Prescribing in integrated primary care: a path forward

McGrath and Sammons (2011) have suggested prescriptive authority and involvement in integrated primary care represent complementary paths for the future of psychology. The articles in this special section of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings describing models of psychologists prescribing in primary care demonstrate that convergence of paths has already begun. This commentary on the papers in this special section addresses a variety of issues raised in the preceding articles, including the benefits of combined prescribing and primary care practice for psychologists and patients, the challenges likely to be faced by psychologists in integrated primary care if we do not also pursue prescriptive authority, obstacles associated with breaking out of our traditional mold, the importance of training specifically for working in primary care settings, and billing obstacles. Several topics are also raised that will need to be addressed by future studies of prescribing psychologists in primary care.