The public sector psychologist with 2020 vision.

Abstract

What will public sector psychology look like in the year 2020? Will public sector psychologists be prepared to meet the evolving challenges and service needs encountered during the next 20 years? The purpose of this manuscript is to identify common characteristics of public sector psychology across work settings and describe the changing face of public sector psychology. Emphasis is placed on the driving forces fueling changes to the field (i.e., changing health care delivery paradigms, growth in technology and information systems, new levels of professional accountability, changing economic infrastructures, and shifts in clinical populations and points of interventions). In addition, a vision for the future of public sector psychology is offered.

Professional education and training: How satisfied are we? An exploratory study.

“…Trends in psychotherapy orientation and type of intervention also emphasized the pragmatic and economical (e.g., cognitive–behavioral therapy and use of homework assignments were, respectively the highest-ranked theoretical orientation and therapeutic intervention). Other prognosticators, as noted in the introduction to this article, supported an emphasis on primary care practice niches (Gray, Brody, & Johnson, 2005; Kolbasovsky et al, 2005; Masters et al, 2005), supply and demand considerations (Robiner & Crew, 2000; Robiner et al, 2002), and market place issues (Levant et al, 2001; Miller, DeLeon, Morgan, Penk, & Magaletta, 2006).…”

Integrating social justice training into the practicum experience for psychology trainees: Starting earlier.

“…Although many programs are stretched in terms of training time and resources, scholars have noted how teaching social justice can benefit clients, professionals, and training programs on various ecological levels (Toporek, Lewis, & Crethar, 2009), including the individual psychology trainee, the program and/or fieldwork training site, the individual client, and the client's cultural communities and society as a whole. Miller, DeLeon, Morgan, Penk, and Magaletta (2006) argue that increased training in nontraditional clinical services (such as social justice) will improve the ability for psychologists to meet the demands of their multiple professional roles, and will be of value to a new cohort of future professionals who will be required to have a skill set to meet the evolving challenges of public sector psychology. Psychologists have noted that such training can increase the likelihood of future professional work reflective of social justice concerns while concurrently increasing their skills and competence (Pieterse, Evans, Risner-Butner, Collins, & Mason, 2009).…”

The Public Psychology Doctoral Training Model: Training clinical psychologists in community mental health competencies and leadership.

“…Some examples of developing issues in community mental health include the recently passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that will change reimbursement and billing practices, or an impetus toward integrated systems of care that is changing service delivery paradigms (e.g., merging of mental health with substance abuse services or integrated bidirectional care which puts mental health into primary care and vice versa). Miller, DeLeon, Morgan, Penk, and Magaletta (2006) argued that political, social, and economic forces affect the organizational, fiscal, and service structures of public more than private sector organizations. For this reason, community mental health psychologists are required to assess and respond quickly in order to navigate changing regulations and zeitgeists of practice with innovation and vision.…”