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The Need for Practice Guidelines
The Board of Professional Affairs Committee on Professional Practice and Standards (COPPS) seeks comments on the “Determination and Documentation of the Need for Practice Guidelines” document. In August 2001, the APA Council of Representatives (Council) approved as APA policy the “Criteria for Practice Guideline Development and Evaluation” (APA, 2002a). Subsequently, the APA Board of Directors asked for a further explanation of Section 2.2 of the Criteria, which indicates that practice guidelines should be written only when there is a clearly demonstrated and documented need.
COPPS has drafted a document entitled “The Determination and Documentation of the Need for Practice Guidelines” in response to this request. The document is now being made available to the APA membership, divisions, and state, provincial, and territorial psychological associations for comment. The “Determination and Documentation of the Need for Practice Guidelines” document, instructions, and comment form may be found at: http://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines_cmt.html
The original policy document, “Criteria for Practice Guideline Development and Evaluation” (to which the current draft document is an addendum) may be found at: http://www.apa.org/practice/Dev_and_Eval.pdf. Please note that the “Criteria” document is already APA policy, and comments are not being solicited on it at this time.
Please respond with comments by December 1, 2004.
APA Practice Directorate Sponsors Veterans Affairs Psychology Leadership Conference
The seventh annual Veterans Affairs (VA) Psychology Leadership Conference held in April attracted top APA and VA officials as VA psychologists discussed how to make veterans' health needs high on policy makers' priority lists. This year's theme was "VA Psychology Goes to Washington: Working Together to Keep Veterans First." Co-sponsored by the Association of VA Psychologist Leaders and the APA Practice Directorate, the annual meeting helps VA psychologists develop strategies to promote quality psychological services for the nation's veterans.
Among APA's representatives, President Diane Halpern, PhD, spoke about the effects of stress on health and the interplay between work and family. APA Executive Director for Professional Practice Russ Newman, PhD, JD, discussed the importance of ongoing advocacy on behalf of veterans and the psychologists who serve them. Principal staffers from both the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs shared additional perspectives on advocacy with meeting participants.
APA Practice Directorate Participates in Pro Bono "Parenting Coordinator" Project
The APA Practice Directorate is involved with a pilot "parenting coordinator" program designed to assist indigent parents or custodians involved in child custody disputes other innovative projects beyond the PHWA initiative. The program was unveiled in early June, by the District of Columbia Psychological Association (DCPA) and other groups. While parenting coordinators have been available in several states in recent years, this is the first pro bono project of its kind geared to low-income families.
Parenting coordinators assist parents and other caretakers in creating custodial, visitation, or shared parenting arrangements that center on childrens' needs rather than on conflict between the adult caretakers. Coordinators will assist with parenting issues and help identify treatment needs for parents and children. Psychology graduate students supervised by psychologist faculty members from Argosy University will serve as parenting coordinators.
The pilot program is funded by a grant awarded to DCPA from the APA Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice (CAPP). Other organizational participants include the Family Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar, which will provide training for attorneys involved in the program.
The program should be fully operational this fall. Project participants hope the pilot ultimately can serve as a model for similar efforts elsewhere in the United States.
APA Practice Directorate Expands Community Outreach Through "Talk to Someone Who Can Help" Public Education Campaign and APA Disaster Response Network
The APA Practice Directorate continues to help stimulate community-based education and outreach efforts through the public education campaign, Talk to Someone Who Can Help, as well as through the Disaster Response Network in partnership with the American Red Cross.
The directorate has been involved with several efforts - including a national consumer poll and focus groups - designed to help inform future directions for the APA public education campaign.
The directorate also convened consumer focus groups in June to probe concepts and terminology, and to test potential messages and new campaign products. Among recent campaign developments, APA will unveil the newly-redesigned consumer website known as the Help Center (www.apahelpcenter.org) at the 2004 Convention in Honolulu. With a new look and feel, the site is been being revamped for easier navigation and will incorporate new content.
APA Practice Organization Works to Support Full Parity for Mental Health Insurance Coverage
On the federal legislative front, psychology advocates continue to press for passage of the full mental health insurance parity law known as the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act (MHETA). Senate sponsors secured a commitment from Republican congressional leaders late last year that this parity bill would be among the first to move to the Senate floor in 2004. Even so, despite a record number of 69 cosponsors in the Senate and 245 in the House of Representatives, Congress had not yet taken up MHETA by mid-June.
The APA Practice Organization took a number of steps this spring to push for congressional action on MHETA:
- Psychology leaders met with 350 legislators and their staff members during the Practice Organization's March 2004 State Leadership Conference. During these visits, psychology advocates spoke with their elected officials about the importance of ending discrimination in health insurance coverage, citing the benefits and projected minimal cost impact of enacting MHETA.
- Psychologists throughout the country also are meeting with legislators in their districts and engaging in local media outreach to support parity legislation. Thanks to the efforts of Federal Advocacy Coordinators, at least a half-dozen editorials, op-eds, and letters to the editor appeared this spring in newspapers including the Des Moines Register and Hartford Courant.
The APA Practice Organization has helped to build the coalition of groups advocating for parity that now includes more than 360 organizations.
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