Preparing Psychologists to Work with Underserved Populations: A Faith-Based Pre-doctoral Training Model

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a pre-doctoral training model for preparing future psychologists to work with underserved clients and communities from a uniquely Christian perspective. Another major goal of this article is to encourage others to develop pre-doctoral training programs dedicated to working with underserved groups. The training model presented in this article is based on the Chicago Area Christian Training Consortium (CACTC) Internship in Professional Psychology, which provides pre-doctoral interns the opportunity to work with underserved urban, suburban, and rural populations. In this work, interns are challenged to expand their repertoire to also include non-traditional modes of service delivery which, in many cases, is considered to be more effective in work with underserved populations. Consequently, the CACTC (a) mission statement, (b) program description, (c) training objectives, (d) CACTC sites, and (e) training philosophy are highlighted.