C. Eugene Walker

Behavioral management of toilet training, enuresis, and encopresis.

Toileting problems are a matter of great concern to parents and are a frequent source of family discord, but proper handling of toilet training as well as enuresis and encopresis can ameliorate any untoward effects of these problems. Both the pediatrician and the pediatric psychologist can play a major role in this area.

Empirical Research on Child Abuse Treatment: Report by the Child Abuse and Neglect Treatment Working Group, American Psychological Association

Reviewed empirical research on the short- and long-term effects of four major types of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect). Outcome research for a variety of treatments for child victims of abuse and for adults abused as children suggests that treatment is effective; however, comprehensive and carefully designed studies have not been done. Likewise, outcome research for treatment efforts with parents and caregivers who engage in child maltreatment is limited, but evidence supports treatment efficacy. Thirteen recommendations are offered pertaining to improvement of conceptualization, treatment, and research in the area of child maltreatment.

Menstrual cycle phases and personality variables as related to response to erotic stimuli

The present research examined the relationship between menstrual cycle phases and response to erotic stimuli. Correlations between response to erotic stimuli and extraversion and neuroticism, as measured by the Eysenck Personality Inventory, were also investigated. Subjects were 60 university coeds who were shown explicitly erotic slides and asked to rate their sexual arousal while viewing these stimuli. Although significant effects were found for slides, no significant differences were noted among women at different points in the menstrual cycle. Nonsignificant correlations were obtained between slide ratings and extraversion and neuroticism.

Treatment of children's disorders by relaxation training: The poor man's biofeedback 1

Abstract Procedures, therapeutic uses, variations, and examples of cases employing relaxation procedures with children are reviewed. The basic procedures of relaxation training are briefly described and compared with biofeedback procedures in terms of the relative effectiveness and costs of the two types of treatment.

An Overview of Behavioral Medicine

Psychological treatment has a long past. In the days of Plato and Aristotle, psychological treatment was the province of the philosopher. Philosophers were the experts in the realm of words and thoughts. Individuals who suffered from mental or emotional problems caused by disordered thoughts were helped by philosophers who cured through rational argument and persuasion (Pivnicki, 1969). The first known psychotherapist was Antiphon, a contemporary of Socrates. Antiphon was a sophist who is reported by Plutarch to have had a door plate on his home in Corinth indicating that he was qualified to heal, by words, those who suffered from grief and melancholy. Antiphon claimed to know the art of combating sorrow. No transcripts of Antiphon–s therapy sessions are extant, but it is quite possible that they would bear a resemblance to modern day cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression. Certainly Socrates’ belief that the answer to all questions was inside the person and only needed to be elicited by skillful questioning is compatible with modern concepts of the process of psychotherapy. Numerous other philosophers of the time were also known for their ability to counsel those in distress. Some used exhortation or “beautiful speeches” as well as rational argument.

Contemporary Clinical Psychology

Clinical psychology has undergone rapid evolution during its relatively brief history. Since World War II, clinical psychology has greatly expanded in several major dimensions, including academia, science, research, professional issues, and concerns for the public interest (Barron, 1986). New psychology doctorates in the health-service-provider subfields of clinical, counseling, and school psychology constitute the majority (53.2%) of new psychology doctorates (Howard et al., 1986). Clinical psychology accounts for 40% of all psychology doctorates awarded annually (Strickland, 1985), and the Division of Clinical Psychology has become the largest division within the American Psychological Association (APA, 1989).

Critical Issues in Consultation and Liaison

An increasing number of psychologists are employed in medical settings. The most recent surveys suggest that 8%-10% of American Psychological Association (APA) members are currently working in medical settings (DeLeon, Pallak, & Hefferman, 1982;Dorken, Webb, & Zaro, 1982). This trend toward employment in medical settings appears to be continuing to increase (Stabler & Mesibov, 1984). A primary duty of many of the psychologists in medical settings is the provision of consultation services to various inpatient medical units and outpatient medical clinics.