Counseling and Psych Exam 1 Flashcards
Explain the similarities and differences in talking with a friend/family member vs talking with a therapist when you are experiencing difficulties.
- confidentiality/privacy
- knows how to help
- reliable
- contractional relationship
Explain (generally) what the term “psychotherapy” means
(sometimes called talk therapy) refers to a variety of treatments that aim to help a person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Explain the difference between the terms “client” and “patient.” Identify which profession(s) are likely to use each term and why.
Client: business relationship, more equality, transaction
Patient: medical model, implies illness, negative connotation
Who is Lightner Witmer and what is his contribution to the field of clinical psychology? What tasks did he emphasize for the profession of clinical psych?
first operator of a psychological clinic.
work involved treatment of behavior, education, and interpersonal issues
Paraphrase the definition of clinical psychology provided by Division of the APA.
the scope of clinical psychology is huge and provides care to all ages and all kinds of people. it is multi-faceted: promotes human adaptation, adjustment, and personal development
Explain the perceived advantages and limitations of the Boulder, Vail, and Clinical Science Models
Boulder: do research! most common program. most graduates end up in academics. Lacks therapy training.
Vail: consumes research! better at therapizing?
Clinical Science: do more research! bad at therapizing?
Boulder Model
(scientist-practioner)
training model for clinical psychologist that emphasizes research and therapy training. usually involves conducting a research study
Vail Model
(scholar-professional)
training model for clinical psychologist that emphasizes practice of therapy and intervention. seeks to consume research more than do research
Clinical Science Model
training model for clinical psychologist that emphasizes research more than Boulder model. Also focuses on tested treatments
Summarize current professional activities and employment settings in clinical psychologists in the US
- research
- private practice
- academics
- universities
- hospitals
- community mental health center
- gov agencies
- consultation
- diagnosis/ assessment
Differentiate clinical psychologists from related professions, including counseling psychologists, professional counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychiatrists, physician’s assistants and psychiatric nurses.
Clinical psychologists assess, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.
Distinguish between Ohio’s LPC and LPCC designations.
LPC: less training, needs to be supervised, usually becomes LPCC
LPCC: needs 3000 hours of supervision, does not need to be supervised after
both require masters degrees and a licensing exam
Describe the emerging trends in therapy training and why they are important.
Technology
- use of webcam
- computer based assessment
- telehealth
Competencies
- skills that a student must demonstrate like research, cultural competence, assessment, etc.
Describe key applicant characteristics preferred by clinical psychology graduate programs
Strong academics
Research and experience
recommendations
Clear purpose statement
Competitive GRE scores
Commitment to diversity
Interpersonal, ethical, and professional skills
Adaptability and empathy
Compare and contrast predoctoral and postdoctoral internships for clinical psychologists
Predoctoral internships occur during doctoral training, offer broader clinical experience, and have shorter durations. Postdoctoral internships come after a doctoral degree, specialize in specific areas, have longer durations, and offer higher compensation. Both are essential for licensure.
Generally describe what it takes to get licensed as a clinical psychologist
bachelors degree
PhD or PsyD (4years-6)
national and state exams
supervision
Explain why the diversification of the US is so important for psychologists/counselors
- language barriers (privacy issue for translator)
- misunderstanding from cultural differences
- access
- biases
Explain what it means to describe multiculturalism as the “fourth force” in clinical psychology. Be able to articulate the other “forces” in the field.
forces:
1- psychoanalysis (freud)
2- behaviorism (opposes psychoanalysis)
3- human/person-centered (help person become their best self)
4- multiculturalism (every person is seen as equal in value regardless of differences)
Name and describe (in detail) the professional efforts in clinical psychology that demonstrate the field’s current focus on multiculturalism.
professional efforts currently towards becoming more culturally sensitive…
- APA divisions like society for the psychology of women, psychology of the religion and spirituality, society for the study of men and masculinities
- association for black psychologists
- edits to the DSM like “cultural formation interview”
Name, explain, and give examples of the 3 primary components of cultural competence.
- awareness (of the self- learning about own culture and biases)
- knowledge (of culture and diversity- can be gained by reading, asking, experiencing)
- skills
Explain what is meant by “acculturation” and be able to articulate the 4 acculturation patterns that have been identified (book)
acculturation: assimilation to a different culture, typically the dominant one.
4 patterns: assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization.
Explain the importance of “microaggressions” in a clinical context and be able to provide examples. (book)
Microaggression: a statement, action, or incident of indirect discrimination against members of a marginalized group.\
Affect Patient Well-Being, trust
May lead to poorer health outcomes for marginalized groups.
Impact Provider-Patient Relationships
Highlight Cultural competence
Etic vs emic perspective
etic: old viewpoint, emphasizes similarity between people, downplays cultural-based differences
emic: current viewpoint, emphasizes cultural-specific norms, appreciates clients for their culture
Tripartite model of personal identity
Freud’s personality theory saw the psyche structured into three parts (i.e., tripartite), the id, ego, and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives.
id: uncontrollable urges
ego: compromise
superego: rules in your head
Define and explain the importance of “culture” in the context of counseling and psychotherapy.
- Articulate the difference between narrow and broad definitions of cultures and explain how cultural variables may interact with one another
there are 3 levels of identity that are to be recognized by psychologists for every client:
- individual level (every person is unique)
- group level (every person is like some others)
- universal level (every person is like all others)
*on a continuum
Describe methods used to train psychologists/counselors in cultural issues.
- education by training, courses, readings, real-world experiences
- encouraging cultural self-knowledge, curiosity, and humanity
Explain how cultural variations in the parent-child relationship can influence the clinical context (book)
Explain how/when did the first code of ethics come about (including how revisions affected the code).
first code of ethics was developed (1953) by a group of surveyed psychologists opinions on ethics, and the main themes that were shared (was very long)
revisions made it more user-friendly with a better format. there has been 10 revisions since the initial code
Differentiate between the standards and principles of the code.
- What is the difference between the “aspirational” and “enforceable” components of the code?
the code of ethics is divided into 2 sections:
- general principals (guide and inspire therapists)
- standards (rules)
enforceable components explain what a psychologist should not do, and if they do, do they then loose their license.
Name, explain, and be able to identify examples of the 5 general principles.
1: beneficence and non-maleficence (do good not harm)
2: fidelity and responsibility (don’t be mean)
3: integrity (be honest, don’t mislead)
4: justice (all people benefit from access)
5: respect for people’s rights and dignity (confidentiality, privacy, respect of individual difference)
Explain the difference between confidential information and privileged information.
Confidentiality is a responsibility to protect someone else’s choices about disclosure, and.
Privilege is a legal rule prohibiting the disclosure of private information against someone’s will.
Describe the situations under which must confidentiality be breached.
- How do issues related to confidentiality apply when the client is a child or adolescent (discussed some in class, elaborated on in the text)
breach confidentiality if…
- individual directly has thoughts of being a danger to self (has intent, a specific plan, means, will not voluntarily go to the hospital, and will not contract)
- individual is a danger to others (makes a specific threat of serious harm to an identifiable individual)
Explain the importance of the Tarasoff case.
- took place at California Berkley (1968)
- graduate school student was infatuated with Tarasoff (another student) who did not like him
- therapist reported grad student to police who did nothing
- grad student killed Tarasoff
- led to the therapists duty to protect/warn individuals and break confidentiality if needed
Name and explain the major elements of informed consent for therapy. Why is each important?
- potential risks/benefits
- fees, availability, treatment plan
- involvement of their parties
- status of therapist
- audio/videotaping
- state and federal laws
*included on the form to make the client informed about their treatment and protect them and the theraist
Explain what the Ethics code says about the issue of therapist “competence.”
Differentiate between ethical and unethical multiple relationships for clinical psychologists.
multi-relationships: a secondary role with the same person besides therapy
- if client’s mental health could be compromised, do not get in a multiple relationship
Explain key ethical considerations for psychological assessment and research (text and Ethics Code).
Explain what a randomized clinical trial is (RTC)
- How might one conduct an RCT in the context of psychotherapy?
RTC: randomized clinical trial that has ideal conditions with high internal validity
in psychotherapy context, RTC could be done…
- uniform sampes of participants and problems
- random assignment of clients to conditions
- carefully monitored treatments
an efficacy trial (high internal validity) then an effectiveness trial in the real world (high external validity).
What is a dismantling study? What’s the purpose of this type of study?
a specific study to psychotherapy where effective treatments are taken apart in order to find the “active” or effective part of the original treatment.
Example: telephone therapy to caregivers with depressive symptoms (found that behavior was the most effective for treating this group)
Describe an analogue design.
approximates the target client or situation so that a test can be done (settle with circumstances for outside reasons like funding or resources)
Describe a quasi-experimental design.
groups that are already formed are used to test an IV (not randomized), leaving the results to be not generalizable and cannot establish a cause and effect relationship.
*weak study
Describe the advantages and limitations of a case study.
advantage: looks specifically at one person, high attention to detail, can be very exploratorative and flexible
disadvantage: not generalizable results, change may be unique to situation, hard to replicate, researcher bias, lacks scientific methods
What is a CONSORT flow diagram in the context of psychotherapy research?
- What can you learn by looking at one?
type of diagram that is required in clinical psychology journals as a helpful way t see why the study failed/ succeed and where.
- can learn where participants decided to stop participating in the study
Explain the types of results that can come from a psychotherapy outcomes study.
o Satisfaction Surveys
o Box scores
o Meta-analyses and effect sizes
Satisfaction Surveys: Assess client happiness with therapy. Gauges their perception of its effectiveness and quality.
Box Scores: Summarize statistical data, like means and standard deviations, showing the central tendencies and variability in outcomes.
Meta-analyses and Effect Sizes: Combines results from multiple studies, quantifying therapy’s overall impact using standardized measures (e.g., Cohen’s d).
Explain the difference between an efficacy study and an effectiveness study. Why would you conduct one over the other?
efficacy trail: standard RCT with high internal validity
effectiveness trial: happens after efficacy to establish a real word application; high external validity; “messier”
Explain what it means, according to the APA Presidential Task Force, for an intervention to have
o Strong research support
o Modest research support
o Controversial support
Strong Research Support: Substantial, high-quality evidence consistently shows intervention effectiveness. Well-established and recommended for use.
Modest Research Support: Some evidence suggests effectiveness, but more research is needed for confirmation.
Controversial Support: Mixed or disputed evidence, approach with caution, and critical evaluation.
What is evidence based psychological practice? What factors does it incorporate?
using only treatments that have shown to be effective through research
- incorporates random assignment, credible control groups, manualized treatment, fixed number of sessions, and clear outcomes (DV)
Explain the purpose of a clinical practice guideline and be able to describe where we are as a field in terms of producing clinical practice guidelines.
clinical practice guideline: instructions for health professionals of how to treat specific illnesses
- helps standardize and use effective treatments based on research
- current efforts are being made in psychology (like towards PTSD and child obesity)
What is the concern re: internal vs external validity when considering studies examining psychological treatments? (You will need to be able to explain both internal and external validity)
internal validity: high when design is well controlled and lets the DV be attributed to manipulations in the IV.
- includes random assignment, clear definition of IV, treatment fidelity (keeps treatment consistent over time), and evidence-based measures
external validity: high when results are generalizable to other clients, problems and situations
What factors make conducting an RCT in the context of psychotherapy so much more challenging than conducting and RCT with a medication?
- privacy/ confidentiality
- lack of control of treatment across therapists
- lack of placebo– hard to establish cause and effect relationship
- therapy is individualized
- requires a lot of funding and time
what is the waitlist control? how it is beneficial?
1/2 study’s participants could get treatment first then next 1/2 could afterwards to allow for placebo without unethically limiting access to people
Describe a within groups design
one group with a measured baseline gets an intervention to compare from start to finish of treatment
Describe a mixed group design
randomized two groups with a measured baseline at start and at the end, to see if change between groups
Describe a between group design
randomly assigned participants to two or more groups that get compared against each other to establish a cause
