We have been told, “Don’t touch your clients!” “Minimize self-disclosure!” “Never venture outside the office with a client!” “Avoid bartering!” And, of course, “Avoid dual relationships at all costs!” These “don’ts” and many others whisper to us as we emerge from most risk-management workshops and ethics-and-law seminars or while reading an attorney’s or (so-called) experts’ […]
The first quality improvement system implemented by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) in 2007 was designed to improve healthcare quality and reward clinicians for their efforts. The newest iteration, the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), has similar goals but focuses on value not volume while saving money for CMS by making it […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
