Clinical psychologists across the years: The division of clinical psychology from 1960 to 2003

Abstract

For more than 40 years researchers have studied the members of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division of Clinical Psychology to obtain information about their demographic characteristics, educational experiences, theoretical orientations, employment settings, professional activities, publication histories, and career satisfactions. We summarize the results from the most recent study (N=694, 46% return rate) in the historical context of the previous findings, dating back to 1960. We provide both contemporary and historical portraits of American clinical psychology. Among the most notable trends are a steady increase in female psychologists, a decline in psychological assessment in general and projective testing in particular, the modal eclectic/integrative orientation being rivaled by the cognitive orientation, a pattern of high career satisfaction, and continued enthusiasm for the Boulder model.