NE Psych Juris cheat sheet

DSM-5-TR removed the bereavement exclusion for major depressive disorder; normal grief must instead be distinguished by duration, severity, and functional impairment under the prolonged grief specifier framework.

Therapeutic alliance accounts for a modest but consistent share of outcome variance across orientations; alliance-outcome correlation estimates generally fall near r = .28, so alliance is necessary but not sufficient.

Informed consent for psychotherapy includes nature of treatment, known risks and benefits, alternatives, right to withdraw, fees, confidentiality limits, and how records will be handled.

Duty-to-warn/protect analysis: identify a specific identifiable victim or class, assess imminence and means, consult, then act under state law (in Nebraska, the Mental Health Crisis Line or designated emergency services).

Suicide risk formulation is ongoing rather than a one-time score; document ideation, intent, plan, means access, protective factors, prior attempts, and rationale for level of care.

Psychoeducation on antidepressant medication: therapeutic benefit typically emerges over 2-6 weeks, while side effects may appear earlier; abrupt discontinuation risks discontinuation syndrome.

Termination is appropriate when the client is not benefiting, is not paying, or when the clinician's competence or values impair service; it requires pretermination counseling and referral options except in abrupt client withdrawal.

Neuropsychological screening differs from full assessment: screening detects probable impairment, while assessment characterizes cognitive domains, base rates, and functional implications.

Criterion-related validity of a selection test is judged by the validity coefficient between predictor and job performance criterion; a coefficient of r = .35 is generally considered useful for selection.

Adverse impact under the Uniform Guidelines four-fifths rule: selection rate for a protected group divided by the rate for the highest group below 0.80 indicates potential adverse impact.

Utility of a selection system rises with validity, selection ratio, and base rate; the Brogden-Cronbach-Gleser model expresses utility in dollars via SDy, number hired, and the standard normal ordinate.

Structure of a standard selection validation study: job analysis, criterion selection, predictor administration, validity analysis, and documentation of validity generalization evidence.

Performance appraisal formats: behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) anchor ratings to observable behaviors, while forced distribution ranks employees into fixed percentage categories.

Job analysis methods include functional job analysis, position analysis questionnaire, critical incident technique, and task inventories; each yields different data (worker attributes vs. tasks vs. critical behaviors).

Training evaluation follows Kirkpatrick's four levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results; transfer of training depends on supervisor support and opportunity to perform.

Test fairness concepts: differential validity (different validity coefficients across groups) and measurement bias (differential prediction) are distinct from adverse impact, which concerns selection rates.

IDEA requires a full and individual initial evaluation before special education services; the evaluation must use multiple measures and cannot rest on a single test.

Response to Intervention (RTI) tiers: Tier 1 universal core instruction, Tier 2 targeted small-group intervention, Tier 3 intensive individualized intervention, with progress monitoring data used to decide movement.

Specific learning disability identification under IDEA may use a discrepancy model or RTI-based model; the state's criteria determine which is permitted, so verify Nebraska's regulations.

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) identifies antecedents, behaviors, and consequences; the resulting behavior intervention plan (BIP) must be based on the FBA data.

IEP team membership includes parents, at least one regular education teacher (if the child participates in regular education), a special education teacher, a representative of the LEA, and someone able to interpret evaluation results.

Manifestation determination review is required when discipline exceeds 10 school days; the team asks whether the behavior was caused by or directly related to the disability or a failure to implement the IEP.

Section 504 protects students with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity; it provides accommodations, not necessarily specialized instruction.

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) uses brief timed probes in reading, math, or writing; slope of improvement across weeks is the primary decision metric, not a single score.

Multiple relationships are not automatically unethical; they become problematic when they could impair objectivity or risk exploitation or harm.

Informed consent must be obtained in language the client understands, documented, and revisited when the treatment plan, fees, or risks change materially.

Confidentiality limits typically include suspected child or vulnerable adult abuse, imminent danger to self or others, court order, and client waiver; specific mandates follow state law.

Record keeping: retain records for the period required by state law and the client's age, and ensure records are stored securely with access limited to authorized personnel.

Competence requires practicing within the boundaries of training and experience; when a new area is needed, obtain supervision, consultation, or additional training before providing service.

Fees and bartering: bartering is discouraged and permissible only if not exploitative and culturally appropriate; fee arrangements should be established in writing at the outset.

When ethical obligations and legal requirements conflict, the psychologist attempts to resolve the conflict in keeping with the ethics code and documents the reasoning and any consultation.

Gifts, self-disclosure, and physical touch should be evaluated for clinical purpose and power differential; small gifts of nominal value are generally acceptable when refusal would harm the relationship.

Nebraska psychology licensure is administered by the Board of Psychologists under the Department of Health and Human Services; verify current statutory citations before relying on them.

Licensure typically requires a doctoral degree in psychology from a regionally accredited institution, supervised postdoctoral experience, and passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).

Nebraska law defines and restricts the titles "psychologist" and "psychological assistant"; unlicensed persons may not use these titles or represent themselves as psychologists.

Mandatory reporting: Nebraska law requires reporting suspected child abuse or neglect to the Department of Health and Human Services or law enforcement; the specific statute number should be verified.

Confidentiality exceptions in Nebraska include the duty to protect when a client presents a serious danger to an identifiable person; the statute and its scope should be verified.

Continuing education requirements for license renewal, including the number of hours and any mandated topic hours, are set by board rule and should be confirmed with the board.

Jurisprudence and ethics examinations may be required in addition to the EPPP; the board sets the sequence and passing standards.

Advertising and public statements by Nebraska licensees must be accurate and not misleading; unsubstantiated claims of specialty or superiority are prohibited.

HIPAA Privacy Rule permits disclosure of protected health information for treatment, payment, and operations without authorization; other disclosures generally require written authorization.

HIPAA Security Rule applies to electronic PHI and requires administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, plus breach notification within 60 days of discovery.

FERPA governs education records and gives parents rights until the student turns 18 or enters postsecondary education; consent is generally required before disclosure.

IDEA entitles eligible children to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment, with procedural safeguards and prior written notice.

Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; the EEOC enforces it, and retaliation claims are separately actionable.

The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability and requires reasonable accommodation; the ADAAA broadened the definition of disability.

The Civil Rights Act and related statutes also govern testing and selection in employment; the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures apply to adverse impact analysis.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act applies to programs receiving federal funds and requires equal access and reasonable accommodations.

Sexual intimacies with current clients are prohibited regardless of consent; this is an absolute prohibition in professional ethics codes.

Sexual intimacies with former clients are prohibited for at least two years after termination and remain unethical thereafter absent extraordinary circumstances; verify the applicable code.

Sexual relationships with students, supervisees, and trainees over whom the psychologist has authority are prohibited because of the power differential.

Non-sexual multiple relationships should be avoided when they could impair objectivity; when unavoidable, document consultation and the safeguards used.

Personal and business relationships with clients, including lending money or entering joint ventures, are generally prohibited when they risk exploitation.

When a client makes a sexual advance, the psychologist should address it clinically, set clear boundaries, document the interaction, and consider consultation or referral.

Supervision relationships require clear role definition, informed consent to supervision, and evaluation criteria provided at the outset.

Reporting obligations: a psychologist who becomes aware of a colleague's sexual misconduct may have an ethical duty to attempt informal resolution and, where required, report to the board.

Advertising must be truthful, not misleading, and free of unsubstantiated claims of unique skill, superiority, or guaranteed outcomes.

Testimonials from current or former clients raise confidentiality concerns; obtain written authorization and avoid implying guaranteed results.

Use of titles and credentials must be accurate; a psychologist may not imply licensure in a jurisdiction where they are not licensed.

Solicitation of clients is generally restricted; direct solicitation of vulnerable persons or those already in treatment with another provider is prohibited.

Advertising through social media and websites is subject to the same accuracy and confidentiality standards as print advertising.

Fee statements and insurance claims must be accurate; billing for services not rendered or misrepresenting services is fraud.

Public education and media appearances should be distinguished from advertising; psychologists should avoid offering individual advice through media without appropriate context.

Referral fees and fee splitting are generally prohibited except for services actually rendered; verify the applicable code provision.

Informed consent for research must disclose purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, alternatives, confidentiality, and the right to withdraw without penalty.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) review is required for research involving human subjects; exempt and expedited categories exist but must be determined by the IRB.

Deception in research is permitted only when justified by scientific value, no alternative exists, and participants are debriefed as soon as possible.

Statistical power depends on effect size, sample size, and alpha; underpowered studies risk Type II error and inflated effect estimates.

Internal validity threats include history, maturation, testing, instrumentation, regression to the mean, selection, and attrition.

Random assignment supports causal inference; random selection supports generalizability. The two are distinct.

Publication ethics: authorship requires substantial contribution; duplicate publication and plagiarism are prohibited, and data must be retained and available for verification.

Confidentiality of research data: identifiers should be removed or secured, and data sharing should occur only under appropriate protections.

DSM-5-TR removed the bereavement exclusion for major depressive disorder; normal grief must instead be distinguished by duration, severity, and functional impairment under the prolonged grief specifier framework.

Therapeutic alliance accounts for a modest but consistent share of outcome variance across orientations; alliance-outcome correlation estimates generally fall near r = .28, so alliance is necessary but not sufficient.

Informed consent for psychotherapy includes nature of treatment, known risks and benefits, alternatives, right to withdraw, fees, confidentiality limits, and how records will be handled.

Duty-to-warn/protect analysis: identify a specific identifiable victim or class, assess imminence and means, consult, then act under state law (in Nebraska, the Mental Health Crisis Line or designated emergency services).

Suicide risk formulation is ongoing rather than a one-time score; document ideation, intent, plan, means access, protective factors, prior attempts, and rationale for level of care.

Psychoeducation on antidepressant medication: therapeutic benefit typically emerges over 2-6 weeks, while side effects may appear earlier; abrupt discontinuation risks discontinuation syndrome.

Termination is appropriate when the client is not benefiting, is not paying, or when the clinician's competence or values impair service; it requires pretermination counseling and referral options except in abrupt client withdrawal.

Neuropsychological screening differs from full assessment: screening detects probable impairment, while assessment characterizes cognitive domains, base rates, and functional implications.

Criterion-related validity of a selection test is judged by the validity coefficient between predictor and job performance criterion; a coefficient of r = .35 is generally considered useful for selection.

Adverse impact under the Uniform Guidelines four-fifths rule: selection rate for a protected group divided by the rate for the highest group below 0.80 indicates potential adverse impact.

Utility of a selection system rises with validity, selection ratio, and base rate; the Brogden-Cronbach-Gleser model expresses utility in dollars via SDy, number hired, and the standard normal ordinate.

Structure of a standard selection validation study: job analysis, criterion selection, predictor administration, validity analysis, and documentation of validity generalization evidence.

Performance appraisal formats: behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) anchor ratings to observable behaviors, while forced distribution ranks employees into fixed percentage categories.

Job analysis methods include functional job analysis, position analysis questionnaire, critical incident technique, and task inventories; each yields different data (worker attributes vs. tasks vs. critical behaviors).

Training evaluation follows Kirkpatrick's four levels: reaction, learning, behavior, and results; transfer of training depends on supervisor support and opportunity to perform.

Test fairness concepts: differential validity (different validity coefficients across groups) and measurement bias (differential prediction) are distinct from adverse impact, which concerns selection rates.

IDEA requires a full and individual initial evaluation before special education services; the evaluation must use multiple measures and cannot rest on a single test.

Response to Intervention (RTI) tiers: Tier 1 universal core instruction, Tier 2 targeted small-group intervention, Tier 3 intensive individualized intervention, with progress monitoring data used to decide movement.

Specific learning disability identification under IDEA may use a discrepancy model or RTI-based model; the state's criteria determine which is permitted, so verify Nebraska's regulations.

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) identifies antecedents, behaviors, and consequences; the resulting behavior intervention plan (BIP) must be based on the FBA data.

IEP team membership includes parents, at least one regular education teacher (if the child participates in regular education), a special education teacher, a representative of the LEA, and someone able to interpret evaluation results.

Manifestation determination review is required when discipline exceeds 10 school days; the team asks whether the behavior was caused by or directly related to the disability or a failure to implement the IEP.

Section 504 protects students with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity; it provides accommodations, not necessarily specialized instruction.

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) uses brief timed probes in reading, math, or writing; slope of improvement across weeks is the primary decision metric, not a single score.

Multiple relationships are not automatically unethical; they become problematic when they could impair objectivity or risk exploitation or harm.

Informed consent must be obtained in language the client understands, documented, and revisited when the treatment plan, fees, or risks change materially.

Confidentiality limits typically include suspected child or vulnerable adult abuse, imminent danger to self or others, court order, and client waiver; specific mandates follow state law.

Record keeping: retain records for the period required by state law and the client's age, and ensure records are stored securely with access limited to authorized personnel.

Competence requires practicing within the boundaries of training and experience; when a new area is needed, obtain supervision, consultation, or additional training before providing service.

Fees and bartering: bartering is discouraged and permissible only if not exploitative and culturally appropriate; fee arrangements should be established in writing at the outset.

When ethical obligations and legal requirements conflict, the psychologist attempts to resolve the conflict in keeping with the ethics code and documents the reasoning and any consultation.

Gifts, self-disclosure, and physical touch should be evaluated for clinical purpose and power differential; small gifts of nominal value are generally acceptable when refusal would harm the relationship.

Nebraska psychology licensure is administered by the Board of Psychologists under the Department of Health and Human Services; verify current statutory citations before relying on them.

Licensure typically requires a doctoral degree in psychology from a regionally accredited institution, supervised postdoctoral experience, and passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP).

Nebraska law defines and restricts the titles "psychologist" and "psychological assistant"; unlicensed persons may not use these titles or represent themselves as psychologists.

Mandatory reporting: Nebraska law requires reporting suspected child abuse or neglect to the Department of Health and Human Services or law enforcement; the specific statute number should be verified.

Confidentiality exceptions in Nebraska include the duty to protect when a client presents a serious danger to an identifiable person; the statute and its scope should be verified.

Continuing education requirements for license renewal, including the number of hours and any mandated topic hours, are set by board rule and should be confirmed with the board.

Jurisprudence and ethics examinations may be required in addition to the EPPP; the board sets the sequence and passing standards.

Advertising and public statements by Nebraska licensees must be accurate and not misleading; unsubstantiated claims of specialty or superiority are prohibited.

HIPAA Privacy Rule permits disclosure of protected health information for treatment, payment, and operations without authorization; other disclosures generally require written authorization.

HIPAA Security Rule applies to electronic PHI and requires administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, plus breach notification within 60 days of discovery.

FERPA governs education records and gives parents rights until the student turns 18 or enters postsecondary education; consent is generally required before disclosure.

IDEA entitles eligible children to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment, with procedural safeguards and prior written notice.

Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; the EEOC enforces it, and retaliation claims are separately actionable.

The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability and requires reasonable accommodation; the ADAAA broadened the definition of disability.

The Civil Rights Act and related statutes also govern testing and selection in employment; the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures apply to adverse impact analysis.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act applies to programs receiving federal funds and requires equal access and reasonable accommodations.

Sexual intimacies with current clients are prohibited regardless of consent; this is an absolute prohibition in professional ethics codes.

Sexual intimacies with former clients are prohibited for at least two years after termination and remain unethical thereafter absent extraordinary circumstances; verify the applicable code.

Sexual relationships with students, supervisees, and trainees over whom the psychologist has authority are prohibited because of the power differential.

Non-sexual multiple relationships should be avoided when they could impair objectivity; when unavoidable, document consultation and the safeguards used.

Personal and business relationships with clients, including lending money or entering joint ventures, are generally prohibited when they risk exploitation.

When a client makes a sexual advance, the psychologist should address it clinically, set clear boundaries, document the interaction, and consider consultation or referral.

Supervision relationships require clear role definition, informed consent to supervision, and evaluation criteria provided at the outset.

Reporting obligations: a psychologist who becomes aware of a colleague's sexual misconduct may have an ethical duty to attempt informal resolution and, where required, report to the board.

Advertising must be truthful, not misleading, and free of unsubstantiated claims of unique skill, superiority, or guaranteed outcomes.

Testimonials from current or former clients raise confidentiality concerns; obtain written authorization and avoid implying guaranteed results.

Use of titles and credentials must be accurate; a psychologist may not imply licensure in a jurisdiction where they are not licensed.

Solicitation of clients is generally restricted; direct solicitation of vulnerable persons or those already in treatment with another provider is prohibited.

Advertising through social media and websites is subject to the same accuracy and confidentiality standards as print advertising.

Fee statements and insurance claims must be accurate; billing for services not rendered or misrepresenting services is fraud.

Public education and media appearances should be distinguished from advertising; psychologists should avoid offering individual advice through media without appropriate context.

Referral fees and fee splitting are generally prohibited except for services actually rendered; verify the applicable code provision.

Informed consent for research must disclose purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, alternatives, confidentiality, and the right to withdraw without penalty.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) review is required for research involving human subjects; exempt and expedited categories exist but must be determined by the IRB.

Deception in research is permitted only when justified by scientific value, no alternative exists, and participants are debriefed as soon as possible.

Statistical power depends on effect size, sample size, and alpha; underpowered studies risk Type II error and inflated effect estimates.

Internal validity threats include history, maturation, testing, instrumentation, regression to the mean, selection, and attrition.

Random assignment supports causal inference; random selection supports generalizability. The two are distinct.

Publication ethics: authorship requires substantial contribution; duplicate publication and plagiarism are prohibited, and data must be retained and available for verification.

Confidentiality of research data: identifiers should be removed or secured, and data sharing should occur only under appropriate protections.