Dynamics of Race and Culture in the Supervisory Encounter.

The rapid increase in racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States implicates the necessity of implementing new approaches to the training of psychologists. The author proposes that the integration of racial and cultural diversity related issues in clinical supervision is an essential component of clinical and teaching competence, which has important implications for the provision of services to ethnic minorities and, more broadly, to better addressing the full realm of clients' intrapsychic and interpersonal worlds. Psychodynamic aspects of the supervisory encounter, such as the narcissistic struggles of the supervisor and supervisee and racial and cultural elements in transference, contribute to supervisory interactions around race and culture. Clinical illustrations are discussed to elaborate these dynamic processes. Recommendations for supervisors on how to explore race and culture in a safe supervisory space are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

First impressions count: Ethnic/racial and lesbian/gay/bisexual content of professional psychology application materials.

This article will help you learn about using application materials as one way to attract incoming ethnic/racial and lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) minority graduate students. Such materials are often an applicant's first exposure to psychology programs and are typically overlooked as tools to be used to communicate multicultural information. The authors demonstrate that professional psychology training programs approved by the American Psychological Association that have application packets with more ethnic/racial and LGB content have significantly higher numbers of ethnic/racial minority students. The data from this study also indicate that programs are making small gains in using application packages to communicate ethnic/racial minority concerns and almost never mention LGB-related issues. Recommendations are offered to help professional psychology programs make better use of application materials to attract greater numbers of ethnic/racial and LGB minority students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Racial/ethnic disparities in therapist effectiveness: A conceptualization and initial study of cultural competence.

As a result of mental health disparities between White and racial/ethnic minority clients, researchers have argued that some therapists may be generally competent to provide effective services but lack cultural competence. This distinction assumes that client racial/ethnic background is a source of variability in therapist effectiveness. However, there have been no direct tests of the therapist as a source of health disparities. We provided an initial test of the distinction between general and cultural competence by examining client racial/ethnic background as a source of variability in therapist effectiveness. We analyzed cannabis use outcomes from a psychotherapy trial (N = 582) for adolescent cannabis abuse and dependence using Bayesian multilevel models for count outcomes. We first tested whether therapists differed in their effectiveness and then tested whether disparities in treatment outcomes varied across therapist caseloads. Results suggested that therapists differed in their effectiveness in general and that effectiveness varied according to client racial/ethnic background. Therapist effectiveness may depend partially on client racial/ethnic minority background, providing evidence that it is valid to distinguish between general and cultural competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life-long learning for psychologists: Current status and a vision for the future.

As a profession we are committed to maintaining and enhancing our competence as psychologists in order to most effectively serve the public throughout our careers. While this is a widely shared commitment among psychologists, there is considerably less consensus regarding how best to accomplish this goal. This dilemma is examined from the ethical, educational and legal perspectives. The American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Code clearly articulates that competence is an ethical duty, although there is little guidance provided in the code as to how to meet this standard. As a profession we have tended to focus on the construct of life-long learning and we have incorporated this principle into our education and training standards. In fact, APA accreditation requires that doctoral programs inculcate this value into our foundational training. The majority of Psychology Licensing Boards have addressed this issue through the endorsement of mandatory continuing education requirements that primarily focus on hours and the content or structure of approved programs. Potential limitations to our ability to effectively self-assess our professional training needs are discussed and several innovative models are presented for integrating effective self-assessment and continuing education. Three invited experts provide commentaries that further explore the challenges and dilemmas posed by the ethical, legal and professional duty to maintain and enhance competence throughout our professional careers. These commentaries broaden the considerations, provide practical suggestions from other professions and provide a vision for the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nursing students' responses to ethical dilemmas in nursing practice

In literature as well as in nursing practice a growing concern about nurses' ethical competence can be observed. Based on the cognitive theory of moral development by Kohlberg, this research examined nursing students' ethical behaviour in five nursing dilemmas. Ethical behaviour refers not only to the ethical reasoning of nursing students but also to the relationship between reasoning and behaviour. Kohlberg's definition of morality was refined by adding a care perspective. The results show that the majority of students can be located in the fourth moral stage according to Kohlberg's theory, that is, the conventional level of moral development. This finding implies that students are still guided by professional rules, norms and duties, and have not (yet) succeeded in making personal ethical decisions on the basis of their own principles and acting according to such decisions.     

A model for ethical management of faculty—Student dual relationships.

The article discusses the nature of faculty-student dual relationships and provides guidelines for their ethical management. Three general guidelines for faculty in maintaining ethical relationships with students are (a) acknowledging the power and responsibility of the faculty role, (b) developing a frame for evaluating faculty-student relationships, and (c) fostering and maintaining a climate that supports ethical relationships with students. As a profession, psychologists should be discussing this issue more openly, and research on problematic faculty-student relationships and their management is warranted. Awareness of dilemmas concerning dual-role relationships and experience in addressing these dilemmas may provide valuable lessons for the student's future professional interactions with clients, students, and other professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Investigating preservice teachers' professional growth in self-regulated learning environments.

Educational reforms have suggested that the ability to self-regulate learning is essential for teachers' professional growth during their entire career as well as for their ability to promote these processes among students. This study observed teachers' professional growth along 3 dimensions: self-regulated learning (SRL) in pedagogical context, pedagogical knowledge, and perceptions of teaching and learning. The authors examined 194 preservice teachers' professional growth in 4 learning environments: e-learning (EL) and face-to-face (F2F) learning, either supported by SRL (EL + SRL; F2F + SRL) or unsupported by SRL (EL; F2F). SRL support was based on the IMPROVE metacognitive self-questioning method (B. Kramarski & Z. R. Mevarech, 2003). Mixed quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that preservice teachers in both supported SRL conditions outperformed their unsupported peers on all professional growth measures. Moreover, EL + SRL teachers exhibited the highest SRL ability (cognition, metacognition, motivation), pedagogical knowledge (designing a learning unit), and student-centered learning perceptions (self-construction of knowledge). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trainees with professional competency problems: Preparing trainers for difficult but necessary conversations.

Trainees with professional competency problems, also called problems of professional competence (PPC), are frequently encountered by faculty and supervisors and often are challenging for trainers and educational/training systems. This article underscores the importance of trainers addressing graduate students and interns with PPC for whom regular summative and formative feedback has not been effective by engaging in the often difficult, but necessary, conversations as a first step in many remediation processes. These conversations are framed as an ethical responsibility and suggested as a core competency for trainers. Attention is paid to the myriad barriers that trainers often encounter in engaging in difficult conversations, including personal factors, training setting and systems issues, and the relationship between personal and contextual factors. Strategies are offered with regard to overcoming these barriers. In addition, recommended steps and tools for effective difficult conversations are provided. Implications of this work for trainers and training programs are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The ethical practice of psychology in a managed-care framework.

With the rise of managed healthcare, psychologists face new challenges to their professional ethics. This article examines the dilemmas posed by managed care in 3 areas: client care, the handling of patient data, and issues surrounding membership in a managed-healthcare organization. Case examples of ethical dilemmas and strategies for dealing with these challenges are presented. In an attempt to summarize the strategies used to cope with the ethical dilemmas presented in the case examples, global solutions for the ethical practice of psychology in a managed-care framework are also reviewed. These strategies include understanding managed-care policies, clear communication with the client, additional training, increased advocacy by clinicians, and ultimately, psychologists' involvement in the formation of these organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional training and professional competence: A critique of current thinking.

Contends that professional schools and doctor of psychology programs may well represent the wave of the future in clinical psychology training. Yet advocates of the professional training model are premature in asserting that the model, as it has thus far been defined and evaluated, assures higher standards of professional competence than do traditional programs and should therefore become the official model for training all practitioners. The present study examines these claims from both empirical and pedagogical perspectives. Empirically, there is as yet no support for the superiority of explicit professional programs. Indeed, the lack of valid methods for assessing professional competence precludes meaningful evaluation of any training model. In the absence of empirical support, the new training model is examined in the light of 20th-century philosophy of professional education. From this perspective, the professional model rests on false assumptions concerning both the nature of professional competence and the optimal curriculum for developing competence. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical and legal issues in AIDS-related practice.

The AIDS epidemic has presented many new ethical dilemmas regarding psychologists' obligations to their clients and third parties. Both ethical and legal norms remain unsettled in regard to most of these dilemmas. In general, psychologists should strive to protect the privacy of their clients and to promote the welfare of individuals affected by AIDS. When compelling interests of third parties lead to a different result, intrusions on clients' interests should be no greater than necessary. Although a lack of training about AIDS may limit psychologists' competence and constrict their duties to people with AIDS, the duty remains for clinicians to obtain training to remediate such gaps in knowledge or skills and to advocate for resources and protection from discrimination for people affected by AIDS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural competence and psychotherapy: Applying anthropologically informed conceptions of culture.

The authors apply two contemporary notions of culture to advance the conceptual basis of cultural competence in psychotherapy: Kleinman's (1995) definition of culture as what is at stake in local, social worlds, and Mattingly and Lawlor's (2001) concept of shared narratives between practitioners and patients. The authors examine these cultural constructs within a clinical case of an immigrant family caring for a young boy with an autism-spectrum disorder. Their analysis suggests that the socially based model of culture and the concept of shared narratives have the potential to broaden and enrich the definition of cultural competence beyond its current emphasis on the presumed cultural differences of specific racial and ethnic minority groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of an ethnic minority alumni advisory committee in training professional psychologists.

The role and impact of an advisory board composed of ethnic minority alumni of a professional psychology program are described. The advisory board, in conjunction with the faculty and administration, assists in incorporating cultural sensitivity into the training of professional psychology students and provides support systems for ethnic minority students. The model and projects are described, and implementation issues are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introducing ethics to beginning psychologists: A problem-solving approach.

Beginning and practicing psychologists both need more exposure to ethical training experiences. A new Canadian code of ethics provides an opportunity for universities to review their approach to this experience for students in clinical and counseling psychology. In the Canadian code, four basic ethical principles, followed by value statements and standards of behavior, are proposed. This structure provides a useful framework for ethics education. In addition, the problem-solving approach to ethical and moral dilemmas provides a better decision-making process for new psychologists than does simple exposure to professional behavior guidelines. The approach used at the University of Alberta is presented with the recommendation that ethical instruction focus on personal values and the process of informed decision making as well as learning "correct" responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A guide for establishing a practice in police preemployment postoffer psychological evaluations.

This article provides a guide that focuses on ethics and competence issues for psychologists considering a specialization in conducting police preemployment postoffer psychological evaluations (PEPOPEs). The discussion first addresses the importance of relevant training and practical experiences, involvement in pertinent professional associations, and adherence to rigorous standards and guidelines for conducting this specialized form of assessment. The specific components of a comprehensive assessment are then enumerated and discussed. The article concludes with a consideration of ethical dilemmas and challenges involved in this realm of psychological practice, and a vignette highlights some possible pitfalls for psychologists who are insufficiently prepared for conducting PEPOPEs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consultant and client outcomes of competency-based behavioral consultation training.

One barrier to the systematic provision of consultation services in the schools may be the lack of applied training provided to preservice individuals in graduate preparation programs. A model of behavioral consultation training which extends previous competency-based progams is presented. Five doctoral students in school psychology were trained in behavioral consultation procedures using written manuals, videotape models, behavioral rehearsal, performance feedback, self-monitoring, and generalization training. Following university-based practice with trained consultees and student teachers, consultants were assigned consultation cases with teachers who presented actual cases. Behavioral consultation services were effective at remediating behavioral and academic difficulties in 4 of 5 target clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cheating, ethics, and graduate training in professional psychology: Crime and punishment or misjudgment and repair.

Illustrates a number of ethical and humanitarian dilemmas surrounding the issue of cheating by describing an actual incident of cheating, from detection to disposition, that involved 2 graduate students in professional psychology. Relevant principles from the American Psychological Association's ethical code for psychologists, the student–professor interactions, and a short-term follow-up further elucidate the complexity of the factors involved. The author handled the incident using a model of training emphasizing the importance of the supervisor–supervisee dyad for the learning of the student and a model of interaction emphasizing responsibility and repair in the conduct of human relationships. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding K–12 Engineering Outreach Programs

The United States relies on technology. To continue the development of new and the expansion of existing technologies requires a strong background in science, math, and engineering. Because students are falling behind in these areas, many universities are attempting to reverse this trend and attract more students to their engineering programs through outreach programs. These outreach efforts can take a variety of forms, with the simplest being the development of classroom and web-based materials. Outreach programs can also include professional development programs, engineering contests, on-campus activities, activities at schools, and the sponsorship of teaching fellows and service learning programs. Programs can be directed at preservice teachers, teachers, and/or students as well as specific groups such as females or minorities. The programs may occur throughout the school year or during summer vacations. Personnel presenting the outreach programs can include older K–12 students, teachers, college students, and/or university professors. Regardless of the mechanism, each outreach program has one common goal, to increase the interest that K–12 students have for math and science and, thus, engineering.     

Decisions and justifications by community mental health providers about hypothetical ethical dilemmas

OBJECTIVE: Community-based treatment of persons with serious mental illness requires providers to become involved in clients' personal lives to a greater degree than does hospital-based treatment. The study examined attendant ethical dilemmas, especially for staff who lack professional training or work in rural communities. METHODS: A total of 95 staff members from five community mental health centers read 14 vignettes describing ambiguous ethical dilemmas involving professional role boundaries or client confidentiality. Twenty-seven staff members were from rural agencies, and 68 from urban-suburban agencies; 60 were direct care staff, and 35 were supervisory. Participants were asked to make and justify a more conservative or a less conservative decision in response to each dilemma. RESULTS: Years of experience as a mental health provider and previous ethics training correlated positively with staff having experienced more situations similar to those in the vignettes; however, these variables were not related to the decision made or the type of ethical justification for it. When the analysis controlled for experience and previous ethics training, staff made fewer conservative decisions in boundary dilemmas than in confidentiality dilemmas. Compared with nonrural providers, rural providers had experienced more boundary dilemmas and made fewer conservative decisions in response to them. CONCLUSIONS: Boundary problems occur frequently in community-based services, especially in rural settings, and may or may not be handled conservatively. With the expansion of case management and other in vivo services, better understanding of ethical risks and informal practices will help improve services and provide appropriate training and supervision of staff.