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• ACA hasn’t reduced health care costs
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• Psychology Lags Behind Psychiatry in Health Integration Readiness

 

From Our Last Issue...

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

From the Current Issue...

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Helpful hints

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) assumes psychological problems are caused by negative thoughts and behavior that influence feelings.

We can help clients with a few suggestions on how to change what they are doing when distressed rather than to focus solely on what they are thinking.

Here are some actions a psychologist can instruct a client to take:

Make coping cards

Make coping cards from index cards (or on your cell phone) that are …

Closing private psychologist practice not for faint of heart

The closing of a private practice is a complex process inclusive of ethical, legal, financial and emotional issues. I found a handy-dandy checklist in the literature discussing the ethical, legal and financial obligations.

However, the checklist failed to help me anticipate the intensity of my own resistance to termination. It is my intent now to bring some awareness to that intensity, as well as share some of the “to-do’s” …

Court cases, market forces reshaping psychology

I write from my experience as chair of Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists (TSBEP), but what I’ve seen has broad implications for professional practice nationwide.

For nearly 50 years the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has focused on increased competition to facilitate a “free market” in the professions and has closely watched activities of professional associations and state regulatory boards. Market forces and court decisions also …

Empathy may be ill-timed in treating trauma

Under-recognized in the treatment of trauma is the negative impact that may result when an offer of compassion or empathy is ill-timed.

Children, now adults, often continue to adhere to entrenched allegiances of accommodating parental caregivers – pathological states which long served to negate the unique existence of that child as an evolving individual.

A sustained, well-timed inquiry is key to an effective intervention. An offer of compassion or empathy may …

Letter: HIPAA preempts state laws

HIPAA preempts any state law that restricts a patient’s access to their records. It requires that you release a copy of the patient’s records to him/her, and all states require disclosure of records to third parties on patient request. (Records after death Sept/Oct issue)

When the patient dies, HIPAA requires that only their personal representative can authorize disclosures of the patient’s records. In effect, the personal representative becomes the patient (for …

Out-of-office encounters may be beneficial

Engaging with clients outside the office has generally been discouraged or called unethical, similar to the way in which uninformed risk management and ethics “experts” have traditionally viewed dual relationships, bartering, self-disclosure by therapists or gift exchange between clients and therapists.

Once we go beyond the “don’t list” and take off distorted “risk management glasses” we can carefully and intelligently look at encounters between therapists and …

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 …

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