Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the most frequent crisis encountered by mental health professionals. This podcast reviews basic information about the assessment, management, and treatment of patients at risk to die from suicide. It fulfills Act 74 requirements for Pennsylvania licensed psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors. Program Learning Objectives: At the end of this program the participants will...

Nudge theory has gained popularity in behavioral science, mainly in the field of behavioral economics.  The theory broadly indicates that indirect suggestions or contextual changes can influence choices or compliance with healthy behaviors or decisions.  Nudge theory contrasts its approach with direct suggestions, instructions, and education.  In psychotherapy, we nudge patients frequently.  Sometimes we do it consciously, other times unconsciously.  Because of this potentially powerful...

Podcasts 21, 22, and 23 will provide supervisors and supervisees with an understanding of the skills and ethical issues surrounding supervision, including the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology’s Regulations dealing with postdoctoral supervision. The workshop will review the basic requirements for ethical supervision, common pitfalls, and give supervisors an understanding of the requirements that must be met for obtaining post-doctoral supervision.   In this episode, John's guest is Don...

Podcasts 21, 22, and 23 will provide supervisors and supervisees with an understanding of the skills and ethical issues surrounding supervision, including the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology’s Regulations dealing with postdoctoral supervision. The workshop will review the basic requirements for ethical supervision, common pitfalls, and give supervisors an understanding of the requirements that must be met for obtaining post-doctoral supervision.   In this episode, John's guest is...

Podcasts 21, 22, and 23 will provide supervisors and supervisees with an understanding of the skills and ethical issues surrounding supervision, including the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology’s Regulations dealing with postdoctoral supervision. The workshop will review the basic requirements for ethical supervision, common pitfalls, and give supervisors an understanding of the requirements that must be met for obtaining post-doctoral supervision.     In this episode, John's guest is...

In this continuing education program, John and Sam Knapp discuss the critical elements of the new Child Protective Service law.  Act 31 of 2014 requires all mandated reporters who hold licenses to receive at least two hours of approved continuing education in the signs of child abuse and the reporting requirements for child abuse in Pennsylvania. In Episode 20, Drs. Gavazzi and Knapp review sexual abuse as sex crimes, abuse of newborn children, who mandated reporters are, and why supervises...

In this continuing education program, John and Sam Knapp discuss the critical elements of the new Child Protective Service law.  Act 31 of 2014 requires all mandated reporters who hold licenses to receive at least two hours of approved continuing education in the signs of child abuse and the reporting requirements for child abuse in Pennsylvania.   Episode 19 is the first hour of that training.  In hour one, Drs. Gavazzi and Knapp discuss the definitions of a child and perpetrator as these...

If you have missed AM radio, then you will appreciate this episode.  John experiments with conference call software with his guests to discuss ethics and safety from a psychologist's point of view.  I apologize about the squeaks (Shannon's phone), scratches and other recording imperfections.   John's guests include Dr. Don McAleer, psychologist, gun owner, firearms instructor, firearm collector; Massad Ayoob, an international firearms and self-defense instructor, expert in lethal force...

Are you a psychologist working independently?  If so, do you have a professional will?  If not, you need to listen to this podcast.  John welcomes Drs. Mary O’Leary Wiley and Cathy Spayd to outline the important points in constructing a professional will.  A professional will is part of your ethical obligation to your patients should you die suddenly or become incapacitated.  The podcast will address the pragmatics of constructing a professional will and why it is important for all...

John welcomes Dr. Marlene Maheu back for Part 2 of Ethics and Telepsychology.  The podcast starts out with a vignette on practicing psychology over state lines using telepsychology.  John and Marlene review important aspects of informed consent, privacy and security laws, documentation, and interstate practice.  Marlene gives a variety of tips, including the need to utilize a risk management tool for telepsychology practice, additional components of informed consent, and the need to document...

Ethics and Telepsychology involves the rise of technology in the healthcare sector.  There are about 21 states that mandate insurance companies cover telehealth services.  John is joined by Dr. Marlene Maheu, trainer, author, researcher, and the Executive Director of the TeleMental Health Institute, Inc., where she has overseen the delivery of professional training in telemental health to more than 5000 professionals in 39 countries since 2010.  John and Marlene discuss the supporting...

In Episode 14, John welcomes Dr. Sam Knapp back to the podcast.  Sam was fresh off his Lifetime Achievement Award in Ethics Education from the American Psychological Association.  After John's first attempt at listener mail, the topic moves toward ethics education and ways to contemplate positive ethics.  Rather than looking at remedial ethics or the ethics floor, John and Sam give plenty of examples about striving for the ethical ceiling.  The focus on quality enhancement strategies grew out...

Lucky Episode 13 mirrors Episode 6 in that the content is similar.  In the first half of the program, John speaks with Dr. Donald McAleer, psychologist and ethics educator, and his pre-doctoral intern Reneh Karamians about ethics education in graduate programs and at internship sites.  We sprinkle in personal experience and the Acculturation Model focusing on how students and early career psychologists may think about ethical decision-making.  In the second half, the participants discuss...

Dr. Beth Rom-Rymer from Illinois speaks with John about  the recent RxP success in Illinois. Psychologists passed a law to permit appropriately trained psychologist to prescribe psychotropic agents.  Beth shares many words of wisdom, including reasons for psychologists obtaining prescriptive authority, keys to advocacy, and the details of the prescriptive authority law in Illinois.  While John laments that Pennsylvania may in the Precontemplative stage of change, Beth offers numerous...

In this episode, John talks with Pauline Wallin, PhD, expert in marketing, public education, and media as well as a cofounder of The Practice Institute, where she helps clinicians build their practices.  It is important for psychologists need to understand why marketing a psychological practice helps protect the public and raise awareness of how psychotherapy can improve people's lives.  Pauline makes the distinction between marketing and selling.  We also discuss four ethical ways to market...

In this episode, John talks with Dr. David Palmiter about the basics of social media.  They discuss why it is important for psychologists to understand social media as their patients are likely using various forms of social media.  Psychologists also need to know what social media is before they participate. They discuss their use of social media as part of professional development.  Psychologists need to know at least the basics about social media to practice psychotherapy...

In this episode, John interviews Lori Gephart, a psychologist from the Greater Pittsburgh area on her work as a collaborative coach.  Collaborative coaching is yet another area of practice for specially trained psychologists. Lori talks about her role as a collaborative coach in the divorce process. Skills related to collaborative coaching include helping clients identify shared interests and engage in interest-based resolution.  The collaborative coach also assists with improving...

In this episode, John talks with Dr. Sam Knapp, Psychologist and Ethics Educator, about false risk management strategies.  Using the acculturation model as a guide, Sam and John discuss how some psychologists have learned false risk management strategies.  They discuss the possible erroneous rationale for these strategies.  John and Sam provide good clinical and ethical reasons as how these strategies can actually hinder high quality of services.  They also discuss ethics education in general...

In this episode, John interviews Dr. Nina Strohminger about moral psychology and her research on the moral self and moral emotions.  While they discuss her research about the moral self and moral emotions, the discussion leads to clinical examples related to values in psychotherapy, moral injury and other conditions treated by psychologists.  John and Nina also exchange ideas on emotions in decision-making. At the end of this podcast, the listener will be able to: 1. Describe the moral...

Dr. Richard F. Small joins John to discuss ethical decision-making, ethics education, and vignette analysis.  Rick and John will use information from Episodes 4 and 5 to demonstrate the differences among ethical issues, clinical concerns, legal matters, and risk management.  They will utilize the SHAPE decision-making model in conjunction with the acculturation model to demonstrate ways to consider ethical and clinical decision-making.  There will be some discussion on risk management and...

In Episode 5, John continues to outline relevant factors related to ethical decision-making. The psychologist's fiduciary responsibility is emphasized.  Additionally, John outlines one ethical decision-making model as well as cognitive biases and emotional factors involved with ethical decision-making. John will make suggestions on how to improve ethical decision-making. At the end of this podcast, the listener will be able to: 1. Describe one ethical decision-making model, 2. Identify...

While John's introduction indicates the podcasts will be conversations, Episode 4 is a monologue. This episode provides didactic material about ethical decision-making, which does not lend itself to a conversation.  The importance of this podcast and Episode 5 is to set up vignette analysis in future podcasts.  Everyone needs to be on the same page in order to apply ethical decision-making in instructional or real life situations. At the end of this podcast, the listener will be able...

In this episode, John interviews Thomas Fink, PhD about the basic concepts of neurofeedback, its clinical utility, and case examples.  Dr. Fink developed software for a home unit to augment gains made in the office. The purpose of this podcast is to help psychologists become more familiar with this neurofeedback in the practice of psychotherapy.  Additionally, the podcast will address how neurofeedback offers novel conceptualizations of consciousness. At the end of the podcast, the listener...

In this episode, John speaks with Robert McGrath, Ph.D.  Bob is a psychologist and Director of the Masters in Science Program in Clinical Psychopharmacology at Fairleigh Dickinson in New Jersey.  He is a tireless advocate of RxP for psychologists.  John and Bob discuss the prescriptive authority movement as well as the benefits of a prescribing psychologists. Training issues, legislative advocacy, and the two states that granted psychologists prescriptive authority will be addressed. At the...