Child custody evaluation practices: A survey of experienced professionals.

Investigated the activities, beliefs, and experiences of mental health professionals in 3 primary child custody areas: custody evaluation procedures, custodial decision making in joint and single-parent custody, and custodial recommendations. An extensive questionnaire was developed and mailed to 190 professionals (mean age 47.7 yrs) experienced in child custody evaluations. Results indicate that although Ss expressed a preference for impartiality, many continued to be retained by 1 parent only. This raises important ethical issues concerning the efficacy of certain evaluative roles in the pursuit of an optimal custodial recommendation. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Custody evaluation practices: A survey of experienced professionals (revisited)": Notice of clarification to Ackerman and Ackerman (1997) article.

Explains that the original article by M. J. Ackerman and M. C. Ackerman (Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1997[Apr], Vol 28[2], 137–145) was based on the same dataset and presented the same data as that in Ackerman and Ackerman (Family Law Quarterly, 1996, Vol 30, 565–586). Although highly similar wording was used, the authors used different formats to reach different audiences, but cross-references between papers were omitted. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1997-03377-007.) W. G. Keilin and L. J. Bloom (1986) explored 70 issues related to child custody evaluation practices. The current study replicates Keilin and Bloom's study and looks at an additional 42 items. Two hundred and one psychologists from 39 states were surveyed about 112 aspects of child custody evaluation practices. The analysis was divided into evaluation practices, sole-joint custody decision making, and recommendations. Comparisons between the findings of this study and those of Keilin and Bloom are made. The current practice of child custody evaluations is reported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wild analysis revisited: A comment on Summers (2011) and Zamanian (2011).

Recent papers by Summers (2011) and Zamanian (2011) are compared for their differing understanding of what makes psychoanalysis “wild” and are critiqued for their arguable assertions. The pairing of the papers attests to the continuing generativity of Freud's ideas and the excitement of contemporary psychoanalytic theorizing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy supervision: A survey of internship training practices.

A survey of 151 American Psychological Association-approved predoctoral internship programs showed a ratio of 3 hrs of psychotherapy provided by interns to 1 hr supervision received by the intern. Interns received an average of 4.25 hrs/wk of supervision, and the supervisory staff provided an average of 3.76 hrs/wk of supervision. One-to-one supervision was the predominant supervisory modality. Supervision was considered part of the job, not something to be specifically rewarded. No specific and direct evaluation procedures to assess supervision quality were available. One-third of the facilities reported that they provided training in supervision for interns. Programs could be characterized as "open" (accepting other than graduate psychology interns) or "closed" and more or less intensive in providing supervision. The dimensions of openness and intensity were related to the types and amounts of supervision provided. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy supervision practices of academic faculty: A national survey.

A national sample of 300 American Psychological Association (APA) Division 12 members who hold academic appointments was surveyed about psychotherapy supervision practices. Of the 50.7% who returned questionnaires, results are reported for the 38.3% who described themselves as full-time faculty who regularly provide psychotherapy supervision. While there were substantial individual differences, the average academic supervisor devoted nearly seven hours per week to providing individual and group supervision and was responsible for an average of four graduate trainees, each of whom carried four cases. Despite the professional time commitment and attendant responsibilities and liabilities, 50% of faculty supervisors reported no additional compensation beyond their regular salaries. Also discussed are proportion of time allocated to various supervision modalities (e.g., live supervision) and gender differences in supervision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vocational-educational counseling practices: A survey of university counseling centers.

Assessed vocational-educational counseling at 52 university counseling centers. Surveyed were staff resources (level of staff) directed to vocational counseling, the use of innovative procedures in vocational counseling, and the degree to which career counseling services were evaluated. Results show that master's level staff and practicum students did most of the vocational counseling, innovative practices were few, and research and evaluation were limited. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning-set behavior in the learning-set experienced blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata).

Conducted a series of experiments with object-discrimination learning-set (ODLS) experienced blue jays. Exp. I demonstrated long-term retention of the ability to solve new ODLS problems, short-term retention loss of intraproblem information concerning specific problems after 2 acquisition trials, and a higher percentage correct following a reinforced Trial 1 response than following a nonreinforced Trial 1 response. Exp. II demonstrated that this Trial 1 outcome effect could be reversed with single-object Trial 1 procedures. Exp. III showed that when intraproblem retention testing was carried out later in each problem, after 5 acquisition trials, with a single-object Trial 1 procedure, the differential effect of Trial 1 outcome was eliminated. Exp. IV demonstrated that replacement of the stimulus chosen on Trial 1 disrupted Trial 2 performance, while replacement of the nonchosen object had no effect. Results are interpreted as consistent with a response-strategy view of the ODLS behavior of the blue jay similar to that based on research with macaque monkeys. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Race and self-esteem revisited: Reply to Hafdahl and Gray-Little (2002).

A. R. Hafdahl and B. Gray-Little (2002) raised several issues of study inclusion and statistical reporting, none of which challenged the overall results or took issue with the theoretical conclusions of J. M. Twenge and J. Crocker (2002). Excluding the few studies whose inclusion Hafdahl and Gray-Little questioned would not change the results. Twenge and Crocker's inclusion of twice as many data sources is the more likely cause of differences between the 2 meta-analyses. The authors argue that including standardized regression coefficients is essential for reader understanding and reiterate the position that academic self-esteem scales should not be included in an analysis focusing on general self-esteem. Examining the specific domains of self-esteem would entail another meta-analysis, preferably one including other specific domains as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Custody evaluations: A critical review.

Discusses the role of evaluators in child custody litigations, current methods of custody evaluation, and the content of such evaluations. The value of clinical impressions and standardized assessment instruments is considered, and ways of eliciting the child's preference are examined. Ethical dilemmas associated with the performance of custody evaluations are discussed, and it is argued that mental health professionals should serve as strictly impartial evaluators. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Routine inquiry into sexual victimization: A survey of therapists' practices.

Surveyed therapists regarding their practices in assessing clients' sexual abuse history. Of the 105 respondents, 51% reported that they routinely ask all clients or most clients about sexual abuse at some time during the course of therapy; 19% reported that they had asked only a few clients or that they never ask clients directly about sexual abuse. Therapists who were younger, who had been in practice for a shorter period of time, and whose current caseload included a high percentage of sexually abused women were most likely to have asked all or most of their clients about having been sexually abused. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of management practices for isolated systolic hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To determine the management practices of clinicians for patients with isolated systolic hypertension, with particular attention to treatment thresholds, medication choices, and target blood pressures. DESIGN: Self-administered questionnaire. SETTING: Edmonton, Alberta, a large Canadian city. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 348 family physicians and 125 internists. MEASUREMENTS: Demographics of the respondents, first and second choice of antihypertensives, treatment thresholds, and target blood pressures for patients with isolated systolic hypertension. RESULTS: Excluding 54 nondeliverable questionnaires, a response rate of 67% (281 surveys) was obtained. The responding clinicians reported treatment thresholds and target blood pressures consistent with the evidence from randomized clinical trials and the recommendations of the Canadian Hypertension Society and the Fifth Report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Thiazide diuretics were recommended as first line therapy by 74% of internists and 58% of family physicians. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors were the most frequently chosen second line drug (27% of internists and 45% of family physicians). CONCLUSIONS: The reported management practices of this group of clinicians are consistent with the evidence from randomized clinical trials and the recommendations of national consensus guidelines.     

Record-keeping practices of clinical and counseling psychologists: A survey of practitioners.

Record keeping by psychologists was examined with survey data. Results indicate substantial variability in policies and practices. Implications of the results are discussed, and it is recommended that more specific guidelines for practitioners be developed in order to reduce the variability in record keeping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On necessity and sufficiency in counseling and psychotherapy (revisited).

It seems to me that Carl Rogers (see record 2007-14639-002) was far too ambitious in trying to specify general conditions of necessity and sufficiency that would be relevant to the entire spectrum of problems and the diverse expectancies and personalities of the people who seek our help. Rogers' position and orientation almost totally overlook the array of problems under the rubric of "response deficits" that stem from misinformation and missing information and call for active correction, training, and retraining. Rogers also paid scant attention to problems with significant biological determinants. Nevertheless, as exemplified by his seminal 1957 article and many other articles and books, Rogers made major contributions within the domain of the therapeutic alliance. Today, the scientific emphasis looks at accountability, the need to establish various treatments of choice, and the need to understand their presumed mechanisms. Treatment efficacy and generalizability across different methodologies are now considered key issues. The efficacy narrowing and clinically self-limiting consequences of adhering to one particular school of thought are now self-evident to most. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Bobo revisited: What the research says": Correction to Drewes (2008).

Reports an error in "Bobo revisited: What the research says" by Athena A. Drewes (International Journal of Play Therapy, 2008[Sum], Vol 17[1], 52-65). A reference was incomplete. The correct reference is Trotter, K., Eshelman, D., & Landreth, G. (2003). A place for Bobo in play therapy. International Journal of Play Therapy, 12, 117-139. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-04333-005.) There has been some discussion in the play therapy literature regarding whether to use a Bobo doll (bop bag) in the play therapy room. The following article reviews research studies from the fields of personality, learning, and social psychology, and underlying theories to help inform and assist play therapists in their decision-making regarding Bobo. Suggestions are offered regarding future empirical research in play therapy outcomes and the choices of play materials in the playroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of instructional practices in Canadian psychology departments.

Results of a survey of 43 heads of psychology and educational psychology departments in Canadian universities indicate that Canadian psychology departments are largely traditional in their approaches to teaching, instructional evaluation, and assessment, and there is little evidence that recent psychological research on learning has made any impact on day-to-day teaching activities. They make only limited use of instructional objectives and criterion-referenced testing and assess students primarily by means of multiple-choice tests, essay examinations, or term papers. It is argued that academic psychologists could do more to promote more effective learning by translating the relevant research findings of their own discipline into pedagogical practice. (French abstract) (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of ventilator circuitry changing practices in the UK

The aneurysms of the celiac trunk are the rarest aneurysms of the visceral arteries. From 1958 only 69 cases have been reported in the international literature. They are frequently asymptomatic and their discovery is more often occasional. They can rupture in 15-20% of the cases with a mortality approaching 80% of the cases. This explains the need of a surgical treatment even in the asymptomatic cases. Personal experience in the surgical treatment of a case of aneurysm of the celiac trunk is reported and a survey of the literature on this matter is made.     

The role of oral language revisited: A comment on the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network (2005).

This article comments on the discussion of S. A. Storch and G. J. Whitehurst's (see record 2002-06066-006) literacy development model in the article by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network (ECCRN; see record 2005-02477-013). Specifically, this comment focuses on concerns raised by the NICHD ECCRN that Storch and Whitehurst's model does not afford an important role to oral language in the development of early reading skill. Four important issues are presented that provide a serious and careful challenge to the model and conclusions of the NICHD ECCRN's report. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Percutaneous ethanol injection in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. A multicenter survey of evaluation practices and complication rates

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) has become a widely used procedure in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the criteria for selecting patients are not standardized, and little information is available about the complications of the procedure. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 11 experienced Italian centers. It investigated: the size and the number of HCC nodules suitable for treatment and the Child-Pugh risk class of the associated cirrhosis; the performance of the procedure; the number and characteristics of the patients treated; and, finally, any complications. RESULTS: Most of the centers performed PEI in single HCC nodules less than 5 cm in diameter or in multiple nodules if fewer than three, the larger being less than 3 cm. Patients in Child-Pugh's classes A, B, and C with single nodules were generally considered for PEI. A prothrombin time of less than 40% and a platelet count of less than 40,000/mm3 contraindicated PEI in most of the centers. PEI was generally performed on outpatients, using Chiba or spinal needles. One thousand and sixty-six patients (8118 sessions) were enrolled; 74% had a single HCC nodule and 26% multiple nodules. All except four had cirrhosis; 53% were in Child class A, 38% in class B, and 9% in class C. The mean number of sessions needed to destroy an HCC nodule was 6.7 (range, 2-14), with a mean alcohol injection volume of 5.0 ml per session (range, 2-20 ml). One death (0.09%) and 34 complications (3.2%) were reported. Among the complications we call attention to the hemorrhagic ones (eight cases) and tumoral seeding (seven cases). Severe pain experienced during the maneuver led to discontinuation of the procedure in 3.7% of the patients; 13.5% of the patients required analgesics and 24% had fever after PEI. CONCLUSIONS: Some procedural aspects of PEI treatment differ among the various centers a standardization is advisable. In the present survey PEI is a low-risk technique.