Module 3

Question 1

What is the competence standard in psychology?

Answer 1

• Section B1 of the code of ethics: Psychologists only provide services within the bounderies of their competence.
  
  • Limits of educations, knowledge, laws, and any potentially compromising personal factors
• Ethics Guidelines: Many groups, therapy types and diagnoses carry their own competency requirements
  
  • ​Eg Aboriginal/TSI, suicidal patients, working with multiple clients, online therapy
• Tips for ensuring competent practice:
  
  • Be qualified (appropriate training)
  • Continuing professional development
  • Awareness of own capabilities, limitations, biases and vulnerabilities
  • Communicate your experience level to client and clarify your role

Question 2

What is the competency training model?

Answer 2

• Training model which develops student’s competency and enhances their employability: In Aus this is accomplished through the 6 Gradutate attributes
  
  • ​Knowledge and Understanding, Research Method, Critical Thinking, Values, Communication, Learning and application
• Competency architecture; building up the competence profile;
  
  • ​Comptenency built on characteristics -> traits -> abilities then knowledge skills and attitudes
  • Developed through academic training, practical training and professional practice.

Question 3

What are the differences between core and specific competencies?

Answer 3

• Core Competencies: Competencies shared across all specialisations.​
• Specific Competencies: Vary between psychs based on
  
  • ​Work Setting/activities (research vs practice, AoPEs)
  • Type of service provision (individual vs groups)
  • Range of clients (adult vs children)
  • Tools utilised (questionaires vs instruments)
  • Techniques used (CBT vs Family therapy)

Question 4

What is Snyder and Elliots (2005) Matrix model of Competency?

Answer 4

• Informed by positive psychology; core focus on strengths and weaknesses of people in their personality and environment.
• Core consists of 4 quadrants along 2 dimensions
  
  • Horizontal = Source (of factors, either individual or environmental) Vertical = Valence (focus type either positive or negative)
  • 4 factors; Strengths of person (1) Stengths of environment (2) Weaknesses person (3) environ (4)
• Proximal aspects; Onion rings of outward in terms of 4 conceptual levels from micro to macro systems
  
  • ​Levels; Individual, Interpersonal, Institutional, and Societal

Question 5

What is Rodolfa et al’s (2005) cube model of competency assessment?

Answer 5

• Model based on three orthogonal dimensions relevant to training:
  
  • 6 Foundational Competency Domains; eg reflective practive, relationships, Legal ethical standards
  • 6 Functional Competency Domains; eg intervention, consultation, research
  • Stages of Professional Development; eg doctoral education, residency, CPD
• Domains are not mutually exclusive
• Each professional stage can be visualised through prarameters of practice (clients, problem addressed, settings etc)

Question 6

What is an OSCE?

Answer 6

• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations; Proposed by Sheen, et al (2015) to assess competency
  
  • ​Student performance is observed by examiner at different stations and evaluated against a pre-constructed checklist.
  • Each station is a case study client
  • Pyramid of competence; Knows - Knows How (explains) - Shows how - Does
• Pros and Cons of OSCEs
  
  • reliable and valid measurement in medicine
  • Can place undue stress on student
  • Performance captured only in one point

Question 7

According to Bartram and Roe what are the first 3 areas of competencies in european psychology?

Answer 7

• Goal Specification; interacting with client to define goals of service
  
  • Needs Analysis; gathering information about client needs
  • Goal Setting; proposing, negotiating, setting attainable goals
• Assessment; establishing relevant characteristics though interviews, testing, surveys etc
  
  • ​Individual assessment;
  • Group Assessment;
  • Organisational assessment;
  • Situational assessment;
• Development; Developing services or products on basis of psychological theory
  
  • ​Service/product definition and requirement analysis
  • Service/product design
  • Service/product Testing
  • Service/product evaluation

Question 8

According to Bartram and Roe what are the 4th 5th and 6th areas of competency in european psychology?

Answer 8

• Intervention; Identifying, preparing and carrying out interventions
  
  1. Planning
  2. Direct person oriented
  3. Direct situation oriented
  4. Indirect
  5. Service/product
• Evaluation; establishing adequancy of interventions in terms of set goals
  
  1. Planning
  2. Measurement
  3. Analysis
• Communication
  
  1. Giving feedback
  2. Report writing

Question 9

What are the requirements of the 4+2 psychology internship?

Answer 9

• 35 hour week for 2 years (must be completed within 5 years)
• Minimum 17.5 hrs per week internship
  
  • At least 1 hr of this is one-on-one supervision
• 60 hours professional development
• 40% client contact
• Supervision logbook, 6-monthly reports, final report and case studies

Question 10

What is the national psychology exam?

Answer 10

• The National Psychology Exam needs to be completed when applying for general registration.
• Need to obtain 70% or more in each of the four areas of competency:
  
  • Ethics
  • Assessment
  • Intervention
  • Communication

Question 11

Why is business acumen an important competency in psychology?

Answer 11

• Many psychologists will go into private practice and require business skills such as
  
  • medicare,
  • government responsibilities,
  • record keeping,
  • disposal of records,
  • selling a business ethically,
  • keeping up to date with CPD
• In Aus, no business skills are taught in Psych. Although other allied health like pharmacy do.
• Europsyc model covers:
  
  • CPD, Marketing, professional strategy, account and practice management, quality assurance

Question 12

What is Lave and Wengers “Community of practice” model?

Answer 12

Question 13

What ethical issues for supervisee’s are outlined in the APS guidelines?

Answer 13

• Supervisors: Competence, delegation, conflict of interest, non-exploitation, privacy, professional responsibility
• Supervisee’s; Competence, confidentiality, ethical investigations,
  
  • Actively participate, engage and proactively persue development of competencies
  • Be sure to disclose probational status if working with a client
  • Comply with informed consent and confidentiality
  • If noting problems with supervisor’s conduct don’t ignore

Question 14

What features of Dyadic Peer models are outlined by Borders (2012) for peer consultation?

Answer 14

• Examined 3 models all based in the Remley Benshoff and Mowbray format (peers take turns being supervisor/supervisee)
  
  • ​Remley (1987) 10 sessions, Benshoff (1993) 7 Sessions, Benshoff/Paisley (1996) 9 sessions
• No study involved objective outcome measures, although participants reported high satisfaction for feelings of support, less satisfaction with levels of being challenged by supervisor
• All 3 models involved taking turns as supervisor and supervisee, reviewing tapes and case studies. Later two models also incoporated goal setting, reviews etc

Question 15

What features of Triadic/group peer consultation models are outlined by Borders (2012)?

Answer 15

• Triadic supervision; 1 supervisor working simultaneously with 2 supervisees (usually) Group consultation; Most prolific and varied in makeup
• Distinguishing factors
  
  • Vary among focus (personal issues, skill development, etc)
  • Distinguished by whether or not a leader is present, and how that leader is chosen, rotated etc
• Empirical Studies:
  
  • ​Students appreciated reflective and observing roles for building different skills, vicarious learning and multiple persepectives
  • Themes of initial apprehensions, trust and safety growing over time

Question 16

What recommendations does Border (2012) make when choosing peer consultation models?

Answer 16

1. Structure; Having a leader present in the group, particularly during early stages is recommended
2. Mechanism for staying on task; regularly attending to group processes, usually helped by clear structure and leader (above)
   
   1. Absence of adherence to the model leads to problems
3. Methods of direct observation; reliance on self-reports can result in systematic biases
   
   • Recording sessions/ case studies

Question 17

What are the CPD requirements for registered psychologists in Aus?

Answer 17

• Minimum 30hrs CPD per year. Must be taken in accordance with Boards CPD standard, with a plan and signed proof
  
  • 10hrs must involve peer consultation
  • 10hrs recommended to be “active” eg role-playing, assessment, presentations
• Examples;
  
  • Conferences
  • Producing, reviewing professional content
  • Research grants,
  • Reading/reviewing literature
  • Attending seminars

Question 18

What did Bradley (2012) find regarding the relative impact of different CPD activities?

Answer 18

• Feelings of professional competence were best predicted by
  
  • Professional reading (1), strongest predictor
  • Courses (2), years licensed (3) and attending conventions (4)
  • Continuing education related but only moderating feelings of competence
  • Not affected by participation in supervision groups
• Professional Value; related to age and participation in networking, not strongly related to any CE activities
• Professional Support; best affected by participation in case discussion groups and networking events
  
  • ​Also helps prevent burnout

Question 19

How does networking increase professional competency?

Answer 19

• Networking = proactive attempts to develop and maintain personal and professional relationships with others for mutual benefit in their work or career
  
  • Involves both formal (structured e.g. membership), and informal networks (based upon personal characteristics, common interests)
  • Provides access to resources, guidance, and opportunities for collaboration
• Four Contexts for Networking (Ashley)
  
  • Conferences and workshops; networking is expected and taken advantage of
  • Universities / professional organisations; find out about the interests of staff, join sub-groups and committees etc
  • Community and social events; cultivate contacts for mentoring, peer consultation, service-learning, business or research opportunities.
  • Online – through ‘listservs’, blogs, message boards, and social media sites. Remember you need to stay professional though

Question 20

What are Aversive Therapeutic Techniques?

Answer 20

• A group of behavioural therapy techniques that involve an unpleasant consequence when engaging in a targeted behaviour or exposing them to unpleasant stimuli.
  
  • Eg aversion therapy, flooding or exposure therapy, and systematic desensitisation.
  • Historically used in the treatment of homosexuality. Often used now in the treatment of addiction, PTSD, OCD, eating disorders, sexual deviation, and phobias.
  • Future area of application of VR technology
• Ethics of Aversive therapeutic procedures; APS “sole purpose is for the benefit of the client”
  
  • Must assess client needs, obtain informed consent, determine all possible alternatives have been tried or cannot be done, assess own competence
  • Need to be continually monitored and reviewed to ensure they are effective; keep records and supervision