Graduate Study in Psychology: 1971-2004.

This article traces the evolution of graduate study in psychology in the United States and Canada during the past 3 decades. The authors summarize the 2003-2004 characteristics of graduate programs and departments in psychology and compare these data to those obtained in 1970-1971, 1979-1980, and 1992-1993. The most recent data were obtained from the 2005 edition of Graduate Study in Psychology and were based on 495 institutions, 601 departments, and 1,970 graduate programs. Information is presented for both entire departments (e.g., faculty characteristics, student profiles, admission criteria, Graduate Record Examination and grade point averages, tuition costs, financial assistance) and individual graduate programs (e.g., areas of study, number of applicants, acceptance rates, enrollment statistics, retention rates). Particular attention is devoted to the emergence of PsyD programs in professional psychology, the ascendancy of neuroscience programs in academic psychology, and the steady rise in acceptance rates across programs over the past 33 years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapists in independent practice: Some findings and issues.

Notes that although professional psychologists' involvement in private sector health care delivery has grown at an unparalleled rate in the past decade, little is known about professional psychologists' composition, practices, or their views. This article describes the professional characteristics, clinical activities, theoretical perspectives, and training and career satisfaction of 210 doctoral-level psychotherapists (mean age 47.2 yrs) employed full-time in independent practice. More than 30 personal and professional variables were used to compare these private practitioners with 72 psychotherapists employed in the public sector. Results indicate that independent practitioners were significantly more likely to be older and more experienced, work fewer hours, do more marital therapy, and be more satisfied with psychotherapy as a career than their colleagues in institutional clinical settings. Contrary to expectations, there were no differences between the 2 groups in theoretical orientations or percentage of women. Several issues surrounding private practice are explored, and the sociopolitical and training implications of increasing numbers of psychotherapists entering independent practice are discussed. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy relationships that work II.

This article introduces the special issue of Psychotherapy devoted to evidence-based therapy relationship elements and traces the work of the interdivisional task force that supported it. The dual aims of the task force are to identify elements of effective therapy relationships (what works in general) and to identify effective methods of adapting or tailoring treatment to the individual patient (what works in particular). The authors review the structure of the subsequent articles in the issue and the multiple meta-analyses examining the association of a particular relationship element to psychotherapy outcome. The centrality of the therapy relationship, its interdependence with treatment methods, and potential limitations of the task force work are all highlighted. The immediate purpose of the journal issue is to summarize the best available research and clinical practices on numerous elements of the therapy relationship, but the underlying purpose is to repair some of the damage incurred by the culture wars in psychotherapy and to promote rapprochement between the science and practice communities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discovery of Inhibitors of Trypanosoma brucei by Phenotypic Screening of a Focused Protein Kinase Library

A screen of a focused kinase inhibitor library against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense led to the identification of seven series, totaling 121 compounds, which showed >50 % inhibition at 5 μm . Screening of these hits in a T. b. brucei proliferation assay highlighted three compounds with a 1H‐imidazo[4,5‐b]pyrazin‐2(3H)‐one scaffold that showed sub‐micromolar activity and excellent selectivity against the MRC5 cell line. Subsequent rounds of optimisation led to the identification of compounds that exhibited good in vitro drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties, although in general this series suffered from poor solubility. A scaffold‐hopping exercise led to the identification of a 1H‐pyrazolo[3,4‐b]pyridine scaffold, which retained potency. A number of examples were assessed in a T. b. brucei growth assay, which could differentiate static and cidal action. Compounds from the 1H‐imidazo[4,5‐b]pyrazin‐2(3H)‐one series were found to be either static or growth‐slowing and not cidal. Compounds with the 1H‐pyrazolo[3,4‐b]pyridine scaffold were found to be cidal and showed an unusual biphasic nature in this assay, suggesting they act by at least two mechanisms.     

Commentary: Eclecticism misrepresented and integration misunderstood.

Argues that work by C. H. Patterson (see record 1989-33835-001) failed to recognize the distinction between eclecticism and integration in psychotherapy and therefore made unwarranted conclusions about the prospects of technical eclecticism and integration. Areas of disagreement between J. C. Norcross and Patterson are detailed, and 5 points of mutual agreement are listed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emerging breakthroughs in psychotherapy integration: Three predictions and one fantasy.

Integration or eclecticism is the most common theoretical orientation among psychotherapists; however, its meaning is diffuse, its commitment typically philosophical rather than empirical, and its training idiosyncratic and unreliable. The author discusses 3 key breakthroughs he foresees over the next decade in psychotherapy integration. The 1st will be to arrive at a consensual understanding of what psychotherapy integration stands for and against. The 2nd breakthrough will be to conduct prospective outcome research that demonstrates the differential effectiveness of integrative therapies with diagnostically heterogeneous patients. The 3rd will be to establish training programs that insure competence in integrative approaches to psychotherapy or in differential referral. At that point, psychotherapy integration will constitute a conceptually coherent, empirically validated, and educationally sound position for practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)