Journal of health service psychology最新文献

The 2020-2021 U.S. Supreme Court Term was expected by experts to be uninteresting, but it proved to be quite the opposite. There were surprising unanimous decisions, and some unexpectedly "highly charged issues." Several of the decisions will be important to mental health professionals (foster care and the conflict of gay and religious rights, juvenile life sentences, and "community caretaking"), and to health care providers more generally (the Affordable Care Act, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and COVID cases). Other decisions of general interest included immigration cases, election laws, and college athletics. Some of the most important cases arose in the "Shadow Dockets," an often-ignored series of orders by the Court. The article discusses the most important cases of the Term (including those in the Shadow Docket), analyzes the meaning of the Term, and looks to the cases to be decided next Term.

Most white people do not believe that race is an important feature of their lives, and this belief continues into the therapy room where race is rarely a topic of conversation, especially for all-white dyads. However, research shows that race and racism are highly salient for white people's mental health, and this gap in understanding has negative effects on the well-being of both white people and people of color. This paper argues to embrace the ethical and moral call to actively address race and racism in therapy between white therapists and white clients. This embrace can be particularly challenging for white therapists who believe themselves to be social justice-oriented people, but who nevertheless contribute to racism in both conscious and unconscious ways. A model is offered for how psychotherapists can bring up and work with the topics of race and racism during the course of therapy. The model includes ways for white therapists to engage in the long-term process of self-critique, ways to introduce the salience of race in the white client's life, and how to connect race and racism to the client's explicit goals for therapy. Finally, a case example is explored using a well-meaning, self-defined liberal white client.

Children notice race from an early age. They also observe and can understand injustices among people. However, research shows that not all caregivers discuss race, identity, and racism. Some avoid the topic altogether. There are significant repercussions when we do not provide space for these formative conversations. Silence allows stereotypes, biases, and racism to be reinforced. There is a role and a responsibility for mental health practitioners to undertake these sometimes difficult conversations and practices with patients and parents. Illustrative examples to use with children of different ages are presented as a means of supporting parents in their discussion of race and racism with their children.

LGBTQ+ individuals are at increased risk of suicide. Homelessness further increases the risk, as does family-of-origin rejection. A model that combines suicidal risk factors and minority stress theory is useful in clinical practice. An openness to "hearing" the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals is essential to treatment. An LGBTQ+ affirming therapeutic approach is recommended. It is also frequently helpful to rebuild family relationships and support for the LGBTQ+ individual, particularly with younger youth. Principles of practice are described and illustrated.

The implementation of telepsychology soared in response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For most health service psychologists, this surge preceded formal training in telepsychology. Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals reported significant vulnerabilities and health disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure the health and well-being of adult transgender and gender diverse individuals during the COVD-19 pandemic and beyond, it is critical to promote the delivery of gender-affirming telepsychology. This article highlights clinical issues observed by health service psychologists at a high-volume gender clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors provide anticipatory guidance and recommendations to promote gender-affirming telepsychology.

A third survey of the practice of licensed psychologists during the pandemic conducted in June 2021 revealed that the rapid adoption of telepsychological service provision has continued approximately 15 months after a national public health emergency was declared. Most respondents intend to make telepsychology a permanent component of their practice going forward. Other notable findings from our survey revealed that after an initial decline in caseload reported in the early days of the pandemic, the majority of psychologists surveyed now report an increase in caseload, often necessitating the establishment of a waitlist. Respondents reported that their patients/clients are more accepting of telepsychology than in our previous survey. That said, a significant minority of psychologists expressed concerns that this technology will negatively affect their future practice. Results also indicated that psychologists are encountering greater symptom acuity among their patients associated with the pandemic, including an increase in reports of suicidal thinking or behavior.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42843-021-00044-3.