Abstract
In an effort to provide clarity about the unique contributions of several professions within the context of multidisciplinary treatment, we reviewed the definitions, philosophical underpinnings, and national requirements pertaining to both scopes of practice (i.e., model licensing acts, legislation, and regulatory boards) and training (i.e., task lists, accreditation standards and course requirements, and exam blueprints) of 4 behavioral health professions. The professions we selected (behavior analysis, psychology, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy) are likely to provide treatment alongside one another and often to the same clients. In a review of documents pertaining to scopes of practice and training for each profession, we found overlapping content. However, the similarities between professions diminished when we reviewed more specific guidelines such as learning objectives, educational requirements (i.e., coursework), supervised clinical experience (e.g., internships), and national examinations. This was especially true when considering each profession’s underlying approach to treatment (i.e., philosophical underpinnings) and, hence, service activities. We discuss our findings in light of service overlap and make a call for greater collaboration between professions, as related to the separate content knowledge and expertise of professionals in each field and the impact on client outcomes.
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Notes
Although we discuss service delivery in the context of collaboration with other professionals with differing training backgrounds, it should be emphasized that we do not support, nor are we making appeals for, the implementation of eclectic intervention. Rather, information about the scopes of practice and training reviewed for each profession in this paper is offered as a means of achieving greater clarity, delineating limitations of competency and expertise, and promoting more effective collaboration to maximize treatment effectiveness. We posit that genuine multidisciplinary collaborative programming is not the same as eclectic intervention. When services are provided collaboratively, seamless programming and more effective outcomes may ensue while the likelihood of intervention strategies being implemented out of context, or in a contraindicated fashion, is simultaneously minimized.
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The authors would like to thank Dr. Linda LeBlanc for the generosity of her time, her excellent suggestions, and her expert guidance throughout the revisions process.
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LaFrance, D.L., Weiss, M.J., Kazemi, E. et al. Multidisciplinary Teaming: Enhancing Collaboration through Increased Understanding. Behav Analysis Practice 12, 709–726 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00331-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00331-y