Creating the empirical clinician

A wide variety of methods have been used to encourage competent, scientifically based practice. Exhortation, training, and licensing have all proved themselves useless. It may be more helpful to focus on validating procedures rather than people, and in the context of the changing health care system, such a change may even be practical. The profession will have to face its values crisis and decide if it is more important to protect the financially successful practice of people called ''psychologists'' or to protect the consumers they supposedly serve.