Specialty designation in psychology: Conceptual issues.

Argues that specialties already exist in the discipline of Canadian psychology and that this subdivision of special knowledge base and skills is the sign of a healthy, maturing discipline. The advantages and disadvantages of establishing a specialty designation system in Canada are reviewed, and comparisons are made with the disciplines of law and medicine. It is concluded that if such a system is decided to be desirable, it should be national in scope and should employ a certification for advanced expertise, which recognizes extra qualification related to additional training, experience, and rigorous direct evaluation of competency. Such a system of specialty designation more closely approximates an excellence-based competency model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian psychology in a global context.

This article explores the impact that Canadian psychology has had around the world. Canadian discoveries and theories have led to paradigmatic shifts in several different areas of psychology; our ethics codes have influenced guideline and code development in other countries; articles written by Canadian psychologists have a very high impact relative to articles written by colleagues in other G8 countries; and our applied practitioners have contributed services to underprivileged parts of the world. Special emphasis is placed on how the unique character of Canadian society has played an important role in shaping Canadian psychology. The article concludes by reviewing the disadvantages of fragmentation within the discipline and the importance of integrating basic science with psychological application. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specialty designation: An industrial/organizational perspective.

Agrees with the J. Service et al (see record 1994-35137-001) argument that Canadian psychology should have a system of specialties, and addresses the issue of how minimal standards of professionalism can be ensured for psychologists who work in nonacademic settings. The twin issues of program accreditation and professional certification are central to specialty designation. Examples are taken from the Canadian Psychological Association's Section for Industrial/Organizational Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note on legislation affecting Canadian psychology: The Ontario model.

New legislation affecting Psychology has been proposed recently in Ontario. If enacted, this legislation would set up a College of Psychology with wide discretionary powers and broad duties. Other legislation is proposed to govern such Colleges (Health Disciplines Act) and to create a College to credential competence rather than profession (the College of Mental Health Practitioners). These developments and their implications are discussed with respect to their impact on psychology across Canada. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employment prospects in Canadian psychology: 1977.

Discusses the surplus of psychologists in both Canada and the US, and urges that immediate steps should be taken to solve this problem. Specifically, it is suggested that (a) new students seeking admission to graduate psychology programs should be advised regarding the inadequate supply of jobs for individuals with such training and that they will frequently be required to create their own jobs and (b) a new breed of generalists should be encouraged since there are frequently inadequate or no jobs available for specialists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Making a clearing: Qualitative research in anglophone Canadian psychology.

Qualitative research (QR) occupies a middle ground between the sciences and the humanities, which goes against established research practice in psychology and most related social and health science disciplines. At present, QR in Canadian psychology is beginning to take root in some universities and research organizations. Most of the contributors to this special issue reflect this development in Anglophone Canadian psychology. This article briefly introduces the contributions to this special issue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirically supported treatments in psychology: Implications for Canadian professional psychology.

Examines several interconnected efforts to develop evidence-based practice in professional psychology. We first review the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) Task Force on the Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures' development of criteria and listings for empirically supported psychological treatments. Next, we present related efforts to develop procedures to identify treatments that have established efficacy and to develop practice guidelines. The possible impact of these initiatives on Canadian professional psychology in the domains of training, credentialing, practice, and research are then examined. Finally, we present recommendations for steps that should be taken by Canadian psychology organizations to respond to these initiatives in order to ensure that psychological practice in Canada is optimally supported by scientific evidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enculturation stress in Canadian psychology.

The argument is made that nationally flavoured psychologies exist where distinctive national values and social priorities obtain. These values are discussed in the context of two imported behavioural models, science and profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian graduate training in psychology.

As a result of a questionnaire sent to all Canadian graduate training schools in psychology, a tabulation was made of a) qualifications for admission to each programme, b) graduate training specialty in each department, c) broad numerical comparisons of size of university with number applying and accepted for study. Overall the results indicate that the minimum qualifications for entry are a B average in 7 or 8 undergraduate psychology courses including basic experimental psychology and statistics. Qualifying years are usually offered to those who do not reach these minima. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching social psychology: A Canadian dilemma.

Criticizes the American dominance of Canadian social psychology. It is argued that many American models and perspectives are only partially relevant to Canada. The exclusive use of American textbooks is also criticized; these texts are considered to incorrectly interpret Canadian phenomena as directly analagous to American. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian psychology comes of age.

What has happened to psychology in Canadian universities in the past few years is indeed startling. It has been caught up in a wave of popularity, or public trust, which has produced disproportionately large increases in enrolments in psychology everywhere. Psychology departments now typically carry the largest or one of the largest undergraduate teaching loads, and most have also developed graduate programs. Since 1960, the number of Canadian graduate departments of psychology has more than doubled. By 1966 and 1967 psychology was, of all the traditional academic disciplines, the third largest producer of Canadian PhD's. The rapid increase in the number of faculty required to teach so many students has made it possible for departments to develop along a number of lines. The developments in the universities are only one small part of the story of Canadian psychology in the 1960's, but they are particularly significant because of the promise they hold for the discipline in the years ahead. During the present decade improvements in the state of psychology in this nation have been in every respect spectacular. Canadian psychology has come of age. The evidence is all around us. The question now before us is, will this discipline move forward with confidence into maturity? Will it accept full responsibility for itself? Will it control its own destiny? I believe that it can and that it will. The future holds out much promise if we shape it to our advantage. Opportunities to determine our fate are being presented to us now if we will only seize them. The Canadian Psychological Association is the organization which can provide the fulcrum for the efforts that are required. Hence, we must make it the strong representative organization it should be. There are many problems to overcome if we are to do this, but nothing is impossible if we keep our real goals in sight. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contributions of Canadian community psychology.

The contributions of Canadian community psychologists to ethics, theory, methodology, research, and practise are highlighted in this article. Important debates about ethical issues in psychological research and practise have been advanced by Canadian community psychologists. Canadian community psychologists have also introduced theoretical perspectives (e.g., cognitive community psychology) that have provided an impetus for research and practise, and they have broadened the focus of research in community settings with contributions to participatory action research, program evaluation, and qualitative methods. A variety of substantive contributions have been made to the research literature, especially in the areas of community mental health, prevention, and social inclusion. Finally, Canadian community psychologists have contributed to practise in terms of policy, programs, and social interventions. The article concludes with a discussion of future potential areas of contribution for Canadian community psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a national social psychology: A review of Social psychology: The Canadian context.

Reviews the book, Social Psychology: The Canadian Context edited by J. W. Berry and G. J. S. Wilde (1972). In Social Psychology: The Canadian Context, Berry and Wilde tie their selections from journals and books to the themes of Canadian identity, dualism, and pluralism. National social psychology could turn out to be the most effective way yet conceived for individual scholars to have their pure-science cake and apply it too. Its emergence depends, in part, on continuance of the nationalism, which is sweeping Canada at present. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian feminism and psychology: The first decade.

The history of the Canadian Psychological Association's recognition of the validity of a feminist perspective in psychology is outlined, and the current status of women psychologists in the nation is discussed. Documenting the development of a "psychology of women" speciality, a selected review is presented of the research conducted by psychologists in Canada dealing with sex roles, sex differences, achievement, feminism, and psychobiology. In the applied areas of the discipline, analogous developments have occurred in terms of the establishment of a link between sex roles and psychopathology, the critical appraisal of traditional therapies, the creation of alternative therapy approaches, and the generation of ethical standards pertinent to the provision of psychological services to women. The interdisciplinary quality of the psychology of women is discussed and an overview of this new field is provided. (French abstract) (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian psychology: Some social and applied emphases.

Recent concern with national identity has motivated an examination of possible relationships between features of Canadian society and the nature of applied and social Psychology. Experience with the production of a bibliography and book of readings in this area provided the background, necessary for a detailed discussion of the issues. A matrix of research questions was elaborated by crossing some special features of social and cultural life in Canada with the sub-disciplines of Social, Clinical, Educational and Work Psychology. It was concluded that there could be "a Canadian Psychology" in these social and applied areas, but that considerable effort is required before it is attained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research resources in Canadian university psychology departments.

This article reports a survey of research resources in Canadian university psychology departments. Replies to four questionnaires distributed to all departments of psychology in Canada provided empirical data on, for example, the number and distribution of faculty and graduate students by sub-specialty area, teaching loads, research activity and funding, support services, physical space, and equipment. In addition to providing normative data according to size of university, these data point to a number of issues that must be addressed by the discipline, some of which will enable university researchers to better realize their potential for contribution to the scientific knowledge base. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community psychology in the Canadian psychological family.

Reviews the status of community psychology in the history of psychology in Canada, emphasizing the early precedents of applied mental health and community interventions. Findings are presented from inquiries into undergraduate and graduate training in community psychology in Canada. After assessing current problems in the subdiscipline, the author makes recommendations for future directions and discusses the potential usefulness of community psychology to professional psychology in meeting the challenges of public mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Industrial-organizational psychology research in the Canadian Forces.

Introduces this special issue of the Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, which focuses on industrial-organizational psychology research in the Canadian Forces (CF). The empirical papers included in the Special Issue represent a limited cross-section of Industrial-Organizational research from the Canadian Forces Human Resources and Evaluation Branch, and include collaborations with various academicians across the country. These studies do not begin to capture the vast array of issues/topics routinely under empirical investigation by the CF. Nonetheless, collectively they provide a sample of some of the diverse areas of research inquiry. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)