Clinical Psychology Programs Research Articles

Australian clinical psychology training program directors survey

A survey of clinical psychology program directors was conducted to provide an illustrative snapshot of clinical training in Australia. Postgraduate clinical psychology program directors from 27 universities in all States in Australia and the Australian Capital Territory offering postgraduate clinical training programs were emailed the survey; 19 surveys were returned. The present paper reports on a range of issues of relevance to clinical training programs, including numbers of students, types and content of courses, staff workload, relationship with professional bodies, practical training and university-based clinics, and concerns raised by directors. The information is intended to assist those responsible for training in clinical psychology in Australia in their work of increasing the quality of postgraduate training by being informed of the practices of other programs.

Clinical psychology education and training: Commentary on Kenkel et al. and Linden et al.

Abstract Despite general acceptance of clinical psychology as a broadly based health-care discipline, many graduate programs in clinical psychology have been slow to change from their continued primary focus on mental health education and training. The two papers in this Special Section clearly articulate the compelling rationale for clinical psychology's full participation in all aspects of health, and provide a variety of creative ideas and initiatives regarding current and future educational reform. Interestingly, neither paper focused on the considerable research literature that already exists on graduate education reform and hence I have briefly outlined some of this work here. After reading the papers in this Special Section, I found myself agreeing with much of what was said and disagreeing strongly with some ideas. I also found myself sensitized to the notion that as educational reform proceeds, psychologists need to be vigilant to ensure that they maintain their own unique identity without drifting toward adopting key aspects of the identities of other professions. The papers by Kenkel, DeLeon, Mandell, and Steep (this issue) and by Linden, Moseley, and Erskine (this issue) serve as excellent examples of the creative thinking that is required to modernize and update the education and training of clinical psychologists and the graduate education curriculum. Pretending that all is well and continuing to largely ignore the need to reform graduate education and training is no longer an option if psychology is to maintain public support over the long term. Kenkel et al. and Linden et al. both acknowledge that clinical psychology is transitioning from being a largely mental health profession to a broader health discipline that encompasses both mental and physical health. These authors also understand that this is not an easy transition for many psychologists. However, the silver lining in this scenario is that in order to fully accomplish the shift, psychologists will need to collaborate much more with other health professionals and this will greatly enhance their involvement in multidisciplinary education, training, and research. This will serve psychology well in the future. Kenkel et al. and Linden et al. are in good company with respect to arguing for the need for change in psychology graduate education. Indeed, considerable thought and work on educational reform has already been done by distinguished psychologists. Irwin Altman (1996) noted that historically the academic community has generally met the needs of society while at the same time appropriately protecting its academic freedom and independence. However, Altman also pointed out that curriculum revision has been more difficult over the last few decades, and cited the work of Boyer and Hechinger (1981) who observed that the academic community devotes too little attention to the needs of the community and to making curricula adjustments in order to address the needs of society. The clear implication is that, at its own peril, the academic community neglects educational reform aimed at meeting society's needs. Today, chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes (which are in substantial measure related to lifestyle factors and are, thus, in many instances preventable) lead to premature death and disability as well as poor quality of life for many Canadians. Yet clinical psychology graduate students in most accredited Canadian training programs are not typically required to learn about psychology's potential contributions to both the prevention and management of these and other general health problems. Indeed, the level of expertise required to properly educate and train psychology students in these areas likely does not currently exist in most psychology graduate schools in Canada. Thus significant collaboration with other university departments and community agencies is required if psychology graduate students are to be systematically and comprehensively educated and trained in these areas. …

Reconciling the rift: Improving clinical psychology graduate training in the twenty‐first century

Most graduate programs in clinical psychology adhere to and reportedly are satisfied with the scientist-practitioner model of training. In the present commentary, I take the position that this model must be updated to reconcile the rift that currently exists between the scientists and the practitioners within the field. A return to scientific rigor within the field is espoused, and suggestions of ways to improve both undergraduate and graduate curricula are made.

Does Clinical Psychology Education Enhance the Clinical Competence of Practitioners?

Until now there has been little evidence that graduate programs in clinical psychology make any difference to practitioners' abilities. The authors present a quasi-experimental study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of postgraduate education in clinical psychology. Clinical psychology students from Australian universities were compared with psychology graduates who had elected to practice under Australian provisional registration rules (i.e., without a postgraduate education). Results showed that after 1 extra year of education, postgraduate trainees performed better than those with no postgraduate training, but only to a modest degree. The authors explore the implications of these results for trainers, trainees, and professional organizations.

Review of Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology 2004/2005 Edition.

MICHAEL A. SAYETTE, TRACY J. MAYNE and JOHN C. NORCROSS Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology 2004/2005 Edition New York: Guilford Press, 2004, 340 pages (ISBN 1-57230-978-4, US$23.95 Paperback) The purpose of this book is to help students prepare for admission into clinical or counseling psychology graduate programs and to assist with the corresponding application process. Including several web resources, updated profiles and contact information for North American programs, data outlining admissions criteria, and sample letters, CVs and a personal statement, the Insider's Guide is designed to help both current and future applicants prepare for and apply strategically to graduate school. Well written and using straightforward language and information presented in text, table, and list formats, the authors draw on research data and personal anecdotes to outline the application process and its various considerations. The book covers all steps of the process from the initial decision to pursue graduate work in clinical or counseling psychology to the final decision one makes upon offers of admission. Readers can search for program matches by specific research interests or practica opportunities, and can peruse the profiles, complete with admissions requirements and faculty theoretical orientations, of almost 300 professional, clinical, and counseling psychology programs. In addition, throughout the guide, the authors artfully balance realism and encouragement. For example, while being realistic about rates of admission into graduate programs and required skills and experiences, the authors are never pessimistic with their advice; in fact, Sayette et al. encourage readers to reach for the stars in pursuit of graduate work and to persist throughout the application process. Although the title of this book may attract students at a certain stage in graduate preparation - those close to starting or in the midst of applications - persons at all levels and various stages of preparation may find this book helpful. For the individual contemplating graduate work in clinical or counseling psychology, the introductory chapter provides an overview of the two professions and highlights the differences between PhD and PsyD programs. Similarly, the authors present a brief description of careers within the helping profession (e.g., medicine, social work) that students may consider as alternatives to clinical or counseling psychology. For students committed to graduate work in clinical or counseling psychology, this book is comprehensive in its description of common admissions requirements such as standardized examinations, research experience, faculty mentorship, and specific undergraduate courses. Indeed, a strength of the Insider's Guide is its recognition that readers may be at different stages in their studies. Specifically, in the chapter on preparing for graduate work, the authors address lower and senior level undergraduates, college graduates and master's level clinicians, and tailor the information to fit the reader's various background and stage of education. Moreover, while the book contains abundant information on clinical and counseling programs and mastering the application process, one of its greatest features is a timeline for preparing for graduate work in these fields. Beginning with recommendations for students in initial undergraduate years (e.g., take core psychology courses, join psychology student organizations) and culminating in April/May of the application year, the timeline provides students with an organized method of preparing for graduate school and completing the rigorous application process. This timeline can help focus students and ensure the meeting of deadlines and timely completion of applications. The timeline breaks the application process into manageable steps and could, for many readers, decrease the stresses that arise from preparing for and applying to graduate school. …

Models of Psychotherapy Outcome: Are They Applicable in Training Clinics?

To explore whether psychotherapy models are applicable in the training clinic setting, the dose-effect model of psychotherapy outcome was tested in the outpatient clinic of an American Psychological Association-approved doctoral training program in clinical psychology. Outcome data, using the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2, were gathered immediately prior to each psychotherapy session during the course of treatment (mean total number of sessions: 14.81). Sixty-one clients, treated by 21 trainee clinicians, participated. Although a similar pattern emerged, response to treatment was not as rapid as the dose-effect model would predict. Ideas for future research are proposed. The dose-effect model of psychotherapy outcome (Howard, Kopta, Krause, & Orlinsky, 1986) emerged from meta-analytic findings spanning 30 years and has spawned renewed interest and research into psychotherapy research. However, those analyses did not examine possible site differences (e.g., whether the site was a training clinic) in the dose-effect response.

An Exploratory Look at Students' Experiences of Problematic Peers in Academic Professional Psychology Programs.

This exploratory survey investigated the issue of problematic students/trainees from the perspective of master's and doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology programs. Findings suggest that students (a) were aware of problematic trainees in their programs; (b) believed faculty were primarily responsible for handling problematic peers, though students were unclear about procedures for handling this issue; (c) expressed greatest concerns about issues involving peers' interpersonal functioning; and (d) responded by gossiping or consulting with other peers, withdrawing, and, less often, confronting a problem peer. Problematic peers impacted respondents' own functioning, relationships with peers, and perceptions of faculty, and they disrupted the learning environment. Study implications and limitations are noted.

Comparing Professional Schools and Traditional Clinical Program Faculty on Measures of Professional and Scientific Achievement

474 faculty in 56 professional clinical psychology programs were compared with 972 faculty from 157 traditional clinical psychology programs. The faculty in the professional programs were more likely to be licensed (93% to 85%) and to be diplomates of the American Board of Professional Psychology (15% to 11%, respectively). The faculty in traditional programs averaged more publications (35 vs 17) and citations, and they were more likely to be fellows of the American Psychological Association (26% to 11%). These differences appear congruent with the different missions and objectives of the two types of programs. There were no differences in the number of years since the doctorate, used as a measure of professional experience.

Facing human suffering: psychology and psychotherapy as moral engagement

In this thought-provoking book, Ronald B. Miller contends that we seek psychotherapy to relieve our suffering. For those who practice clinical psychology, therapy is thus a moral undertaking. Yet for historical reasons, psychological science has, in the author's view, become a de-moralized realm of theory and research, with limited relevance to practice. As frustrated graduates of clinical psychology programs often come to realize, scientific knowledge is not, in and of itself, a satisfactory preparation for clinical work. The greatest strength of scientific knowledge, its combination of abstract principles and objective data, becomes in the clinical realm also its greatest weakness. One can know the research cold and still be unprepared for a useful clinical interaction with a troubled person. In a broad, multidisciplinary review of the literature, Miller argues that there is an urgent need for a learning process that helps prepare students to understand the intrinsically moral nature of therapeutic encounters and to cultivate the clinical knowledge that is produced by such work. He proposes that the clinical case-study is the optimal vehicle for communicating clinical knowledge and conducting clinical research. While studies are frequently derided as being of limited applicability, Miller shows how, by following a quasi-judicial method, case law and reliable principles of practice can be developed. Designed for the undergraduate, graduate student, or professional psychologist who has become disenchanted with the limitations of experimental and quantitative approach to psychology, this compassionate book provides answers for those who seek a legitimate alternative.

Effects of stress on sleep: the moderating role of coping style.

The aim of this prospective quasi-experimental study was to assess the role of coping style as a factor moderating the relationship between stress and sleep. Sleep of 36 students was assessed by means of actigraphy and daily logs during low-stress and high-stress periods. The high-stress period was the week that the students were evaluated for acceptance to graduate programs in clinical psychology. The low-stress period was a regular academic week. The students' ways of coping were assessed during the baseline low-stress period using the COPE inventory. Data analysis revealed that a high emotion-focused coping score was significantly predictive of reduction in sleep time from the low- to the high-stress period. These results suggest that coping style is a key factor in assessing the relationship between stress and sleep.

P2-187 Hippocampal and amygdalal brain changes in young-old and very-old with Alzheimer's disease: associations with neuropsychological functioning

P2-187 Hippocampal and amygdalal brain changes in young-old and very-old with Alzheimer's disease: associations with neuropsychological functioning

P2-210 Regional MR brain volumes in the prediction of cognitive decline in ad

P2-210 Regional MR brain volumes in the prediction of cognitive decline in ad

Research in Training Clinics and Practice Research Networks: A Route to the Integration of Science and Practice

The present commentary encourages the development of research infrastructures within the training clinics of clinical psychology programs, the use of such infrastructures for creating a true integration of science and practice in the earliest days of graduate student education, and the formation of collaborative practice research networks among clinics and across other mental health agencies. Such developments may contribute to more rapid creation of ways of integrating science and practice and to methods for creating large-scale, scientifically rigorous, and clinically meaningful research to answer the most pressing questions that our profession faces.

A survey of graduate training in empirically supported and manualized treatments: A preliminary report

The promotion and dissemination of empirically supported (ESTs) and manualized therapies are important, albeit controversial, developments within clinical science and practice. To date, studies evaluating training opportunities and attitudes about such treatments at the graduate, predoctoral internship, and postdoctoral levels have focused on the opinions of training directors and seasoned practitioners. The present study surveyed 172 graduate students from 60 APA-accredited doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology programs regarding their knowledge, extent of didactic and practical training experiences, and attitudes about ESTs and treatment manuals. Student knowledge of, and attitudes about, treatment manuals and ESTs varied reliably as a function of self-described theoretical orientation (i.e., cognitive behavioral vs. eclectic) and extent of didactic and applied training experiences. Graduate education and training in ESTs and treatment manuals predicted plans to use and seek out additional training with such methods. We recommend that graduate programs increase efforts to promote, disseminate, and integrate these and other evidentiary procedures into their training curricula.

The PsyD: Heterogeneity in Practitioner Training.

The paucity of research on PsyD programs has led to unsubstantiated generalizations and uniformity myths about practitioner training. The authors collected information on the admission rates, financial assistance, theoretical orientations, and selected characteristics of American Psychological Association (APA)–accredited PsyD programs in clinical psychology (89% response rate). Systematic comparisons were made between PsyD programs housed in university departments, university professional schools, and freestanding institutions to describe the differences and commonalities among the heterogeneous PsyD programs. Empirical comparisons were provided among APA-accredited PsyD, practice-oriented PhD, and research-oriented PhD programs in clinical psychology to highlight the distinctive features of PsyD programs.

Teacher of Teachers: An Interview with James H. Korn

Jason Sikorski is currently a graduate student in the clinical psychology program at Auburn University. He has taught courses in introductory psychology, experimental psychology, social psychology, and statistics. He served as the first chair of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology's (STP) Graduate Student Teaching Association, which aims to provide services for graduate teaching assistants that are designed to enhance and broaden their teaching skills and approach to pedagogy. James R. Korn is a professor of psychology at St. Louis University. He has enjoyed a prolific and influential career as a teacher, mentor, and author. Dr. Korn is a long-standing and active member of the Executive Committee of APA Division 2's STP. He has developed and presented workshops at national and regional teaching conferences on professional development issues over the course of the last decade. He is widely recognized for assisting beginning and experienced teachers alike in developing and refining their teaching philosophies and classroom style. Thus, Dr. Korn's influence is one of molding a framework for allowing teachers to enhance their personal accountability for student success and failure in the classroom.

Research in Training Clinics and Practice Research Networks: A Route to the Integration of Science and Practice.

The present commentary encourages the development of research infrastructures within the training clinics of clinical psychology programs, the use of such infrastructures for creating a true integration of science and practice in the earliest days of graduate student education, and the formation of collaborative practice research networks among clinics and across other mental health agencies. Such developments may contribute to more rapid creation of ways of integrating science and practice and to methods for creating large-scale, scientifically rigorous, and clinically meaningful research to answer the most pressing questions that our profession faces.

A national survey of trainee impairment in clinical, counseling, and school psychology doctoral programs and internships.

The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency, type, and management of trainee impairment at a national level across doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology and predoctoral internships. A total of 199 surveys were completed, returned, and usable. In general, doctoral programs reported a greater frequency of trainee impairment than internships. However, a greater percentage of internships had a policy and program in place for managing impairments than did doctoral programs. These findings are compared with past studies and reviews of this issue. In light of these findings, specific implications for training programs are discussed, with the recommendation that training programs address more attention to the assessment and management of such problems.

Child maltreatment training in doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology: where do we go from here?

The American Psychological Association (APA) has called for improving knowledge regarding child abuse and neglect among psychologists by increasing training. The present study examined the extent of child abuse training provided by APA-accredited doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology by surveying the training directors in 1992 and 2001. The survey assessed available coursework, practica, and research experience in the area of child maltreatment. Findings indicated that more than half of all programs cover child maltreatment in three or more courses, and most programs discuss child maltreatment in ethics/professional seminars. Most students have some exposure to clients with abuse-related problems, and some have opportunities to participate in maltreatment research. Nonetheless, training falls short of APA recommendations for minimal levels of competence in child maltreatment, with no change in training in the past decade. Recommendations for improving training include more discussion among program faculty, attention to essential competencies, and specific suggestions for developing interdisciplinary training.

Student perspectives on training in gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues: A survey of behavioral clinical psychology programs

Practicing psychologists frequently are asked to provide services to individuals whose backgrounds may differ from their own. Education in multicultural issues increasingly is being considered an important component of doctoral training programs. This article discusses the results of a survey of behavioral doctoral students concerning their graduate training on gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) issues. The results indicate that participants (a) have received minimal training in GLB issues, (b) feel inadequate in working with GLB individuals, and (c) express significantly more favorable attitudes toward gay men than a sample from the general population. Included are recommendations for improving training in sexual orientation issues in behavioral clinical psychology programs.