Using a large (N = 387} national sample of psychology graduate students, we conducted a survey to examine Stressors, coping strategies, and barriers to the use of Wellness activities. Over 70% of graduate students reported a Stressor that interfered with their optimal functioning. Frequently endorsed Stressors included academic responsibilities, finances/debt, anxiety, and poor work/sehool-life balance. Common coping strategies used were support from friends, family, classmates, regular exercise, and hobbies. The leading barders to using Wellness strategies were lack of time and cost/money. Students in the health service professions (clinical/counseling/school) utilized psychotherapy more often than students in other areas of psychology (e.g., general, social, developmental); PsyD students reported cost as a barder to coping significantly more frequently than doctoral-level students. As hypothesized, univadate analyses suggest that ethnic/racial minodty students were more likely than White students to report discdmination as a Stressor and spidtuality as a coping strategy. Multivadate analyses suggest a relatively large overall effect of ethnic/racial group membership on stress and coping in psychology graduate students. Given the high percentage of psychology students expedencing disruptive levels of stress dudng graduate training, programs and faculty should take further steps to educate students about stress and to assist them in developing coping skills and addressing barders to their Wellness, making sure to attend to unique differences between diverse demographic groups. Based on our findings and the available literature, we provide recommendations for students, faculty, graduate programs, and policymakers.

The relationship between therapists and treatment outcome was examined in 14 highly trained therapists who participated in the Multicenter Collaborative Study for the Treatment of Panic Disorder. Overall, therapists yielded positive outcomes in their caseloads; yet, therapists significantly differed in the magnitude of change among caseloads. Effect sizes for therapist impact on outcome measures varied from 0% to 18%. Overall experience in conducting psychotherapy was related to outcome on some measures, whereas age, gender, gender match, and experience with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) were not. Therapists with above- and below-average outcomes were rated similarly on measures of adherence and competency. The results suggest that therapists make a contribution to outcome in CBT for panic disorder, even when patients are relatively uniform, treatment is structured, and outcome is positive. Implications for future clinical outcome studies and for training clinicians are discussed.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are intended to improve mental, behavioral, and physical health by promoting clinical practices that are based on the best available evidence. The American Psychological Association (APA) is committed to generating patient-focused CPGs that are scientifically sound, clinically useful, and informative for psychologists, other health professionals, training programs, policy makers, and the public. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2011 standards for generating CPGs represent current best practices in the field. These standards involve multidisciplinary guideline development panels charged with generating recommendations based on comprehensive systematic reviews of the evidence. The IOM standards will guide the APA as it generates CPGs that can be used to inform the general public and the practice community regarding the benefits and harms of various treatment options. CPG recommendations are advisory rather than compulsory. When used appropriately, high-quality guidelines can facilitate shared decision making and identify gaps in knowledge.

Psychological assessment has been a defining area of practice, training, and research for professional psychologists since the field's inception. We conducted the present survey of professional psychologists as a follow-up to surveys conducted by the American Psychological Association in the 1990s to describe (a) current psychological assessment practices and trends; (b) demographic factors and beliefs associated with assessment use; (c) barriers discouraging assessment use; and (d) factors that may encourage psychologists to make assessments a larger part of their practices. Our survey supports the common perception that, in general, assessment represents a smaller part of the practices of professional psychologists than before managed care; however, for psychologists in some specialty areas and settings (e.g., forensic psychology, inpatient settings), assessment represents a significant portion of their work. Moreover, the large majority of psychologists believe psychological assessment is a valuable aid in making diagnostic decisions and treatment recommendations. Many psychologists identify that greater coverage by third-party payers, as well as having access to less costly assessment instruments, would enable greater use of assessment.

As technology advances, psychologists increasingly have the opportunity to engage with patients or other users of psychological services via less traditional methods. However, little guidance exists to prepare psychologists to navigate the legal, regulatory, reimbursement, and ethical issues that can arise when providing psychological services via technology. A review of relevant state and federal laws reveals inconsistencies even in the terminology used to describe provision of services via technology with some referring to "telehealth," others to "telemedicine," and others using additional terms. The following overview of laws, regulations, and existing guidelines in the area of telehealth and telemental health provides some preliminary guidance for psychologists as they attempt to meet the needs of their patients using available and emerging technologies. Specific issues addressed include the applicability of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, informed consent and reimbursement by third party payers.With the proliferation of wireless devices such as smart phones and PDAs, and the availability of Internet-based videoconferencing and social networking, health care providers are able to connect easily and virtually with patients without requiring face-toface encounters. Whether the communications are limited to scheduling appointments or involve providing psychological interventions remotely, using this technology for delivery of health care services has raised unique issues relating to how these services are coordinated and delivered virtually. While using technology to