Self-assessment in clinical health psychology: a model for ethical expansion of practice.

Society expects autonomous professions to ensure the competency of it practitioners, and professions should facilitate the continuing education and training of its members. Given the shift from psychology as a mental health profession to that of a health profession, the authors propose a self-assessment model for the individual practitioner to gauge his or her readiness to provide professional service in expanded areas of practice. This model could also be useful to the American Psychological Association, state psychological associations, and other purveyors of continuing education programs in systematically developing postgraduate experiences. A template for self-assessment that reflects well-accepted core domains of knowledge and skills is presented.

Empowerment through giving symptoms voice.

This paper takes the perspective that physical and behavioral symptoms can be viewed as a form of mind-body communication. If the symptoms are listened to and "given voice," they can point the way to addressing imbalances influencing the development of the symptoms or to examining factors that can empower clients to heal. The author contends that women's traditional gender socialization may play a role in developing symptomatic bodily expression. It is proposed that hypnosis provides a suitable method for hearing and translating the mind-body communication. The application of hypnotic techniques is illustrated through two case examples.