Professional Practice In Psychology Research Articles

Representaciones de académicos sobre la psicología como profesión. Estudio de caso

El artículo analiza las representacione de académicos sobre la práctica profesional de la psicología y el significado que atribuyen a su identidad social, con el propósito de considerar su influencia en la formación profesional. Como estudio de caso, se empleo una metodología de corte cualitativa e interpretativa para indagar las representaciones de académicos sobre el estatus y el prestigio social de la psicología, sus espacios ocupacionales, sus roles y su ejercicio profesional. Se encontró que para la mayoría de los académicos entrevistados, la psicología aún no tiene una identidad definida en la sociedad, tienen una concepción estática o histórica de la profesión con escaso conocimiento de sus ámbitos profesionales, y con poca claridad sobre su proyección social y profesional. Se concluye que los académicos se han profesionalizado en la docencia y desligado de los servicios profesionales de la psicología; tienen una visión predominantemente científica y disciplinar de la misma, a la vez que privilegian los contenidos teóricos y metodológicos en la formación profesional. Se propone abrir espacios curriculares para que los docentes adquieren los saberes y competencias profesionales de la disciplina.

The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) in the era of evidence-based practice.

Professional psychology has increasingly moved toward evidence-based practice. However, instrumentsused to assess psychologists seeking licensure, such as the Examination for Professional Practice inPsychology (EPPP), have received relatively little empirical scrutiny. Therefore, the authors evaluatedthe available evidence in support of the EPPP’s validity and current use as a core component ofprofessional licensure. Although the EPPP has in many ways been extensively evaluated, there is apaucity of criterion, predictive, and incremental validity evidence available. Further, several aspects ofthe content validation studies were examined, and the authors question whether the EPPP, as currentlyconstructed, can meet its stated goals. Given that the EPPP is a high-stakes examination and given theauthors’ best estimate (based on a sample of 16 states) that 35% of applicants fail the examination, it isrecommended that the EPPP be more extensively evaluated. An outline of major decision points in thisproposed evaluation process is provided, several suggestions for further research are proposed, and thefield is encouraged to discuss these issues further.Keywords: ExaminationforProfessionalPracticeinPsychology,EPPP,licensure,educationandtraining,competence

Preparing Clinical Psychologists for Licensure: Differences among Doctoral Training Programs

Differences in scores on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) for 158 clinical psychology programs were investigated. On average, 82% passed the exam (a score of 140 or higher) with wide differences (SD percent passing = 15.08%) among programs. Categorizing programs into three types (Type I: APA approved, university trained, Ph.D. granting; Type II: APA approved, university trained, Psy.D. granting: Type III: APA approved, professional school trained, Psy.D. and / or Ph.D. granting), found graduates of Type I mean passing scores (86%) significantly exceeded those from Type II (75%) and Type III (65%) programs. There was no significance difference in percent passing between Type II versus Type III graduates. There was no difference in percent passing for students educated in Canadian programs compared to those trained in U.S. programs. The training implications of these results were discussed.

How should the effectiveness of the EPPP be judged?

Abstract We join Brian A. Sharpless and Jacques P. Barber (2009) in calling for strengthening the evidence base supporting the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), particularly in the areas of criterion and predictive validity. Although 1 clear purpose of the EPPP is to assess core areas of knowledge, materials from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards are less clear as to whether the EPPP is also intended to predict future performance as a psychologist. If the EPPP is expected to protect the public from poorly trained psychologists, then data supporting its use for that purpose are urgently needed. Sharpless and Barber offer suggestions for evaluating the EPPP against this criterion. Although a step in the right direction, these suggestions do not fully satisfy the need for predictive validation. Our greatest difference with Sharpless and Barber concerns their recommendation for abandoning generic licensing in favor of specialty exams tied to subfields. Segmenting licensure in this manner would deviate from the profession’s long-standing com-mitment to broad and general training and would necessarily be accompanied by an undesirably narrowed scope of practice.

Apprehended Without Warrant

The practice of professional psychology was founded on empirical science. Subsequent development of the profession reveals a gap that is partially the result of the popularization of junk science in legal and judicial domains. A greater threat comes from pseudoscience, which presents serious professional issues for those who work in trauma-related emergency services and law enforcement. The most widely promoted service is Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Management, but scientific evidence does not justify its application. The authors describe the promotion and implementation of these services within the FBI and the professional difficulties that ensued. They also provide suggestions as to how such difficulties could have been avoided and apply them to other domains of law enforcement.

Comparative Decline of Professional School Graduates' Performance on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology

The discrepancy between traditional (Boulder Model) and professional school (Vail Model) clinical psychology graduate programs on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) was greater using 1997-2005 data than in an earlier study using 1988-1995 data. The relative decline of the performance of professional school graduates on the EPPP was attributed in part to the increase of 31.1% in number of listed professional schools over the last decade, in particular, because those schools have lower academic standards. It is recommended that professional programs accept fewer students and have more rigorous quality control mechanisms for the students who have been accepted. It is further recommended that no new professional schools be started and that marginal programs be phased out.

Official Position of the Military TBI Task Force on the Role of Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology in the Evaluation, Management, and Research of Military Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury1

This Position Statement is a summary of the literature and learning regarding current issues raised by the occurrence, treatment, and study of traumatic brain injury in military service members and veterans. The Report has been approved by the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN), Divisions 40 (Neuropsychology) and 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), with the goal of providing information of relevance on an important public policy matter within their respective areas of expertise. The Report is not intended to establish guidelines or standards for the professional practice of psychology, nor has it been adopted as official policy by the American Psychological Association or any other division or subunit of APA.

Implementing elements of evidence‐based practice into scientist–practitioner training at the University of Nebraska‐Lincoln

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has become the predominant model of training and is emerging as a common model of practice for many non-psychology health care professions. Recognizing the relevance of EBP to psychology, the American Psychological Association (APA) developed and endorsed an official policy statement on EBP for the practice of professional psychology. There is now a pressing need to consider ways that EBP can inform scientist-practitioner training. The present article proposes clinical competencies associated with the practice of EBP, and describes initial efforts to implement elements of EBP into training at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. These efforts have occurred in both the classroom and practicum training experiences, and are geared toward helping students become more effective users of the evidence base through their clinical work. Challenges to the implementation of EBP in clinical psychology training are discussed as well.

Training psychologists for evidence-based practice.

Abstract Evidence-base practice (EBP) is now commonplace in many health care services and, in recent years, there has been a healthy debate about the role of EBP in psychology. In this article, I provide information on the nature of EBP and how it is consistent with professional training models and standards in psychology. In discussing some of the concerns that have been raised about the value of EBP in psychology, I present research findings on the relevance and potential impact of evidence-based assessment and treatment practices. Finally, after highlighting the promise of EBP, I offer some recommendations for how training efforts in professional psychology should be refocused in order to optimally prepare current and future psychologists to practice in an evidence-based manner. In die past decade, the promotion of an evidence-based approach to the practice of professional psychology has taken centre stage in most discussions about the nature and future of professional psychology. Developed within medicine, the evidence-based practice model is now being integrated into many health and human service systems, including mental and behavioural health care, social work, education, and criminal justice (Barlow, 2004; Mullen & Streiner, 2004). Leading experts in psychotherapy and mental health research have predicted that, by 2010, thee use of evidence-based treatments will be required in health care systems and that practice guidelines will be a standard part of the delivery of psychotherapy services (Norcross, Hedges, & Prochaska, 2002). In this article, I examine the mounting evidence that supports the application of the principles of evidence-based practice (EBP) to the practice of professional psychology. Following a presentation of the nature of EBP and consideration of its fit with current professional standards in psychology, I will briefly examine some of die controversies surrounding the implementation of EBP in psychology before moving on to present research findings on the relevance and potential impact of evidence-based assessment and treatment practices. Having highlighted the promise of EBP in psychology, in a final section, I will offer some training recommendations aimed at ensuring that practicing professional psychologists, as well as those in graduate training, are competent to deliver the best scientifically informed health care services to the public. EBP and Professional Standards in Psychology EBP involves the synthesis of information drawn from systematically collected data, clinical expertise, and patient preferences when considering health care options for patients (Institute of Medicine, 2001; Sackett, Rosenberg, Gray, Haynes, & Richardson, 1996), and emphasizes the critical importance of informing patients, based on the best available research evidence, about viable options for assessment, prevention, or intervention services. Therefore, in order to practice in an evidence-based manner, a health care professional must be familiar with the current scientific literature and must use both the research evidence and scientifically informed decisionmaking skills to determine the ways in which research evidence can inform service planning for a patient. Within psychology, it would be erroneous to equate EBP with any particular set of psychological services or lists of empirically supported assessments or treatments, as the full range of relevant research must be considered and utilized, not just treatment outcome studies and psychometric evaluations of assessment instruments (Hunsley, in press). Current training models in professional psychology include the scientist-practitioner, practitioner-scholar, and clinical-scientist. All of these emphasize the need for psychologists to be competent in the use and interpretation of scientific methods. Accordingly, as suggested by the American Psychological Association (APA) Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice (2006), the tenets of the evidence-based movement are entirely consistent with the training models found in professional psychology programs. …

Costs of predoctoral clinical psychology internship training in a Canadian health care setting.

Abstract Financial pressures on institutional health care in Canada in recent years have led to substantial pressures on institutional psychological services. These pressures have resulted in elimination or substantial diminution of psychological services in some of these institutions, including discontinuation of many longstanding psychology internship programs. It is therefore important for psychologists to demonstrate their cost-efficiency in delivering services. However, evidence for this efficiency in current Canadian context is lacking. This investigation examines costs and clinical activities of interns and staff at a major Canadian teaching hospital in order to determine degree to which internship is a cost-efficient method of delivering services. The results indicate that there is a small increased cost to having services delivered through an internship program. The results are viewed as part of a balanced scorecard approach to evaluation of an internship program. From such a perspective, other factors be seen as balancing out slightly increased cost. Also, a number of strategies are outlined for increasing internship cost-efficiency. With advent of managed care health systems in United States came increased concerns regarding quality assurance. These concerns spread across health care industry and now play a large role in manner in which health services, including psychological services, are provided to public. In Canada, this need for greater accountability has led to numerous organizational changes, such as product-line management in hospitals (e.g., clinical service lines, program management; Leatt, Lemieux-Charles, & Aird, 1994). While these changes have had negative impacts on staff of organizations (Lees & Sleeves, 2003; Woodward et al., 1999), they nonetheless continue as greater pressures for financial accountability are placed on health care systems. The increasing financial pressures in Canadian health care have led to large-scale reviews of system to determine methods for effective allocation of increasingly scarce public funds (Canada 2002a, b, 2003, 2004a). Koch, Lewis, and McCaIl (1998) noted that mental health services are also faced with increasing demands for cost containment, quality improvement, and accountability. Many factors have been found to play a role in quality of care of these patients, including values of patients and types of interventions that are available (Manderscheid, 1998). However, bottom line in health care management has become financial efficiency (Stein, 2002). It is recognized that professional services offered by psychologists are often unique amongst health care providers and some of these can play a critical role in improving quality of system and ensuring its sustainability into future (Romanow & Marchildon, 2003, p. 293). However, while there is considerable valuable evidence supporting psychology's role in cost-effective health care (Hunsley, 2002), governments often do not use this information when making decisions on health care spending (Mikail & Tasca, 2004; Romanow & Marchildon, 2004) and pressures on institutional psychological services in Canada have increased (Nicholson, Velikonja, & Bisnaire, 2004; Service, Mikail, & Nicholson, 2001). Not only have these pressures affected accessibility of available psychological services in institutions (Canada, 2004b), but they have also resulted in elimination of several accredited predoctoral clinical psychology internship programs. Before conferring doctoral degree in professional psychology, a program accredited by Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), requires completion of a CPA-accredited internship or its equivalent (CPA, 2002). The internship program is the final but essential step in preparation for professional practice in psychology at doctoral level (CPA, p. …

Issues in training in clinical psychology in Australia: Interplay between training goals and legal standards of practice

Training models in clinical psychology vary across regions, as do the laws that regulate professional practice in psychology. Standards for practice and for entry into professional practice may endure past the point of utility in the face of changing health-care systems and evolving international considerations. Herein the authors review aspects of the Australian 4-year training model, including qualifications for entry to the profession, supervision, and the influence of the profession and the universities in maintaining and in changing to a new training model. Aspects of training in clinical psychology in Australia are also discussed, and the Australian and New Zealand accreditation models are contrasted. Suggestions on ways to move forward are offered.

Enhancing Professional Competence Through Developmental Approaches to Supervision.

There has been a recent increase in interest in defining and describing the competencies for professional practice in psychology. Perhaps the most important mechanism for enabling the acquisition of competencies is the process of supervision. This article takes the position, based on a review of relevant research in supervision and the author's experiences, that developmental theories of supervision have stimulated considerable research and provide a direction for future work in research and practice. It is argued that the most detailed of these theories, the Integrated Developmental Model, provides a useful framework for understanding how supervisees change over time and how various supervision environments (broadly) and supervision interventions (specifically) can enhance or detract from the development of professional competencies.

Can hopelessness and adolescents' beliefs and attitudes about seeking help account for help negation?

Avoidance of appropriate help is common in acutely suicidal samples and has been confirmed in nonclinical samples but factors that contribute to this help negation effect remain unclear. In a sample of 269 nonclinical Australian high school students, the current study examines the impact of hopelessness, previous mental health care, beliefs, and attitudes toward professional psychological help on the help negation relationship. Results revealed that suicidal ideation significantly predicted lower help seeking intentions and that although hopelessness could not explain the help negation effect, it moderated the effect for seeking help from family. They also revealed that although previous mental health care was unable to explain the effect fully for professional mental health sources, beliefs and attitudes about professional psychological help could. Implications of the findings for prevention, primary health care, and professional psychological practice are discussed.

Professional doctoral training in psychology: International comparison and commentary

The level of training required for the practice of professional psychology varies across countries, and usually evolves from a combination of input from local and national regulatory bodies, legislative requirements, academic institutions and relevant professional bodies. Here we explore the North American and Australian historical developments and future directions in levels of training required and aspired to for professional psychologists, along with a brief comparison to training for psychologists in Central and South America, Europe and Asia. The recent proliferation of professional doctorate degrees in Australian universities has added another layer to the suite of available qualifications for professional psychologists and to some degree reflects international trends in the profession. The important role of professional organisations in establishing the educational requirements for entry into professional practice is highlighted.

Discussion paper on Psychological Testing

Throughout the history of counselling psychology in the UK, the use of testing has been contentious. This paper does not attempt to state a position on this matter but rather, intends to present the key considerations for counselling psycho-logists before making their own decision on test use.Counselling psychologists are advised to remain mindful of the humanist underpinnings of counselling psychology in the UK and ensure that their decision ensures the integration of the philosophy and practice.This discussion paper on psychological testing is understood to be congruent with theGuidelines for the Professional Practice of Counselling Psychology(BPS, July 1998).‘Counselling psychology acknowledges … its place within mainstream professional psychological practice. It continues to develop models of practice and research which marry the scientific demand for rigorous empirical enquiry with a firm value base grounded in the primacy of the counselling/psychotherapeutic relationship’

Atuação do psicólogo em organizações não governamentais na área da Educação

Este trabalho se faz presente em um contexto de transformações nos discursos e práticas educacionais que acompanham a globalização e a crise econômica dos Estados nacionais, atribuindo a novos personagens, as organizações não governamentais, a tarefa de promover melhoria no atendimento escolar. O objetivo principal da presente pesquisa é conhecer o trabalho de psicólogos que atuam em organizações não governamentais no campo educacional, com ênfase nas especificidades desse trabalho bem como nas principais questões relacionadas à atuação dos profissionais. Assim, constituíram informações importantes para a pesquisa as características das organizações não governamentais que afirmam ter como missão atuar na área educacional, as características do trabalho realizado pelos psicólogos que atuam nessas instituições e as questões que os psicólogos destacaram como constituintes do trabalho realizado na área da educação. A realização deste estudo baseou-se principalmente nos conceitos de sociedade civil, de Gramsci, e nos princípios que norteiam uma educação libertadora e uma psicologia comprometida com o oprimido. Espera-se, assim, contribuir para a reflexão que vem se operando no terreno em que confluem a atuação das ONGs, a educação pública e a prática profissional em Psicologia no País, fornecendo subsídios, de modo mais direto, aos estudiosos e profissionais que atuam nessas áreas.

Legal Issues in the Professional Practice of Psychology.

Legal Issues in the Professional Practice of Psychology.

Introduction to Special Issue on Spiritual Direction: Part One

To say that the past decade has witnessed a growing interest in spirituality is to bold face the obvious. Even reporting, to be more specific, that the integration of spirituality into the professional practice of psychology has become a mushrooming area of interest among mental health professionals seems redundant. As Hall and Hall (1997) summarized, several important milestones along the road to incorporating religious or spiritual beliefs, values, and practices into the process of psychotherapy, are already in the rearview mirror. Specifically delineated were: ...(a) The inclusion of religion as an element of human diversity in the American Psychological Association's (APA) (1992) code of ethics; (b) the inclusion of spiritual problems as a V-code in the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994); and most recently, (c) a number of important publications dedicated to religious therapy (see Worthington, Kurusu, McCullough, & Sandage, 1996, for a review). (Hall & Hall, 1997, p. 86) Lowering the microscope to focus solely on the modern (predominantly evangelical), the integration movement reveals a growing corpus of attention given to spirituality and its potential role in clinical practice. Benner's (1988) Psychotherapy and the Spiritual Quest, was a permission-giving volume for those who desired to venture across the chasm that had been dug between professional psychology and spiritual longing. In 1995, the Association of Psychological Studies held its international conference under the banner of Our Heritage of Soul Care. According to Thomas Oden (1995), this was the first gathering of either mental health professionals (including pastoral counselors) that had adopted a theme from spirituality. A special issue of The Journal of Psychology and Christianity followed that was devoted to Christian Spirituality and Mental Health (Moon, 1995). Recently, The Journal of Psychology and Theology gave two volumes of attention to Christian Spirituality: Theoreti cal and Empirical Perspectives (McMinn & Hall, 2000, 2001). Tracking the swell of literature on integrating religion and spirituality into professional practice, and the more recent attention to explicit models has been well documented (see Hall & Hall, 1997; McMinn & McRay, 1997; and most recently, Eck, in press; Tan, in press). Eck's specific exploration of the therapeutic use of spiritual disciplines in clinical practice seems to reflect the current crescendo of interest in specific and practical applications of spiritual practices into clinical practice, whereas Tan's attention to ethical issues that surround the integration of spiritual direction into psychotherapy seems to highlight the recent fascination with the specific discipline of spiritual direction--both inside and outside the counseling office--as a fertile area for personal and professional growth. Against this backdrop The Journal of Psychology and Theology has produced two special issues that are devoted to examining the ancient and modern practice of spiritual direction and the implications for mental health professionals. Equally weighted with this vision is the desire to promote dialogue among those interested in the process of authentic spiritual change and transformation. The layout of this first volume was inspired in part by Richard Foster's (1998) attention to the different streams of living water within the traditions. At the heart of this issue will be the voices of seven different pastors, priests, or theologians who will describe the history and process of spiritual direction from within their denomination/faith group. It was felt that if spiritual direction is to be better understood it would be important to hear from the voices of multiple experts. The different traditions and representatives are: Orthodox (Father F. …

Book review: Empirically Supported Therapies: Best Practice in Professional Psychology.

KEITH S. DOBSON and KENNETH D. CRAIG (Eds.) Empirically Supported Therapies: Best Practice in Professional Psychology Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998, 333 pages (ISBN 0-7619-1076-X, US$36.95, Softcover) Reviewed by DAVID R. EVANS Since 1969, when the first Banff Conference was held, the focus has continued to be on treatment and its validity. The Banff Conference was conceived as a way to bring together leaders in behaviour therapy to present and discuss their evolving behavioural treatments and the empirical support for them. In many ways the focus of this book on empirically supported therapies comes full circle to remind us of the importance of the empirical support for the therapies we employ, and the original goals of the Banff Conference. The book is divided into two sections devoted to general theoretical issues on the one hand and empirically validated treatments in specific areas on the other. The lead chapter is by Paul Crits-Christoph, a member of the APA Division 12 task force. He discusses the task force report, some of the reactions to it, and some of the future concerns and possibilities. The chapter provides a good overview for the reader and an orientation for the rest of the book. Steven C. Hayes is the author of the second chapter devoted to a consideration of political, economic, and professional forces that argue for, and at times against, the adoption of scientific practice guidelines in psychological practice. This is a significant contribution to the book because it is important that all practicing psychologists understand the external forces demanding that we work toward empirical support for all of the treatments we employ. In the third chapter, Larry E. Beutler and Mary Baker address a number of methodological issues that must be considered in the design of research to provide empirical validation for a treatment, including therapy models and patient individual differences. This chapter captures the complexity required in future empirical research compared to many of our current and early ventures. Chapter 4 by John R. Weisz provides a good overview of empirical validation studies of treatments for children and adolescents, and raises three major concerns with current studies in the area. This contribution, although devoted to children and adolescents, alerts us to the importance of developmentally related variables such as context and age-specific condition when we are designing empirical validation studies. The last chapter in the first section is by Anna Beth Doyle, who draws our attention to culture, another major factor that must be considered as empirically supported treatments are identified. The author of this chapter claims that there are almost no empirical studies assessing the effectiveness of specific treatments with minority culture clients. This suggests an important area for future research in the development of culture-specific treatments and their empirical validation. The lead chapter in the second section of the book is authored by Peter D. McLean and Kent W. Anderson, and is focused on the evolution of empirically validated treatments for depression. The authors also discuss the interplay between factors related to various therapeutic orientations and empirical findings. This chapter provides a good overview of theory, research, and future directions in the treatment of depression. In Chapter 7, Andrew Christensen and Neil S. Jacobson discuss traditional behavioural couples therapy, their integrative behavioural couples therapy, and preliminary data comparing the two approaches. They conclude their chapter with a brief overview of some of their ideas about the difficulties of executing empirical studies of therapy, particularly couples therapy. …

Pre-surgical psychological screenings for lumbar fusion: A look at real world practice

Candidates for lumbar fusion are often referred for psychological evaluation prior to surgery in order to identify psychosocial issues that may complicate outcomes and provide recommendations for how to ameliorate these potential problems. The long-term goal of such evaluations is to optimize successful surgical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine a cohort of compensated lumbar fusion patients from Utah who underwent pre-surgical psychological evaluation ( n = 29) and to compare their surgical outcomes with patients who did not have these evaluations ( n = 115). A retrospective cohort design was utilized that included a pre-surgical medical chart review and a post-surgical telephone survey with patients at least two years following surgery. Results indicated that patients referred for psychological evaluations had higher levels of pre-surgical alcohol use and depression, and following surgery had longer recovery times, higher medical and compensation costs and disability rates than other fusion patients. The two cohorts did not differ in terms of patient satisfaction, back pain-related impairment or general health status. The significance of these findings for surgical decisions, rehabilitation interventions and professional psychological practice is discussed.