Clark D. Campbell

Acknowledging the inevitable: Understanding multiple relationships in rural practice

There are many factors that contribute to increased rates of multiple relationships in rural practice. Although limited availability of mental health practitioners and access difficulties are the most commonly cited factors, characteristics of rural communities and characteristics of psychologists who practice there may also promote the likelihood of these relationships. These characteristics may consequently promote acceptance of multiple relationships. This article addresses some of the unique aspects of rural practice and provides strategies for evaluating. preventing, and managing multiple relationships in rural practice.

Character and fitness requirements for professional psychologists: Are there any?

Should the profession of psychology more carefully and intentionally evaluate the moral character and personal fitness of applicants for graduate school admission and state licensure? Although lawyer applicants for bar admission have been screened on the basis of character and fitness for nearly 50 years, professional psychology devotes only cursory attention to such standards. The purpose of this article is to use the legal professions approach to character and fitness screening as an exemplar for professional psychology. The authors recommend development of national standards that are based on the essential characteristics of practicing psychologists and offer a preliminary list of minimal character and fitness requirements. By collaboratively and proactively working to ensure high character and fitness standards, graduate programs and licensing boards will simultaneously protect consumers and the public image of psychology.

Character and fitness requirements for professional psychologists: Training directors' perspectives

Do directors of psychology training programs consider whether program applicants and students possess essential moral character and psychological fitness characteristics? A survey revealed that directors of clinical training (DCTs) in clinical and counseling psychology training programs are very concerned about both character and fitness. DCTs reported that evidence accrued during interviews and from undergraduate references is most salient preadmission and that behavior in the program and in clinical situations is most meaningful postadmission. The authors highlight the practices and perspectives of DCTs when it comes to evaluating character and fitness and conclude with several recommendations for training programs, licensing boards, and psychology training organizations.

The Efficacy of a Brief Behavioral Health Intervention for Managing High Utilization of ED Services by Chronic Pain Patients

INTRODUCTION Patients with chronic pain continue to seek medical care from emergency departments nationwide despite the fact that an emergency department is a less-than-optimal environment for meeting their specific and specialized needs. As the scientific community has gained a more sophisticated understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain, the central role of psychological factors have emerged. Therefore, an ED-based, behavioral health intervention for chronic pain patients is needed to better serve this population and to help hospitals provide cost effective treatment at the appropriate level of care. METHODS The setting was a 40-bed, acute-care hospital with a 15-bed emergency department seeing 16,500 patients annually. All participants were chronic pain patients utilizing the emergency department for pain management. This study was a program evaluation utilizing a quasi-experimental, retrospective, pre-test/post-test, split-plot design. RESULTS A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare high-utilizers (>4 emergency department visits in 6 months) to low utilizers in total ED visits 6 months before and after the intervention. The low utilizers mean ED visits remained stable before and after the intervention while the high utilizers showed a decrease in ED utilization. This differential response between groups was statistically significant (P < .05). DISCUSSION This study suggests that an ED-based behavioral health consultation may be useful for reducing high utilization of ED services by some chronic pain patients, particularly those who consume the most services.

Reduction in burnout may be a benefit for short-term medical mission volunteers

This study explored changes in burnout scores following volunteer international non-disaster medical mission service. Maslach, Jackson, and Leiter (1996) conceptualised burnout as involving emotional exhaustion, a sense of depersonalisation, and a lack of personal accomplishments in the workplace. Thirty-six short-term mission workers (mostly physicians and nurses) provided medical care in South America on one of four service brigades. The group scored in the moderate range on all three scales of burnout prior to embarking on the mission trips. Stressful aspects of medical practice (such as lack of control over personal time and pressure to see more patients in less time) were rated and correlated with the burnout scales. The burnout scores improved following short-term mission service and continued to improve at a six-month follow-up. Perhaps a reduction in burnout is one of the benefits of short-term mission work, and further study of this benefit is recommended.

Character and fitness requirements for professional psychologists : An examination of state licensing application forms

How do state licensing boards currently evaluate candidates for licensure along the dimensions of moral character and psychological fitness? An examination of application materials from all 50 states and the District of Columbia revealed marked heterogeneity with respect to explicit screening for character and fitness indicators. There appears to be minimal consensus regarding those elements of a candidates previous experience that should be scrutinized prior to licensure. The authors highlight the frequency of character and fitness items across applications and ancillary licensure materials and conclude with several recommendations for licensing boards, national associations, and directors of training programs.

Practitioner Research Vertical Teams

Abstract Although practitioner-focused doctoral programs occupy a unique niche within the applied psychology training landscape, students in professional programs are less frequently mentored than students in research-focused or scientist-practitioner programs. In this article, the authors reconsider traditional student-faculty mentor relationships in the context of practitioner-focused training models, and offer the Practitioner Research Vertical Team (PRVT) model as one example of how professional programs might address the need for model-specific approaches to mentoring. Preliminary outcomes for the PRVT in one doctoral program are described. The article concludes with specific guidance for professional psychology program faculty regarding the implementation and implications of a PRVT mentoring model.

Professional Training in Religious Institutions: Articulating Models and Outcomes

This article calls for reconsideration and evaluation of training models among explicitly religious doctoral training programs. In light of recent modifications to the American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation criteria (APA, 1995), the authors consider the range of relevant training missions for religious institutions as well as implications for subsequent components of the curriculum. Recommendations are offered regarding mission congruent student outcomes, and programs are encouraged to utilize outcome data in ongoing consideration of the programs’ rationale and structure. The article concludes with brief consideration of the wisdom of creating a religious organization to act in collaboration with APA in evaluating the uniquely religious missions and outcomes of such programs.

Market and Mission

The focus of this article is how the market forces in the field of professional psychology affect the Christian training programs. After a brief review of some of the changes in the field over the past three decades, current national and Christian community trends are presented. Although market forces affect the manner in which the Christian training programs move forward, they do not change the mission of these programs. The mission has not been accomplished. Therefore, the task of training Christian professional psychologists continues.

APA Accreditation of Doctoral Psychology Programs in Christian Universities

There has been a history of suspicion and distrust between organized psychology and religion for more than a century. The nexus of this strained relationship is played out in the context of accreditation, in which doctoral programs in Christian institutions have faced challenges in obtaining accreditation. Some of these challenges have related to freedom of religion, academic freedom, non-discrimination policies, and diversity training. Footnote 4 in the APA Accreditation Guidelines and Principles is designed to address these challenges, yet there is ongoing discussion about the implementation and use of this footnote. The relationship between the accrediting body and Christian programs has developed from deep suspicion to a working, but cautious relationship; yet, the future of this relationship remains uncertain.