Older Featured Stories

• Most military efforts miss target on suicide prevention
• ACA hasn’t reduced health care costs
• Health care reform update: States ponder possible changes to ACA
• APA council approves reorganization

 

From Our Last Issue...

Sexually kinky clients present ethical issues

Kink can be broadly defined by the compound acronym BDSM, which stands for bondage and discipline, domination and submission, sadism and masochism. It refers to a broad spectrum of erotic behaviors and relationships that incorporate ritualized, consensual and erotic power play. Long hidden underground, in recent decades kink has become increasingly normalized as research and […]

Psychologists can play big role in stemming opioid crisis

Every day in the United States, an average of 150 people will die of opioid overdoses. That’s the sobering truth about a crisis that has gripped the country for more than a decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that more than 399,000 people died from overdoses from 1999-2017. But […]

Settlement sought in Hoffman Report suit

American Psychological Association (APA) officials are “hopeful” a lawsuit sparked by the Hoffman Report can be settled soon but declined further comment. “Because the case is still in litigation, it would not be appropriate for us to comment at this time,” Kim Mills, APA’s interim senior communications advisor, told The National Psychologist in December. “We […]

Employee vs independent contractor – why it matters

Some practice owners bring on new clinicians as independent contractors rather than as employees, which saves the practice owner money, time and paperwork. When clinicians working in the practice are designated as employees, the practice owner is responsible for paying half of their Social Security and Medicare taxes. The practice owner also needs to withhold […]

From the Current Issue...

ASPPB rolls out EPPP-2 – names ‘early adopters’

Beginning in January, those seeking to take the examination for licensure as psychologists in Arizona, Nevada, Guam and the Canadian provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador will be required to take two tests – at an additional cost of $450.

Since 1965, all state and provincial licensing boards have required applicants to pass a written examination measuring knowledge of practice areas – the Examination for Professional …

Managing intoxicated patients

While working with populations who use substances, psychologists may encounter patients who are intoxicated. In these situations, a variety of ethical and legal issues may arise, and often take precedence over direct clinical service. The purpose of this brief article is to provide some initial education as well as an overview of several common situations and factors psychologists may wish to prepare for and consider in their professional …

Hoffman Report’s flaws should be acknowledged

For the past decade, members of Division 48 (Peace) and Division 39 (Psychoanalysis) of the APA have filed and/or supported licensure and ethics complaints and attempted to instigate criminal investigations against military psychologists for abusing detainees.

None of these accusations has been found to be credible, presented as they were in the absence of evidence and in the face of unqualified denials by these psychologists.

As a military psychologist, I …

Early Career Psychologists: Integrated care requires integrating with treatment team

As scientific literature has increased awareness of the relationship between the biological and psychological aspects of the human condition, and terms such as multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary have become the norm, so has the presence of psychology as an integral component of treatment teams.

From a global perspective, research shows that the presence of a mental health professional embedded within a team greatly contributes to the success of the …

Psychogastroenterology replete with opportunities

For the past 20 years, the role of the clinical psychologist in the management of chronic digestive disease has evolved into the newly recognized field of psychogastroenterology. Like other specialties within behavioral medicine, psychogastroenterology focuses on the intersection of chronic medical diseases impacting the digestive system and their subsequent social and emotional impacts.

Research into the brain-gut axis continues to advance rapidly as our understanding of how the brain impacts …

Special considerations needed when working with first responders

First responders and their families make up a unique subculture. Therapists have heard countless stories of their difficulties finding competent treatment.

Police and fire responders report that they often overcome a reluctance to seek treatment only to be met with a provider who understands little about their work and has difficulty handling their trauma.

Psychologists providing treatment and specialized services with their agencies and departments may encounter ethical challenges as …

Challenge ‘diet mentality’ to treat binge eating

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder among adults in the United States. More than 8 percent of American adults meet some or all of the criteria for binge eating disorder at some point in their life, more than all other eating disorders combined.

Despite the need for effective treatment, binge eating disorder has been very resistant to psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been …