Evaluation of the Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project: A retrospective analysis.

Abstract

The authors conclude that the PDP successfully achieved a primary objective for which it was established by demonstrating that licensed psychologists can be trained to provide safe, high-quality pharmacological care. As such, the project serves as a foundation for efforts to include prescription authority in state licensing laws and for the further development of a psychological model for prescribing. The Department of Defense (DoD) Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project (PDP) has been one of the most intensively studied and widely scrutinized experiments in the training of non-physicians for prescriptive authority. The result of Congressional action in 1988, the PDP training program was initiated in 1991 by the DoD as a demonstration project to train already

Prescriptive Authority and Counseling Psychology

“…Two of the most often cited of these concerns are the perceived ineffectiveness of training programs for prescribing psychologists and a fear that prescriptive authority would subvert and dominate practitioners' professional identities (Lichtenberg et al, 2008). While these concerns raise legitimate issues, empirical evidence exists that questions their validity (LeVine & Foster, 2010;LeVine & Wiggins, 2010;Muse & McGrath, 2010b;Newman, Phelps, Sammons, Dunivin, & Cullen, 2000). The author hopes that in detailing and empirically addressing these concerns, practitioners' potential hesitations over supporting prescriptive authority can be assuaged and their support for the RxP movement can be garnered.…”

“…Counseling psychology practitioners can support the RxP movement because empirical evidence exists to support the comprehensiveness, safety, and efficacy of Level 3 training curricula for all licensed psychologists (LeVine & Wiggins, 2010;Muse & McGrath, 2010b;Newman et al, 2000). Some psychologists have stated that training programs for prescribing psychologists are on average less than half as long as those for other prescribing medical professionals (Heiby, 2002;Heiby et al, 2004).…”

Divided No More: Psychology's Role in Integrated Health Care.

“…Elaine Orabona Mantell is one of ten Department of Defense Prescribing Psychologists (Newman, 2000;Newman, Phelps, Sammons, Dunivin, & Cullen, 2000;Sammons, Paige, & Levant, 2003). Her story:…”

Prescription privileges for psychologists: Scared to death?

“…The reader is not informed that the report contained numerous positive findings about the PDP and that, among other things, the PDP psychologists “filled critical needs, and performed with excellence wherever they served” (ACNP, 1998, p. 2). Further, Robiner et al fail to cite the three additional evaluations of the PDP (see Newman et al, 2000, for an analysis of all four evaluations), whose results are relevant to the debate. Robiner et al would have us believe that psycho‐pharmacology training is a research‐based, uniform curriculum in residency programs. Nothing could be further from the reality.…”