Preparing Child Psychologists for Managed Care: Educational and Training Considerations

Abstract

In today’s health care marketplace dominated by Health Maintenance Organizations and managed care, psychology internship and residency programs must increasingly prepare child psychologists to practice in a variety of managed care settings. Educational and training considerations are outlined to provide a framework for supervising child psychologists in such settings. Principles of practice in managed care are first addressed. Training should be guided by both the teaching of evidence-based practices and common factors research emphasizing the nontechnical aspects of care (i.e., therapeutic alliance, client/extratherapeutic factors). The utility of integrative child and family therapy models is highlighted, and training recommendations specific to managed care settings are presented. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 8:370–380 (2009)]