Clinical Psychology Training Research Articles

La psychothérapie à l’université : ouvertures et perspectives. Entretien avec le Professeur Cyril Tarquinio

PurposeThe question of psychotherapists’ training in psychotherapeutic practices appears to be generally avoided in French universities. As part of the start of the academic year, Professor Cyril Tarquinio has reached out to teacher-researchers to propose practical solutions to develop the teaching of psychotherapies. MethodThe proposed article is an interview conducted with Professor Cyril Tarquinio in September 2019 at the Pierre Janet Center, an independent service belonging to the University of Lorraine (Faculty of Psychology - Metz site). ResultsIn most European countries, either there is a difference between the training of clinical psychologists and that of psychotherapists, or clinical psychologists are required to complete postgraduate academic training that may last several years (300 to 400hours of internship) in order to use the title of “psychotherapist.” Today in France, students who graduate from clinical psychology programs become de facto psychotherapists, just like junior psychiatrists. In fact, while the time devoted to the teaching of psychotherapies is very limited, generations of practitioners have heard of only one approach (psychoanalytic or cognitive-behavioral in general). DiscussionHypnosis, Life Cycle Integration, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, psychodynamic therapies, psycho-corporal approaches, etc., deserve attention. There is a growing body of literature that testifies to their relevance, not to mention their effectiveness/efficiency. But these models must be hypotheses in constant dialogue with the field, which constantly transforms our understanding of the ideas and behaviors of our patients, as well as our capacity to take care of them. If these models and theories are ultimately so numerous, it is without doubt because none of them is completely satisfactory in itself or because there is truth in each one of them. The most amazing thing is that they are sometimes light years away from each other, at least in appearance. ConclusionAfter a resistance that has lasted for nearly half a century, it would be appropriate today to stimulate an evolution of the profession of psychotherapist by developing training in psychotherapeutic practices. Unique in France, an autonomous service of the University of Lorraine operating on its own funds, the Pierre Janet Center appears as a laboratory precursor of a new model of university structure associating clinical practice, the teaching of psychotherapies, and clinical research in a coherent way. While the creation of a specific PhD appears an interesting solution, the fundamental issues of supervision and continuing education will also need to be addressed in detail.

Public servant, silent servant: A call to action for advocacy training in public service settings.

Views on what is important in training for psychologists are evolving, reflecting a broadening understanding of the role psychologists can and should play in societal change. Since the development of the scientist-practitioner model after World War II, arguments around training have focused on the appropriate balance between training in the practice of psychology versus training in research related to psychology. Recent calls reflect more radical change to include an advocacy emphasis within the formal coursework of psychology doctoral programs, well articulated by Mallinckrodt, Miles, and Levy (2014) as the tripartite model of Scientist-Practitioner-Advocate. In this paper, we present the argument for expanding a model that incorporates advocacy training into clinical psychology internships and postdoctoral programs and describe why we believe voices for advocacy have been largely silent in public-sector clinical psychology training and practices. We outline how this may be accomplished in public sector training settings, and we articulate a call to action for public servants to speak out so their voice can ignite a passion for advocacy within public sector psychology service and training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

About preparing clinical psychologists in medical higher education institutions

On the background of the current difficult medical and social situation associated with an increase in the overall morbidity of the population, including socially significant pathology, the need for highly qualified psychological assistance is growing. The article presents an analysis of the problems associated with the training of clinical psychologists at the present stage. The article consists of two parts. The first part presents data on the dynamics of the number of non-medical and medical universities for the period from 2011 to 2017, as well as the number of budget places allocated to these universities for the same period. The main problems of training clinical psychologists in medical and non - medical universities: 1) the problem of shortage of highly qualified psychological personnel, especially in the specialty 19.00.04 – medical psychology, as well as the problem of the use of teachers of biomedical and medical departments in the preparation of clinical psychologists; 2) the problem of the qualitative composition of applicants and freshmen. The role of professional motivation of future clinical psychologists is emphasized: 3) the problem of quality of educational process in medical University. The second part of the article is devoted to the peculiarities of training clinical psychologists who will provide medical and psychological assistance to pregnant women, their families and children, starting with the perinatal period, and in institutions of maternal and child health,as well as how to solve the above problems at the faculty of clinical psychology of Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University.

Supplemental Material for Implementing Routine Outcome Monitoring in a Psychology Training Clinic: A Case Study of a Process Model

Supplemental Material for Implementing Routine Outcome Monitoring in a Psychology Training Clinic: A Case Study of a Process Model

On addressing ‘Whiteness’ during clinical psychology training

This abbreviated extract is from a paper on Whiteness in clinical psychology training1. It highlights some of the themes from this paper, related to the issues of representation and addressing racism within clinical psychology training.

Felicisima C. Serafica (1932–2019).

Presents an obituary for Felicisima C. Serafica (1932-2019). When Felicisima "Ping" C. Serafica became one of the first tenured Filipino American professors of psychology in the United States, she paved the way for many future generations. In 1956, Serafica moved back to the Philippines, where she helped establish one of the country's first hospitals for children with mental disabilities and the country's first interdisciplinary mental health clinic. She returned to the United States to complete her doctoral training in clinical psychology at Clark University, before becoming a faculty member at The Ohio State University (OSU) in 1977. As a faculty member in clinical child psychology, her work focused on children and youth-particularly those with learning disabilities and from racial minority backgrounds. She authored two books, Social Cognitive Development in Context (1982) and Mental Health of Ethnic Minorities (1990). She retired as Emeritus Associate Professor of Psychology in 2002. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

BPS – DCP Statement on special issue: Racism during training in clinical psychology

BPS – DCP Statement on special issue: Racism during training in clinical psychology

The journey of BME aspiring psychologists into clinical psychology training: Barriers and ideas for inclusive change

This paper discusses the hierarchy within the NHS, as well as the experiences of barriers faced by BME aspiring psychologists on their journey into clinical training. It highlights areas for change and offers ideas on how to move things forward.

Dealing with racism within clinical psychology training: Reflections of three BAME trainee clinical psychologists

This article considers the reflections of three female BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) trainees from different D.Clin.Psy. courses, on their experiences of encountering racism in their respective training contexts, and how these issues can be addressed by training providers.

Smartphone Application in Postgraduate Clinical Psychology Training: Trainees' Perspectives.

M-learning refers to the learning that takes advantage of mobile technologies. Although research shows enhanced educational outcomes from m-learning in some Asian countries, the generalizability to postgraduate clinical psychology training in Singapore remains unclear. Current professional standards in clinical psychology training emphasize the importance of attainment of clinical competencies in trainees. Although learning theories indicated potential for m-learning to be incorporated into the local clinical psychology curriculum, trainees’ perspectives have not been adequately explored on m-learning. The study aimed to address this gap by exploring the use of m-learning via a novel smartphone application in clinical psychology training using mixed-methods design. Eight clinical psychology trainees between the ages of 26 to 43 years old (mean age of 31.75, SD = 5.49) enrolled in a relevant coursework subject were recruited. Participants were randomly allocated to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group accessed the novel application weekly, from week 1 to week 6, and participants in the control group accessed the application after week 6. Participants from both groups completed a brief demographic questionnaire, and the following scales New General Self-Efficacy Scale adapted for Education (NGSES-E) and self-reported scale of learning outcomes (SLO). The qualitative study explored how participants perceived and experienced the novel application. Participants from the experimental group were invited to provide open-ended responses about the novel application. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results from the qualitative analysis yielded four themes of: Convenience, preferred learning style, building confidence, and putting theory into practice. Findings from the qualitative study were consistent with previous studies about advantages of m-learning: That the e-platform was convenient, the learning style was engaging, which helped to build confidence, and facilitate practical learning of skills. The qualitative results were helpful in understanding the users’ perspectives and experience of the novel application, indicating that future research in this innovative area is necessary. However, the quantitative outcomes were not significant, limitations would be discussed, and recommendations made for future research.

Evaluation of a psychology graduate internship programme

Purpose Applications for clinical psychology training far outstrip places and relevant work experience is key. Paid opportunities are limited and therefore many choose volunteering, with well-connected graduates faring best. To promote equal opportunities a coordinated psychology graduate voluntary internship programme was established in a National Health Service Trust in the South of England. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate intern and supervisor outcomes, equality of access and adherence to governance standards. Design/methodology/approach Three cohorts of interns, unappointed applicants and supervisors were surveyed. Between 2013 and 2016, 270 psychology graduates applied, 119 were recruited and 151 either refused a place or were unsuccessful. In total, 91 supervisors provided service-level feedback. Findings Interns and applicants were predominantly young, able-bodied white British heterosexual females. Demographic profiles were similar and broadly representative of psychology graduates nationally. While fewer were from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds, proportions were greater than the local population. Participants were more socioeconomically privileged than undergraduates nationally. The scheme was popular and well governed according to interns and supervisors. Post-internship employment prospects were improved, with most interns gaining paid mental health roles like assistant psychologist. Most supervisors commented on the positive contribution made by interns to service outcomes. Originality/value This study makes a significant contribution to the literature on voluntary psychology graduate posts, an area under-researched until now. Our results suggest that a coordinated, transparent approach can benefit both interns and services by minimising exploitation and maximising developmental opportunities for the new graduate. The programme makes an important contribution to addressing inequalities experienced by psychology graduates attempting to enter mental health careers.

To what extent are cognitive behaviour therapy competencies incorporated into clinical psychology training? A national survey of Australian universities

ObjectiveCognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has demonstrated effectiveness as a therapeutic approach for various clinical disorders, but little data exist on the extent to which it is covered in accredited postgraduate clinical psychology training programs. Data were gathered regarding aspects of CBT orientation in terms of influence, content, delivery of general programs, and administration of coursework components.MethodResponses to a semi‐structured interview of 28 clinical program directors of Australian accredited courses (representing 72% of accredited courses) were analysed as part of a larger project titled “Nationwide Training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.”ResultsCBT was consistently included in training programs, but there was marked variability in the coverage of CBT competencies. Greater emphasis was placed on foundational CBT competencies (57% of programs indicating basic CBT skills were covered to a “large” or “very large extent”), in contrast to problem specific competencies (11% of programs covered to a “large” or “very large extent”). Programs with a stronger orientation towards evidence‐based practice reported greater coverage of Roth and Pilling's CBT competency framework (r = 0.62, p < 0.01).ConclusionThe findings suggest that core CBT skills are covered, but there is an opportunity for these clinical training programs to enhance their coursework content to ensure that their trainees are adequately prepared to deliver CBT for different disorders.

Graduate school training in CBT supervision to develop knowledge and competencies

ABSTRACT Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the dominant training model adopted by clinical psychology training programs and is commonly reported as the primary theoretical orientation among community therapists. However, few American psychologists receive formal training in supervision to support CBT, despite APA recommendations related to supervision competencies. Graduate training is an optimal time and place for supervision training, and we describe a CBT supervision workshop within a clinical doctoral program. Twenty-three trainees (69.6% Caucasian/White, 73.9% women) reported declarative knowledge of supervision and perceived supervision competencies before and after the workshop. Trainees increased declarative knowledge and perceived supervision competencies. Graduate training in CBT supervision may help develop a well-trained supervisor workforce that can better support the use of evidence-based therapies, such as CBT.

CorrespondenceAn open letter to UK clinical psychology training course directors and Committee of Trainers in Clinical Psychology, from the Division of Clinical Psychology Faculty for People with Intellectual DisabilitiesRe: Open letter to UK clinical psychology training course directors and committee of trainers in clinical psychologyRe: Editorial on nature and neoliberalism (Forum 319, July 2019)Re: Editorial on personal therapy (Forum 316,

CorrespondenceAn open letter to UK clinical psychology training course directors and Committee of Trainers in Clinical Psychology, from the Division of Clinical Psychology Faculty for People with Intellectual DisabilitiesRe: Open letter to UK clinical psychology training course directors and committee of trainers in clinical psychologyRe: Editorial on nature and neoliberalism (Forum 319, July 2019)Re: Editorial on personal therapy (Forum 316,

Tame clients: an evaluation of service users’ and trainee clinical psychologists’ perspective of service user involvement in teaching

Purpose The involvement of service users within clinical psychology training is written into policy. However, the practice of evaluating involvement from both trainees’ and service users’ viewpoint is minimal. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate recent service user involvement in psychometrics and formulation teaching on a clinical psychology training programme, from both service user and trainee perspectives. Design/methodology/approach Focus groups were held with service users (n=3) involved in the teaching, as well as trainees (n=3). Additional questionnaire data were captured from trainees (n=11). Service user and trainee data were analysed separately using thematic analysis. Themes generated for trainees were also mapped on to a competency framework for clinical psychologists. Findings Both parties found the teaching beneficial. Service users enjoyed supporting trainees and engaged positively in their roles. They identified relational aspects and reflections on their own therapy as other benefits. Trainees reported enhanced clinical preparedness, critical and personal reflection. Trainee anxiety was evident. Learning mapped well to competency frameworks. Research limitations/implications The samples were small and some data truncated. Findings speak to broader issues and may transfer to other involvement contexts. Practical implications A good degree of meaningful involvement can be achieved through such initiatives, to mutual benefit and enhanced learning. Originality/value Nature of the exercise and dual-aspect approach to evaluation described here helps to minimise tokenism. The mapping of findings to competency frameworks supports evaluative processes and helps to legitimise involvement initiatives that challenge the boundaries of existing practice.

Early reflections on becoming a therapist: Development of reflective practice in clinical training programmes in an Australian context

AbstractThe development of competent counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists depends upon not only the clinical competencies, but also the development of the person as the psychotherapist. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of twenty provisional psychologists enrolled in a university‐based clinical psychology training programme. Participants were requested to write reflective essays describing their experiences in relation to their first year of training. Utilising an interpretative phenomenological approach methodology, three superordinate themes were identified: beginning awareness and internalisation of the role of the therapist, therapy as an inter‐subjective experience, and personal transformation. Themes encompassed a range of key areas identified by trainee therapists as central to their development as reflective practitioners. Findings from this study may contribute to the small but growing literature base explicating the early lived experience of being a therapist working from an integrative framework. The findings contribute to our knowledge of the critical elements involved in fostering the theoretical, practical and reflective processes involved in becoming a competent therapist.

Outcome benchmarks for cognitive behaviour therapy delivered by student psychologist training clinics

ObjectiveTo provide outcome benchmarks for evaluating student psychologist‐led training clinics providing outpatient adult cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for high prevalence disorders, and illustrate their application to the evaluation of a South Australian community mental health‐based psychology training clinic: The Centre for Treatment of Anxiety and Depression (CTAD).MethodStudy 1 derived aggregated uncontrolled effect sizes and clinically significant change rates for the CBT and control conditions of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with critical values for demonstrating equivalence to RCTs and superiority to control conditions for anxiety disorders and depression. Study 2 provided benchmarks for demonstrating equivalence, and superiority to other student clinics. Study 3 calculated outcome effect sizes and clinically significant change rates of 342 consecutive CTAD clients allocated to student psychologists between 2009 and 2015, who provided at least two questionnaires, attended at least three sessions and were primarily seen by a student therapist. Aggregated point prevalence estimates of key demographic characteristics of studies contributing to benchmarks were provided.ResultsRCT CBT produced higher effect sizes than student clinics, but similar rates of clinically significant change. The application of benchmarking to CTAD illustrated that evaluations of student psychologist effectiveness would differ depending on the benchmark used.ConclusionWe have provided best‐available benchmarks for evaluating student‐led adult outpatient CBT which we encourage other student clinics to adopt. The benchmarking approach provided a profile of CTAD's strengths and weaknesses. Examples of how benchmark comparisons could be used to inform service improvement were provided.

Growing a Culturally Responsive Tertiary Programme in Psychology

This paper provides a description of a postgraduate clinical psychology training programme's journey towards becoming more biculturally responsive and how the learnings from this have been applied to the wider Department of Psychology at the University of Canterbury (UC), Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). The paper includes a discussion of cultural competency, and frameworks which have been proposed as a way to blend Western and Māori knowledge and clinical and cultural practices. The reasons for introducing the changes, the process of change and the actual changes are described, together with a discussion of the outcomes of the changes. Key principles in undertaking the changes were that it was considered important that the process that was seen as an ongoing journey. Further guiding principles were that a graded, integrated approach was required, undertaken in partnership with Māori, and with a commitment to biculturalism before multiculturalism.

#SportToo: Implications of and Best Practice for the #MeToo Movement in Sport

The #MeToo movement has brought long needed attention to the epidemic of sexual assault and sexual violence. In the world of sports, the need to prevent and address such acts requires individuals with training in clinical, forensic and sport psychology. These professionals must have particular understanding of the dynamics of sexual violence within the athletic and sport culture. This paper serves to highlight context-specific approaches to pertinent identification and treatment issues. An overview of sexual abuse victim and perpetrator identification will be offered. In addition to the introduction of risk assessment and recommendation of comprehensive prevention programming, treatment needs in the athletic context will be explored. Group-level interventions currently being utilized will be reviewed, recommended topic areas to be covered in protocols will be enumerated and suggestions for systemic and cultural change in the sport domain will be offered.

Does feedback improve psychotherapy outcomes compared to treatment-as-usual for adults and youth?

Objective: Client-informed outcome feedback has consistently been shown to enhance psychotherapy outcomes for adults, particularly for clients at risk of treatment failure. However, there is a paucity of studies examining feedback in youth psychotherapy. Specifically, there is no research examining the feedback effect of the Youth-Outcome Questionnaire [Burlingame, G. M., Wells, M. G., & Lambert, M. J. (1996). The youth outcome questionnaire. Stevenson, MD: American Professional Credentialing Services.], despite the dominance of the adult version of the measure (Outcome Questionnaire-45 [Lambert, M. J., & Burlingame, G. M. (1996). Outcome questionnaire 45.2. Wilmington, DE: American Professional Credentialing Services.]) in adult feedback studies. Method: The effectiveness results for adult (N = 398) and youth clients (N = 397) attending psychotherapy at two psychology training clinics are presented and benchmarked against treatment-as-usual (for adults and youth) and feedback (for adults). Results: Psychotherapy with a feedback-informed approach was more effective than treatment-as-usual benchmarks, with 50% of adults and 64% of youth significantly improving after psychotherapy. Rates of adult improvement were similar to feedback-informed benchmarks, although the current sample had a higher rate of deterioration. There are no previously identified feedback-informed benchmarks for the Y-OQ, making this sample the first benchmark for future studies. Conclusions: Results support the benefits of feedback at enhancing psychotherapy outcomes for adults, and replicate this finding in a youth sample. Results also replicate that trainee psychotherapists can be as effective as licenced psychotherapists.