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• APA council approves reorganization
• Psychology Lags Behind Psychiatry in Health Integration Readiness
• Legalization for Medical Use Means Psychologists Should Study Marijuana
• Hurricane Trauma and Psychology: Mix Well, Stirred but not Shaken

 

From Our Last Issue...

What is Obamacare anyway?

In reviewing “the state of Obamacare in 2018,” Vox policy reporter Dylan Scott wondered, “What even is Obamacare anyway?” “It’s increasingly difficult to assess ‘Obamacare’ as if it is a single entity,” he wrote. “Because depending on how you look at it, the law might be a rousing success or it’s fallen far short of […]

Risk Management: When being too helpful can backfire

When prospective clients call on the phone to ask about your services, some will also tell you a little about their problem. At this point, you may want to listen empathetically. But do not ask probing questions. After speaking with you for a few minutes, a prospective client may make an appointment and then ask […]

MedPAC’s latest lead balloon

At its Jan. 11 meeting, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted 14-2 to replace the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) with the “voluntary value program” (VVP). The medical community has already been abuzz with the news, including blogs to AMA membership about “MedPAC’s latest lead balloon,” and frank discussion of VVP’s impact on electronic […]

What have we learned from 30 years of school shootings?

In May of 1988, a 30-year-old woman, Laurie Dann, walked into an elementary school in Winnetka, Ill., and opened fire with a handgun, killing an 8-year-old boy and wounding five other children before killing herself. The Winnetka case was the first school shooting to receive national and international media attention. Since then there has been […]

From the Current Issue...

Managing risks of telepsychology

Many psychologists are eager to use technology to enhance their practices, and the field of telepsychology is quickly gaining popularity. Clients and providers alike often value the convenience of using videoconferencing technology for the provision of mental health services, but as with all emerging interventions, there can be risks.

This article will provide a brief overview of some of the things that psychologists should consider to mitigate some of these risks.

Know the …

We need a “Men’s Movement”

George W. Albee, Ph.D., in his 1970 presidential address to the American Psychological Association, said, “We have taught our students for years that mental cases include those people who are dangerous to themselves or others.”

This message seems to have escaped public awareness. The young boys and men who have engaged in mass shootings and school shootings are generally not seen as sick and needy but as criminals.

It is not surprising …

Many clients need financial therapy

Money can be one of the biggest sources of internal and interpersonal conflict and struggle we experience in our lives. The APA reports that since 2007 money has been a top cause of stress for Americans.

The most recent survey found 72 percent of Americans stressed over money during the past month, and 31 percent of adults with partners reported money as a major source of conflict in their relationship. Money was …

Hacking creates market for cyber insurance

With massive data breaches a common occurrence in modern-day society, psychologists need to consider protecting themselves from cyber criminals, insurers say.

“We’re trying to spread the word,” said Charlie Hodson, a sales and marketing executive with CPH & Associates in Chicago. “Our clients are starting to ask for this kind of insurance.”

Last year, CPH started offering cyber liability insurance as an add-on to client malpractice insurance after Hodson began …

Should psychologists abide by the Goldwater Rule?

I started my work on this article with a Google search using “Donald Trump’s mental health.” There were about 8.8 million results, ranging from articles in academic journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine to magazine commentaries, including one in the Marie Clair UK edition.

Everybody had an opinion about the president’s mental health, and that does not exclude psychiatrists and psychologists. The ethical part of me said, …

Ethics for psychologists: Supervising in the age of #MeToo, trigger warning and safe spaces

The popular press in the United States has recently been replete with allegations of misconduct by people, primarily men, in positions of power.

Those contending harassment, exploitation or sexual assault have called out giants in journalism, theater, cinema, music, sports and politics. The allegations have resulted in public scorn, resignations, firings and civil or criminal charges.

What do those accused have in common? Stature, expertise and esteem have imbued them with …

VA’s telehealth rule raises licensing concerns

A sweeping move by the Veterans Administration to permit staff psychologists to conduct telemental health sessions with veterans across state lines is generating mixed reactions and perplexing questions.

The VA finalized the rule effective June 11 to permit VA psychologists and other health professionals to use technology, such as video conferencing, to perform or facilitate treatment of veterans regardless of the state in which the practitioner works or the …

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