Guiding principles and recommendations for the assessment of competence.

This article presents guiding principles for the assessment of competence developed by the members of the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Assessment of Competence in Professional Psychology. These principles are applicable to the education, training, and credentialing of professional psychologists, and to practicing psychologists across the professional life span. The principles are built upon a review of competency assessment models, including practices in both psychology and other professions. These principles will help to ensure that psychologists reinforce the importance of a culture of competence. The implications of the principles for professional psychology also are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ten strategies for psychology trainees and practicing psychologists interested in avoiding ethical and legal perils.

Litigation against psychologists has increased in recent years, resulting in high malpractice premiums, negative publicity, and defensive approaches to professional practice. While many practicing psychologists have become keenly aware of the need to be up-to-date on legal and ethical issues in professional practice, it is unclear if this attention has filtered down to the training of graduate students, interns, and postdoctoral trainees. While trainees are generally fairly well versed in the Ethics Code (APA, 1992) they tend to have little practical understanding of strategies to minimize both ethical and legal troubles. The purpose of this article is to outline 10 practical strategies to minimize the chances of ethical and legal problems for both psychology trainees and practicing psychologists. While this is not an exhaustive list, it highlights some of the major issues trainees and psychologists should be aware of and offers direction for minimizing potential problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists' competence to treat lesbian, gay and bisexual clients: State of the field and strategies for improvement.

Recognizing research which suggests that many practicing psychologists enter the field without training or with inadequate training in the knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to treat lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients, the authors in this Focus on Ethics provide suggestions for psychologists seeking competence with this population. In the lead article, Lyons fleshes out the contours of competent practice, presents the current state of psychologist competence, and calls for greater levels of competence. Next, Bieschke and Dendy respond by applying the Ethical Acculturation Model to describe the question of competence for those who may come from cultures not condoning of an LGB affirmative stance. Worthington provides hypotheses for the current rates of competence in the field and encourages the use of evidenced-based training and practice to increase competence. Finally, Georgemiller confirms the role of practicing psychologists who are heterosexual allies and identifies resources for gaining competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical competence for practicing psychologists: Clearly a work in progress.

Competence is an issue of vital importance for all practicing psychologists, and each spends his or her career seeking to develop it, achieve it, maintain it, and enhance it. But just what is competence, how is it best achieved, what are the factors that may adversely impact it, and what are each psychologist's ethical obligations with regard to clinical competence? These and other relevant questions are addressed for psychologists individually, for those who train them, and for those in the profession who establish professional standards. The article and 3 invited expert commentaries address these issues and make practical recommendations for action that will assist psychologists, trainers, and the profession to better achieve the ideal of competence so that they may best be able to meet the needs of those they serve. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Continuing education: A new challenge for psychology.

Notes that pressures are mounting from within and from outside psychology for the demonstration of continued professional competence. The need for systematically available continuing education opportunities for both the practicing professional and the teacher-scientist is great. It is suggested that some services can be provided centrally by the American Psychological Association which will facilitate the development of a continuing education network for all psychologists. The following services are proposed: consultation on the development of programs, a resource center, a registration service, publication of a calendar, and a self-assessment examination system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social competence, social support, and academic achievement in minority, low-income, urban elementary school children.

Despite living in disadvantaged urban communities experiencing social and economic hardships, many children emerge with positive outcomes. Social-emotional competence and social support were hypothesized to have strong influences on academic trajectories during the critical period of academic skill acquisition. Participants were 282 third-grade students from six elementary schools in a Northwestern urban community. Beyond the importance of prior levels of academic competence, considerable variance in end-of-year academic outcomes was predicted by initial levels of academic social-emotional competence and improvements in social-emotional competence and perceived teacher support over the course of the year. Noteworthy is that findings were strongest for African-American students, but methodological caveats regarding research with underachieving minority youth were discussed. The findings suggest that school psychologists and others designing interventions to improve achievement of disadvantaged students should address social-emotional competencies and classroom climate, especially teacher support of students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recommendations about the knowledge and skills required of psychologists working with older adults.

This article is an initial attempt to furnish recommendations for the skills and knowledge psychologists need to work competently with older adults. We use two levels of competence across seven broad areas that are most relevant for professional practice. The fast competence level is that required of general psychologists who provide some professional services to older adults; the second level is that needed by more specialized experts in the field for practice and training. This article is not fashioned as a "how to" document and is not intended to disenfranchise anyone. Recommendations are proposed that delineate the types of competence needed for specific geropsychology activities that are relevant to a variety of settings providing mental health services to older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is psychologists' involvement in the prescribing of psychotropic medication really a new activity?

How involved in the process of prescribing psychotropic drugs is the average practicing professional psychologist today? The answer is "far more than most people realize." Five hundred ninety-six practicing psychologists responded to a survey reporting the types of professional activities in which they regularly engage. Virtually all responding psychologists reported they were involved in making recommendations for medication evaluations, consulting with physicians about which medications to use with specific patients, and discussing medication-related issues with patients. A generally agreed-on model of psychopharmacology training for professional psychologists should emerge over the next 5 to 10 years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Basic science training in psychopharmacology: How much is enough?

Training psychologists to administer psychotropic medication will require acquisition of a unique knowledge base and set of skills that are generally not components of graduate education in psychology. Nevertheless, the current level of basic science training in graduate education in psychology is substantial and should, with minor modification, allow adequate preparation for students to enter into specialized training to prescribe. The direct provision of psychopharmacology requires psychologists to demonstrate competencies in addition to those required in the general provision of psychological services. Such competencies are perhaps best taught at the postdoctoral level. The authors argue that all curricula training professional psychologists should be able to train psychologists capable of practicing as independent, full-fledged health care providers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preventing problems of professional competence in the face of life-threatening illness.

When a psychologist is diagnosed with a serious medical condition and faces the prospect of an arduous treatment regimen and perhaps a bleak prognosis, it may be difficult to attend to one's level of professional competence. Like their clients, psychologists are vulnerable to distress and diminished functioning caused by a life-threatening illness. Psychologists have an ethical responsibility to monitor and ensure professional competence, yet the distress and distraction that accompany serious health problems can inhibit and undermine self-assessments of competence in many ways; distressed psychologists may react with denial, shame, fear, and problematic countertransference responses. The limitations associated with evaluating competence in the context of distress are discussed and several recommendations are offered for psychologists who deliver services, support gravely ill colleagues, and serve in credentialing and regulatory capacities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists and rural services: Addressing a new agenda.

Rural people in the 1990s are struggling with serious individual and community problems that threaten their very survival. The growth of professional psychology into a viable health, mental health, and social service profession places it in a position to be of assistance to rural communities. To do this, however, adequate training models must be developed to equip psychologists to ply their trade in rural areas. A strategy and model for training practicing psychologists is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From clinical trials to professional training: A graduate course in evidence-based interventions for children, youth, and families.

In preparing students to become competent professional psychologists, graduate coursework must lay the foundation for the development of competence in the ethical delivery of evidence-based interventions. This paper describes a graduate course designed to introduce students to evidence-based treatments with children and youth. The course is designed to enhance critical thinking in translating research into practice as well as to develop core competencies in intervention planning, implementation, and evaluation. Activities to enhance interaction and to promote problem-based learning include student presentations of a workshop on an effective practice element, as well as a case assignment requiring treatment planning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social justice in practicum training: Competencies and developmental implications.

This article addresses the challenge in the predoctoral education of professional psychologists of providing practicum training experiences with a strong social justice focus while also ensuring that students are acquiring the full range of foundational competencies expected of practicing psychologists. The theory-based distinction between interactional, procedural, and distributive justice will be discussed as a framework for considering a developmental progression in practicum training, moving from individually focused skills to more advanced competencies emphasizing social/institutional change. The article concludes with aspirational recommendations for any academic program seriously committed to the pursuit of social justice as part of its training mission. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental health services in a single payer system: Lessons from Canada and principles for an American plan.

Reviews the advantages of financing mental health care in the US along the lines of the Canadian single-payer system and argues that the pillars of the Canadian system (accessibility, comprehensiveness, portability, public administration, and universality) are standards a restructured US system could achieve. The merits of including mental health coverage in a basic benefits package are also discussed. The authors believe limits on reimbursement for psychologists in Canada should not keep US psychologists from supporting single-payer proposals because (1) the professional Zeitgeist in the US in 1992 is very different from that of Canada in the late 1960s and (2) Canadian psychologists could have participated but failed to achieve professional consensus on the merits of inclusion in the national health program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical psychologists reflect on the usefulness of various components of graduate training.

Graduates of clinical training programs were surveyed to determine the degree to which they have found various graduate school experiences useful in their professional work. Samples of academic clinical psychologists and practicing clinical psychologists reported time allocation and preference for various professional activities, perceived usefulness of various theoretical orientations, and the influence on their current professional work of 19 different graduate training topics. Results suggest that where differences exist, academic clinical psychologists are generally more satisfied with Boulder-model-inspired scientific training than are clinical practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influences on the career choice of psychotherapists.

Motivations and experiences relevant to the career choices of 56 clinical psychologists practicing psychotherapy were assessed and compared with those from a sample of 53 social psychologists. Clinical psychologists were more likely than social psychologists to have been influenced in their career selections by (a) experiences of psychological distress in themselves and in their families of origin, (b) desires to resolve personal problems, and (c) a wish to pursue opportunities for vocational achievement and professional advancement. However, most respondents did not view problematic histories as central to their choice of career, and the magnitude of difference between the two groups of professionals was small. Results illuminate reasons why individuals choose careers as psychotherapists. Implications for the training of therapists are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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)     

How the public perceives psychiatrists, psychologists, nonpsychiatric physicians, and members of the clergy.

Accompanying two decades of change in the mental health system have been a diffusion of the roles and practices of mental health professionals as well as shifts in the public's perceptions of the various specialties. In the present study, samples of patients and nonpatients used a 4-point Likert scale to rate (a) the competence of psychologists, psychiatrists, nonpsychiatric physicians, and the clergy to treat 10 different patient types, and (b) the personal qualities of the four practitioner groups along nine different dimensions. Psychiatrists and psychologists received significantly higher ratings than both nonpsychiatric physicians and the clergy on competence to treat most mental health problems. Intergroup differences on the ratings of personal qualities suggest a less uniformly favorable perception of psychiatrists and psychologists in comparison with the other two groups. Implications for the marketing and public relations efforts of mental health practitioners are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)