample letter-to-the-editor, much more specific in focus. This one was drafted for a public school teacher who happened to live and teach in one of the relevant legislator's districts, and reflected the situation when the bill was stuck in committee. Feel free to adapt it to reflect your own role and the present circumstances:
Headline: For our students’ mental health, Massachusetts must join PsyPact
So many kids in our communities carry invisible burdens — trauma, loss, the pressures of navigating life in multiple languages or across cultures, issues of identity and acceptance. When they find a therapist who truly understands them, it’s a lifeline.
But right now, that lifeline can snap just because of a state border. If they leave Massachusetts for college, or to follow a career-building opportunity, or to tend to a family emergency, our laws make it almost impossible to continue their care, even by telehealth.
Joining PSYPACT, the interstate compact for licensed psychologists, would help fix this. It would let psychologists continue working with clients who move across state lines (temporarily or permanently), while still following all state laws and standards. (To learn more about PSYPACT, you can go to www.masspsychaction.org or to the PSYPACT site itself, www.psypact.gov.)
This change wouldn’t cost the Commonwealth any significant amount of money, but it would make an enormous difference for access to care — especially for families in diverse communities like ours.
Our representative, [NAME], sits on the Joint Committee on Public Health, and the House side of that committee must act by October 10. I urge him and his colleagues to move the PsyPact bill (H.2528 / S.1487) forward this week.