Steven M. Tovian

Evaluation of Wechsler adult intelligence scale-revised premorbid IQ formulas in clinical populations

The present study examined the efficacy of both Wilson and Barona formulas in the prediction of concurrently obtained IQ levels in neurologically normal psychiatric (n=77) and brain-damaged (n=64) patients

A Decade of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings: The Short Longer View

The progress and accomplishments of psychology in medical settings over the past decade since the publication of the Handbook of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings (J. J. Sweet, R. H. Rozensky, & S. M. Tovian, 1991) and the subsequent founding of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings (JCPMS) in 1994 are highlighted. Areas of progress and accomplishments reviewed include professional developments with our field, roles and services provided by psychologists, education, training and research issues, and program administration in medical settings. The current status of, and possible changes in, medical settings is identified. Future challenges and opportunities for the profession are discussed.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Outpatient Practice.

Psychology has had a long history of collaboration with the medical profession. This collaboration has been greatly enhanced over the past decade or more as an increasing number of psychologists have become successful in applying the science and practice of psychology to the problems of health and i

Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings

The history of psychology has been traced through the behavior of early civilizations covering a span of 4,000 years (Kimble & Schlesinger, 1985a,Kimble & Schlesinger, 1985b). The history of modern scientific psychology is relatively brief, encompassing a little more than a century. Nevertheless, Pion (in press) noted that, since 1977, the demand for doctoral psychologists, as reflected by employment figures, has actually increased more rapidly than the employment of all other doctoral scientists. Further, Pion cited National Science Foundation statistics indicating that, in 1986, 94% of doctoral psychologists were actually working in psychology. This figure represents a higher percentage than in any other scientific field.

Adult urinary incontinence: Assessment, intervention, and the role of clinical health psychology in program development.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a disorder receiving little attention from clinical health psychologists. This paper establishes the importance of addressing the issue of UI within the clinical and research practices of clinical health psychologists. Over 10 million Americans suffer from loss of bladder control. Incontinence affects over half of older individuals in long-term care institutions, about one-third of hospitalized elderly, and up to 30% of Americans over the age of 60 living at home. Because of social stigma and misconceptions attached to urinary incontinence, it is estimated that less than half of those affected see a physician about their condition. Since UI is generally associated with medical, social, psychological, and economic consequences, a multidisciplinary perspective is important because these factors are integral in the selection of appropriate treatment. Definitions of UI, its incidence and costs, and brief reviews of treatment and management techniques are presented. Psychological sequelae and treatments are presented as a foundation for developing further treatment and research approaches. Guidelines for collaboration and consultation by clinical health psychologists with medical professionals in the area of UI are also discussed.

Psychological Assessment in Medical Settings

Both historically and in terms of present training and employment, medical settings have provided a fertile environment for formal psychological assessment. In fact, recently trained physicians expect to have psychological assessment resources available within the hospital systems in which they practice because these resources were present within the institutions in which they trained. Within this chapter, psychological assessment is viewed as encompassing all traditional (e.g., personality, intellectual, academic) and specialized testing (e.g., health/illness coping styles, neuropsychological). Important issues pertaining to psychological assessment in medical settings are reviewed. These topics include the influence of the medical environment, current pressures regarding ‘accountability,’ opportunities for clinical, educational, and research collaborations with physicians, reimbursement issues, financial efficacy, ethical and legal issues, logistics, and integration within a biopsychosocial model. Finally, types of medical settings, specific assessment instruments, and areas of specialty assessment are reviewed. Keywords: assessment; health psychology; medical settings; neuropsychological assessment; psychological assessment; psychological testing; testing

Integration of Clinical Psychology into Adult and Pediatric Oncology Programs

This chapter is about the integration of clinical psychology into adult and pediatric oncology programs. Oncology programs in medical settings are important areas of practice for clinical psychologists because of the numerous psychosocial problems secondary to cancer. This chapter will identify these psychosocial problems, offer guidelines for assessment and intervention, and discuss the development and maintenance of the clinical psychology program within the cancer treatment center.

Effects of learned helplessness on Rorschach responses.

The present study investigated the relationship between the laboratory experience of learned helplessness and depressive responses on the Rorschach. 50 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to either a learned-helplessness or nonlearned-helplessness condition. After completion of the experimental conditions, subjects were administered Rorschachs which were scored utilizing the Exner Comprehensive System. Students t tests indicated significantly higher scores on the sum of all responses involving the use of shading and achromatic features (right-side eb) for the learned-helplessness subjects. According to Rorschach theory, these results suggest that subjects in a learned-helplessness condition experience a more painful affective state and tend to withdraw from their environment more than subjects experiencing a nonlearned-helplessness condition. This can be seen as a defense against experiencing more stress. These conclusions are discussed in the context of learned helplessness and reactive depression.

Twenty Years of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings: We Hope You Will Enjoy the Show

The 20th anniversary of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings is celebrated by highlighting the scientist-practitioner philosophy on which it was founded. The goal of the Journal—to provide an outlet for evidence-based approaches to healthcare that underscore the important scientific and clinical contributions of psychology in medical settings—is discussed. The contemporary relevance of this approach is related to the current implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care and its focus on accountability and the development of an interprofessional healthcare workforce; both of which have been foci of the Journal throughout its history and will continue to be so into the future. Several recommendations of future topic areas for the Journal to highlight regarding scientific, practice, policy, and education and training in professional health service psychology are offered. Successfully addressing these topics will support the growth of the field of psychology in the ever evolving healthcare system of the future and continue ensure that the Journal is a key source of professional information in health service psychology.

Marketing Health Psychology

Professional services are not products, and marketing professional services is not simply product marketing. A product is tangible, something you can see and touch. A service, by contrast, is intangible. Clinical psychologists in health care organizations provide professional services to patients, health care providers (i.e., physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals), and other systems within the health care organization.