Mixed Professional Corporations.

In this article, the author argues that it is past time for psychology to regard itself simply as a mental health profession and to recognize itself as the health profession it is. It is as broad as the state acts that license, certify, or register its practice. It is as broad as direct recognition/freedom of choice state laws delineate. It is noted that many psychologists in practice have established cordial referral and other working relationships with family practitioners, pediatricians, internists, psychiatrists, and other medical specialists. Generally, these interdisciplinary relations are informal and based on mutual regard. Occasionally, the basis is joint membership in a business, as distinct from a professional corporation. Over 20 states have laws that proscribe organized group practice. However, if private sector health care delivery is to be comprehensive, effective, and viable, a medium must be found to enable health practitioners of different disciplines to engage in professional corporate practice as colleagues. A new California law helps set the stage and may prove to be a useful model. With this law, California becomes the third state in which psychologists can engage in multidisciplinary corporate practice with physicians. By enabling the formation of multidisciplinary professional corporations wherein psychologists and physicians may practice as colleagues, these laws open a new avenue for the delivery of this broadened range of professional services to the public and further establish, in statute, a collaborative basis for practice among psychologists and physicians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The mental hospital in the 21st century.

Reviews the book, The mental hospital in the 21st century by Emmanuel Persad, Shane S. Kazarian, and Llewellyn W. Joseph (1992). The authors not only review past endeavors in the delivery of mental health services but speculate as to the role the mental hospital may take in the years to come. The starting point for this book is a conference entitled "The Role of the Mental Hospital in the 21st Century" sponsored by the London Psychiatric Hospital in October 1990. The book features 20 brief chapters regrouped in three sections. In all, 29 contributors mainly from Canada, bring forth varying perspectives on the role of the mental hospital. The real contribution of this book is that it puts into perspective the magnitude of the challenge that confronts the major stakeholders in developing a comprehensive and balanced system of mental health services. The present book could serve as a starting point for some serious debate among the stakeholders about the way the mentally ill are treated and to determine how the role of the mental hospital should change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction: Diversity Within Unity.

Provides an introduction to the Clinical Psychology section of the current issue of Professional Psychology. This issue, as a whole, focuses on the future of professional psychology. This section, in particular, reflects the diversity of practitioners as well as their clients, describes a few settings in which clinical psychology is practiced, presents some of the external and internal conflicts and problems that affect both the present and future of clinical psychology, and offers some possible solutions. The first three articles use specific settings to describe some of the problems encountered by psychologists who work with underserved populations. The last four articles in this section depart from specific settings and focus on issues that affect the goals of psychology, the provision of services, the role of psychologists in training settings, and the hospital practice of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A health care system of one.

Health care has been, and to large measure remains, an enormous collection of considerably independent professionals, freestanding institutions, highly individualized consumer demands, and laws that vary considerably state by state. To a great extent, health services in the US have been organized and offered as an exchange between individuals, and American practitioners and patients have valued this independence. Over the past decade and a half, however, we have begun to recognize that provision of health care on an individuated basis comes at an enormous cost. Beyond simply the economic cost, there is the growing realization that the "independent" nature of the actions taken by the individuated sectors of our health system can often be characterized as idiosyncratic, unmanaged, uncoordinated, and irrational. One small but critical step toward improving the fractious nature of our health system is to advance the cause of states recognizing the professional licensure of health professionals by other states. Such mutual recognition, long overdue, promises real benefits for patients and, in the long run, for professionals as well. Professional bodies both private and public should focus on patients and their needs when considering any regulatory changes to be made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editor’s comment.

Comments on the Invited Address presented by Edward Asner at the 91st Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association in August 1983, on behalf of the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology (see record 2009-06832-001). Mr. Asner addressed the question, "Do the media have an impact on the role of health care?" Those who attended Mr. Asner's talk were both impressed and deeply moved by his commitment to changing attitudes about disabled individuals within the entertainment industry and providing equal access for disabled individuals to television and movie roles, based on capability to play those roles rather than on handicapping conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Outcomes assessment in clinical practice.

Reviews the book, Outcomes assessment in clinical practice edited by Lloyd I. Sederer and Barbara Dickey. This book is a timely publication dealing with the urgent and imperative situation in health care delivery, especially in the area of mental health services. There are four Sections in the book. Section I is titled Integrating Outcomes Assessment into Clinical Practice. This section conveys in a rational and reasonable sequence the definition, impetus, history, scope, process, and current crisis-like status of mental health care, in terms of its financing, its validity, and its effectiveness. Section II is called Instruments of Outcomes Assessment and contains sixteen chapters, each describing a different instrument of assessment. Section III optimistically proclaimed a future improvement of health care delivery and access. These five chapters were exciting, but require a most open and direct acknowledgement of the need for protection of patients and therapists in this field. Complementing Section II is Section IV which contains the Appendices. According to the reviewer, this book has the potential to advance the practice of psychotherapy. But presenting it as a means to satisfy so many volatile and uncontrolled social, political, economic, and other forces can lead to its corruption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Divided No More: Psychology's Role in Integrated Health Care.

Health-care providers increasingly recognize the need to address behavioural and emotional influences on physical health in order to provide quality and cost-effective services. As behaviour change experts, psychologists can be critically important in new models of integrated care that focus on both physical and psychological health. However, to be effective, psychologists must be prepared to address the major issues facing health-care systems today and be willing to re-examine and modify current modes of education and practice. This article describes important trends affecting health care and the ways in which psychologists could contribute. Lastly, two psychologists involved in new models of integrated care describe their training and the challenges and rewards of their current activities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparisons among quality assurance systems: From outcome assessment to clinical utility.

This special section describes contemporary systems for assessing the quality and effectiveness of service delivery. These systems have in common their commitment to the belief that by continuously monitoring treatment-related change, identifying problem cases, and providing feedback to clinicians or agencies regarding patient progress the benefits of treatment may be increased. Aside from their commonalities, much is to be learned from the varying ways with which these systems gather information and provide feedback to clinicians or health care managers. The methods vary both as a function of the sociopolitical climate of the country in which they were developed and of the personal preferences and assumptions of the developers. An articulation of these differences can be of interest to health care managers and to psychotherapy researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using community outreach to promote integrated health care: A pilot project.

Although research has demonstrated the efficacy of psychological services for ameliorating physical conditions, consumers are often uninformed of the advantages of integrated health care. To begin to address this knowledge gap, the authors developed, offered, and assessed a 2-hr community outreach program, which included lectures highlighting the benefits of providing psychological services within general health care, a demonstration of stress-reduction techniques, and first-person accounts of the benefits of psychological health care. The preliminary results of the evaluation were positive. It is recommended that similar programs be disseminated in diverse communities. Suggestions for planning and conducting these types of programs are offered. Furthermore, strategies for improving the goals and content of workshops are offered, with a focus on the distinction between promotion of attitudinal change versus practical activism. Finally, implications for community outreach that is intended to inform the public of the value of psychological health care services are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Psychologist Connection: Service Linkage and Role Definition.

The mental health field is not always perceived in terms of benevolent experiences, and Gothic attitudes can still prevail. Although the stigma attached to mental illness has diminished, some lay and professional people, including physicians, still have difficulty recognizing mental health problems and/or if recognized, knowing where to refer patients for proper treatment. In addition, many people lack awareness of the range and role of mental health professionals who are available to deal with the complex issues of treatment and prevention surrounding mental illness. This commentary highlights some of the shortcomings that exist when professional roles are not clearly understood and how such a lack of understanding adds to the separation that already exists between professionals when attempting to provide appropriate service linkages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Highlander Hookup Between Psychologists and Physicians.

Discusses the current author's work as a clinical psychologist at a community mental health center (CMHC) located in a village of 500 people in the mountains of western North Carolina. The public's perception, which is often loaded with fears and misinformation, of mental health services in small towns and rural settings is addressed. In the author's particular situation, mental health care is allowed only in a non-mental health setting. The role of the local hospital in the service delivery of the CMCH is considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparation for the delivery of telehealth services: A self-study framework for expansion of practice.

Linked to increasing consumer demand for access to health care information and to the worldwide expansion of telecommunication services, telehealth has emerged as a new domain of practice within professional psychology. Psychologists who plan to incorporate telecommunication technologies (e.g., Internet and point-to-point videoconferencing) into their practices should first conduct a self-assessment and then enhance their knowledge and skills in using these alternative forms of service delivery. The current article provides a self-study framework, known as STEPS, for psychologists to use in planning for telehealth practice. STEPS focuses on 5 key domains of telehealth practice and organizes specific self-study questions around each of these domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Survey of Hospital Psychology in Canada.

Despite the major advances in health psychology over the past decade and the changes that have taken place in the Canadian health sector, there remains a paucity of information available about the structure of psychological services in Canadian health-care settings. The most current information about psychology in Canada's hospitals was gathered in 1982 - almost 20 years ago (Arnett, Martin, Steiner, & Goodman, 1987). This article updates the previous information, as it presents the results of a survey that was sent to 975 acute, psychiatric and continuing care health facilities with a minimum patient bed count of 100. Detailed information about the number of psychologists and administrative organizations of psychological services in Canada are reported. The range of services provided by psychologists in health-care settings has expanded, and professional autonomy, as shown by the existence of independent departments of psychology, has changed. The implications of these results for the organization and delivery of psychological services in Canadian healthcare, and for advocacy on the part of psychology, are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health Services and Health Care Economics: The Health Psychology Marketplace.

In an effort toward cost containment, the health care system in the United States has undergone radical changes in the last decade. These changes have influenced the delivery of clinical health psychology services. This article reviews several economic and marketing factors salient to the clinical health psychology marketplace. For example, these economic changes have placed greater emphasis on the need for cost-effectiveness and accountability in the health psychology field. Implications for education and training, collaboration with other health care specialties, new practice initiatives, and public relations are reviewed. Future challenges and opportunities for clinical health psychology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions: Carl N. Zimet.

Recognizing the diversity of roles and activities in which many professional psychologists are engaged, beginning in 1979, Professional Awards have been presented to individual members of the Association whose distinguished contributions have served to advance psychology as a profession in the areas of knowledge, public service, and professional practice. Carl N. Zimet was a recipient of the 1987 Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Psychology as a Professional Practice award. Zimet is cited for his devotion to high standards of education and training and professional practice in psychology. As a trustee on the American Board of Professional Psychology, he was charged to develop a plan which eventually became the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Through key leadership positions on APA governance bodies, and other professional organizations, he has dedicated himself to setting high standards and promoting the recognition of psychologists in the health care arena. In addition to the citation, a biography and selected bibliography of his works are included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rehabilitation Psychologist as Health Care Executive: A Platform for Professional Diversification.

These are the best and worst of times in health care. Technological advances are offset by critical staff and cash shortages. Strong leadership is needed to navigate these challenges, yet the industry faces a widening leadership void. The effective psychologist possesses 5 specific competencies ("planks") that are well matched for success as a health care executive: clinical, relational, analytical, methodological, and ethical. By applying these competencies, rehabilitation psychologists can enhance their organizations and open new pathways for personal and professional growth. A 6th competency, financial, represents a unique "give and take" position that is portrayed through a replication and extension of J. G. Wiggins's (1994) analysis of careers in psychology. It is concluded that advocacy for our clients, our field, and ourselves is served by rehabilitation psychologists' achieving health care executive positions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI: Professional use by professional people.

Aletter in answer to Mr. R., who inquired about the use of items relating to religion in the MMPI and pointed out that there are laws against inquiry about religious affiliation, is reproduced. "There is a well-recognized pattern of psychological distortion to which we apply the term "religiosity." There are also "frankly stated items on sex,… on body functions,… on certain occupations… " etc. Respondents "may omit any item they do not wish to answer for whatever purpose." Separate scores are derived on groups of items in the MMPI called scales; via machine scoring standard scores are derived which are "remote from the particular items that make up a scale. The MMPI is an experimentally derived instrument." If an item counts on a scale, it is on the basis of responses with well defined groups of maladjusted or mentally ill persons. "Tests are not offensive elements; the offensive elements, if any, come with the misuse of tests." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotropics, Consultation, and Psychology.

The status of psychology in national health insurance is clouded in the minds of some Washington planners because the independent practice of psychology is identified with fee-for-service payment mechanisms, active treatment is identified with drug therapy rather than psychotherapy, and planners are unfamiliar with the nature and the scope of the practice of psychologists. Also, some feel that psychology is not equivalent in practice to psychiatry because psychologists are not integrated into the medical community and because psychologists do not prescribe drugs. These criticisms seem unfounded, since physicians and psychologists have regular consultations and psychologists see many patients who have previously been treated with psychotropic medications. Further, clinical experience indicates frequent therapeutic success by reducing or discontinuing medication rather than placing patients on psychotropics. Accordingly, a questionnaire was sent to the 87 members of the Cleveland Academy of Consulting Psychologists (CACP), requesting information concerning the prescribing of psychotropics and records of interprofessional consultations. The results are provided here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Professional psychology in transition.

Reviews the book, Professional psychology in transition by Herbert D?rkin and Associates (see record 1986-97926-000). This edited volume is a must for at least two groups of psychologists in Canada: (1) those interested in expanding and strengthening their share of the psychological services market; and (2) those interested in the development of psychology as a profession. The book contains three sections. The first, entitled "Trends in the Profession," documents the nature, scope, and influence of psychology's 45,000 licensed psychologists in the US. Sections 2 and 3 move us closer to the Canadian experience. Section 2 focuses on training and practice issues, and should be read by all those who train professional psychologists. Section 3 deals with economics and competition and presents us with some intriguing glimpses of our future. The book is highly recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

It is past time: Moving psychology into primary health care.

It is past time for psychologists to expand their services into primary health care. For too long, psychological work has been limited to mental health care. Psychology also has much to offer in primary health care. One of my major initiatives during my tenure as president of the American Psychological Association (APA) was to focus on psychologists' contributions to health care in general, particularly on what psychologists are doing to help cancer patients. A great need exists for professional psychologists to expand into these areas. To illustrate the value of psychological interventions in primary health care, I focus on two major health care problems: heart disease and cancer. Both are particularly important areas for health care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)