When worlds collide: Therapeutic and forensic roles.

The goal of the article "Irreconcilable Conflict Between Therapeutic and Forensic Roles" (S. A. Greenberg & D. W. Shuman, 1997; see record 1997-02162-009) was to help chart a course for the profession that would raise the quality of assistance provided by psychologists both to courts and to patient-litigants, without compromising the quality of either forensic examinations or therapeutic relationships. One solution was conceptually simple: Do not attempt to fulfill both roles for the same person. Although an individual psychologist might be competent in both the provision of therapy and conduct of forensic examination, this does not justify a psychologist providing both services to the same patient-litigant. Knowledge is necessary to provide both types of service. Wisdom is necessary to choose not to provide both services to the same person. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional mobility for psychologists: Multiple choices, multiple opportunities.

This article details the roots of the mobility movement, including frequent difficulties psychologists encounter when applying for additional licenses and how these obstacles led credentialing organizations to encourage licensing boards to extend a mobility privilege to psychologists who meet certain national standards. The National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology advocates an inclusive approach to licensure mobility by encouraging psychological organizations and licensing boards to support and adopt multiple mobility mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mobility for industrial-organizational and consulting psychologists.

This article addresses an important aspect of professional mobility: the need for industrial-organizational (I/O) and other psychologists who provide consultation to businesses and who are licensed in one jurisdiction to be able to practice for a short term in another. A growing number of these psychologists have national practices. Current laws and regulations, typically designed for clinicians providing direct mental health services, make such practice difficult. The article provides an analysis of state laws and regulations dealing with short-term cross-state practice and describes the challenges confronted by I/O and consulting psychologists in working across jurisdictional lines. Recommendations for rectifying this issue are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Ethics in psychology: Professional standards and cases.

Reviews the book, Ethics in psychology: Professional standards and cases by Patricia Keith-Spiegel and Gerald P. Koocher (see record 1985-97634-000). This well written and interesting book offers comprehensive coverage of how the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists (1981) apply in any setting where psychologists are involved. This book should be of special interest to Canadians who are interested in the new Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics. The CPA Code organized the areas of concern covered by the APA code, plus new and emerging issues, under an umbrella of four general principles and many associated standards of conduct. Both the book and the CPA Code attempt to raise the level of consciousness about ethical issues and ethical decision-making. The result? They complement each other and together provide a useful combination of philosophy, standards, and concrete examples of unethical or questionable behaviour by a psychologist. All who read this book will become aware of the complexity associated with ethics in the practice of psychology. The authors are to be congratulated on providing a scholarly work, long needed by the public and psychologists alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk evaluations for the courts: Is service quality a function of specialization?

Psychologists are often asked to testify in court. However, concerns have been expressed in both the legal and psychological literatures about the quality of these services. This article presents survey results comparing the practice patterns of generally licensed psychologists with those of specialist forensic diplomates in providing risk evaluations. Results suggest that general clinicians frequently perform these evaluations, but forensic diplomates use more modern risk instruments, are more aware of the scientific literature, and provide the court with more information about the scientific basis of their testimony. The implication of these results for legal professionals, psychologist training, and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychology: A specialty of professional psychology with distinct competencies and complexities.

School psychology at the doctoral level is recognized as a specialty of professional psychology by the American Psychological Association, with corresponding licensure as a psychologist granted by state boards of psychology. School psychology also is regulated by state boards of education; they set the credentialing standards for professional practice in public schools. The intent of this article is to enhance the understanding of this distinct and multiply influenced specialty. The need for psychological services in schools is highlighted, followed by a discussion of multiple influences and licensing/credentialing issues. Next, the specialty is delineated, its distinctiveness highlighted, and competencies for practice in the public schools elaborated. Finally, education/training models and mechanisms for program accreditation are described, as are the major professional organizations in school psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Forensic psychology and forensic science: A proposed agenda for the next decade.

The field of forensic psychology has matured as a discipline, having made considerable progress toward the goal of a close integration of foundational science with practice. Substantial challenges remain, however. This article first reviews the progress of the discipline over the past 3 decades by considering the recommendations made by previous commentators (Grisso, 1987; Otto & Heilbrun, 2002; Poythress, 1979) and the extent to which identified priorities have been met. Next, it analyzes a recent multidisciplinary report addressing the current state of forensic science in the United States (National Research Council, 2009), using the recommendations from this report as another source of guidance for tracking the progress in forensic psychology. Finally, it identifies important priorities for the field of forensic psychology for the next decade in light of this discussion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Character and Fitness Requirements for Professional Psychologists: An Examination of State Licensing Application Forms.

How do state licensing boards currently evaluate candidates for licensure along the dimensions of moral character and psychological fitness? An examination of application materials from all 50 states and the District of Columbia revealed marked heterogeneity with respect to explicit screening for character and fitness indicators. There appears to be minimal consensus regarding those elements of a candidate's previous experience that should be scrutinized prior to licensure. The authors highlight the frequency of character and fitness items across applications and ancillary licensure materials and conclude with several recommendations for licensing boards, national associations, and directors of training programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in training and practice of psychologists: Current challenges for licensing boards.

Psychology licensing laws have a short history and were created to regulate the professional interactions between a psychologist and a client within a single jurisdiction. Societal and technological changes in the way psychologists are trained and practice challenge licensing boards to provide new mechanisms to regulate professional behavior that recognize these changes yet still offer adequate protection of the public. This article describes the problems psychologists encounter related to professional mobility, temporary practice across jurisdictional boundaries, distance learning, and consistency in the handling and reporting of disciplinary actions. The article also describes the efforts of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards to help its licensing board members to address these challenges. Finally, the article raises some potentially dramatic changes being considered in the way psychologists are admitted to professional practice using a competency assessment approach to complement the traditional use of course credits, supervised experience hours, and performance on a knowledge-based exam. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A confidence-credibility model of expert witness persuasion: Mediating effects and implications for trial consultation.

Trial consultation is a quickly growing domain of professional practice for psychologists. Preparing expert witnesses to testify is just one prime example of practice options for consultants. A wealth of evidence shows that developing expert confidence and credibility are important goals for witness training. However, research has yet to articulate a list of testimony delivery skills needed to bolster perceptions of credibility and agreement with the expert. The present study advances expert credibility theory and trial consultation practice by empirically validating a confidence-credibility mediation model of expert witness persuasion. It is argued that this model, grounded in credibility and confidence theories, can be integrated with existing methods of witness preparation training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consent, disclosure, and waiver for the forensic psychological evaluation: Rethinking the roles of psychologist and lawyer.

The duty to obtain consent from a litigant before beginning a forensic evaluation has fallen to the forensic psychologist. Guidelines, ethical standards, and commentators have made this assumed duty mandatory. Unfortunately, psychologists are not able to provide accurate and detailed legal information concerning the forensic evaluation. Only a person trained in the law would be qualified, and the litigant's lawyer has the legal duty to properly inform the litigant about the legal parameters of the forensic evaluation. This article discusses the psychological and legal aspects of consent for forensic evaluation and proposes a model in which both the lawyer and the psychologist collaborate in a process initiated by the psychologist to inform the litigant about the evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Scope and Standards of Preparation in Psychology for School Counselors: Comment.

Comments on a report by a Special Committee of Division 17 (see record 1963-00132-001). According to the commentator, regardless of their official status in the profession, school counselors are de facto applied psychologists. Provided with minimal professional training, less surely than most other groups in or related to psychology, they are confronted with the most varied range of problems including those of the sociopath, the psychotic, the brain damaged, the feeble-minded, and the sexual deviant. While the school counselor is not expected to treat pathology, he does have major responsibility for the educational/vocational and often the social adjustment of the student. The commentator acknowledges that there will be strong feeling about this report. Some school counselors acquire the important knowledge outlined in the report through formal or informal study and from insights on the job. Others will be motivated simply by the setting of new standards. Any attempt at compulsion for those certified counselors would only add obstacles to the difficult enough task of raising the educational level of a profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Navigating politics, policy, and procedure: A firsthand perspective of advocacy on behalf of the profession.

Psychology's expertise as a behavioral science is essential to effectively address society's most pressing concerns. Advocacy for clients and the public good--and in turn, for the profession of psychology--occurs on multiple levels through active participation in local and federal legislatures, agencies, foundations, and nonprofit organizations that influence implementation of regulations and policies. The authors offer a number of observations and recommendations from their cumulative past experience to argue that presence, persistence, and long-term vision are absolutely essential for the ultimate success and advancement of professional psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Public education outreach and the use of the media: A springboard to making psychology a household word.

Have you considered participating in a public education campaign? What are the personal, professional, organizational, and overall benefits of participating? Have you thought of using the media, but feel unsure of what to do or even if it is worthwhile? This article tells the story of how a local group of psychologists used the American Psychological Association's public education campaign as a springboard to the completion of a variety of successful projects. Particular attention to the use of the media is given. Strategies and resources for developing a public education campaign that utilizes the media are presented from a perspective of benefit to the individual psychologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role and relevance of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised in court: A case law survey of U.S. courts (1991-2004).

The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991, 2003) is the most empirically validated instrument for measuring psychopathy in correctional and forensic psychiatric populations. The PCL-R's predictive utility with criminal justice populations has led to its frequent use by clinicians conducting forensic assessments in criminal and sexually violent predator (SVP) cases. Despite its apparent wide acceptance in U.S. courts, little is known about how often the PCL-R is being introduced, the types of cases in which it is being used, and whether claims made in court regarding psychopathy are empirically defensible and/or relevant to the question at hand. This project documents some uses of the PCL-R in U.S. courts from 1991 through 2004 by year, jurisdiction, type of evaluation, and party. The results suggest that the PCL-R is being used by expert witnesses with increasing regularity across U.S. jurisdictions, primarily to assess risk of future violence. A review of 3 recent cases is also provided that illustrates concerns about the validity of the PCL-R for certain types of legal questions that may arise in criminal and SVP trials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A final reply to Grove and Barden: The relevance of the Rorschach Comprehensive System for expert testimony.

In reply to Grove et al. (2002), the authors attempt to limit their focus on the question of admissibility of the Rorschach Comprehensive System for expert testimony under the guidelines of the U.S. Supreme Court Daubert/Kumho/Joiner decisions. The article refutes the argument that a "raging controversy" exists as evidence that the Rorschach is not accepted in the field of psychology. The authors again argue that Grove et al. have misconstrued the intent of Daubert/Kumho and misidentify nonclinician academics as the appropriate evaluators of the admissibility of the Rorschach. The authors add to their previous argument (2002) that the Rorschach has sufficient reliability, validity, and error rates to be admissible under Daubert and conclude by countering the Grove et al. argument that the Journal of Personality Assessment is not an adequate forum for peer review of the Rorschach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A bridge and a couple of fences for clinicians and researchers: A comment on Silverman's (2001) editorial.

In this commentary, the author responds to W. Silverman's (2001) editorial, which emphasized how much clinicians and researchers need each other to advance in their respective fields and to adequately promote the fields of psychology and psychotherapy. The commentary proposes the concept that perhaps the friction that exists between clinicians and researchers has more to do with ego identity and an innate need for territoriality as opposed to solely being a matter of maintaining theoretical differences. The commentary further highlights some of the theories of territoriality espoused by contemporary anthropologists and suggests that the benefits of clinicians and researchers working together far outweigh the costs and that more energy needs to be expended in working together harmoniously than in fortifying fences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Qualitative data analysis: A compendium of techniques and a framework for selection for school psychology research and beyond.

Qualitative researchers in school psychology have a multitude of analyses available for data. The purpose of this article is to present several of the most common methods for analyzing qualitative data. Specifically, the authors describe the following 18 qualitative analysis techniques: method of constant comparison analysis, keywords-in-context, word count, classical content analysis, domain analysis, taxonomic analysis, componential analysis, conversation analysis, discourse analysis, secondary analysis, membership categorization analysis, narrative analysis, qualitative comparative analysis, semiotics, manifest content analysis, latent content analysis, text mining, and microinterlocutor analysis. Moreover, the authors present a new framework for organizing these analysis techniques via the four major sources of qualitative data collected: talk, observations, drawings/photographs/videos, and documents. As such, the authors hope that our compendium of analytical techniques should help qualitative researchers in school psychology and beyond make informed choices for their data analysis tools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists' roles and opportunities in rehabilitation and recovery for serious mental illness: A survey of Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) clinical psychology training and doctoral education.

The emergence of psychiatric rehabilitation and the recovery movement generate new and expanded roles for psychologists in services for people with serious mental illness (SMI). However, the proportion of psychologists working in SMI services today is substantially less than previous decades. This article reviews the roles of psychologists in various mental health systems and outlines the contributions that psychologists can make in implementing evidence based approaches for people with SMI. A survey of American Psychology Association (APA)-accredited Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) Clinical Psychology doctoral programs was conducted. The results of the survey indicate an increase, since the early 1990s, in clinical faculty with SMI interests, and suggest that many graduate programs provide opportunities for SMI-relevant research and practicum training. However, the survey also indicates a lack of coursework on topics relevant to SMI and a lack of coursework relevant to assuming administrative and leadership roles in the mental health system. Despite training opportunities in graduate school, production of new PhDs who choose the SMI field is unlikely to meet the demand. According to the present study, the limiting factor is not availability of training, but student career choice. The opportunities and challenges that psychologists face in SMI recovery-oriented service delivery are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)