There Are No Spanish-Speaking Therapists Here

This chapter involves the issues in the creation of a bilingual and culturally competent psychological clinic in a university town in a southern state in the United States known as one of the most Latinx immigrant hostile states in the country. Prior to the creation of the clinic, there were virtually no options for Spanish speakers for culturally or linguistically competent psychological services, and the population of bilingual/bicultural graduate students in psychology and the college of education was very low. This chapter is written from the perspective of the faculty founder of the clinic and the women who have served as clinic coordinators and sacrificed much time and energy in addition to their significant program requirements so that the local Latinx immigration could have linguistically and culturally competent psychological services. Thus, this chapter will blend the available research literature with the experiences of creating and running a clinic that supports many Latinx immigrant students and their families.

Going Online!

The use of technology in healthcare became a prevailing necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sanitary services oriented in mental health broadened their way of interaction due to the increase in the need for these services. Healthcare professionals had to develop different learning skills and adapt their abilities to the virtual clinical practice through a digital interface, where communication represented the biggest challenge. The objective of the study was to identify the different adjustments, especially in the communication skills, made by those who provide psychological services by the Virtual Clinic in Psychology and others and clinical psychologists. The authors considered adequate qualitative methodology for the study with an exploratory, descriptive design. The data gathering tool was a semi-structured interview and the word analysis method. The participants are professors that provide psychological care in the Virtual Clinic in Psychology of a nonprofit institution of higher education in Mexico and professionals providing mental health attention.

The Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA): Development of a New Adapted Assessment Measure for Remote Telehealth Administration Through COVID-19 and Beyond

Interest in telehealth assessment for autism has increased due to COVID-19 and subsequent expansion of remote psychological services, though options that are easy for clinicians to adopt and available through the lifespan are limited. The Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism (BOSA) provides a social context with standardized materials and activities that can be coded by clinicians trained in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. The current project examined psychometric properties to determine optimal use for each BOSA version. Three hundred and seven participants with 453 BOSAs were included to determine best performing items for algorithms, validity, sensitivity, specificity, recommended cut-offs, and proposed ranges of concern. While preliminary, the BOSA provides a promising new option for telehealth-administered assessment for autism.

Providers and Families Weigh in on Delays to Pediatric Kidney Transplant Wait-List Activation

Introduction Timely access to kidney transplant is essential to reducing mortality of children with kidney disease. We examined factors affecting providers’ decisions to delay waitlisting, compared perceptions of important factors of providers to families, when delaying activation, and describe recommendations to improve support for pediatric patients and families to overcome waitlisting delays. Methods Using a mixed-methods design, 20 providers and 20 families of pediatric patients with kidney disease, participated in interviews and surveys. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Surveys were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results Avoiding retransplantation, treatment nonadherence, poor psychological readiness for transplant, poor physical health, and greater need for social support were the key themes affecting providers’ decisions to delay waitlisting. At least 70% of both providers and families felt that waitlisting should be delayed until patients and families had reliable access to transportation, mental health support, and caregivers who can better understand medical information. At least 70% of families surveyed felt it was important to delay waitlisting until they had regulated blood pressure and well-managed labs. Ethical concerns emerge that waitlisting practices may contribute to disparities in access to transplant. Conclusion Providers and families agree that stabilizing the family situation and improving adherence to treatment are important reasons to delay waitlisting. However, pediatric patients facing greater disparities need easier access to psychological services, strengthened social support, access to economic resources, and stronger relationships with coordinators. Addressing patient burdens is essential for reaching more equitable listing practices.

The Psychological Services Role in the Psychodiagnostics and Psychocorrection of Psychosomatic Patients in the Psychoemotional Situation

The article discusses the emotional state disorders that occur in patients with psychosomatic illnesses, their role in the severity of the disease and its negative consequences. It is noted that various somatic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal diseases are often manifested by emotional state disorders and conversely, in these diseases emotional sphere disorders prevent complete recovery from the disease. These cases require the organization of psychological care in the clinic of psychosomatic diseases and the implementation of all psychoprophylactic and corrective measures.

Determination of anxiety levels of Turkish University students and affecting factors in COVID-19 pandemic: sample of a private university

Introduction: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its consequences have created anxiety in various segments of society. In particular, the transition to online education brought by this process has made the education process of university students difficult. Therefore, in the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to examine the anxiety levels of university students and their relationship with somatic symptoms. Objective: To examine the level of generalised anxiety disorder and to reveal the relationship between somatic symptoms and the generalised anxiety disorder level of Turkish university students. Methods: Empirical research. Participants in the research constituted a total of 605 students studying at a private university in İstanbul. The Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) was used to collect data. Data were analysed using the chi-square test and Pearson correlation analysis. Results: It was found that, among the participants, 193 (31.90%) of the students had mild anxiety, 149 (24.63%) had moderate anxiety and 121 (20.00%) had severe anxiety. The study revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between the number of somatic symptoms and generalised anxiety disorder scores of university students. Conclusion: Most of the university students are affected by anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and this effect is correlated with the frequency of somatic symptoms. In this context, it would be beneficial for universities to plan for acute and long-term psychological services and to cooperate with the government to provide timely crisis-oriented psychological services.

Personal competence of law enforcement specialists: psychotechnologies of formation in educational institutions of higher education

The monograph highlights the current trends in the modernization of higher education. Based on the analysis of categorical units of the competence approach, the concept of "personal competence" is formulated and its structural components are described. The features of psychological support of personal competence of law enforcement officers are determined. The methodology is substantiated and the structural and functional characteristics of the Concept of psychological support for the professional training of future specialists in educational institutions of higher education are described. The results of the law enforcement sphere of an experimental study, the purpose of which is to test the developed Concept, are analyzed. The publication is intended for specialists of psychological services in the education system, teaching staff and for everyone studying in educational institutions of higher education.