Standards in the education of professional psychologists: The resolutions of the conference at Virginia Beach.

The 6 resolutions adopted by the Conference on Education in Professional Psychology were concerned with standards in the education of professional psychologists. Some of the issues addressed included the need for an increase in the number of professional psychologists, the assessment and prediction of professional competence, and the curricula of practitioner-model programs in professional psychology. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fostering a Culture Shift: Assessment of Competence in the Education and Careers of Professional Psychologists.

What is professional competence and how should it be assessed? Professionalism in psychology requires the habitual and judicious use of knowledge and skills as well as ongoing assessment. The authors synthesize discussions of the Assessment of Competence Workgroup that met during the Competencies Conference: Future Directions in Education and Credentialing in Professional Psychology. The workgroup discussed how to establish a culture of competence and elaborated principles and considerations necessary for the development of methods to assess competence. Principles identified include maintaining a developmental perspective, practicing multicultural sensitivity, and conducting formative and summative, career-long assessment. Recommendations are offered that support a "culture shift" from the current levels of competence assessment to an embracing of continual assessment of professional knowledge and skills over the life span. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Need for the doctor of psychology degree in professional psychology.

The Vail Conference on professional training in psychology recommended development of explicitly professional programs and use of the PsyD degree to certify competence in professional psychology. Policies governing use of the degree, however, as well as the concepts of professional function which degree titles should symbolize, continue to be controversial. Opponents of the Vail Conference recommendations have argued that professional psychologists are most appropriately regarded as scholar-professionals, and have urged award of the PhD degree upon completion of graduate training in such fields as clinical psychology. As counterargument, a multiple definition of the term scholar-professional is stated, and the surplus meanings implied by scholarship are shown to be either false, misleading, or redundant. The difficulties that arise from using the PhD degree as a credential of professional competence are then discussed, and the advantages of employing the PsyD degree both affirmatively, as a certificate of professional competence in psychology, and restrictively, to exclude inadequately trained people from the practice of professional psychology, are asserted. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Licensure in psychology: Alternative directions.

The licensing of psychologists has become an area of intense professional interest. Attempts to provide historical overviews and current data on the status of licensing regulations have become common. This article critiques existing regulations by examining assumptions implicit in the development of licensing procedures. The implications of such assumptions for professional psychology are discussed, and guidelines for alternative licensure developments are presented. The importance of developing valid measures of entry-level and continued professional competence is emphasized. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward professional clinical psychology.

"The immediate task confronting clinical psychology is to obtain recognition for its competence. The important thing for clinical psychologists to keep in mind is that we must determine now whether we shall serve a prime or an ancillary role… . If we vigorously and realistically pursue recognition for our competence, our role will be a prime one. Competence, therefore, is our concern, and it is associated with professional status. Many tests of professionalism confront us. The past 2 decades have produced a fantastic increase in the numbers of clinical psychologists who provide psychotherapy and psychodiagnosis in both institutional and private settings." Postdoctoral training institutes, preventive procedures, and brief treatment techniques are needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The history of broad and general education in scientific psychology: The foundation for professional psychology education and training.

The article provides the historical roots and rationale for providing professional psychologists with knowledge of the underpinnings in core scientific areas of psychology with two goals–knowledge of those scientific areas themselves and as the basis for further understanding the integration of science and practice to improve professional service delivery. This article discusses the early roots of the applied areas within psychology and the changes in curricular expectations in accreditation to the current provisions for the accreditation of doctoral programs in professional psychology. After the historical introduction, the article discusses the current use of the concept of broad and general training as the basis for current practice in accreditation of programs in professional psychology and for the practice as a licensed psychologist. Finally, the article provides some initial discussion of the different perspectives in the rest of the section regarding how best to provide students with appropriate knowledge for competence in scientific underpinnings of professional psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to a series of perspectives on the development of the profession of psychology.

We have asked senior psychologists who are pioneers in the development of different aspects of professional psychology to share some of their reminisces with us in honor of APAs Centennial. These essays will appear in each issue of this volume of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. For the first issue, we have selected three essays that emphasize different topics in the development of professional psychology. Albert Ellis, prominent for his development of Rational-Emotive Therapy, shares his experience in developing one of the first private practices of psychology in the United States. Marie Skodak Crissey discusses her career, which is primarily focused on developing assessment procedures for orphans and other children with special needs. Richard Suinn describes the unique experiences of an Asian-American psychologist. Although these are three separate themes, they all weave into the tapestry that makes professional psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community examiners' evaluations of competence to stand trial: Common problems and suggestions for improvement.

With the exponential growth of forensic psychology over recent decades, increasing numbers of clinical psychologists with little specialized training are becoming principal providers of forensic assessments. On the basis of results from an empirical study, the authors analyze 3 fundamental problems with these psychologists' reports on competence to stand trial and provide recommendations for improvement based on legal, ethical, and professional standards of practice. The article focuses on the importance of (a) properly attending to the range of critical psycholegal abilities, including the defendant's decisional capacities; (b) explaining the critical reasoning that underlies one's psycholegal conclusions; and (c) using forensically relevant methods of assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identity conflicts and the decline of psychological testing.

Discusses the evolution of clinical psychology in relation to the formation of a professional identity, the redefinition of the diagnostic role of psychologists relative to psychiatrists, and the declining importance of testing as a professional function because of its association with a subordinate role. It is suggested that psychologists who are interested and experts in diagnostic assessment should hold themselves out as consultants; implications of this new role for clinical education and for the evaluation of test results are discussed. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obsolescence or lifelong education: A choice for the professional.

Discusses the importance of professional obsolescence in psychology, medicine, and engineering, and the factors responsible for the recent emergence of this problem. The half-life concept is presented as a means of estimating the rapidity of obsolescence, its symptoms and causes, and present efforts of coping with it. The potential contribution of psychology in continuing education is discussed in certain areas, e.g., motivation for professional updating, adult learning, measuring and assessing professional competence, educational technology, counseling adults, midcareer change, research and evaluation, and periodic readmission of professional persons for postgraduate training and external degree programs. Potential opportunities for the employment of psychologists in continuing education areas are presented. (51 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Challenges to the assessment of competence and competencies.

Challenges to the assessment of competence and competencies in professional psychology are discussed in this article. These include difficulties in defining competencies in precise and measurable terms; reaching agreement within the profession about the key elements of each competence domain; establishing an armamentarium of tools for assessing all components of competence, including the knowledge base, skills, and attitudes (and their integration); determining appropriate agreed-upon minimal levels of competence for individuals at different levels of professional development and when "competence problems" exist for individuals; assuring the fidelity of competency assessments; and establishing mechanisms for providing effective evaluative feedback and remediation. But even if these challenges can be met, perhaps the single biggest obstacle would be convincing those who are skeptical of the value of the culture shift toward the implementation of comprehensive competence assessments across the professional life span. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rehabilitation Psychology, Medical Psychology, Health Psychology, and Behavioral Medicine.

In their recent article, "The Distinctiveness of Rehabilitation Psychology," Shontz and Wright (see record 1981-26520-001) attempt to differentiate rehabilitation psychology from other areas of applied and professional psychology in health settings. Although the authors' historical recounting of early research and theory in rehabilitation psychology is informative, too little emphasis is placed on the relationship between rehabilitation psychology and "mainstream" professional psychology, particularly with regard to its health-setting applications. There appear to be more similarities than differences. The authors' argument runs full circle, namely, that rehabilitation psychology is distinct because of its philosophy, but its philosophy and "principles are valuable to psychologists in many specialties" (p. 919). The notion of involving a patient in his/her care and treatment planning also is not unique to rehabilitation psychology. Shontz and Wright state that rehabilitation psychology is not medical psychology; however, instead of defining medical psychology, they go on to talk about medical care. Medical care is not medical psychology. Further confusion is added by the statement that medical psychology should be a component of rehabilitation psychology. The authors are using medical psychology, health psychology, and behavioral medicine as if they are synonymous, when they are not. Each discipline is made distinct here. Shontz and Wright do not address what the majority of psychologists in rehabilitation do, that is, provide services. In short, although the authors complain about the unfamiliarity of rehabilitation psychology relative to the profession as a whole, their article does little to promote rehabilitation psychology as an area of interest important to professional psychologists in health care and/or rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional associations' strategies for revitalizing professional psychology.

The professional associations of psychologists are working to revitalize professional psychology. In response to recent challenges, these associations have attempted to (a) remove barriers to quality services within the mental care health delivery system; (b) help psychologists become better integrated within the overall health care system, as opposed to being narrowly defined as mental health professionals; and (c) help more psychologists move into services outside of the health care delivery system. These 3 strategies are motivated by a vision of psychology as a broad problem-solving discipline that can contribute to human welfare in a varied range of domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical and legal aspects of clinical supervision.

We review guidelines for providing supervision for trainees and employees, an expected part of the job for many psychologists, many of whom carry out their supervisory duties with only a cursory awareness of the ethical and legal pitfalls that may accrue. The guidelines are drawn from ethical principles, other documents promulgated by various sectors of professional psychology, and relevant legal cases. Specific suggestions are given for supervisors and training institutions to ensure appropriate supervision. The incorporation of training in supervision in all doctoral programs in professional psychology is recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The evolution of health care: Implications for the training and careers of psychologists.

Congress failed to pass legislation in 1994, but the general principles guiding reform are clearly embedded in state-level legislation and the inexorable movement toward managed care in the private employer–insurer markets. These principles, legislated by statute or realized incrementally through private market reforms, present challenges and opportunities to psychology as a science and a profession. Psychologists must significantly modify the way they currently work, and university-based training programs must modify the way they educate future psychologists. The issues go beyond the dominant concern with benefit plan coverage and professional prerogatives and affect the very organizational structures in which psychologists work and the ways they get paid. Psychologists now share with every health-related science and profession the public's demand for research-based evidence of cost-effective solutions to individual and community-wide health problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on "Retrospect: Psychology as a profession" by J. McKeen Cattell (1937).

Offers commentary on the remarks made by J. M. Cattell (1937, 1992) concerning the future development of psychology as a profession. Cattell correctly predicted the future certification of psychologists, the growth of professional psychology, and the formation of professional schools. However, some of these developments have not occurred exactly as Cattell envisaged them. Cattell also did not foresee the current conflicts between professional psychologists and those interested in the science of psychology. These recent developments are discussed along with some speculations about possible developments in the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychology training at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Summarizes the development of a school psychology program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and presents principles that have influenced the model and components of training doctoral and specialist level school psychologists. The program was begun with a commitment to the scientist practitioner training model and has evolved to the conceptualization of the school psychologist as scientific problem solver. The current and future emphases of the program to prepare school psychologists for diverse professional roles also are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A guide for establishing a practice in police preemployment postoffer psychological evaluations.

This article provides a guide that focuses on ethics and competence issues for psychologists considering a specialization in conducting police preemployment postoffer psychological evaluations (PEPOPEs). The discussion first addresses the importance of relevant training and practical experiences, involvement in pertinent professional associations, and adherence to rigorous standards and guidelines for conducting this specialized form of assessment. The specific components of a comprehensive assessment are then enumerated and discussed. The article concludes with a consideration of ethical dilemmas and challenges involved in this realm of psychological practice, and a vignette highlights some possible pitfalls for psychologists who are insufficiently prepared for conducting PEPOPEs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The alcoholic psychologist: Issues, problems, and implications for the profession.

Alcoholism, a major health problem currently being addressed by other professions, has unique features, manifestations, and ramifications for psychologists. Salient aspects of alcoholism in psychology include etiological and motivational factors, characteristic behaviors, and specific risk factors in the work environment of psychologists. Alcoholism, conceptualized as a deeply embedded permanent addiction not resolvable by conscious, planned effort, constitutes a special dilemma for psychologists who hold a strong belief in the powers of the mind and in the capacity to comprehend and alter behavior. Current efforts to effectively and humanely deal with alcoholism within the professions, modeled on self-help principles of Alcoholics Anonymous in combination with professional treatment, are examined, including the present efforts in psychology to deal with distressed psychologists. An advocacy role for the American Psychological Association to assist in the development of a peer-collaborative network for psychologists in recovery is suggested. (58 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Future and nontraditional issues for professional psychology: Brief perspectives.

Professional psychologists have proven their worth, competence, and professional relevance in dealing with disorders at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The time has come to expand that relevance to other functions and areas. Future and nontraditional areas in which psychologists have, or should create, a place include government programs, educational systems, technology, industry and organizations, family, military, aging, and the integration of health and psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)