Discredited psychological treatments and tests: A Delphi poll.

In the context of intense interest in evidence-based practice (EBP), the authors sought to establish consensus on discredited psychological treatments and assessments using Delphi methodology. A panel of 101 experts participated in a 2-stage survey, reporting familiarity with 59 treatments and 30 assessment techniques and rating these on a continuum from not at all discredited to certainly discredited. The authors report their composite findings as well as significant differences that occurred as a function of the experts' gender and theoretical orientation. The results should be interpreted carefully and humbly, but they do offer a cogent first step in consensually identifying a continuum of discredited procedures in modern mental health practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managed care: Hidden benefits or delusional thinking?

Comments on the article by Anonymous (see record 1995-33982-001) which presents the hidden benefits of managed care. The current author contends that the hidden benefits touted by Anonymous are "largely illusory or are benefits only from the perspective of the technically inept, lonely, naive, or deluded practitioner." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The commerce of professional psychology and the new ethics code.

The 1992 version of the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct brings some changes in requirements and new specificity to the practice of psychology. The impact of the new code on therapeutic contracts, informed consent to psychological services, advertising, financial aspects of psychological practice, and other topics related to the commerce of professional psychology are discussed. The genesis of many new thrusts in the code is reviewed from the perspective of the psychological service provider. Specific recommendations for improved attention to ethical matters in professional practice are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical and legal issues in professional practice transitions.

Transitions such as opening, growing, closing, or relocating a professional practice raise a host of challenging legal and ethical questions. Practitioners must consider a range of issues related to client welfare, records management, professional liability, and relationships with colleagues. Some of the issues include obligations and options when closing or selling a practice, opening a practice in a new community, and altering the nature of an existing practice by adding or shedding participating practitioners. A checklist of issues to consider is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In case of ethical dilemma, break glass: Commentary on ethical decision making in practice.

Psychologists are regularly confronted by a wide range of ethical challenges for which no clear solution is apparent. Although the "Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct" (American Psychological Association, 2002) is of some help when one faces such dilemmas, it cannot provide definitive guidance or all needed answers. The process of ethical decision making is reviewed, and the use of different models for ethical decision making is explored. Case examples highlight representative challenges faced by psychologist practitioners. Three invited experts provide commentaries in response to the points made and questions raised. They discuss ethical decision making from their perspectives and make recommendations to practitioners for how they can conceptualize and address the dilemmas they will face in their practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Credentialing in psychology: Close encounters with competence?

Examines existing credentials in psychology and classifies them in 1 of 3 levels as a function of the data and processes used to grant them. Using the concepts of face validity, content validity, and criterion-related validity, the various levels of credentials are viewed in terms of the construct of professional competence. All extant credentials present some difficulties if used as indicators of competence per se, but several specific levels of credentialing provide little evidence or public assurance that the holder thereof will be professionally competent as a psychologist. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Civil liberties and aversive conditioning for children.

Comments on G. C. Davison and R. B. Stuart's (see record 1975-30208-001) discussion of behavior therapy as a civil libertarian concern. Focus is on Davison and Stuart's endorsement of aversive conditioning procedures and their preoccupation with specific behaviors to the exclusion of the child as a whole person with multiple needs, abilities, and sensitivities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental health consultation in the pediatric intensive care unit.

The need for psychosocial intervention to be integrated with medical care on intensive care units is high, but too often mental health professionals are ill-equipped by traditional training programs for such work. Medical crisis counseling provides a conceptual framework useful in developing the skills needed to effectively intervene in such settings. The pediatric intensive care unit ( PICU ) is arguably one of the most emotionally demanding and high-stress areas where mental health clinicians may be asked to consult. This article describes medical crisis consultation in the PICU setting, suggests survival strategies for the mental health consultant to the PICU, and provides illustrative case examples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The institutional review board as a mirror of scientific and ethical standards

Decisions by institutional review boards (IRBs) are presumed to reflect the norms and standards of the scientific community. Such criteria have shifted as changes have occurred in experimental interventions and protocols, codes of federal regulatory agencies, norms among investigators, and expectations of participants. The tension created by shifting norms and standards raises two questions: (a) Should IRBs evaluate the scientific (e.g., design) features of the proposed research, and (b) should consistent standards be expected even in areas that are in constant flux (e.g., AIDS research)? We discuss these questions and propose a mechanism to keep IRBs abreast of emergent issues and sensitized not only to the costs of doing research but also to the costs of not doing it.     

Twenty-first century ethical challenges for psychology.

Foreseeable social and technological changes will force us to reevaluate our thinking about ethically appropriate ways to fulfill our mission of using psychology to advance human health and welfare in the twenty-first century. Three categories of challenge related to societal and technological changes have become particularly evident. First, increasing patterns of delivering services over substantial distances by electronic means (i.e., telepsychology) demand consideration. Second, we must parse our ethical obligations to individuals, to groups, and to society at large as our influence working behind the scenes as "invisible" psychologists grows. Finally, as we witness the accelerating demise of psychiatry, we must take care not to follow a similar path. As we face new ethical challenges, we must continually ask ourselves where our responsibilities lie as individuals and as a profession. We must learn not to repeat the mistakes of the past and focus instead on optimizing the future for a science and practice of psychology focused on human health and welfare. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)