Subacute rehabilitation: New opportunities and challenges for rehabilitation psychologists.

Changes in the health care delivery system have obliged rehabilitation service providers to consider alternatives to the traditional model of comprehensive acute inpatient rehabilitation. An option of growing popularity among third-party payers is subacute rehabilitation. This type of rehabilitation is usually provided within a skilled nursing home, provides fewer hours of therapeutic intervention, and uses less professional staff, but may achieve similar outcomes. As subacute rehabilitation has grown, rehabilitation psychologists have been used in these settings, but uncertainties exist as to appropriate roles and reimbursement opportunities. This article provides a framework for understanding the current status of subacute rehabilitation as a part of the rehabilitation continuum of care and how rehabilitation psychologists can maximize their effectiveness in this environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community leadership opportunities for psychologists.

Changes in the health care marketplace call for skills that practitioners typically have not been taught in graduate school. One such skill is community outreach and leadership. This skill was a theme featured at an American Psychological Association (APA) Practice Directorate State Leadership Conference on "Psychology and Community: Creating Connections for Health." First-person accounts from that conference are provided to illustrate community leadership opportunities that some professional leaders have pursued. These leadership opportunities include involvement with community boards and participation in community leadership training programs sponsored by the National Association of Community Leadership. The authors' community involvement can serve as a role model for other psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Public policy leadership opportunities for psychologists.

Despite the massive changes in the health care system affecting their practices, few psychologists become involved in public policy activities that can regulate this health care system. In addition to elected office, there are many opportunities for psychologists to work behind the scenes in public policy leadership positions. First-person accounts illustrating such opportunities are provided by a gubernatorial appointee, an American Psychological Association (APA) Congressional Science Fellow, and a United States Senate staff person. The opportunity to serve in such capacities is an important means by which psychology can contribute to society and fulfill its societal obligations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nontraditional employment opportunities for applied psychologists.

Comments that the American Psychological Association Committee on Employment and Human Resources report on "The Changing Face of American Psychology" by A. Howard et al (see record 1987-11619-001) has performed a valuable service, and describes additional nonacademic employment settings for psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New roles for psychologists in environmental impact assessment.

Comments that efforts described by D. M. Hartsough and J. C. Savitsky (see record 1985-29572-001) to study technological disaster and show links between stress and health are important contributions to psychology and to management of environmental hazards. Roles for psychologists beyond the limits set by the National Environmental Policy Act and by the courts are suggested, based on a discussion of these elements. Within the framework of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (i.e., a clear line is drawn between science and politics), psychologists can contribute by providing new information about the human effects of new technology. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional mobility for psychologists: Multiple choices, multiple opportunities.

This article details the roots of the mobility movement, including frequent difficulties psychologists encounter when applying for additional licenses and how these obstacles led credentialing organizations to encourage licensing boards to extend a mobility privilege to psychologists who meet certain national standards. The National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology advocates an inclusive approach to licensure mobility by encouraging psychological organizations and licensing boards to support and adopt multiple mobility mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional and technical opportunities for psychologists in mental retardation.

Comments on N. A. Robinson's (1987) discussion of mental retardation (MR) services and issues as they relate to the field of psychology. It is suggested that the involvement of psychologists in MR can take many forms. Of particular importance to current students of clinical psychology is the trend toward the replacement of the medical hegemony still evident in mental health service systems with interdisciplinary models in MR service settings. It is further suggested that the field of MR offers mainstream professional psychology the opportunity to apply alternative conceptions of personal functioning to conventional models of psychopathology, while mainstream developments in social, personality, and cognitive psychology offer promise for services for people with MR. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Telehealth and the evolving health care system: Strategic opportunities for professional psychology.

Telehealth (previously telemedicine)—the use of telecommunications to provide health information and care across distance—has recently reemerged as a potentially effective way to provide general and specialty health care services and appears poised to enter mainstream health service delivery. Because telehealth may become a significant part of the future of health care, it is critical to all professions that it be defined broadly. Barriers to the appropriate development of telehealth must be examined and addressed. Professional psychology's ongoing integrated legislative, legal, marketplace, and consumer education strategies for dealing with recent broader market-driven changes in the health care system provide a solid framework for analyzing and ensuring that psychological practice is poised to manage the opportunities and challenges presented by this emerging field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A realistic appraisal of existing and future job opportunities for psychologists.

Explores the question of whether there is now an oversupply of doctoral level psychologists. Recent surveys about the supply of PhD psychologists, job openings in major employment settings, and the current employment status of recent doctoral graduates in all professions are discussed. For the field of psychology, only 1.1% were unemployed in 1969 and those were almost entirely noncitizens or psychologists not seeking employment. New psychologists, however, indicated a choice of only 2-4 positions in contrast to 5-8 offers a few yr. ago. While some reduction has occurred in the job market, virtually all psychologists are still finding positions in the type of work setting they desire. A shortage exists in the health services, where there are between 750 and 1000 vacancies. In addition, the 1970 Manpower Report of the President indicates a 75-100% increase in employer requirements for psychologists by 1980, the highest projected need of all professional groups except computer technologists. It is concluded that rather than an oversupply, a shortage exists, particularly in clinical and counseling psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Telehealth and chronic disabilities: New frontier for research and development.

The primary purpose of this special section is to address key issues and current developments in telehealth outcome research for individuals with chronic disabling conditions. The special section begins with a critical review of contemporary telehealth and disability outcome research, followed by two articles that present the findings of 2 ongoing randomized controlled telehealth trials for adults with Type 2 diabetes and rural teenagers with uncontrolled seizure disorders. Future directions for outcome research on telehealth and chronic disability are discussed across all 3 articles, particularly the need for large N studies, the use of conceptually meaningful control groups and more rigorous cost utility analyses, and studies that evaluate the "best matches" among different types of telehealth interventions, specific health care concerns, and consumer populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonstandard neuropsychological assessment: An illustration.

Administered 2 versions of the Progressive Matrices to 35 patients with unilateral stroke. 12 Ss (mean age 60.9 yrs) had left hemisphere damage, and 23 Ss (mean age 59.6 yrs) had right hemisphere damage. Half of the items were given in standard form; the remaining items were physically rearranged so that the 6 response alternatives were aligned in a single column, eliminating the need for lateral scanning. Ss with unilateral neglect achieved significantly higher scores when the format was modified to minimize the need for lateral scanning. Ss without neglect were largely unaffected by differences in format. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving employment opportunities and the public image of social psychologists.

Suggests ways to increase employment opportunities in nonacademic areas for social psychologists. Graduate schools must emphasize the application of social psychology to business and industry and to social problems. Also, the public must be made aware of what social psychologists are doing and what they can do. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychologists and assessment in the future.

Reviews concerns about current assessment procedures in school psychology. The most important suggested change in assessment is the outcomes criterion, which is proposed as a solution to the dilemma of eliminating bias. Other changes that are likely to result from the outcomes criterion are trends involving reforms in the classification system, reduced level of inference, closer link between assessment and intervention, and increased use of behavioral approaches. New areas of assessment, such as adaptive behavior and sociocultural background, are discussed. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Management functions of clinical psychologists: A further assessment.

Surveyed 336 clinical psychologists to assess the extent and nature of their involvement in management functions. Findings indicate that 225 Ss (67%) claimed management as one of their major professional roles, occupying an average of 33% of their work time. These proportions varied little across diverse work settings or age groups. Most Ss reported that they felt inadequately prepared for their management roles. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Endless opportunities for psychologists in public service: The army, the peace corps, and beyond.

The authors have written this paper at the encouragement of a senior public sector psychologist, who thought that many junior psychologists are unaware of the variety of opportunities and roles that are available for psychologists. While the opportunities in the future are likely to vary from those that the authors have enjoyed, the authors are confident that some similar, and some new, opportunities will arise in the future. One only had to keep an open mind and seize the moment. The authors have written this paper at the encouragement of a senior public sector psychologist, who thought that many junior psychologists are unaware of the variety of opportunities and roles that are available for psychologists. While the opportunities in the future are likely to vary from those that the authors have enjoyed, the authors are confident that some similar, and some new, opportunities will arise in the future. One only had to keep an open mind and seize the moment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New methods for new questions: Obstacles and opportunities.

Two forces motivate this special section, "New Methods for New Questions in Developmental Psychology." First are recent developments in social science methodology and the increasing availability of those methods in common software packages. Second, at the same time psychologists' understanding of developmental phenomena has continued to grow. At their best, these developments in theory and methods work in tandem, fueling each other. Newer methods make it possible for scientists to better test their ideas; better ideas lead methodologists to techniques that better reflect, capture, and quantify the underlying processes. The articles in this special section represent a sampling of these new methods and new questions. The authors describe common themes in these articles and identify barriers to future progress, such as the lack of data sharing by and analytical training for developmentalists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The New Federalism and state mental health agencies: Roles for psychologists.

As state governments expand and become more influential and as universities constrict employment opportunities for psychologists, psychologists should consider career possibilities in state mental health systems. Four key functions in the state mental health agency are described: administration, training, research, and evaluation. Changes in professional training that are needed to adequately prepare psychologists for these nontraditional career roles are discussed. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nuances of assessment and treatment of ADHD in adults: A guide for psychologists.

Symptoms of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can persist into adulthood, although the majority of adults remain undiagnosed and untreated. Untreated ADHD can adversely affect school and work achievements, diminish self-confidence, damage interpersonal relationships, and significantly reduce quality of life. Psychologists can contribute significantly to meeting the need for diagnosis and treatment of adults with ADHD. Diagnosis is complicated; current guidelines were originally developed for diagnosing children, and symptoms are expressed differently in adults. In addition, many adults with ADHD have comorbid psychiatric disorders with overlapping symptoms. Correctly diagnosing ADHD requires a multifaceted approach to determine the chronicity, pervasiveness, and impairment critical to diagnosis. Psychologists can also focus therapy on changing environmental conditions, both internally and externally. A “difference” model, rather than a “defect” model, may empower participation in treatment medically and behaviorally. Collaboration with physicians to monitor responses to medicine—positive and adverse—during pharmacotherapy can improve the success of and adherence to treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Judgment research and neuropsychological assessment: A narrative review and meta-analyses.

The authors review judgment research in the area of neuropsychological assessment. Topics include the reliability and validity of judgments, the appropriateness of confidence ratings, the value of training and experience, the cognitive processes of neuropsychologists, and the use of decision aids, including automated assessment programs and statistical prediction rules. Most of the research is on reliability and validity. The results indicate that neuropsychologists frequently make reliable and moderately valid judgments. However, for several tasks, experimenters have not studied the reliability and validity of judgments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using systems theory in school assessment and intervention: A structural model for school psychologists.

Attempts to operationalize the systems theory viewpoint (using a structural model) and to demonstrate the usefulness of structural theory for school psychologists. The complimentarity of a family systems perspective with other assessment and intervention approaches is considered. S. Minuchin's (1974) structural model of the family is believed to provide a theoretical perspective useful for the school psychologist working with children. The components of the family model—matrix of identity, structure, and adaptation—are applied to the family and the classroom resulting in an ecologically valid view of the child's problem. Implications for assessment and intervention are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)