Taking a position on "appropriate educational services."

Several years ago the Division 16 Executive Council (EC) was invited by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) to support a position paper entitled "Advocacy for Appropriate Educational Services for All Children," which had been adopted by NASP and the National Coalition of Advocates for Students (NCAS). The discussion of the position paper by the EC revealed several different points of view, and EC action on it was tabled. The issues raised by the position paper, as well as the actions taken toward implementing its recommendations, have become part of a national debate about how best to serve students. Because of the continuing relevance of the position paper with respect to the delivery of psychological services in the schools, I was encouraged to undertake the development of a mini-series around it for Professional School Psychology, now School Psychology Quarterly. The objective of this mini-series is to assist readers in framing the issues raised by the position paper in relation to the ongoing dialogue about service delivery systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction: Methodological issues in school-based mental health services research.

New research directions on the effectiveness of mental health services for children and adolescents offer the opportunity for school psychology to apply its knowledge base to the systemic juncture between mental health and school systems. Models of service delivery to children, adolescents, and their families that integrate school, mental health, and other service sectors are being actively studied to answer questions about the outcomes of these services for children with mental health problems. The papers in this journal were first presented at the 6th Annual Research Conference of the Florida Mental Health Institute on "A System of Care for Children's Mental Health: Expanding the Research Base." The papers describe state-of-the art studies of school-based mental health interventions for children, adolescents, and their families. In each of the papers, particular attention is paid to the salient methodological issues researchers face in conducting these studies within school settings. It is hoped that these articles will foreground the healthy and creative tensions that exist between different research paradigms and multiple service communities, especially mental health and school systems, by encouraging new research on important and as yet unanswered questions about the effectiveness of school-based service delivery to children and adolescents with mental health needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research in industrial and organizational psychology from 1963 to 2007: Changes, choices, and trends.

The authors conducted a content analysis of all articles published in the Journal of Applied Psychology and Personnel Psychology from January 1963 to May 2007 (N = 5,780) to identify the relative attention devoted to each of 15 broad topical areas and 50 more specific subareas in the field of industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology. Results revealed that (a) some areas have become more (or less) popular over time, whereas others have not changed much, and (b) there are some lagged relationships between important societal issues that involve people and work settings (i.e., human-capital trends) and I-O psychology research that addresses them. Also, much I-O psychology research does not address human-capital trends. Extrapolating results from the past 45 years to the next decade suggests that the field of I-O psychology is not likely to become more visible or more relevant to society at large or to achieve the lofty goals it has set for itself unless researchers, practitioners, universities, and professional organizations implement significant changes. In the aggregate, the changes address the broad challenge of how to narrow the academic-practitioner divide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The proper concern of educational psychologists.

Reviews the questions of the functions of educational psychology and summarizes that the proper concern of their specialty is to "make fundamental contributions to the general understanding of human behavior as well as education theory and practice." 40-item bibliography. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological service needs of older women.

Attention to the unique psychological needs of older women will become increasingly important as the "baby boomer" generation enters the retirement years. The present article aims to review some of the salient issues, diagnoses, and themes involved in providing psychological services to older women and to provide recommendations for enhancing their access to mental health care. Areas addressed include caregiving; grief, bereavement, and end-of-life care; psychiatric and cognitive disorders; culturally diverse groups, rural older women, and nursing home residents; barriers to psychological service utilization; and suggestions for improving access to care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some theoretical & philosophical aspects of educational psychology.

The author was invited to discuss "the extent and character of the theoretical and philosophical aspects" of educational psychology. His own work in educational psychology, however, is concerned primarily with research methodology, measurement, and statistical analyses as applied in educational research methods, and his major tie to philosophy has been in the philosophy of science. Therefore, he touches on topics such as behaviorism, logical positivism, cause-and-effect relationships, objectivity and subjectivity, relationships among variables, and Evolutionary Critical-Realism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional psychology training in the era of a thousand flowers: Dilemmas and challenges for the future.

As revealed in discussion at the 2009 Presidential Summit on the Future of Psychology Practice, professional psychology training today is involved in a series of choices for its future. This paper outlines some of those major dilemmas and while acknowledging the difficulties inherent in resolving some of these issues, proposes areas of common ground and a series of next steps, which emphasize the importance of research and assessment as identifying marks of the professional psychologist, the requirements for accountability and standards in training, the need to develop behavioral medicine and neuropsychology as the field increases its partnership with health care, the importance of collaboration with school psychologists and international psychologists, the need to emphasize public sector service, and the imperative to develop these goals in a thoughtful way with new technology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction: The Future of School Psychology.

Provides an introduction to the current issue of Professional Psychology's School Psychology section. Predicting professional psychology's future is difficult. All of professional psychology will be influenced by immediate external factors, such as national and world economic and social stability, and by rapid social change. However, school psychology is also influenced, perhaps to a greater extent than other professional specialties in psychology, by its own internal conflicts and its particular developmental history. School psychology's current status and problems provide an especially complex set of concerns that must be understood if any reasonable assessment of its future is to be made. To highlight these concerns, I have organized this section around proposals for major changes in school psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrated psychological services in the Greeley-Evans public schools.

Integrated school psychological services were implemented 12 years ago in the Greeley-Evans Public Schools by combining the positions of school psychologist and school social worker and placing each professional in an elementary school full-time. After 5 years, services were expanded to secondary schools such that all schools had a full-time school psychologist. Using Bennett's (1988) model for the evaluation of alternative services to determine success in meeting stated goals, a number of positive outcomes were achieved. A time-use survey indicated increased involvement with a variety of interventions for school psychologists. The results of a consumer satisfaction questionnaire given to teachers, administrators, and support personnel also suggested positive perceptions of the new role. Additionally, placement of students with significant emotional disturbance decreased over this time period relative to a 34% student enrollment increase. It is hoped that the long-term implementation of an alternative school psychological services model such as this one will encourage others to enact ecologically responsive services relative to their unique systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Responding to the Needs of Children, Families, and Schools: The 2002 Multisite Conference on the Future of School Psychology.

The preparations for and the implementation of the 2002 Multisite Conference on the Future of School Psychology are described. The conference goals were to (a) achieve consensus on current and future demands for school psychologists and our profession's ability to meet those demands; (b) conceptualize the practice of school psychology in the face of diminishing numbers and increasing demand for services; and (c) develop an agenda to use the resources we have to maximize the benefits to the children and schools that we serve. A problem-solving model served as the conceptual foundation of the conference. School psychologists at the host site in Indianapolis and 30 remote sites collaborated to identify threats, opportunities, strategies, and action plans to respond better to the needs of children, families and schools. The conference not only generated excitement and hope for our future, but also provided a framework to propel the current and future practice of school psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological services in educational settings to persons with mental retardation.

Reviews the 6 principles of Public Law 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act)—including nondiscriminatory evaluation, the least restrictive environment, and individualized education—and discusses ways psychologists may be able to further the achievement of its effectiveness. Mental retardation psychologists provide an array of services, including prevention, consultation, training, education, supervision, administration, research, and consultation on individualized educational plans. Other potential areas for intervention include development of psychometric measures, social ecological assessment, and vocational education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A brief history of the psychology course in american high schools.

Psychology has been a part of the high school curriculum for the past 170 years in a variety of forms, in classes labeled mental and moral philosophy, mental hygiene, personal adjustment, child development, human relations, and psychology. This abbreviated and selective account traces that history, including the considerable role played by the American Psychological Association. This history focuses on the social and educational contexts that led to changes in the nature of high school psychology classes and concludes with comments about the value of precollege psychology classes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Letter to The Editor, Canadian Psychologist: Dear Mr. Gibson.

In this letter to the editor, O. Spreen reports an error in "Applied Training Programmes of Psychology in Canada: A Survey" by Artur Z. Arthur (Canadian Psychologist Psychologie Canadienne, 1971[Jan], Vol 12[1], 46-65). Page 49 contains an error regarding the available staff for applied training programs at the University of Victoria. The correct figure under column 7 (staff, full-time, psychology) should not be 40. Instead the correct figure for 1971-72 should be 11; under "staff, other departments", 4 should be listed; under "staff, part-time", 1 should be listed; under "staff in applied settings", 3 should be listed. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2007-02140-007.) A survey of professional applied training programmes in the Canadian universities was carried out in 1969. Reported were 29 programmes: 17 in clinical psychology, 4 each in counselling and school psychology, one each in educational psychology and learning disabilities and 2 in experimental psychopathology. The number of places in the universities was related to the expected manpower requirements. Information was also given concerning the numbers of teachers in each programme, the types of applied settings utilized, and the different courses offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Casebook for Providers of Psychological Services.

The Committee on Professional Standards (COPS) of the Board of Professional Affairs (BPA) is the APA governance committee charged with the responsibility for development and interpretation of the Association's quality assurance policy. In its initial charge to COPS, BPA asked the committee to develop a "casebook for providers of psychological services." The goal of the casebook would be the implementation of the Specialty Guidelines for the Delivery of Services by Clinical (Counseling, Industrial/Organizational, School) Psychologists (approved by Council in January 1980). The focus of the cases would be quality assurance problems that came to the attention of COPS directly or through other governance bodies such as the Committee on Academic Freedom and Conditions of Employment or the Committee on Scientific and Professional Ethics and Conduct, COPS would be responsible for developing three or four cases per year, with these cases appearing in the June archival issue of the American Psychologist. This report contains the first three cases, developed by COPS during its October 1980 meeting and approved for publication by the Board of Professional Affairs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological services in state schools for delinquent boys.

A discussion of the results of a survey sent to 68 institutions which serve a male population between the ages of 12 and 18 and which are training schools, not penal institutions. The discussion covers the following topics: number of schools employing psychologists, training level of the psychologists, ratio of boys to psychologists, and the need for workers in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological needs and resources as perceived by rural and urban psychologists.

Practicing psychologists in rural and urban Oregon were surveyed about their perceptions of psychological needs and resources in their communities. Both groups indicated the most salient unmet community needs as adequate access to appropriately trained medication prescribers, comprehensive psychological assessment services, and psychological services for children. When compared with urban communities, those in rural communities have more difficulties with accessing all professional services, and rural psychologists have access to fewer professional resources. However, there appear to be few differences between perceived needs and resources in rural and urban communities. Psychologists who practice in these communities perceive a strong need for more access to psychological services in both settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neal Miller: American Psychological Foundation Awards: Gold Medal Award.

This document presents the citation awarded to Neal Miller, recipient of the 1975 American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award. A brief biography of Dr. Miller accompanies the citation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prominent schools or other active specialties? A fresh look at some trends in psychology.

Past studies investigating trends in psychology have reported some conflicting and surprising results. This article critiques and reevaluates these reports, with a particular focus on those related to the cognitive revolution and the place of neuroscience in psychology. Based on a wide variety of indicators, the following trends are demonstrated: (a) Although cognitive psychology has grown in importance, it has not come to dominate psychology; (b) contrary to prior findings, attention to neuroscience in psychology has grown in a pattern similar to that of cognitive psychology; and (c) there are many signs that cognitive neuroscience is in the process of emergence. Trends are interpreted in light of the argument that psychology is a disunified discipline allowing for many different interests, schools, and approaches. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary care health psychology training: A collaborative model with family practice.

Are you planning a new postdoctoral training program in health psychology? Are your students seeking postdoctoral training in health psychology? Are you looking for a good formal postdoctoral fellowship in health psychology to continue your training? This article describes in detail the philosophy, educational objectives, and learning activities that make up a 13-year-old fellowship approved by the American Psychological Association in clinical health psychology, a model for clinical training in this specialty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Position statement: Advocacy for appropriate educational services for all children.

Presents the joint postion statement of the National Coalition of Advocates for Students and the National Association of School Psychologists, "Advocacy for Appropriate Educational Services for All Children." From the Statement: P.L. 94-142 (The Education of All Handicapped Children Act) has achieved major goals in serving handicapped children, many of whom had been previously excluded from appropriate educational programs. Since its enactment in 1975, all handicapped children have been guaranteed a free and appropriate education, the right to due process, and individualization of program according to need. We strongly support the continuation of legislation which has mandated these guarantees. We also recognize that serious problems have been encountered as school districts strive to meet these mandates and that quality education is still an elusive goal. Some of these problems reflect difficulties within special education; others appear to be special education issues but have their origins in the regular education system. We propose a new national initiative to meet the educational needs of all children: We propose the development and piloting of alternatives to the current categorical system. This requires reevaluation of funding mechanisms, and advocacy for policy and funding waivers needed for the piloting of alternative service delivery models. It also requires the development of increased support systems and extensive retraining of all school personnel to enable them to work effectively with a broad range of children with special needs within the regular education system. Because of the complexity of these issues, the generation of effective solutions will require a national effort of interested persons and organizations which we hope to generate through this task force. We will actively work toward the collaboration of a wide variety of individuals and organizations, joining together to develop a strong base of knowledge, research, and experience in order to establish new frameworks and conceptualizations on which to base decisions, design feasible service delivery options, advocate for policy and funding changes needed to implement these alternatives, and coordinate efforts and share information for positive change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)