Theoretical orientations and work settings of clinical and counseling psychologists: A current perspective.

Questionnaires returned by 387 American Psychological Association Division 12 (Clinical) and Division 17 (Counseling) members were analyzed in terms of the theoretical orientations and work settings of the respondents. Comparisons by division affiliation and age were made. Overall, more than three fourths of the sample drew from at least two theoretical orientations, and more than half of the respondents reported at least two work settings. Clinical psychologists seem to be undergoing a shift in terms of preferred theoretical orientation; younger members heavily preferred behavioral approaches, whereas older members preferred psychodynamic approaches. Younger counseling psychologists, meanwhile, appeared to be more interested in private practice than did their older colleagues, who tended to prefer academic and agency settings. These findings suggest that clinical and counseling psychology are dissimilar enough to argue against merger. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Political orientations of academically affiliated psychologists.

A sample was drawn by selecting every 34th name of the psychologists in the 1961 APA Directory (or closest entry thereto) identified as being principally employed as an academic psychologist in a college or university. Tables are provided summarizing party preference, presidential vote in prior elections, party affiliation of parents, reasons for party choice, political attitude score, political participation, father's principal occupation and denominational preference, respondents regional residence, annual income, age, religious preference, and related matters. About 7 out of 10 reported they were registered as Democrats or preferred the Democratic party. Psychologists, sociologists, and political scientists come from populations with relatively similar demographic characteristics. An increasing proportion of academic psychologists have supported the Democratic presidential candidate during the past 36 yr. Comparisons are made among psychologists, sociologists, and political scientists. Psychologists report higher incomes than the other 2 groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Well-functioning in professional psychologists.

Experienced professional psychologists identified factors that contributed to their ability to function well in Study 1, through interviews with 6 well-functioning psychologists, and in Study 2, through questionnaire responses from 339 randomly selected licensed psychologists. Collectively they highlighted self-awareness and monitoring; support from peers, spouses, friends, mentors, therapists, and supervisors; values; and a balanced life, including vacations and other stress-reducers. Discussion focuses on stress-management enhancers to maintain well-functioning, especially at times of deep and pervasive change, like the present and the foreseeable future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparation and regulation of professional psychologists.

Although the present author largely agrees with the suggestions for the preparation of professional psychologists presented by R. E. Fox et al (see record 1986-12821-001), he expresses (1) opposition to the professionalization of the undergraduate curriculum, (2) the need to broaden training to include the social and biological sciences, and (3) the potential value of including programs for the delivery of health and social services within schools of professional psychology. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A plea to professional psychologists.

Monroe H. Freeman is Chairman of the National Capital Area Civil Liberties Union, consultant to the Educational Testing Service, and a member of the Test Development and Research Committee of the Law School Admission Test. His plea to psychologists ist that each psychologist bring to bear their professional training and their special insights to evaluate, or reevaluate, the proper role and the unique responsibilities of the psychologist with respect to people who are not voluntarily seeking psychological counseling, but who are compelled to be tested as a condition to employment. He discusses three elements of the problem: the sociopolitical aspects, the impact on individuals, and the question of professional responsibility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparisons between psychologists and other professional groups.

It is estimated that as of 1953, there were 22,000 persons working as psychologists in the United States; 95,000 living persons have obtained bachelor's degrees with majors in psychology; 5,000 living persons have the Ph.D. degrees in psychology. About 12% of the students who have received a bachelor's degree in psychology have become professional psychologists; this accounts for approximately half of all the people in the country who are working as psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Observations on the retirement of professional psychologists.

If you are interested in eventual retirement, this article discusses some issues that you may wish to consider. For example, a variety of ethical, legal, professional, business, clinical, and personal considerations are critical when a psychologist decides to retire and close a practice. When these diverse considerations are approached sensitively and are well resolved, the best interests of clients are emphasized, and optimally, they will cope more adequately with their psychologist's retirement. Managing these considerations effectively will also enhance the psychologist's move into retirement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scientist–practitioner activities among psychologists of behavioral and nonbehavioral orientations.

268 members of the American Psychological Association's Division of Clinical Psychology returned questionnaires (out of 500 sent) assessing professional activities. Both university and nonuniversity behaviorists as compared with nonbehaviorists in these same settings were more active with regard to (a) journal publications, (b) published chapters/books, and (c) formal papers/symposia/colloquia presentations. University nonbehaviorists, however, provided more clinical supervision, and nonuniversity nonbehaviorists engaged in considerably more direct client contact than did those of a behavioral orientation in these settings. Results are discussed with regard to scientist–professional activities and training in behavior modification. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-family spillover and life satisfaction among professional psychologists.

How do the professional lives of psychologists influence their personal and family lives? Data from 485 psychologists who responded to a survey on professional and family life were analyzed to examine work-to-family spillover, life satisfaction, and family support. Respondents reported a significantly higher incidence of positive spillover, termed family enhancers, than negative spillover, termed family stressors. The low incidence of family stressors suggested that stresses associated with the professional work of psychology do not routinely spill over into professionals' family lives. Both positive and negative spillover, however, played significant roles in mediating the relationship between work and family domains. On the positive side, a sense of personal accomplishment at work was associated with increased family enhancers, which appeared to lead to greater family support and life satisfaction. On the negative side, emotional exhaustion at work was associated with more family stressors, which appeared to lead to less family support and life satisfaction. The implications of these findings for training and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The professional pair: Husband and wife psychologists.

Analyzed responses to a questionnaire by 200 (of 605) couples who were both members of APA to determine the characteristics of these professional pairs. Questions covered demographic and biographic characteristics, employment histories, measures of productiviy, personal and professional satisfactions and problems, division of domestic responsibilities, and perceptions of relative value of careers. Responses were compared to those from 75 male and 62 female APA members who were not married to other psychologists. Results indicate that pairs were more productive than their same sex controls, but that both institutionally and familially imposed constraints caused the wife to subordinate her career to that of her husband, as indicated in division of responsibility for domestic activities, perceived relative values of careers, and satisfaction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training professional psychologists for the twenty-first century.

The continued growth and development of professional psychology may ultimately stand or fall on the integrity of the educational system that prepares future generations of practitioners. Currently, the educational enterprise is unduly hampered by several significant impediments. These impediments are identified and resolutions are proposed that would, if implemented, greatly enhance psychology's ability to assume its rightful place as a major autonomous profession that is properly positioned to address some of the nation's pressing social needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The professional nonpsychology graduate program for psychologists.

Describes a graduate program designed to train people for public affairs careers that maximizes the effective use of psychological skills and knowledge. The program covers such areas as community structure and social systems; interorganizational relations; social forecasting and intervention; and research methods and qualitative skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of professional psychologists in promoting equality.

Discusses sex inequalities/biases inherent in many theories of personality, especially the psychoanalytically based ones, and their influences on psychological assessment procedures and interpretations. Studies pointing out some of the inequities in service delivery are examined. It is stressed that psychologists must (a) focus on the concept of androgyny and its implications for therapy, (b) examine their own concepts/prejudices regarding sex roles, and (c) understand the forces that a population/group exerts on an individual. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The validity of personnel assessments by professional psychologists.

For a sample of 100 persons assessed over a two-year period, predictor and criterion ratings were obtained on five rating scales. The predictor ratings were made by two psychologists from the case files, the criterion ratings by one or more of the assessees' superiors. In addition, the criterion ratings were correlated with a large test battery. "… These general conclusions are drawn: (1) Compared with most validity findings these results are promising and indicate that the technique investigated has practical value and is definitely worthy of further research. (2) When the research is more rigorously conducted, the resulting estimates of validity are likely to be higher." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some observations on the ideology of professional psychologists.

"Analysis of the value position of psychologists starts with an examination of certain of the intellectual postulates and biases of modern psychology. These contribute to what I call the ideology of professional psychologists… . Modern psychology derives its particular orientations in good measure from the social context of American life. The ideology of professional psychology, I shall argue, is linked to the antiphilosophical, antihistorical, narrowly means-oriented and optimistic character of much American thought and culture." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distress and professional impairment among psychologists in clinical practice.

Distress and professional impairment among psychologists in clinical practice can adversely affect the process of psychotherapy. In this study, 522 practicing psychologists (52.2%) completed a mail survey on distress and impairment. Various life events and work factors were associated with different amounts of distress and impairment, with personal relationship problems and work with difficult clients being particularly troublesome. Respondents who experienced a greater number of life events/work factors also reported greater distress and impairment. Very high positive correlations emerged between distress and impairment for both life events and work factors. Non-work-related activities and periodic vacations were the most frequently reported preventive behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Legal and ethical issues in debt collection strategies of professional psychologists.

Maintains that the improper use of aggressive collection techniques (e.g., by collection agencies or small claims court) presents an ethical and legal risk to psychologists. Clinical accounts are viewed as confidential information that may not be ethically released to collection services without the permission of the client—a form of consent probably rarely obtained by therapists. Moreover, previous work has shown that fee disputes represent one of the major forms of legal action taken against psychologists. A survey of 148 clinical psychologists revealed that a majority have used collection services and that a minority of clinicians routinely inform clients on the limitations of confidentiality. Specific recommendations, such as the use of credit cards or payment at time of visit, are offered on how to avoid the potential legal and ethical risks associated with these collection techniques. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religious beliefs and political ideologies as predictors of psychotherapeutic orientations of clinical and counseling psychologists.

Examined the relations among religious beliefs, political ideologies, and psychotherapeutic orientations in 233 34-98 yr old clinical and counseling psychologists. A majority of the respondents affirmed having religious or spiritual beliefs and claimed that their religious beliefs influenced their practice of therapy. Most respondents labeled themselves as politically liberal, and almost half claimed that their political ideologies influenced their practice. The humanistic therapeutic orientation was positively related to Eastern and mystical beliefs, atheistic and agnostic beliefs, and political liberalism; the cognitive-behavioral orientation was positively related to conservative Christian beliefs; and the psychodynamic orientation was negatively related to Eastern and mystical beliefs and positively related to political liberalism. These findings are discussed in the contexts of the scientist practitioner model and postmodern, constructivist thought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)