Consider this scenario: During a therapy session, a patient stated that the media was hyping the threat of coronavirus, that it was no worse than the regular flu, and that he was still going out with friends for non-essential social activities. At a time when much of the United States is under “shelter in place” […]
COVID-19 is an unprecedented public health crisis with both mental-health and financial impacts. Psychologists’ skill sets are critically important in meeting the challenges of the present moment. Yet many clients are losing financial security (job loss, reduced hours due to furloughs, changes in insurance benefits) while potentially relying on mental-health treatment more than ever. Being […]
A new client tells you that he is concerned about the amount of time he is watching pornography on his computer. He says that he sometimes spends whole weekends surfing the web for sites that might contain images or videos of interest to him, ignoring his spouse and children. His spouse is concerned and asked […]
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’ […]
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 […]
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 […]
Integrated care settings are treatment settings in which a psychologist is embedded on an interdisciplinary and/or medical team. Examples include primary care, intensive care units and specialty medical clinics (e.g., oncology, chronic pain). Psychologists increasingly work in integrated care settings (APA Council of Representatives, 2016). Interdisciplinary settings present unique ethical dilemmas for psychologists (e.g., Kerkhoff […]
The countdown for psychologists to practice under the Psychology Interjurisdicitional Compact (PSYPACT) is nearly over. The Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) has set July 1, 2020, as the tentative date to apply for the program, which gives licensed psychologists the opportunity to practice telepsychology or temporary face-to-face work across state lines in […]
The controversial interrogation methods that two American psychologists designed for prisoners who were accused of atrocities on 9/11 once again have gained national prominence. The methods, called torture by some and enhanced interrogation by others, were back in the news in January as the psychologists testified in preliminary court hearings at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base […]
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 […]
