Articles from the Winter 2024/Spring 2025 Issue of The National Psychologist
Curbing youth violence
By Leah Lancellotta, Erica Ackerman, M.S., Jenny Magram, M.A., and Tom Kennedy, Ph.D.
Although violent crime arrests of children and adolescents have steadily declined since peaking in 1994, there are certain regions experiencing increases in violent criminal behavior among youth, especially those areas known as neighborhood “hot spots.” Moreover, while youth arrests for robbery and aggravated assault have continued to decline since the mid-1990s, youth arrests for murder have increased since reaching a low point in 2012.
Pros and cons of PSYPACT
Compiled by the staff of
The National Psychologist
The Psychological Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) has proven to be of immense value, according to Jonathan Perle, Ph.D., While I have been offering telehealth services for many years, a substantial portion of these services was historically confined to patients within my state of licensure.
Psychologists
can have public health roles in disaster recovery
By Paula Hartman-Stein, Ph.D.
Disasters, both natural ones such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, or those that are human-generated, such as school shootings or chemical spills, have become commonplace in American society.
Stress-related behaviors and symptoms linked to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be triggered in those who must evacuate their homes, sustain property damage, or lose loved ones following disasters. The emotional impact can be profound even for people whose homes and property are not directly destroyed.
New HIPAA disclosure requirements
Compiled from various sources
Summary
When certain entities request health care records from HIPAA-covered entities, they must attest that they will not use patients’ reproductive health care information against them.
Effective Dates
The rule went into effect June 25, 2024,
compliance is required as of December 23, 2024. Changes to notices of privacy practices (NPPs)-required as of February 16, 2026.
Technology in Clinical Practice
What’s in it for me?
By Erika Torres, Ph.D.
The relationship between humans and technology is truly fascinating, often helpful, sometimes dissonant, and inherently complex. For psychologists and therapists, this complexity is even greater. As an extroverted and curious individual who thrives on thinking outside the box, integrating technology and change may be a bit easier for me. Being a Xennial, I grew up during the dawn of computers and the internet, which has profoundly shaped my relationship with technology.
Methods to access professional literature
By Kenneth P. Drude, Ph.D.
How can psychologists keep informed about the developments in their areas of interest and obtain copies of relevant publications other than personally paying for journal subscriptions and buying books? Since most psychologists are likely to be limited in budgeting for this purpose, it can be useful to consider numerous free or low-cost alternatives. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to access often free professional literature.
New ethics code
will be trouble
for psychologists
By Bruce Borkosky, Psy.D.
Before 2003, psychologists were advised to make “reasonable efforts to maintain the integrity and security” by withholding “tests and other assessment techniques” from non-psychologists (American Psychological Association, 1992). In 1996, the enactment of HIPAA significantly changed the law by mandating patient access to their medical records.
The ethics code, revised in part to comply with HIPAA, distinguished test data from test materials and required disclosure of test data (American Psychological Association, 2017; Dept of Health and Human Services, 2002; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), 1996).
From Overwhelmed to Optimized:
The unregulated coaching industry
By Ofer Zur, Ph.D.
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Coaching is neither a restricted nor regulated practice, and there is no single agreed-upon definition for coaching. For over 30 years, it has been clear that there are significant similarities between coaching and psychotherapy/counseling, as they overlap in the services they provide for issues, such as relationships, anxiety, depression, vocation, addiction, etc.
In recent years, several state licensing boards have accused coaches of practicing psychotherapy/counseling without a license. Their understandable argument was along the line of “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck, i.e., a coach practicing psychotherapy… without a license.”
Rethinking Assessment Psychology in the Age of AI
By Chris Barnes, Psy.D.
Anyone who's ever written an assessment report knows the drill: It’s 7:30 Sunday night, and you’re staring at the list of unfinished assessment documents, praying you can get a good enough draft together to close out the patient file.
We all know we spend more time documenting patient care, adjusting margins, changing line spacing, and using "find and replace" than actually providing it.
Here are a few free articles from the Winter 2024/Spring 2025 issue of The National Psychologist. If you would like to read the entire issue, simply click here to subscribe. Our ability to provide these free articles is made possible by our subscribers. Thank you for your support!
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