Internship training in psychological assessment: has managed care had an impact?

Abstract

Training directors of 84 APA-approved internship programs in psychology responded to a survey on the current status and recent changes in internship training in psychological assessment. There appears to be a slight decline in emphasis on assessment in general, although it is still considered to be an important component of training. There was a surprising endorsement of traditional assessment instruments as important for clinical practice, in spite of a trend toward decreased emphasis on projective methods. The majority of programs have maintained the same degree of emphasis on objective measures, intelligence tests, behavioral methods, and the interview, while increasing emphasis on neuropsychological assessment. Less than half (43%) of the training directors reported that their programs have been significantly affected by managed care, suggesting that the majority of internship sites are somewhat insulated from present trends in marketplace pressures regarding reimbursement for psychological testing. The implications of potential future trends are discussed.