Clinical Psychology Controversy: Why Clinical Psychologists Should or Should Not Prescribe
The goals of this project are to:
Debate current controversies in the field of clinical psychology
Gather “real world” examples of the concepts that we have discussed in class.
Find and review recent clinical psychology research
Expand your knowledge of clinical psychology concepts by extending your learning to topics that we have not addressed or not addressed thoroughly
Group Presentation vs. Individual Paper format:
Choose from the following current controversies in clinical psychology from Chapter 3 of the textbook:
Prescription Privileges - Why Clinical Psychologists Should or Should Not Prescribe
Evidence-Based Practice/Manualized Therapy
Overexpansion of Mental Disorders
Payment Methods: Third-Party Payment Versus Self-Payment
The Influence of Technology: Telepsychology and More
If you have an idea for a different controversy, please discuss it with me before proceeding with the project.
Components of the presentation:
A clear description of the controversy. Give some background about the topic you chose, and help your audience understand the specific issues that you will discuss. Why is this topic a controversy? What are some of the unique challenges or issues presented by the topic you chose?
A brief review of recent research related to the topic that you chose. You should review at least 2 peer-reviewed articles published in the last 5 years to provide information about the topic and/or support your group’s point of view on the controversy. You may also use other sources as needed, but at least 2 of them should be recent peer-reviewed articles.
A connection of the topic to information that we have covered in class. How does the topic relate to what we have covered? Does the information that you are presenting contradict or add to what you have learned in class in any way? Do you believe that the topic should be addressed more thoroughly in class? If so, what information would be important for future students in the course to learn?
A clear statement of your group’s point of view on the controversy based on what you have learned creating the presentation and what you have learned in class. It does not have to be an all-or-nothing belief (for example, you might say “we believe psychologists should have prescription privileges, but only in the following conditions…”), however it should be clear what you want to be the audience’s takeaway message from your presentation, rather than merely summarizing both sides.
APA formatted citations and reference list.
Please submit your final presentation by 12:05 pm (the start of class) on the day of your presentation (December 1st, 6th, or 8th). Group member feedback forms will be due 48 hours after submission of presentation.
Components of the final paper:
All of the same components as above except in the form of a written 6-8 page paper in APA format [double-spaced, 12 pt font, with in-text citations and reference list].
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Source
Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice, and Diversity (5th Edition) by Andrew M. Pomerantz,
SAGE Publications
ISBN 9781544333618
Clinical Psychology Controversy
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Institution
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A clear description of the controversy.
Since the year 2002, the American Psychological Association, in collaboration with several others state psychological associations attempted to make changes that would allow psychologists to prescribe psychiatric medications to their patients. Before these attempts, psychologists did not have the mandate to prescribe any medication to their patients since they did have the appropriate training that would allow them to prescribe medication. In March 2002, New Mexico was recognized as the first state to approve for psychologists to prescribe medication (Pomerantz, 2019). However, for psychologists to be authorized to prescribe, they were required by the law (HB 170) to acquire a two-year license to prescribe under physician supervision.
Background of the Controversy
Many people need help understanding the main difference and the relationship between psychiatry and other mental health professions, such as psychology. However, the main difference between medical doctors and psychologists is that psychiatrists have the authority to prescribe medications to their patients while on the other hand, while psychologists cannot prescribe. Therefore, the role of psychiatrists is to diagnose illnesses, manage them through prescriptions, and provide different therapies for managing complex and serious mental illnesses. On the other hand, psychologists only provide psychotherapy by talking to their patients to help them overcome their challenges.
The debate has gained considerable attention, especially in the past two decades, first in North America and, more recently, in the United Kingdom (Lavoie & Barone, 2006). The fact that psychiatrists have the authority to prescribe medication to their patients while psychologists cannot have created many controversies. On one side is a group that advocates that since psychiatrists and psychologists are in the same field and dealing with similar challenges, psychologists should also be authorized to prescribe medications. On the other side, those in opposition argue that very serious risks are likely to happen if psychologists are allowed to prescribe. The paper will discuss the controversy by analyzing why clinical psychologists should be authorized to prescribe medication and the reasons against the authorization of medication privileges. The paper will also discuss the recommendations that help address the challenges arising from the authorization of medication privileges.
Why is this topic controversial?
As mentioned above, the topic is controversial because some people argue that psychologists do not have the necessary training that is required for them to be approved to prescribe. Some people feel like authorizing psychologists to prescribe would increase the scope of the practice of the psychologists, which needed to be properly covered in their training (Pomerantz, 2019). On the other side, proponents argue that authorizing psychologists to prescribe would enhance mental health services by increasing public access to qualified professionals who will help them overcome their challenges.
Several issues arise from the privilege of medication controversy in clinical psychology. The ethical issue is one of the challenges likely to arise based on this topic. For instance, if the proponents who argue that clinical psychologists should be allowed to prescribe medicines manage to convince others about their argument, there is a need to look at the ethical consideration of the issue, such as being profit oriented. Some psychologists may be driven by other forces other than service provision that enhances the client's welfare.
A brief review of recent research related to the topic that you chose.
Different scholars have written articles regarding the controversy, with some arguing the need for granting clinical psychologists prescription privileges and the dangers of authorizing such rights. Currently, five states in the United States have permitted psychologists to prescribe medications to their patients. These states include Lowa, Illinois, Louisiana, and New Mexico. Idaho has recently authorized its psychologists to prescribe medication (Bethune & Lewane, 2017).
According to scholars, there are several benefits of authorizing clinical psychologists to prescribe medication. For one, authorizing clinical psychologists to prescribe medication helps to improve access to a wider range of mental health services (Pomerantz, 2019). This will be beneficial, especially to individuals who are poorly served in rural areas due to the scarcity of psychiatrists (Lavoie & Barone, 2006). Antonio Puente, the American Psychological Association (APA) president, argued there was an absolute need for Idaho to authorize their psychologists to prescribe medication. According to Puente, there are very few psychiatrists in Idaho, and those present can only come from Northern Idaho, which would take a long time before the patient can get the much-needed help (Bethune & Lewane, 2017). Puente noted that it would take close to three months for psychiatrists to arrive in Boise Area, per the Idaho Psychological Association reports.
Moreover, authorizing psychologists to prescribe can help reduce treatment costs through the RxP legislation. The argument is that patients would spend many resources seeking treatment from different healthcare providers for the same condition. For example, a patient would have to go to psychologists for therapy, and then after that, they would be referred to a psychiatrist for medication (Lavoie & Barone, 2006). The process was time-consuming and also required more resources. Therefore, authorizing psychologists will help consolidate the providers into a single provider for all mental health needs. The Department of Defense Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project (PDP) carried out tests for the success of authorizing psychologists. In the experiment, psychologists were allowed to prescribe medication to the military, which led to positive outcomes. Moreover, according to research conducted in Croatia on Croatian psychologists, the psychologists expressed that they were willing and ...