Ethics & Legal
114 articles found

“COME GATHER ‘ROUND PEOPLE. WHEREVER YOU ROAM”
A Fascinating and Most Timely Experience: The Association of Jewish Psychologists (AJP) has been, for several months, planning a Mission Trip to Israel, that would be focused on the treatment of trauma and the generation of resiliency. Lenore Walker, a co-founder of AJP along with Beth Rom-Rymer, was selected as a Voice of the People […]

Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
April 2, 2025

Legislative Protection of Identity Variables in Mental and Behavioral Health Research
We are writing to express our grave concern regarding Executive Order [EO]14168 (regarding Gender Ideology) and Executive Order [EO] 14151 (regarding Government DEI Programs). Executive Order 14168 mandates that federal agencies stop using gender identity-related terms in all official agency business, materials, and policies. Executive Order 14151 directs the termination of all mandates, programs, and […]

Wilson T. Trusty, Ph.D + 3 more
February 21, 2025

THE BREAKERS BREAKING. THE SEAGULLS SQUAWKING
During the Closing Hours of 2024 The last time the Republican Party (GOP) controlled the Senate, House, and Presidency was from January 20, 2017 to January 3, 2019, during which time Donald Trump was President of the United States having being inaugurated on January 20, 2017. With this historical context in mind, the 118th Congress struggled […]

Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
January 7, 2025

Psychotherapist Professional Wills: Easy to Avoid, Crucial to Address
Importance of Creating a Professional Will As therapists, we take time, intention, thoughtfulness, and care in developing our relationships with clients. Many of us see this bond as a vehicle for change. We may acknowledge our clients’ attachments, sometimes even dependency, on us at certain stages of treatment, and we strive to operate with integrity and […]

Robyn Miller, PhD
December 2, 2024

My “Best Practices” in Psychotherapy: Part I
As I write this, I am 75 ½ years old, doing psychotherapy part-time, and coming off the highest practice income month ever in the history of my 50-year career. I continue to find the work captivating and meaningful. As one of my graduate school professors, the renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, M.D., used to remind us, […]

Steven J. Hendlin, Ph.D.
October 14, 2024

My “Best Practices” in Psychotherapy: Part II
Techniques: Weaving and Blending Surface and Depth I have found it a powerful combination to utilize both pointing out and working with surface behaviors as they occur and alternatively, interpreting unconscious dynamics as appropriate. The surface—what is happening in the present as the patient presents themself—blended with making conscious what has been unconscious, may work […]

Steven J. Hendlin, Ph.D.
October 14, 2024

Suicide Prevention Using Artificial Intelligence: Collaborative Support Approach
The World Health Organization (WHO) asserts that suicide is a significant global health problem. In 2016, the suicide rate was estimated to be 10.6 per 100,000 individuals, with 80% of these cases occurring in low-income and middle-income countries (Fazel et al., 2020). Often, individuals at risk of suicide do not seek help from their clinicians […]

Caleb Onah, MS
October 14, 2024

The Psychotherapeutic Benefits of Informed Consent with Suicidal Patients
Informed consent has three dimensions: legal, ethical, and psychotherapeutic, and it is often considered a precursor to the intervention. However, there is no clear break between when the informed consent process ends and when psychotherapy begins because the informed consent process can also contain psychotherapeutic elements. By giving more attention to the psychotherapeutic aspects of […]

Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
September 15, 2024

A Brief Synopsis of The Third Part of the Suicide Prevention Triangle: Detailed Documentation
Effective patient suicide prevention is composed of three interrelated facets: assessment, intervention, and documentation. Examples of free assessments include the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS; available at http://cssrs.columbia.edu/) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SAFE-T Suicide Assessment Five-step Evaluation and Triage (available at https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma09-4432.pdf). Two examples of suicide intervention programs are […]

Stewart E. Cooper, Ph.D., ABPP
September 13, 2024

2024 Editor’s Column 59(3)
Happy Summer SAP! I hope warmer weather and long, sunny days have been on your calendar. Summer can mean a lightened workload, more time with loved ones, or a conclusion to the academic year. Given the American Psychological Association’s annual conference on the horizon, the importance of collegial relationships within the mental health community has […]

Zoe Ross-Nash, PsyD
July 8, 2024

Writing Psychotherapy Research With Generative Artificial Intelligence (This Article Was Mostly Written by a Human)
Wilson T.: Hey ChatGPT, write an introductory paragraph for a paper on using artificial intelligence to help write psychotherapy research articles. Write it in the style of the Society for Psychotherapy Research’s newsletter, “Psychotherapy Bulletin.” ChatGPT: In the dynamic realm of psychotherapy research, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool for assisting in […]

Wilson T. Trusty, Ph.D
May 14, 2024

Personal Psychotherapy as a Self-Care Strategy for Psychotherapists-in-Training
Numerous authors have highlighted the many challenges and stressors experienced by graduate students in clinical and counseling psychology throughout their training (e.g., Harder, 2024; Prakash et al., 2023; Sosoo & Wise, 2021) and that “given the multiple demands and expectations for students in professional psychology programs” some level of stress is an inevitable part of […]

Alana N. Levine, B.S. + 1 more
April 9, 2024
