Council approves two specialties, a proficiency

By Sara Martin
Monitor staff

APA?s Council of Representatives approved Psychoanalytic Psychology as a new specialty in psychology and voted to continue to recognize School Psychology as a specialty at its Feb. 20?22 meeting in Washington, D.C. In a separate action, the council also voted to recognize Geropsychology as a new proficiency in psychology.

APA grants specialty status to those areas of professional psychology that demonstrate distinctiveness with respect to the populations they serve, the problems they address and the techniques or methodologies they employ. Proficiencies are more circumscribed aspects of practice that focus on a particular problem, patient population or treatment procedure.

Council also approved the archival description of the specialty of School Psychology and, at the request of the petitioners, will not make the archival description of the specialty a formal policy statement of APA until August 1998.

Specialty and proficiency recognition is important to the profession of psychology because it informs the public about the nature and scope of services that psychologists provide, as well as the knowledge base they have.

'It?s an effort to communicate to consumers, employers, managed-care companies and others about what psychologist do,' says Tommy T. Stigall, PhD, chair of APA?s Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology. APA established CRSPPP in 1995 to review petitions from groups seeking to have certain areas of psychology recognized. The commission is guided by a set of published criteria and procedures.

Specialty and proficiency recognition also serves another important purpose, says Stigall: It helps define the knowledge base of practice, organizing and delineating newly emerging areas. 'The process ensures that psychology has something to say about how it is organized and how it meets consumer needs,' he says.

CRSPPP reviewed petitions for the specialties and the proficiency during its Oct. 17?19 meeting. The commission recommended its approval to APA?s Board of Directors, which then recommended approval to council.

So far, APA has recognized the following as specialties: Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Clinical Health Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychoanalytic Psychology. APA has also recognized the following proficiencies: Treatment of Alcohol and Other Psychoactive Substance Abuse Disorders; Biofeedback: Applied Psychophysiology; and Geropsychology.

'While it will take some time for this to make much impact on the general public?who still have difficulties differentiating psychiatry from psychology?it is a step in the right direction,' says Immediate Past President Norman Abeles, PhD, who supported approval of the two specialties and the proficiency. 'There will come a time when the public will be more aware of the different proficiencies and specialties within psychology and that will be helpful in providing more information to them.'

Helping aging populations

In other action, APA?s council also voted to approve the Guidelines for the Evaluation of Dementia and Age-Related Cognitive Decline, which discuss the role psychologists play in assessing changes in memory and cognitive functioning and distinguishing normal changes from early signs of pathology.

'These guidelines focus on an increasingly important area for psychologists: The assessment of age-related concerns,' says Abeles, whose Presidential Task Force drafted the guidelines. 'As our population ages, there is more and more need to provide competent assessments to our society so that needless worry about Alzheimer?s disease can be laid to rest and that the possibilities for prevention can be considered for individuals who do have less severe memory problems.'

The guidelines outline a variety of factors psychology practitioners should consider before assessing dementia and age-related cognitive decline in clinical practice. For example, according to the guidelines, psychologists who conduct such assessments must:

? Learn current diagnostic nomenclature and criteria.

? Gain specialized competence in the selection and use of psychological tests.

? Understand the tests? limitations and the context in which they may be used and interpreted.

Abeles and his Presidential Task Force on Older Adults have also developed a booklet to help psychologists learn more about how to tailor their practices to meet the needs of these patients. To receive a free copy of What the Practitioner Should Know about Working with Older Adults, call (800) 374-3120.

APA is now working on a consumer version of this booklet.

Resize the Monitor?

Council also discussed a proposal to change the size of the Monitor from an 11 x 17 tabloid to a standard 8 1/2 x 11, four-color magazine. APA is exploring the costs and benefits of such a move in response to readers? complaints that the Monitor?s current size is too unwieldy, it?s difficult to photocopy, its paper yellows too quickly and it leaves ink on readers? fingers.

Economic factors are also spurring the investigation into a format change. The Monitor?s current size is so large that only two printers in the Washington, D.C., area can handle the job?a situation that prevents a competitive bidding process. In addition, the U.S. Post Office charges significantly more to mail the Monitor than to mail a standard magazine.

In response to these concerns, APA staff developed a prototype of a magazine format that it will test with members through a readership survey and a series of focus groups. Staff will also use the prototype to gauge advertisers? reactions to a magazine and the potential to earn more revenue.

The prototype was unveiled at the APA Board of Directors? meeting on Feb. 18 and shown to council on Feb. 22. Many were excited by the smaller size and more professional look of the prototype, and some said the new format could be a way to attract more members to the association. But others were concerned that the magazine format would reduce the amount of coverage now in the Monitor and that it would be too expensive.

A majority of council, by a straw vote, indicated they were in favor of continued study by staff. Staff will conduct its research with readers and advertisers this spring. It is also developing a new prototype that will address concerns raised by council. That prototype is expected to be presented at the August Council of Representatives meeting.

In the meantime, members are encouraged to give their thoughts on a potential change to Sara Martin, APA Monitor Editor, 750 First St., N.E., Washington, DC 20002-4242, fax (202) 336-6103.

Other action

During its meeting, the council also moved to:

? Initiate efforts to have the years 2000?2010 declared the 'Decade of Behavior' to increase public awareness of and support for the advances in behavioral and social sciences and their application in addressing many of the nation?s most pressing problems. The 'Decade of Behavior' will be the cornerstone of a public education campaign and advocacy effort of APA?s Science Directorate. The initiative will include national scientific symposia, educational events, and press and congressional briefings that highlight the significance of behavioral and social sciences to the health and well-being of the nation?s citizens. APA is inviting all behavioral and social science associations, mental health and other groups, and federal funding agencies to take part in the initiative.

? Approve the Guidelines for Psychological Evaluations in Child Protection Matters, which seek to educate the profession and the public regarding psychologists? professional conduct in child-protection matters. The document provides an overview of the purpose of child-protection evaluations, preparing for child-protection evaluations and conducting an evaluation. (An article on the guidelines will appear in the May Monitor).

? Pass a resolution that underscores the association?s commitment to promoting the psychological well-being of immigrant children, youth and families. Specifically, the resolution calls for APA to advocate for further study on the health and mental health of immigrant and refugee populations; to promote and facilitate psychologists? skills in working with these populations; to increase access to mental health for these populations; and to promote and support policies that recognize and provide for the psychosocial needs of these groups.

? Approve a change in the way APA presidential candidates are covered in the APA Monitor, which will go into effect for next year?s presidential election. Over the last several years, APA?s Central Office has been concerned that only a low percentage of members vote for APA president. Research by APA has revealed that members don?t vote because they don?t believe they have enough information about candidates. To better inform members about the candidates, council voted to change an Association Rule on coverage of candidates in the Monitor. Under the new rule, candidates would be asked to write a 300-word statement and to answer six questions in 100 words or less on important issues facing the psychology field. The answers to their questions would be spread out over a period of three months, appearing in the June, July and September issues of the Monitor. Each APA board and committee that reports to APA?s Board of Directors or APA?s Council of Representatives will be asked to develop a list of questions at the fall meetings, and APA?s Election Committee would select the six final questions.

? Approved the affiliation of the Psychologists? Association of Alberta with APA. By affiliating with APA, the Alberta association is entitled to take part in APA?s governance affairs, including being able to bring any legislative matter before APA?s council for vote. APA now has 59 state or provincial APA affiliates.

? Establish a new International Humanitarian Award that recognizes extraordinary services and activism by a member or affiliate member. The first award will be presented in 1999.

? Approve APA?s 1998 final budget, which included a deficit of $572,500 (after consideration of the $1,000,000 building subsidy) to govern APA operations thorough the rest of the year. The council also approved the funding of the next $1,000,000 increment of APA?s Public Education Campaign. In addition, the council also adopted a motion calling for APA?s Board of Directors to develop a balanced budget proposal for fiscal year 1999 and stipulated that it should not include a dues increase.