Psychologists are frequently asked to work with the media in responding to current events or educating the public about psychological issues. This can run the gamut, from an occasional interview with a reporter to a weekly gig as a radio call-in host. Many psychologists have little or no training in media psychology, but it is critical to obtain such training before entering the quicksand that working with the media can easily become. There are many ethical dilemmas inherent in media work, and this article enumerates many, including competence and confidentiality. Psychologists must educate themselves about the topic being discussed, often with a "heads-up" from the reporter in advance. Reporters will often ask for clients to be provided as examples to add depth to the story. The confidentiality and welfare of the client must be considered. It is important to think clearly about many ethical issues to make working with the media a positive professional experience and an important public service.
The provision of psychological (e.g., psychotherapy, coparenting, mediation, collaborative divorce, child custody evaluation) services for families of divorce are growing specialties for many clinical and forensic psychologists. However, practice in domestic relations psychology, such as divorce and custody assessment and testimony, is a high-risk venture for incurring ethics complaints and law suits. The lead article and the three commentaries that follow enumerate the various roles practitioners might play, clarify how each role requires specific skill sets that may be outside one's particular competence and necessitate additional training, describe how countertransferential issues arise, urge meticulous record keeping, discuss some of the subtleties of confidentiality and the releasing of information, describe how transparency in clarifying expectations leads to a lowering of contentiousness, and provide tips for divorce and forensic practice. The special challenges associated with psychologists being tempted to move beyond JEFFREY ZIMMERMAN received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Mississippi. He maintains an independent practice in Cheshire, CT, and Katonah, NY. Special areas of interest include alternatives for effective dispute and conflict resolution as applied to divorcing families and the corporate sector. ALLEN K. HESS earned his doctorate at the University of Kentucky and his diplomate in clinical psychology in 1980. A professor at Auburn University at Montgomery, he has published in forensic psychology, psychological assessment and psychotherapy supervision. NANCY A. MCGARRAH received her PhD in psychology from Emory University. She is the president of Cliff Valley Psychologists in Atlanta, GA. Her areas of professional interest include legal and ethical issues, child development, child abuse and other childhood trauma, and child custody. G. ANDREW H. BENJAMIN received his JD in law and PhD in clinical psychology from University of Arizona. He is director of the Parenting Evaluation/Training Program at the University of Washington. His areas of research and practice focus upon families that are passing their business down to a younger generation or are involved in custody litigation, legal and ethical issues, and lawyer psychopathology. GLENN A. ALLY received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. He received a postdoctoral masters' degree in psychopharmacology from Alliant International University and has prescriptive authority. He maintains an independent practice as a medical psychologist in Lafayette, LA. His areas of interests are psychopharmacology, neuropsychology, and forensic issues. JACKIE K. GOLLAN received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Washington. She is an assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Her areas of research and practice are translational affective science research, cognitive and behavioral treatment for depression, and custody evaluation. NANCY KASER-BOYD recei...
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This chapter describes the ways mental health professionals in private practice can use the media for marketing their practice as well as for educating the public. The processes for engaging in media work are addressed and the concept of being an “expert” in this field is explained. Ethics issues are emphasized, such as what mental health professionals can and cannot say in interviews. Specific guidance for providing effective interviews and ideas for receiving applicable training are given. Media-trained mental health providers can assist with interview preparation and answer questions about ethics and media work.
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