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PSYCHOLOGY LAW SOCIETY Contents... Expert Opinion AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGY LAW SOCIETY NEWS American Psychology-Law Society, Division 41, American Psychological Association Summer 2010 Vol. 30, No. 2 Expert Opinion Editors: Matthew Huss & Eric Elbogen The Fitness for Duty Assessment: An Evaluation Well-Suited for the Forensic Psychologist Scott A. Bresler, Ph.D. University of Cincinnati Forensic psychologists and/or psychiatrists are often asked to perform “fitness for duty” assessments by large private corporations, large federal agencies, universities, hospital and other healthcare agencies, as well as state licensure bureaus (e.g., medicine, nursing, and teachers). The goal of such evaluations is to ascertain to what extent an employee is, or is not, able to meet job expectations. The circumstances leading to referrals are varied. Fitness for duty assessments often are triggered by specific corporate policies that allow or even mandate the evaluation under certain circumstances. For instance, an employee may be accused of breaking a corporate policy concerning workplace violence or harassment, or he or she may evidence a decrement in work performance caused by psychological impairment and/or substance abuse. Another example would be if an employee works in a job involving safety of products and/or other co-workers and is not meeting job expectations due to cognitive or psychological problems. Because fitness for duty evaluations do not originate from the more typical referral source for forensic psychologists (i.e., courts), this article highlights some of the unique and additional practical, ethical, and legal considerations in fitness for duty evaluations. Before agreeing to conduct the evaluation, clinicians should know in detail what the circumstances of the referral are, and specific expectations of the consultation are of particular importance before formally starting the assessment. In particular, clinicians should be careful that when corporations are paying for these assessments (and they can be very time consuming and expensive), they are not being used by the company as a modus operandi to get rid of a “problem employee.” Further, the evaluator should insist on access to records and knowledgeable employees, and if security considerations are cited as reasons for limiting your access, it is advised that these concerns be spoken about in detail before initiating the assessment. There may be pending lawsuits already in play, suspicions of malfeasance, resentment and fear over whistle blowing, and questions ... of abrogation of union agreements. The point here is that very often these required Contents assessments are requested in a highly emotionally charged set of circumstances. Presidential Column .......................................... 2 Law and Human Behavior Update .................... 3 After agreeing to conduct the evaluation, there are several steps to take before meet- Legal Update ..................................................... 5 ing with the employee. First, the evaluator should familiarize him or herself with the Actual Innocence Research ..................................6 relevant corporate policies or specific requirements for licensure. It should be clearly Teaching Techniques .............................................8 understood what the present conditions are of his or her employment (i.e., on paid TTC Presents..........................................................10 leave, sick leave, unpaid leave, etc.). In doing fitness for duty assessments, the Corrections Committee..........................................12 requirements for the job (as formally defined) must be clearly understood as well as the EC Meeting Minutes ....................................... 13 actual day-to-day expectations of the evaluee. To do this, it is sometimes necessary to APA Div 41 Program ....................................... 17 query other employees including supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates. Research Briefs ............................................... 22 Division News and Information ...................... 32 Second, gathering data on the employee’s history on the job leading up to the referral Nominations, Awards, & Announcements ...... 35 is critical. Very often, a fitness for duty assessment is required because of a particular Calls for Conferences and Papers ................... 38 event that has occurred at a specific time or over a period of time in the past. Thus, one Funding Opportunities.........................................40 important element of the assessment is the recreation of the circumstances that led to Student Section ............................................... 43 the mandatory evaluation, often a retroactive analysis of events requiring a detailed inter- Conference/Workshop/Grant Planners ........... 44 Continued on p. 4 AP-LS News Presidential Column Editorial Staff An Editorial by Edward Mulvey, Div. 41 President Editor-In-Chief This is my last column as President of peers and the broader community. It Jennifer Groscup, J.D., Ph.D. APLS/Division 41. Holding this position boosts one’s ego. It is seductive. [email protected] has given me the opportunity to get to Past Editor-In-Chief know and work with a number of people Like many forms of seduction, the focus is Barry Rosenfeld, Ph.D. more closely. It has been a pleasure, both usually on the immediate excitement rather [email protected] personally and professionally. I have been than the realistic long range possibilities. truly impressed with the skill, dedication, In the short run, it makes us feel important Associate Editors, Research Briefs and goodwill that make this organization and attractive. We are able to present our- Maria Hartwig, Ph.D. successful. Thank you for the opportu- selves in a light where we are respected [email protected] nity to serve in this way. and recognized as having information and perspective that few others have. With this Associate Editor, Legal Update Jeremy Blumenthal, J.D., Ph.D. This position has also allowed me to free type of treatment, we all can easily fall into [email protected] associate about topics of interest on a saying things that go beyond what we ac- regular basis in this column. Today is no tually know confidently. We can make state- Associate Editors, Expert Opinion exception. I would like to briefly discuss ments that sound good in a particular fo- Matthew Huss, Ph.D, M.L.S. a role that many of us fill – that of an rum, but might make us cringe if we hear [email protected] expert researcher – and the difficulties of them repeated back without a set of care- Eric Elbogen, Ph.D. doing that well. ful caveats added to them. [email protected] I have recently had several experiences, So how do we keep perspective in these Website Editor in close succession, where I was called situations? One approach is to be very Kevin O’Neil [email protected] upon to give an overview of “what the cautious with language and to qualify what- research says” about a particular policy ever we say with reservations about the topic. One was a discussion of the board generalizability of findings or the strength for a national organization about the rela- of any seemingly causal relations in the tive merits of intervening with children in research findings. This approach is gen- the child welfare system versus the juve- erally unsatisfying for the expert and the The American Psychology-Law Society nile justice system. The other two were audience. Policy making bodies have usu- News is a publication devoted to dissemi- presentations to planning bodies in dif- ally called a person in to make clear state- nation of information, news, and com- ments about what they think makes the mentary about psychology, mental ferent states trying to initiate innovative health, and the law. The newsletter is practices in their juvenile justice systems. most sense to do, not to muddy up the published three times per year; February, Giving a presentation about what is situation with reservations about the prob- June, and October. Original contributions known from the research is certainly not lems with every possible action. In the are welcome, and will be published sub- an unusual task for many of us working world of research, we often get kudos for ject to editorial approval and space avail- at the intersection of policy, practice, and pointing out what else has to be consid- ability. A limited amount of space is also research on justice-related issues. For ered; in the world of policy, they actually available for advertising and unsolicited some reason, though, these recent expe- have to do something. manuscripts. riences made me realize two things: a) how seductive it is to be an expert and b) how One other option is to comment specifi- For information regarding editorial poli- difficult it is to do well. I don’t feel that I cally on the decisions confronting the cies contact the Editor, Jennifer Groscup, body who asked for advice and to recom- Department of Psychology, Scripps Col- have mastered this task, and I am not sure lege, 1030 Columbia Ave. #4099, that any of us will ever know if we have. mend a particular action. In a legislative Claremont, CA 91711 or hearing, this might mean advocating for a jennifer.groscup@scrippscollege. edu. There must be some of us who aren’t flat- bill crafted in a certain fashion or propos- Advertising inquiries should be directed tered to be called from the field to advise ing expenditures for specific legal pro- to Michele Galietta, Production Editor, about policy. There may
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