Clinical Psychology Competencies - Assignment Example

Take Away Exam Questions Question Psychologists just like all other professionals are required to be competent in a number of areas in order to carry out their duties effectively. The first and most important competency required is the ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with patients and other psychologists. The second is the ability to assess, intervene and use advanced clinical skills in helping patients solve their problems. Third is the ability to do research, apply models of systematic inquiry that involves problem identification, acquisition organization and the interpretation of information relating to a psychological phenomenon. The fourth is education in order to enhance growth of knowledge and the management of activities that direct, organize or control activities that psychologists offer to the public. Fifth is ability to adhere to ethics of good practice and lastly the skills to develop appropriate attitudes towards the understanding of concepts such as individual differences, cultural diversity and professional development (Falender & Shafranske, 2008). Question 2 MASTERY stands for Mastering knowledge, Assessing skills and competence, Setting minimal competency standards, Training to competency, Evaluating understanding of relevant legal and ethical principles, Reviewing skill level and Yielding to continuing education (Falender & Shafranske, 2008). I will ensure that the trainees have the knowledge required of them to become competent psychologists by providing training opportunities for them in order to build their knowledge and skills. After the training I will use various methods to assess whether they have acquired the right knowledge and skills necessary for them to perform their duties. In order for them learn faster and acquire these skills it is important to set minimal standards for them so that they feel motivated to learn. In the supervision I will continue to offer more avenues for training so that they build on their competencies so that they feel competent about their duties. I will also ensure that they do understand ethical concerns in handling patients by exposing them to various legal and ethical problems. I will also evaluate them to see whether they have learnt anything if not I will give them a chance to build their knowledge through continued education. Question3 Intentional self-disclosure is the deliberate verbal or nob verbal disclosure of personal information. It refers to both verbal and other deliberate actions that may include placing a given family photo in the office. There are two types: self-revealing where therapists reveal information about themselves; self-involving that involves personal reactions to clients and to occurrences (Mahalik, A., & Simi, 2000). Unintentional disclosure on the other hand refers to the unavoidable revelation about oneself through manner of dress, hairstyle, make-up, jewelry etc. (Zur, 2007). In a situation where a client is suffering from alcoholism, the therapist might come up with a story intentionally disclosing how they also went through a similar issue in the age corresponding to that of the client and what they did and how they came to realize how alcohol can ruin an individual’s life and decided to change. The client may take this positively by wanting to be like the therapist and this will have played out the therapeutic function and is also relevant to the client’s problem. Question4 Countertransference refers to personal reactions of the psychotherapist which have an influence on treatment of the client. It can also be conceived as the therapists’ internal and overt reactions to clients that are rooted in the therapists’ unresolved intrapsychic conflicts (Myers & Hayes, 2006). The parallel process on the other hand is the result of the therapist unconciously identifying with an aspect of the client and enacting the client’s dynamics with the supervisor. The cause problems when a supervisor aims at meeting their own needs at the expense of the counsellor or the clients. These personal needs may range from feelings of attraction, sexual interest, to jealousy and rivalry. Problems or conflicts begin to be seen when there is ineffective supervision in the triad as a result of the personal needs. A good example can be when a male supervisor fails to confront a female counsellor’s unethical behaviour because he sees her as too fragile and needing protection. This will eventually affect his supervisory role in the long run. In order to address these problems it is important that supervisors recognize these problems when they do occur and guard themselves from them through self disclosure in a professional environment (Pearson, 2000). Question 5 Formative evaluation is designed to assist in providing feedback to the learner which is important in identifying areas for further study and in so doing improve future performance. Summative evaluation is done at the end of the course or a given project and it is intended for progression purposes by judging the learners overall performance (McAlpine, 2002). Formative evaluation is done during the course of the project while summative evaluation is done at the end of the course (McAlpine, 2002). In superving others I will use formative evaluation to assess the areas they are weak and which they will need extra training. I will use summative eveluation to assess their mastery in competence areas and their readiness to assume the next level in training or professional development. Question 6 Diversity competency is the incorporation of self awareness by the supervisors and supervisees and an interactive process of the client or family, supervisee-therapist and supervisor, using all of their diversity factors. It involves six dimensions: selfawareness by understanding one’s own multiple cultural identities; general knowledge of multicultural issues; multicultural-counselling self-efficacy; understanding of unique client variables and formation of an effective ounselling working alliance (Falender & Shafranske, 2008). In order to work effectively it is important to appreciate the fact that cultures vary and that clients and supervisees come from multiple cultures. It is therefore necessary to realize the ur own cultural biasness and avoid them when dealing with supervisees. My plan is to make sure that I know details about the culture of each and every person that I am responsible for. After getting to know their cultures and how they work I will look for ways in which I can foster good relationships. This can be through holding meetings with them and interacting with them on a less formal environment so that I can learn and offer them a chance to also learn about my culture. Question 7 There are many ethical issues that are faced by clinicians each and every day. It is the work of the suoervisor to ensure that these issues are well understood by the novice clinicians so that they understand how to manage the. In preparing them, I will ensure that they go through a practical session where I will expose them to a given ethical dilemma at the work place. The learners should be able to generate a variety of solutions for the dilemma drawing from knowledge in clinical practice. Then through interaction with them I will show them the best practices that have been used elsewhere to solve such ethical problems. Through participation they will come to understand various considerations that have to be made before finally settling on any given solution. They have to look at legal implications for the solutions and what is good for the patient. Question 8 I believe that each and every practitioner should have the following qualities in order to be termed as good and competent: empathy, a non-judgmental stance on issues, impartment of a sense of validation or affirmation, an attitude of acceptance, provision of encouragement to explore and experiment on different issues, integrity as in showing honesty in all one does, provision of autonomy and a sense of independence, warmth and an understanding nature of peoples problems and issues that affect them (Falender & Shafranske, 2008). Question 9 The first important thing is not to reprimand the student. It is important that a supervisor is able to identify causes of a given problem before proceeding to give the right remedy. It is important to have the student come to a convenient place for example in the office. Provide a conducive environment where the student can be able to talk about the problems that are making him/her submit their work late, with lots of grammatical mistakes and poor diagnosis. After a thorough insight into the issue and understanding the reason for the sudden change it would be appropriate to give appropriate advice and give them a little more time than the rest in completing the work. Follow up is necessary on a regular basis to ensure that the student is progressing on well and that the problem has been adequately addressed and he/she is back to their normal self. Question 10 Skills and competencies deteriorate with time and it is the important that I engage in continuous learning to improve on my skills and acquire new skills that I may not have acquired. Medical professionals are supposed to be up to-date with current issues in the field such as new developments and approaches in treatment. This can only be possible if one engages in continuous learning and interaction with other professionals in the field to build on already acquired skills. It is also important because it enables one to be competent and experienced in solving a wide range of problems that come up on a daily basis. Old methods my not be effective in handling contemporary problems and therefore education makes one learn new methods of addressing emerging problems (APA, 2011). References APA. (2011). Continuing education in psychology. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/education/ce/index.aspx Falender, C. A., & Shafranske, E. P. (2008). Casebook for Clinical supervision: a competency-based approach. Washington DC: APA Books. Jay, T. C. (2009). Handbook of Clinical Psychology Competencies. London: Springer publishers. Mahalik, J. R., A., v. O., & Simi, N. L. (2000). Ethical issues in using self-disclosure in feminist therapy. In M. M. Brabeck (Ed.), Practicing feminist ethics in psychologyal . Washington DC: American Psychological Association. McAlpine, M. (2002, February 1). Principles of Assessment. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from Robert clark centre for Technological Education: www.caacentre.ac.uk/dldocs/Bluepaper1.pdf Myers, D., & Hayes, J. A. (2006). Effects of Therapist General Self-disclosure and countertransference disclodure on ratings of the Therapist and session. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43(2):173-185. Pearson, Q. M. (2000). Opportunities and Challenges in the Supervisory Relationship: Implications for Counselor Supervision. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 22(4):283-94. Zur, O. (2007). Boundaries in Psychotherapy: Ethical and Clinical Explorations. Washington DC: APA Books. Read More