Training and education in clinical psychology in the context of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Counseling Psychology Model Training Program

The counseling psychology Model Training Program (MTP) was written to reflect new developments in counseling psychology, the American Psychological Association, and the world. The updated MTP is aspirational, intended to guide the development and maintenance of counseling psychology programs. The MTP conforms to the American Psychological Association’s and the Society of Counseling Psychology’s standards and guidelines. A strategic task group appointed by 2015 Society president James W. Lichtenberg sought feedback from the field to assist in its formulation, and the executive boards of the Society and the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs approved the final version. The 2017 MTP consists of four core values (i.e., growth toward full potential, holistic and contextual, diversity and social justice, communitarian perspective) as well as 20 principles grouped into six clusters: counseling psychology identity; multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice; health service psychology; developmental, prevention, and strengths orientation; science–practice integration; and relationships within and between professional communities.

Are professional psychology training programs willing the future to economic illiterates?: a clarion call for pedagogical action

BACKGROUND

The behavioral health care environment in the United States is changing and many experts expect seismic shifts in access, accountability and reimbursement policies. Students in professional psychology training programs will be called upon to administer, manage, supervise and deliver clinically sound as well as cost effective services. While in general, traditional professional psychology training curricula prepare students well for clinical challenges, most students enter the profession naïve to the economic, financial and business enterprise crucibles in the behavioral health care marketplace.

AIMS

This article examines the problem of such naiveté and offers several recommendations for improving graduate students' economic literacy. Moreover, the article argues that increased business and economic acumen may serve to close the research-practice gap in professional psychology.

METHODS

The article reviews literature pertinent to training psychologists and highlights pedagogical gaps.

RESULTS

Several recommendations for curricular development are offered. Specifically, adding courses in health care economics and basic business principles is suggested. Integrating cost-effectiveness analyses across all course content is proposed. The article also emphasizes both didactic and experiential learning opportunities.

CONCLUSION

Course work should be augmented with training opportunities at the practicum, internship, and post-doctoral fellowship level.

An Evidence Roadmap for Implementation of Integrated Behavioral Health under the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created incentives and opportunities to redesign health care to better address mental and behavioral health needs. The integration of behavioral health and primary care is increasingly viewed as an answer to address such needs, and it is advisable that evidence-based models and interventions be implemented whenever possible with fidelity. At the same time, there are few evidence-based models, especially beyond depression and anxiety, and thus further research and evaluation is needed. Resources being allocated to adoption of models of integrated behavioral health care (IBHC) should include quality improvement, evaluation, and translational research efforts using mixed methodology to enhance the evidence base for IBHC in the context of health care reform. This paper covers six key aspects of the evidence for IBHC, consistent with mental and behavioral health elements of the ACA related to infrastructure, payments, and workforce. The evidence for major IBHC models is summarized, as well as evidence for targeted populations and conditions, education and training, information technology, implementation, and cost and sustainability.

Healthcare Reform and Preparing the Future Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Workforce

The healthcare environment is undergoing important changes for both patients and providers, in part due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Ultimately the healthcare delivery system will function very differently by the end of this decade. These changes will have important implications for the education, training, scientific inquiry, and practice of clinical child and adolescent psychologists. In this article we provide a brief description of the fundamental features of the ACA, with a specific focus on critical components of the act that have important, specific implications for clinical child and adolescents psychologists. We then provide recommendations to help position our field to thrive in the evolving healthcare environment to help facilitate further awareness and promote discussion of both challenges and opportunities that face our field in this evolving health care environment.