Community psychology, networks, and Mr. Everyman.

Proposes and defends the separation of community psychology from clinical psychology and community mental health. The proposal is not intended to assert the superiority of one field over another but rather to demonstrate that they require different conceptual rationales to achieve their different purposes. Clinical psychology and the community mental health movement rest on theories and practices that cannot provide an understanding of a community; indeed, they stand in the way of coming to grips with the complexity of a community. The need for a "divorce" is illustrated in several ways, with particular attention paid to the potential productiveness of the concept of a network as a way of looking at and studying a community. The characteristics of a community psychologist are defined, and their similarities to the "Mr. Everyman" of historian C. Becker (1935) are stressed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The rural psychologist as generalist: A challenge for professional identity.

Discusses how the psychologist who practices in a rural mental health facility performs many tasks identical to those done by other mental health professionals. While a nonpluralistic and financially constrained mental health system is best served by flexible professionals with a wide range of skills, psychologists in such a setting must utilize their unique training to establish their identity among the service providers. The unique identity of the psychologist is found in the heritage, perspective, and methodology of psychology and not just in clinical activity. Psychologists should begin to develop their methodology by using the larger university context in which they were trained and thereby establish themselves also as researchers and community psychology practitioners. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The single practitioner and community engagement: Bridging the gap between practice and social action.

Urban communities, with their myriad systemic problems of poverty, social dysfunction, and diminishing public and private resources compounded by endemic health and economic disparities, provide the single psychologist practitioner with a rewarding opportunity to become involved in urban community activities and to make a positive impact. Finding common ground for discourse and action with community members can benefit both the community and the psychologist by helping them to identify, understand, and engage the community in developing solutions for community-based problems faced by residents on a daily basis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postdoctoral training in primary care health psychology: Duties, observations, and recommendations.

The need for postdoctoral training in health psychology has taken on added importance following transformations of the U.S. health care delivery system toward primary care models of delivery. This transformation provides psychologists with the opportunity to work as primary care practitioners, educators, and researchers, and it suggests the need for postdoctoral training that prepares students for those opportunities. The author addresses issues relevant to postdoctoral training from the perspective of a former participant in a postdoctoral fellowship training program in primary care health psychology. The duties and contributions of a primary care health psychologist are described. These include the provision of graduate medical education and clinical services tailored to primary care. The author also offers recommendations regarding postdoctoral health psychology training in order to enhance psychologists' ability to collaborate with medical professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The forensic psychology section in a state hospital.

A psychology section functioning in a forensic services center is described. The legal questions that must be dealt with in such a setting are explained, and psychology's role in answering these questions is explored. The goals of treatment in a forensic unit, which focus on educating a defendant to competency for trial, are discussed, and an example of a treatment program is presented. The functions of a psychologist in a forensic setting are compared and contrasted with those of a psychologist in the general mental health field. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Colorado Medicare study: A history.

Discusses a demonstration project, conducted in Colorado during 1976–1978, designed to study what effect the availability of two new benefits under Medicare, the inclusion of the services of independent psychologists and the expansion of existing mental health coverage, will have on the use and cost of total mental health services and of other medical and hospital services. Questions that express the concerns of legislators also will be evaluated: (a) Can psychology agree on the definition of a psychologist who can deliver services on an autonomous basis, and (b) can psychology assure quality service on an independent basis? Procedures to define provider status, provide peer review, and identify reimbursable services have been instituted to address these questions and should prove to be precedent setting in future national health legislation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist as front-line mental health consultant in a general hospital.

Describes the experiences and diverse functions of a psychologist who acts as an independent mental health consultant in a general hospital. Particular attention is paid to problems that arise when psyche and soma interface, because these problems require knowledge of biology as well as of psychology. The appropriateness of this role for the psychologist and its acceptability to referring physicians are examined. The particular strengths of the psychologist as a behavioral scientist and the need for continuing education in differential diagnosis when psychological and physiological factors interact are also explored. Professional boundaries and role relations between psychology and related professions are reviewed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Veterans Administration psychology: A professional challenge for the 1980s.

Discusses the role that psychology has played in the Veterans Administration (VA) since the 1940's, a role that has increased in prominence over the years. Psychologists in the VA's Department of Medicine and Surgery have been involved in the delivery of health and mental health care services, research efforts, and training programs for psychology interns. It is noted that despite psychology's long-standing involvement in the VA, concerns have arisen recently regarding the status of psychology within the VA. Events contributing to these concerns involve decreased administrative visibility, attempts to exclude psychologists from medical staff membership, threats of psychology staff reductions, and proposals to place psychologist practitioners under the direction of physicians. Psychology's legislative and regulatory efforts to address these concerns are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Collaborative practice in primary care: Integrated training for psychologists and physicians.

Managed health care has forced psychologists and primary care physicians to expand their practices into areas for which they have traditionally lacked training or experience. This article describes a training program designed to foster collaboration and to bridge the gap between the 2 specialties by having psychology interns and medical residents comanage patients in a primary care setting under the joint preceptorship, of a psychologist and a physician. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and health care.

Recent advances in health care psychology are noted, especially those involving the conceptualization and treatment of lifestyle and chronic health problems. The contributions to health care psychology of community psychology, brief psychological treatments, behavioral medicine, and health psychology are outlined. The central task of both organized psychology and individual psychologists is to create an underlying structure of clear boundaries and standards for clinical practice and training in health care psychology. Initially, this task should involve an inventory of Canadian psychologists currently providing health care services and the nature and amount of those services. Subsequently, a need exists for the profession to examine and create guidelines in psychological service delivery, professional role models, training, and scientific methods pertaining to general health care. (French abstract) (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A general family practitioner approach for Asian-American mental health services.

A psychologist in general family practice functions as a primary care provider, who is similar to the traditional family doctor who provides treatment for clients and their families. The psychologist has an ongoing interaction with the family and serves as a resource for the family to consult when in difficulty; he or she uses knowledge of the client, as well as knowledge of the client's family, community, and social environment. This approach seems particularly suitable for Asian Americans whose culture emphasizes the role of the family. It helps to minimize the client's inhibition against seeking mental health services and provides the psychologist with certain clinical advantages. Two cases are presented to illustrate the application of this approach to Asian American clients. Situations in which family members should not be seen by the same psychologist and the issues of transference, countertransference, and confidentiality are also considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of the competency model to clinical health psychology.

In response to the growing emphasis on defining professional competence within applied psychology (e.g., clinical, neuropsychology, counseling, school), in 2007 American Psychological Association Division 38 (Health Psychology) sponsored a summit meeting with a specific focus on revisiting the standards of graduate curricula and training in clinical health psychology. Using the cube model of core competency domains of professional psychology as a framework, summit participants were charged with identifying the foundational and functional competencies expected of a well-trained, entry-level clinical health psychologist. As a product of these discussions, the present article is presented as an initial effort to identify the competencies and begin the discussion in clinical health psychology. As such it is likely to be of interest to a wide audience, including clinical training programs with an existing or planned emphasis in clinical health psychology, practitioners interested in acquiring the competencies required to practice as a clinical health psychologist, and students evaluating potential graduate and postgraduate training options in clinical health psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health service providers in psychology.

Information about health service providers in psychology based on a stratified random sample of over 7,300 American Psychological Association members shows that about 56% report providing some health services. A detailed examination of the characteristics of these health service providers implies that 81% of the doctoral-level providers are licensed and that the extent of licensure varies markedly according to the primary setting in which services are provided—90% of private practitioners, in contrast with 64% of those providing services in public mental hospitals, are licensed. Other details of employment settings, as well as time spent in research, service, and other activities, ethnicity, gender, age, salaries, and fees are summarized in 33 tables. Taken together, evidence suggests that doctoral psychologists provide about one-third of a million hours of services each week and that the number of people who receive services from a doctoral psychologist in a year is on the order of 2–4 million, with over half of the services provided in private practice. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Karl Edward Pottharst (1918-2000).

Memorializes K. E. Pottharst, a professional psychologist who became interested in psychology after serving in the military during WWII. He was a pioneer in the movement to secure recognition for psychological services from health insurance companies and was one of an informal association of colleagues around the nation pressuring both the American Psychological Association and individual insurance companies to become more proactive about the issue. In the 1960's, Pottharst aided in founding the nation's first freestanding school of professional psychology, the California School of Professional Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists as Legislators: Results of the 2004 Elections.

The election results of 2004 were favorable for psychologist legislators. All of the incumbent psychologist members of Congress and state legislatures who were running for office won reelection. The retirement of 2 veteran state legislators was offset by 2 newly elected psychologists. As a group, these legislators continue to sponsor bills and pass laws that have a strong focus on mental health and human services. This reflects well the contributions that a background in psychology can offer to the formation of enlightened public policy. While this career path is not one that most psychologists will pursue, there are other avenues for participation in the political process that are readily available, including membership in the Association for the Advancement of Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A PsyD degrees for every practitioner: Truth in labeling.

At present, nearly 70% of American Psychological Association members are identified as health care providers. The PhD degree, a generic scholarly degree, is most commonly used to certify completion of doctoral studies in professional psychology. As a result, the consumer has difficulty determining which psychologist is qualified to provide health care. The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) should identify those psychologists who provide doctoral-level health services. Licensed, qualified PhD psychologists could be awarded the PsyD retroactively on the basis of a credential review, as the JD degree was awarded to lawyers previously holding the LLB. Applicants for the PsyD would not relinquish their PhD degrees. Upon review and approval, they would identify themselves with both degrees: PsyD, PhD. Mechanisms for accomplishing the change are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and the church: An exemplar of psychologist–clergy collaboration.

Despite the increasing attention being given to clergy–psychologist collaboration, many psychologists may wonder what clergy–psychologist collaboration looks like in actual practice. The authors describe an example of clergy–psychologist collaboration involving a careful needs-assessment phase followed by the development of a wide spectrum of preventive, consultative, and direct services. Current challenges include funding, establishment of trust, and the integration of psychology and spirituality. Implications for professional psychologists are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

2006 Award Winners: Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Independent or Institutional Practice in the Private Sector.

The Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Independent or Institutional Practice in the Private Sector recognizes outstanding service delivery by a licensed psychologist who is primarily engaged in the practice of psychology in a private sector setting. The award is intended to recognize outstanding practitioners in psychology. Nominations are considered for psychologists working in any area of clinical specialization, health services provision, or consulting, and services provided to any patient population or professional clientele in an independent or institutional practice setting are considered. This document lists the winners of this award from 1972 to 2006, and provides the citation, brief profile, and bibliography for the 2006 recipient Jeffrey J. Magnavita. Magnavita's award address, entitled In Search of the Unifying Principles of Psychotherapy: Conceptual, Empirical, and Clinical Convergence (see record 2006-21079-037), is also included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Manitoba's Rural and Northern Community-Based Training Program for Psychology Interns and Residents.

This article describes a unique internship training experience developed by the Department of Clinical Health Psychology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Manitoba. Interns live in and provide services to remote northern communities for half of the internship year and receive supervision from a psychologist in the community, supplemented by telehealth. The department also offers a full-year, postdoctoral rural residency. Ten interns and 4 residents have been trained so far. The community-based generalist training model and responses to the challenges, for both supervisors and trainees, of working in small underserved communities are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)