Graduate Training In Psychology Research Articles

A National Evaluation of Social Justice and Antiracism Within School Psychology Graduate Preparation Programs

As school psychologists, we have an ethical responsibility to engage in social justice and antiracist action. Specifically, graduate education programs have a significant role to play in preparing future school psychologists as social justice change agents. To facilitate effective change, graduate educators must confront potential biases in university training programs and themselves, act in culturally affirming ways, and commit to using psychological science to prepare future school psychologists to engage in advocacy and combat systemic racism within youth-serving systems. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore training efforts aimed at promoting social justice, antiracism, and multiculturalism consistent with best practices within school psychology training programs. Additionally, this study aimed to identify how programs and individual faculty members were responding to increasing calls for racial justice and social justice and the impact of the “dual pandemics” of COVID-19 and racism on their training efforts. Finally, the researchers sought to identify facilitators and barriers to training and pedagogy focused on social justice, antiracism, and multicultural issues in graduate psychology training programs. Impact Statement As graduate educators, we must examine the extent to which school psychology graduate preparation programs are using the multicultural, social justice and antiracist practices recommended in the literature. With proper training, school psychologists wield significant power in dismantling structural oppression and praxis in schools and strengthening the adoption and implementation of culturally relevant academic and social-emotional and behavioral supports. However, social justice awareness, knowledge, skills and dispositions need to be explicitly taught and cultivated as areas of competency. Graduate educators and accrediting bodies should focus on improving the quality of preservice training for school psychologists so they may successfully navigate the myriad challenges associated with systemic change and act as effective change agents in bringing about racial and social equity in schools. This study provides a snapshot of graduate training efforts in these areas to help in identifying current practices, needs, strengths and future directions for the field.

Technology in Psychology Graduate Training Clinics: Past, Present, and Future

Technology in Psychology Graduate Training Clinics: Past, Present, and Future

INTEGRATING HEALTH POLICY EDUCATION INTO AN UNDERGRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY COURSE

Abstract Education on health policy processes are lacking in psychology training programs. Psychologists can be helpful to policy making and evaluation processes; however, few have the training, experience, or exposure to health policy necessary to feel comfortable entering into this area. Health policy education was integrated into an existing undergraduate psychology adult development and aging curriculum. Students completed weekly knowledge quizzes, two health policy specific assignments, and a class lecture on the intersection of health policy, aging, and psychology. N = 97 students (Mage = 21.54, SD = 4.94) over six semesters completed pre-post knowledge, skill, and ability assessments. Paired samples t-tests indicated increased knowledge t(96)= -5.89, p < .001, Cohen’s d = .60, and understanding of health policy making t(94)= -5.69, p < .001, Cohen’s d = .58; and ability to critically evaluate health policies t(96)= -3.03, p = .003, Cohen’s d = .31. Students identified psychology t(95)= -5.20, p < .01, Cohen’s d = .53 and psychological research t(95)= -3.71, p < .001, Cohen’s d = .38 as having a greater role in health policy following the course. Students felt they would use the health policy skills and knowledge learned in this course and agreed the policy related topics and assignments were valuable. Integrating health policy education into an undergraduate psychology course was feasible and had a positive impact on student’s knowledge, skills, and abilities in this domain. This format may be appropriate for graduate psychology training and may help build psychologists confidence to participate in health policy activities.

Training to be a Community Psychologist in the Age of a Digital Revolution

Reflecting on pedagogy and curricula that have shaped the field of community psychology, we review the history of training community psychologists since the field’s inception in the United States. We then examine relevant academic literature documenting how digital technologies in the 21st century have been successfully used in community-based participatory research (CBPR) studies conducted by community psychologists to promote engaged scholarship, the field’s core values (e.g. sense of community, social justice, collaboration), and its commitment to social change. While early ideas for improving scholars’ training emphasized adopting practices to meet changing community needs, our review of literature on CBPR and other community-engaged scholarly work by community psychologists in the last two decades has revealed that digital technologies’ ability to promote the field’s values and goals still needs to be fully harnessed. Lastly, we offer practical recommendations for community psychology undergraduate and graduate training programs to consider and implement so they can incorporate digital technologies into their programs and harness their potential to promote engaged scholarship, the field’s core values, and its commitment to social change.

The Worldview Genogram: A process model for enhancing diversity responsiveness and competence in education, training, and clinical supervision.

Diversity responsiveness and competence is an imperative in current graduate psychology training and few, if any, will debate this. However, what has been and still remains frustrating to most practicum and internship clinical supervisors and graduate school instructors is a dearth of safe and practical tools to enhance this process, particularly in terms of the awareness domain. The authors of this article present a process model, the Worldview Genogram (WVG), that has been developed and implemented in clinical field placements and classroom settings over the last 22 years with significant success. The WVG, anchored by a three-generational family-of-origin genogram, is a depiction of individual and cultural diversity constructs that impact a person's identity formation. A rationale for the model and specific, practical steps in implementing it in academic and clinical settings are described. The model's uniqueness lies in the fact that it is nonpathologizing, strengths-based, trainee driven, and predicated on instructor or supervisor modeling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Online Group Supervision in Graduate Psychology Training During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Group supervision, a common method in graduate psychology training, shifted abruptly to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to increase understanding of psychology graduate students’ perception of online group supervision during COVID-19 by focusing on the group process and the students’ professional identity formation. Data were collected through an online survey comparing an online COVID-19 group sample with a pre-COVID-19 in-person sample. Our findings showed no difference between online group supervision during COVID-19 and in-person group supervision prior to COVID-19 in students’ reports of group processes and the prevalence of professional identity statuses. However, group processes differed according to students’ professional identity statuses while accounting for the supervision format. We discuss the results of our study and offer several theoretical and practical implications regarding online supervision.

Graduate training in school psychology: Applied behavior analysis and autism spectrum disorder

AbstractThis study investigated school psychologist's professional self‐efficacy in working with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), applied behavioral analysis (ABA), and other general domains. This study recruited 215 specialist and doctoral level school psychologists or school psychology interns. The Applied Behavior Analysis Efficacy Scale (ABAES) was modeled after the Huber Inventory of Trainee Self‐Efficacy (HITS). Contributions of training quality, amount of training, and knowledge of ASD to predicting professional self‐efficacy measured by the HITS and ABAES were examined. The vicarious experiences during field training were the greatest predictor of self‐efficacy in general duties and ABA‐based tasks. Mastery experiences were found to predict self‐efficacy in ABA based tasks and imaginal experiences were predictive of self‐efficacy in general duties. Field experiences were the most impactful aspect of training, but concerns were raised about disparities in experience quality. Suggestions for graduate training of school psychologists are provided.

The work experiences and needs of lone community psychologists: Exploring diversity of settings and identities.

Community psychologists (CPs) are committed to value-based praxis, an interdisciplinary orientation, and an ecological approach to community collaboration in pursuit of social justice and liberation. Because no setting is immune to the impacts of the intersecting systems of oppression in which we are embedded, CPs end up working in a wide array of settings, and often as the only CP in the setting. This dynamic-operating as a "lone" CP-may be rewarding as the CP is able to provide unique value at work, or may present specific challenges, particularly if the CP's sense of community or mattering is compromised. We interviewed n = 31 lone CP to explore their work experiences, including the benefits, challenges, and what they need to thrive in their current setting. Findings reveal a wide array of experiences among CPs, related to their community psychology, and other identities. Participants consistently discussed the important role of values in their decision-making and experiences at work, and provide specific recommendations as to how the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) can ensure all CPs across all settings can thrive. This includes providing more tangible and relational support, changing SCRA's culture and priorities, and improving community psychology undergraduate and graduate training.

How We Get Free: Graduate Training as an Opportunity for Equitable Participation and Liberation

In this conceptual article, we assert that psychology should be transformed to adopt the explicit goal of working toward the liberation of people oppressed by society rather than striving for mere equality. To achieve such a transformation, it is necessary to reenvision graduate training in psychology. Graduate training in psychology is an important vehicle by which psychologists can become prepared to use research and practice to eradicate inequities in society. Therefore, we propose six pillars for liberation-focused graduate training in psychology: critical unlearning/unknowing, cooperative modes of production, prioritizing indigenous knowledge, embedded interdependence, systems-level action, and prioritizing members of oppressed groups. Although this conceptualization may engender resistance, we argue that there are many potential pathways by which graduate training may use liberation psychology to work equitably with oppressed groups to seek justice.

Collective Program Social Justice Identity and Perceived Norms on Promoting Student Advocacy

A growing body of research suggests that graduate psychology training programs with a stronger collective social justice identity are likely to provide more support for students’ advocacy engagements than those with discrepant views among members. We conducted response surface analyses ( N = 178 PhD students; across 16 counseling psychology programs) to examine whether the degree of congruence and discrepancy in social justice attitudes and perceptions of training program norms (perceived social justice norms among students and faculty) between the individual student and other students in their program would be associated with students’ social justice advocacy intentions and behaviors. Higher congruence in attitudes and perceived norms (among students and faculty) were significantly associated with advocacy intentions. For advocacy behaviors, only congruently higher perceptions of faculty were significantly associated. Discrepant attitudes and perceived norms were not significantly related to students’ advocacy intentions and behaviors. Recommendations for training and research are discussed.

Black, indigenous, and trainees of color stress and resilience: The role of training and education in decolonizing psychology.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has instigated a paradigm shift in psychology graduate training and education. As these system-wide changes are being implemented, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) continue to be disproportionately impacted as they simultaneously experience, witness, and relive the deleterious consequences of systemic and institutional racism as trainees and members of minoritized communities. The field requires a radical culture shift to counteract the effects of ongoing psychological harm on trainees of color. Our analyses are grounded in two decolonizing frameworks, Critical Race Theory and Liberation Psychology. We also provide a systems-based analysis of how BIPOC trainees are impacted by systemic racism and examine how these -isms are perpetuated in psychology training. Testimonios are used as examples on how to center trainee's experiential knowledge. Psychology is uniquely positioned to transform how science and practice informs, builds, and sustains equitable systems for trainees and the public. The profession must question and disrupt the status quo and system inequities to build capacity and foster resistance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A qualitative study of strategies and challenges in training behavioral health workforce for integrated primary care.

COVID-19 has underscored the need to accelerate behavioral health (BH) integration in primary care, where many patients seek mental health services. Expanding BH integration requires a strong and sustainable BH workforce trained to work in primary care. Psychology internship is a critical period of development when doctorate-level therapists receive supervised clinical experiences with integrated primary care. To explore the strategies and challenges of teaching psychology trainees to practice BH in primary care. Qualitative study. Nine out of 11 psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship programs across the Washington State that provide integrated primary care training were recruited. Response rate was 82%. Twelve training leads and supervisors completed semi-structured interviews between December 2020 - March 2021. Interviews focused on participant experiences with providing educational training and supervision to psychology trainees practicing integrated primary care. Data were analyzed using grounded theory approach. Four strategies emerged - orient trainees with extensive onboarding to the culture, context, and function of primary care; provide a psychologically safe space for open dialogues that facilitate professional identity development; model the skills needed to collaborate with primary care teams; and create a structured environment for trainees to practice the skills. Training leads and supervisors also reported three challenges - strategies to address trainees' difficulties with acculturating to the culture of primary care; loss of opportunities to shadow and interact with primary care providers due to telemedicine during COVID-19; and limitations of the traditional supervision structure to accommodate the unpredictable and urgent crises experienced by trainees in fast-paced primary care settings. Future recommendations include early exposure to primary care during psychology graduate training, a hybrid model of fixed and flexible supervision schedules, and intentional efforts to define and balance in-person and remote teaching for different types of training needs.

Recommendations for Creating and Teaching a Graduate Psychology Course Exclusively for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Students

Introduction Although the development of graduate psychology trainees’ multicultural competence is established to be a necessity, current training implicitly and explicitly centers White clinicians. Statement of the Problem This orientation leads to inadequate opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) trainees to access mentoring, learning, and support. Literature Review We review the focus in graduate psychology training centered on White clinicians and the need to develop actively anti-racist training specifically suited to BIPOC clinicians. We discuss the principles of decolonization and collective liberation that can underlie such training. Teaching implications A course called In the Center (ITC) was exclusively offered to BIPOC students to prioritize their needs and strengths. Based on ITC, we recommend instructors consider institutional context, ground teaching practices in values, utilize co-teaching, target multiple competencies, and address classroom racial dynamics to build greater community and solidarity among BIPOC students. Conclusion This article discusses considerations for equitable, anti-racist training for BIPOC graduate psychology students built upon principles of decolonization and collective liberation.

Integrating Social Justice Practices into Graduate Training: Collaborating with Stakeholders to Adapt Professional Development in Puerto Rico

Treating trauma has become an international social justice concern, with increasing numbers of graduate training programs prioritizing how to conceptualize needs and interventions within a trauma-informed framework. Minimal research and guidelines exist for adapting these trauma-informed practices for the local community context. Additionally, trauma-informed practices often fail to consider ongoing structural issues faced by oppressed communities such as poverty and racism. Social work, psychology, and counseling graduate training programs often rely on a cultural competency framework instead of a social justice framework that addresses racism and Whiteness. During our graduate Counseling and School Psychology training program at the University of Massachusetts Boston, we collaborated with stakeholders at a school and community center in San Juan, Puerto Rico to culturally adapt and deliver trainings in trauma-informed practices for staff using an ecological validity framework. Using our work in Puerto Rico as a case study, this paper addresses the cultural adaptation of trauma-informed practices and factors to consider when implementing trauma-informed practices, emphasizing the need for creating safety. Strategies for embedding this trauma-informed work into mental health graduate training programs and recommendations for working with individuals from marginalized groups in school settings are discussed.

The Mental Health and Well-Being of Master’s and Doctoral Psychology Students at an Urban Canadian University

Aim/Purpose: Although the high rates of stress and psychological distress in graduate students has been well-documented, Canadian samples are underrepresented in the extant literature. The present study explores prevalence rates of burnout and psychological distress in a sample of psychology master’s and doctoral students at a university in a large urban Canadian city, as well as factors relating to their well-being, social support and stress. Background: There are economic and productivity setbacks stemming from high stress and mental health challenges. Burnout and psychological distress of graduate students are associated with hindered academic progress, mental and physical health challenges, and reduced productivity. Further, emotionally exhausted doctoral students are at heightened risk for non-completion of their degrees. Methodology: Sixty-two psychology graduate students completed an online survey that assessed burnout, psychological distress (anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms), perceived social support, collegiate sense of community, financial strain, and rank-ordered nine domains of graduate school stressors. Contribution: The present paper contributes to the body of knowledge that graduate students residing in an urban Canadian city experience high rates of burnout and psychological distress. High levels of social support outside the academe were not protective factors in mitigating burnout. Findings: Participants reported high levels of perceived social support and sense of community. However, over half (60%) of respondents met criteria for burnout, and one in three students met criteria for problematic levels of stress, anxiety, and/or depression. In a rank ordering question, “thesis, dissertation or other research”, “classwork” and “finances” ranked in the top three most stressful aspects of graduate school for respondents. Recommendations for Practitioners: Graduate students experience unique stressors related to their mental health and well-being that differ from undergraduate students and young working professionals. Mental health practitioners may be better equipped to support graduate students with knowledge of these specific factors impacting mental health and well-being. Recommendation for Researchers: Based on these findings, four areas of recommendations for psychology graduate institutions and training programs are discussed. These recommendations highlight the need for change across systemic levels and call for integrative efforts to improve wellbeing for psychology graduate students. Impact on Society: Enhancement of doctoral student well-being could contribute to long-term benefits in academia and in higher education. Future Research: The study took place before the emergence of COVID-19, which has undoubtably impacted graduate students globally. Research on student experiences during this unprecedented time is needed, as are additional supports (e.g., virtual programming to reduce social isolation; contingency plans for data collection).

The Contribution of Group Supervision Processes to the Formation of Professional Identity among Novice Psychotherapists

ABSTRACT Group supervision is a commonly employed method in graduate psychology training. The present study examines the role of group processes in the formation of professional identity among 129 Israeli graduate students following the conclusion of their supervision process. The following three identity statuses were identified: achievement, diffusion, and moratorium. Working alliance and group engagement were significantly higher for achievement students and differentiated between achievement and moratorium students. Cohesion was significantly lower for moratorium students than for students at each of the other two identity statuses. All differences were maintained when controlling for anxiety. Finally, working alliance was found to be the dominant process in predicting committed professional identity status. The findings stress the links between group processes in group supervision and a committed professional identity.

1171 Commonly Encountered Yet Not Confident: Graduate Psychology Students’ Experience and Confidence Managing Sleep Disturbances

Abstract Introduction Trainee psychologists receive minimal sleep education during graduate psychology training programs, despite the frequent co-occurrence of sleep disturbances in mental health conditions. This study aimed to explore graduate psychology students’ experience working with sleep disturbances and their perceived skills and confidence to assess and treat sleep problems in clinical practice. Methods Australian graduate psychology students (N = 163) completed a novel survey developed specifically for the study, inquiring about their experience, skills and confidence to manage sleep disturbances in clinical practice. Students perceived skills to manage sleep disturbances were recorded on a 7-point Likert scale, where 1 = ‘strongly disagree’ and 7 = ‘strongly agree’. Students’ confidence to treat specific sleep disorders was also recorded. Results Sixty-eight percent of students reported having already worked with a client who experienced a sleep disturbance as part of their training. However, students’ perceived skills to assess and treat sleep disturbances were low. Only 14.9% ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they had the skills to assess and diagnose common sleep disorders (M = 3.22, SD = 1.75). Similarly, less than a quarter of students ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they felt comfortable using common sleep-related assessments (23.7%; M = 3.56, SD = 1.96) or empirically-supported interventions for sleep disturbances (22.6%; M = 3.71, SD = 1.83). The majority of students reported they were ‘not confident at all’ to treat parasomnias (80.3%); hypersomnias (77.9%); OSA (71.3%); circadian rhythm disorders (50%) or insomnia (41%). Conclusion Graduate psychology students report low levels of confidence in assessing and managing sleep disturbances in clinical practice, despite over two-thirds of students already working with clients experiencing sleep difficulties. Clinical training in the management of sleep disturbances is required for graduate psychology students. Support N/A

Practice and Dissemination of Motivational Interviewing: A Psychology Internship Curriculum.

Sufficient training in substance use issues has been identified as a common gap in professional psychology graduate training. Satisfactory training in evidence-based practices has also been identified as a common gap for providers who care for individuals with substance use problems. The "practice and dissemination" curriculum we developed seeks to address both of these gaps during the predoctoral internship training year by first training psychology interns to competently deliver motivational interviewing (MI) to individuals with substance use problems and then train community providers and volunteers to do so. From 2012-2013, a total of 55 community providers and volunteers from a homeless shelter, a substance use treatment facility, and a community mental health facility received training in MI through this curriculum by attending continuing education events delivered by 17 psychology interns. Evaluation of the dissemination portion of the curriculum as part of an exempt educational research project revealed that community providers were able to achieve significant increases in MI knowledge, readiness to implement MI, and MI skill as assessed with a video analogue measure by the end of the workshop. They also reported satisfaction with the workshop. These evaluation findings provide preliminary support for the curriculum as a novel and efficacious way to disseminate MI to community providers. Research is necessary to determine long-term outcomes of such training and to identify strategies to overcome potential barriers such as the substantial faculty effort necessary to implement the intensive curriculum.

Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Attitudes Toward Research Scale in a Graduate Student Sample

Graduate training in psychology emphasizes a student's ability to understand research design and methodology, as well as to generate research that contributes to the profession. The Attitudes Toward Research (ATR) scale was developed in 2005 to measure attitudes among student populations. Past research suggests the scale contains five factors: usefulness of research, research anxiety, positive feelings about research, relevancy of research to the students' daily lives, and difficulty of research. The current study utilized data collected from first year graduate students ( N = 128) to examine the psychometric properties of the ATR. While the internal consistency and the construct validity of the scale were adequate, the scale did not appear to be a predictor of student grades in this sample. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a three-, four-, and seven-factor solution. Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the five-factor model was a poor fit for the ATR. While the ATR assesses an important construct, the inferences made from this measure may be less useful when studying graduate students' attitudes and how they may impact learning and training.

The families in psychology project: Restructuring the field of psychology through inclusive leadership that recognises the importance of psychologists’ personal identities as parents

The identity of ‘mother’ is incompatible with the masculinist structure of academia and the professional identities of ‘psychology trainee’ or ‘academic psychologist’ as they are currently conceived. Supporting mothers as psychology trainees and early career psychologists in academia may aid in generating innovative solutions to problems in the field. Accordingly, the Families in Psychology Project (FIPP) was developed as a grassroots network to lead the field of psychology in supporting trainees and early career professionals to integrate personal and professional identities. This leadership is particularly needed at this time, when women are the majority of students matriculating from psychology graduate training programmes and when the demographic make-up of the psychological workforce is more diverse than ever before. The current commentary reviews literature to provide a rationale for why the FIPP is necessary, further describes the FIPP, and identifies specific ways by which the FIPP supports trainees and early career professionals who are parents.