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NPE prep sample · Study page · Communication · A sample of the National Psychology Exam preparation inside PsychLog. Every subscription and free trial has all of it.

Try these first

Try these before you read. A wrong guess still helps, because you then read for the answer. These are 2 of the page's 5 quick checks. All 5 are at the end of the page, with model answers to compare.

Communication

Choosing the communication method: telehealth, email, phone, letters

The strengths and limits of face-to-face contact, telehealth, phone, email, text and letters, the ethical and legal issues with each, and how the choice fits the client.

Quick check

Answer each one in your own words, then open the model answer to compare. Signed in, your answers are kept and marked, and the plan uses them.

  1. 1.A psychologist in a community health service offers a Vietnamese-speaking client a face-to-face interpreter, and the client asks for a telephone interpreter instead because local interpreters might know her family. What is the most appropriate response?

    Model answer

    The psychologist would arrange a telephone interpreter, rather than insisting on an in-person one. In-person interpreting is usually preferable, but some clients prefer the anonymity and privacy of a telephone interpreter.

  2. 2.A psychologist in private practice provides telehealth to an Aboriginal man in a remote community who is also a client of the local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. What is the most appropriate step?

    Model answer

    With his consent, the psychologist should link with the community-controlled organisation and its referral pathways and practise in a culturally safe way, rather than treating the telehealth sessions as a service standing alone.

  3. 3.A psychologist in a regional practice books an 80-year-old client who lives two hours away for in-person sessions only, assuming video would be too hard for her. What is the most appropriate change?

    Model answer

    The psychologist would ask her about her interest and ability with video and offer support to try it, rather than deciding for her. Older clients' capacity for technology should not be assumed.

  4. 4.A psychologist in private practice is contacted through the practice website by someone who says she is 15 and wants video sessions without her parents knowing. What is the most appropriate first step?

    Model answer

    The psychologist should take reasonable steps to confirm her age and maturity and whether she can consent for herself, rather than starting sessions on the website request alone.

  5. 5.A psychologist who is new to phone sessions notices that she has been relying on clients' facial expressions to judge how her comments land. What is the most appropriate adjustment?

    Model answer

    The psychologist can check understanding and reactions out loud, summarising and asking directly, rather than assuming silence means agreement. Telehealth may need communication that does not rely on non-verbal cues.