Truscott, Derek 1959–

PERSONAL:

Born November 4, 1959, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; son of Raymond and Una Truscott; married July 30, 1983; wife's name Alexandra; children: Stuart and Evan. Education: University of Alberta, B.A., 1983; University of Windsor, M.A., 1985, Ph.D., 1989.

ADDRESSES:

Office— Department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, 6-102 Education North, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G5, Canada. E-mail— derek.truscott@ualberta.ca.

CAREER:

Psychologist, academician, and writer. Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, psycholo-gist, 1987-89; Workers' Compensation Board of Alberta, Edmonton, psychologist, 1989-97; University of Alberta, Edmonton, associate professor, 1997—.

WRITINGS:

(With Kenneth H. Crook)Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Canada, University of Alberta Press (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 2004.

(With Kenneth H. Crook)Ethics and Law for Teachers, Thomson Nelson (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2007.

Contributor of chapters to books, including Handbook of Professional Ethics for Psychologists, edited by W.T. O'Donohue and K.E. Ferguson, Sage (New York, NY), 2003; and The Mental Health Desk Reference: A Sourcebook for Counselors and Therapists, edited by E.R. Welfel and E. Ingersonn, Wiley (New York, NY), 2001. Contributor to periodicals, including Canadian Journal of Counselling, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Science Education, Perceptual and Motor Skills, Personality and Individual Differences, Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Aggressive Behaviour, Psychological Reports, Journal of Psychiatry & Law, Alberta Journal of Educational Research, Traumatology, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, College of Alberta Psychologists Monitor, American Psychological Association Monitor, Alberta Psychologist, Canadian Psychological Association Psynopsis, and Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

SIDELIGHTS:

Derek Truscott is a psychologist and academician. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Truscott earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Alberta in 1983. He immediately pursued graduate studies, earning a master's degree in 1985 from the University of Windsor, followed by a doctorate in 1989. While conducting his doctoral work, Truscott worked at Alberta Hospital in Edmonton as a psychologist. After completing his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1989, Truscott remained in Edmonton and took a position as a psychologist with the Workers' Compensation Board of Alberta. He worked there until 1997, when he took up a post at the University of Alberta as an associate professor of psychology.

Truscott takes a reflective approach to teaching. As he reported on the University of Alberta Department of Educational Psychology Web site, "Teaching is a complex process that precludes a simplistic or reductionistic understanding. Based on my experience as a student and professor, and my reading of the educational literature, my current understanding is that students learn best when they are actively involved in learning from a credible source." To this extent Truscott aims to "a) have clear and desirable learning objectives, b) have a scholarly mastery of the subject matter, c) use teaching methods appropriate to the subject and students, d) present relevant content in an appealing manner, and e) engage in reflective critique."

Truscott has presented papers at numerous conferences on his experience and research. He has also contributed chapters to psychology books, including E.R. Welfel and E. Ingersonn's The Mental Health Desk Reference: A Sourcebook for Counselors and Therapists, published in 2001, and W.T. O'Donohue and K.E. Ferguson's Handbook of Professional Ethics for Psychologists, published in 2003. He also contributes to a number of professional and scholarly periodicals.

In 2004 Truscott published his first book,Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Canada, written with lawyer Kenneth H. Crook. Geared towards psychologists and advanced psychology students, the book discusses basic principles of ethics, legal standards, issues of confidentiality, professional boundary matters, and cross-cultural approaches to sharpening one's knowledge of the field of psychology and its practice. A contributor to the Midwest Book Review called Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Canada "a serious, informed, in-depth book." Pointing out its multinational practicality, the same reviewer concluded that it is "an absolute ‘must-read’ for psychologists in Canada." Crook also joined Truscott in writing his second book,Ethics and Law for Teachers, which was published in 2007.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Canadian Book Review Annual,2004, review of Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Canada, p. 402.

Midwest Book Review, November, 2004, review of Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Canada.

Reference & Research Book News, August, 2004, review of Ethics for the Practice of Psychology in Canada, p. 8.

ONLINE

University of Alberta Department of Educational Psychology Web site,http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/edpsychology/ (November 26, 2007), profile of Derek Truscott.