Foundations of Professional Psychology: The End of Theoretical Orientations and the Emergence of the Biopsychosocial Approach (Elsevier Insights)

Recent advances in the scientific understanding of the human mind and brain along with the emphases on evidence-based practice and competency-based education are creating increasing pressures to update some of the traditional approaches to structuring and organizing education and practice in the field. There have also been many calls in recent years for a unified approach to conceptualizing professional practice in psychology. This book examines whether there exists a unified conceptual framework for the field that is firmly based on current scientific understanding regarding human development and functioning, that applies across all the clinical populations and practice areas within the field, and that would also help integrate professional psychology more fully into health care and the sciences generally. Presents a unified science-based conceptual framework for professional psychology Provides an overview of the whole treatment process as informed by a biopsychosocial approach, from intake through outcomes assessment Avoids highly technical language so that students and practitioners from across the field can follow the discussion Foundations of Professional Psychology......Page 3 Copyright ......Page 4 Preface......Page 5 Foundations of Professional Psychology......Page 10 Copyright ......Page 11 Preface......Page 12 Introduction......Page 15 1 The Need for a Unified Conceptual Framework in Professional Psychology......Page 16 Traditional Approaches to Professional Psychology Education and Practice......Page 18 Two Critical Questions Facing the Profession......Page 20 Organization of This Volume......Page 21 Biopsychosocial Approach......Page 23 Evidence-based Practice......Page 24 Professional Psychology......Page 25 Therapist......Page 26 Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations of Professional Psychology......Page 27 Traditional Approaches to Defining Professional Psychology......Page 28 Defining Professional Psychology......Page 33 Discussion......Page 36 3 The Public We Serve: Their Mental Health Needs and Sociocultural and Medical Circumstances......Page 38 Behavioral Health Needs......Page 39 Medical Conditions......Page 43 Educational Attainment, Vocational and Financial Status......Page 45 Family Characteristics and Relationships......Page 46 History of Child Maltreatment......Page 47 Implications for Professional Psychology as a Health Care Profession......Page 48 The Complicated Theoretical Setting Within Professional Psychology......Page 50 The Evolution of Psychology and the Natural Sciences......Page 52 Kuhnian Scientific Revolutions......Page 53 Availability of Conceptual and Technological Tools......Page 55 Clarifying Conceptual Confusion in Psychology......Page 57 Is it Time to Leave Behind the Pre-paradigmatic Era of Psychology?......Page 59 Basic Requirements for a Paradigmatic Conceptual Framework for Psychology......Page 61 Complexity of Human Psychology......Page 62 Strength of Scientific Foundations of Professional Psychology......Page 63 Conclusions......Page 65 5 The Biopsychosocial Approach: General Systems, Nonlinear Dynamical Systems, and Complexity Theory......Page 68 Introduction to General Systems, Nonlinear Dynamical Systems, and Complexity Theory......Page 69 Statistical Interaction......Page 71 Newtonian Mechanics Versus Thermodynamics......Page 72 Definition of Nonlinear Dynamical Systems and Complexity Theory......Page 73 Nonlinear Dynamical Systems and Complexity Theory as Metatheory......Page 74 Historical Origins of Complexity Theory: Chaos Theory......Page 75 “Logistic Map” and Attractors......Page 76 Bifurcation......Page 77 Other Important Nonlinear Dynamical Systems Concepts......Page 78 Fractals......Page 79 Emergence......Page 82 How Effective Are Nonlinear Dynamical Systems and Complexity Theory in Psychology?......Page 83 Conclusions......Page 84 6 Ethical Foundations of Professional Psychology......Page 88 Confusing What Is for What Ought to Be......Page 90 The Universality of Ethics......Page 92 The Question of Moral Status......Page 93 Ethical Theory......Page 94 Consequentialist Approaches......Page 95 Liberal Individualism......Page 96 Communitarian Approaches......Page 97 An Integrative Approach......Page 98 Respect for Autonomy......Page 100 Informed Consent......Page 101 Nonmaleficence......Page 102 Beneficence......Page 104 Justice......Page 105 Moral Character......Page 106 Integrity......Page 107 Conclusions......Page 108 7 A Unified Conceptual Framework for Professional Psychology......Page 110 Underlying Assumptions of the Proposed Unified Framework......Page 111 A Unified Framework......Page 114 Implications of a Unified Biopsychosocial Framework for Professional Psychology......Page 117 Discussion......Page 121 Conceptualizing Psychological Treatment from a Biopsychosocial Perspective......Page 124 8 Assessment......Page 125 Overall Purposes of Psychological Assessment......Page 126 Areas Included in Psychological Assessment......Page 129 Sources of Assessment Information......Page 133 Thoroughness of the Assessment Information......Page 137 Assessing Severity of Patient Needs......Page 138 Prioritizing Needs......Page 143 Overall Complexity of Needs......Page 145 Integrating Assessment Information......Page 146 Conclusions......Page 148 9 Treatment Planning......Page 156 A Critical Preliminary Issue......Page 157 Starting at the Beginning: Deciding Whether to Intervene......Page 160 Addressing Severity and Complexity of Need......Page 162 Level of Care Decision Making......Page 163 Graduated, “Stepped” Models of Intervention......Page 164 Contextual Factors......Page 166 Range of Alternative Interventions......Page 167 10 Treatment......Page 176 Is Psychotherapy Effective?......Page 177 Are the Benefits of Psychotherapy Clinically Significant?......Page 178 How Does the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy Compare with Medications?......Page 179 Does Psychotherapy Work for All Patients?......Page 180 What Factors Account for the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy?......Page 181 How Important Are the Skills of the Individual Therapist in Explaining Therapy Effectiveness?......Page 183 Can the Number of Treatment Failures Be Reduced?......Page 184 A Biopsychosocial Perspective on Treatment......Page 185 Broadening of Case Conceptualization......Page 186 Broadening of Treatment Options......Page 187 Systematic Monitoring of Treatment Outcomes......Page 188 Conclusions......Page 189 Growing Importance of Outcomes Assessment......Page 192 Outcomes Assessment in Health Care Generally......Page 195 Condition-Specific Measures......Page 196 Selecting Outcome Measures......Page 197 Condition-Specific Measures......Page 198 Individualized Measures......Page 199 Sources of Outcome Data......Page 200 The Biopsychosocial Approach to Outcomes Assessment......Page 201 Cost Effectiveness......Page 204 Conclusions......Page 206 Additional Implications for Professional Psychology......Page 208 The Importance of a Public Health Perspective on Behavioral Health......Page 209 Basic Concepts......Page 212 Risk and Protective Factors......Page 213 Effectiveness of Preventive Interventions......Page 215 Conclusions......Page 216 13 Conclusions and Implications for Professional Psychology Education, Practice, and Research......Page 219 Conclusions Regarding the Two Critical Issues Needing Resolution in Professional Psychology......Page 220 Professional Psychology in the Midst of Remarkable Scientific Progress......Page 222 Implications for Education and Licensure......Page 224 Implications for Professional Practice......Page 227 Implications for Research and Science......Page 228 Conclusions......Page 229 References......Page 232 Recent advances in the scientific understanding of the human mind and brain along with the emphases on evidence-based practice and competency-based education are creating increasing pressures to update some of the traditional approaches to structuring and organizing education and practice in the field. There have also been many calls in recent years for a unified approach to conceptualizing professional practice in psychology. This book examines whether there exists a unified conceptual framework for the field that is firmly based on current scientific understanding regarding human development and functioning, that applies across all the clinical populations and practice areas within the field, and that would also help integrate professional psychology more fully into health care and the sciences generally. Presents a unified science-based conceptual framework for professional psychology. Provides an overview of the whole treatment process as informed by a biopsychosocial approach, from intake through outcomes assessment. Avoids highly technical language so that students and practitioners from across the field can follow the discussion.