Prevention and remediation through group interventions.

Reviews the book, The handbook of group intervention for children and families edited by Karen C. Stroiber and Thomas R. Kratochwill (see record 1998-07256-000). This book addresses current needs of psychologists and other mental health practitioners who are working across ecologies to address problems of children and youth. As such, this text is an excellent resource for school psychologists, school counselors, and others who are attempting to broaden service delivery systems and procedures. Although this handbook is appropriate for practitioners across a variety of mental health disciplines, it also meets the current needs of school psychologists by addressing gaps often found in school psychology service delivery and training models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

National Asian American Psychology Training Conference.

Describes a conference convened to explore problems and issues in training psychologists to serve Asian Americans and their communities and to provide a setting for administrators, faculty, practitioners, and students to share perspectives on the mental health needs of Asian Americans. Among the outcomes were recommendations concerned with appropriate models and approaches of psychology for Asian Americans and appropriate training of psychologists for Asian-American communities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teachers are psychologists, too: On the application of psychology to education.

Suggests that psychologists reconsider the process of applying psychological ideas to practice. Practitioners carry out their work whether informed by psychological theory or not, and psychologists should attempt to understand this activity as well as how practitioners conceptualize it. The work of teachers is described to illustrate that teachers are psychologists, too. If psychologists accept this point and also acknowledge that psychologists are persons, such a reconsideration should (a) facilitate the reciprocal relation and communication between psychologists and practitioners, (b) improve the quality of practice, and (c) enrich psychological theory. (French abstract) (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivational patterns among three groups of psychologists.

Investigated distinguishing personal characteristics that might differentiate special subgroups within the profession of psychology. Motivational dimensions as measured by a self-report questionnaire, the Orientation and Motivation Inventory (OMI), were examined. Ss included 45 clinical practitioners (mean age 41.6 yrs), 20 academic clinical psychologists (mean age 43.3 yrs), and 20 academic nonclinical psychologists (mean age 43.2 yrs). Ss were contrasted on 12 OMI dimensions via a discriminant function analysis. Significant motivational differences were found between practitioners and the 2 academic groups combined. Results indicate that academic psychologists are more theoretical and achievement oriented, whereas practitioners are more altruistic, person-oriented, and materialistic. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impaired practitioners: Psychologists' opinions about prevalence, and proposals for intervention.

Surveyed 167 licensed psychologists (academicians and practitioners) about opinions toward impaired practitioners. Results suggest the following: (a) A significant proportion of psychologists were judged to be impaired; (b) the majority of Ss believed that impaired practitioners are a serious problem; (c) few Ss were willing to refer impaired colleagues to a therapist or report them to a regulatory agency; (d) training in ethics was related to awareness, seeking help, offering help, and reporting colleagues to a regulatory agency; and (e) Ss overwhelmingly favored the least restrictive proposals for intervention. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subdoctoral Psychologists.

Comments on P. J. Woods' article on APA's concern with the Master's degree in psychology (American Psychologist, 1971, 26, 696-707). The present author suggests that before many more hours are expended in deciding whether subdoctoral psychologists should be called psychologists, the assumption that clinical practitioners holding a doctorate in psychology are better equipped than those trained at the master's level should be demonstrated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

National survey of ethical practices across rural and urban communities.

This study examines ethical dilemmas and problems that are encountered by psychologists across rural and urban communities. A survey instrument was created on the basis of previous surveys of ethical practices. A national sample of 1,000 psychologists stratified into urban and nonurban practitioners was surveyed; 447 usable surveys were returned. Data analysis revealed significant differences between small town/rural and urban/suburban groups for several ethical categories. Notably, small town/rural psychologists are more likely to encounter several types of multiple relationships than their urban counterparts. Small town/rural practitioners are also more likely to be highly visible, or well-known, in their communities. Qualitatively, respondents described their struggles with dual relationships, and several offered suggestions to cope with boundary issues. These findings suggest the need to study the practice of psychology in rural communities in more depth, to study the impact of rural characteristics on clients and practitioners, and to create a conceptual model of best practices for rural practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Would you want your child to be a psychologist?

Describes past and present developments in the occupation of psychology and discusses 4 major areas psychology must address to survive as a discipline and preserve something to pass on to future generations. Technological advances will increase the use of computerized testing and assessment services, to identify mental disorders, select treatments, and predict outcomes of interventions. However, psychology must be marketed as primary care, not simply as a mental-health specialty. Although the diversity in psychology will open new markets for researchers and practitioners, psychological researchers and practitioners must be known as psychologists rather than as a proliferation of subspecialists. Psychology must also expand its interactions with other professional disciplines and advocate itself as a discipline for service to human needs. Psychologists should also prepare themselves for learning to prescribe psychotropic medication. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interview with Representative Cecil Heftel.

Heftel discusses (a) reasons for spiraling health care costs; (b) why cost-saving alternatives such as nonphysician practitioners (e.g., psychologists) have been excluded from Medicare coverage; (c) the Heftel and Inouye bill providing Medicare coverage of psychologists' services in health maintenance organizations; (d) the need to increase in general Medicare coverage of mental services for the elderly; (e) the high incidence of mental illness in the elderly; (f) lower usage of mental health services among the elderly compared to younger groups; (g) mental health services in Hawaii; (h) the issue of psychologists as independent practitioners within Medicare; (i) involvement of psychologists in political advocacy; and (j) use of media by behavioral sciences to promote their concerns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some issues in specifying qualities for the community psychologist.

Comments on the context and content of guidelines for community psychologists as proposed by J. G. Kelly (see record 1972-21047-001). It might be more productive to discuss unique observable behaviors and measurable competencies, since issues of professional responsibility require discussion of explicit transactions between practitioners and clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist as general family practitioner.

Responses from 1,412 psychologists in United States, who indicated that private practice is their full-time occupation, showed that over 90% of them have been seeing different members of families for different reasons at different times over a period of years. Initially a child may have been seen for poor school adjustment; a year later one of the parents may have sought therapy for depression, and some years later a child may have come for college counseling. Such psychologists are functioning as general family practitioners or family psychologists. A review of theoretical orientation and geographical locations, as well as length of time in practice, suggests that this type of functioning is quite widespread among private practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treating "the Poor"--Classism or a Rigid Loyalty to Theory?: Comment.

Comments on "Psychotherapy, classism, and the poor: Conspicuous by their absence" by Laura Smith (see record 2005-11834-002). Smith suggested that social psychology theories might explain how a negative attitude toward the poor has reduced the interest of practitioners in poor patients. The current author was impressed by Smith's comments when she left the literature and began to describe her own experiences. However, the current author was not convinced that social psychology and the varieties of classism explain the phenomenon described. The current author believes that many practitioners avoid the poor because they do not enjoy failure. In this comment, the author discusses personal experiences that support this position. It does not elaborate a history of either a dislike of or class avoidance of the poor. Instead, it suggests that psychologists are trained to overgeneralize findings and to look down on less rigorously collected findings and observations. Thus, psychologists overlook information that might allow theories to be further formulated in more accurate and generalizable forms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specialized practice in forensic psychology: Opportunities and obstacles.

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of the need for psychology practitioners to provide expertise to the legal system on a wide variety of topics. One of the difficulties for psychologists has been that the demand for such services has at times outstripped the capacity of the field to train practitioners to provide these services in a competent and ethical manner. Furthermore, many psychologists are not aware of the types of knowledge and training required to perform these services. This article describes the knowledge base and skills that distinguish the specialty of forensic psychology and the types of training required to practice in this field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology: An endangered species?

Surveyed 65 VA hospitals as to the status, roles, and responsibilities of doctoral level counseling psychologists. Results suggest a declining image of the discipline as a visible entity, with large numbers of counseling psychologists defecting to become clinical psychologists. Bias operating against counseling psychologists in the areas of hiring, promotional opportunity, and duty assignments was reported by some chiefs. Counseling psychologists fare comparatively well in being named to administrative positions in the VA. Criticism of counseling psychology is not directed at American Psychological Association-approved programs but rather at programs associated more closely with schools of education. Such programs are seen as producing "easier" degrees and practitioners not primarily identified with psychology. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Innovations in disaster mental health: Psychological first aid.

Professional psychologists are called upon to deal with a broad array of crises and traumatic events. However, training and expertise in crisis response varies widely among practitioners, and there has been considerable controversy about the value of widely disseminated mental health crisis intervention protocols that include "debriefing" as an essential feature. This article gives an overview of the developmental process, guiding principles, and core actions of the Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide (PFA Guide), which provides guidance for practitioners in responding to immediate mental health needs of children, adults, and families who have recently experienced a disaster or terrorist event. Issues in training, provider self-care, and evaluation research are also presented. The PFA Guide presents approaches thought to be most consistently supported by current research and practice so that they can be taught, used, and evaluated in field settings. Although we expect further refinement as more systematic research becomes available, the PFA Guide represents a sustained collaborative effort to define current evidence-informed best practices that can be utilized now by practitioners involved in disaster mental health responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Master's-level training and employment in community mental health.

The training and employment of master's-level psychologists have long been controversial issues. We describe a master's-level program for training community mental health practitioners, and we present information on the placement of program graduates. The information suggests that there continues to be a demand for well-trained, master's-level practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychologists in forensic psychology: Converging and diverging issues.

Forensic school psychologists working with mentally disordered offenders and behavior-disordered youth in psychiatric and correctional facilities face unique challenges. Psychological resources are typically inadequate, and the comprehensive roles of school psychologists are frequently misunderstood. In this article, the unique character of forensic work facing school psychologists is discussed, and similarities and contrasts between public school and forensic practitioners are outlined. Recommendations and implications for preservice training for school psychologists interested in the forensic subspecialization are outlined and discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)