Counseling Psychology Training Research Articles

Integrated Behavioral Health Curriculum in Counseling Psychology Training Programs

Effective training in integrated behavioral health requires systematic, interprofessional education that is anchored in competencies. We describe core learning objectives, competencies, and strategies for assessing counseling psychology trainees in integrated health care settings. Two programs that have transformed their training to emphasize interprofessional and primary care competencies of psychological practice are presented, along with their training goals and didactic and experiential curricular activities. We describe the assessment of student learning, accompanied by program adjustments implemented to improve student outcomes. We conclude with a call for counseling psychologists to ensure student competency development as members of the interprofessional health care workforce.

Experiences of Early Career Counseling Psychologists Working in Integrated Health Care

Psychologists are increasingly represented among interprofessional health care teams, yet little is known about counseling psychologists who fulfill these roles. We interviewed 13 early career counseling psychologists in different settings across the country about their roles and functions, the nature of their relationships with other health professionals, and counseling psychology identity and values. Results showed that counseling psychologists perform a variety of duties by adapting their counseling psychology training to medical settings, and that they find this work both challenging and rewarding. Participants incorporated traditional counseling psychology pillars of prevention, diversity, social justice, and strength-based interventions to make contributions to patient and community care in integrated health care settings. Implications for training and future research are discussed.

The ripple effect: Exploring the impact of therapeutic endings upon trainee counselling psychologists

The ripple effect: Exploring the impact of therapeutic endings upon trainee counselling psychologists

Using For Colored Girls as a Creative Way to Help Me Understand How Empathic I Am

ABSTRACTThe author of this mixed-method research study explored the use of the movie, For Colored Girls, as a creative way to promote and understand how empathy emerged among 20 masters-level counseling psychology trainees. The trainees viewed two video monologues from the movie For Colored Girls (Perry, 2010) and then completed the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) (as a pre-and posttest measure and empathy self-rating scale), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and several open-ended questions and outcome questions. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference between TEQ pre-and posttest measures and a statistically significant positive correlation between self-rating empathy levels on the IRI subscales. Several themes emerged, and the value of using featured films as a creative activity are discussed.

Mental Health and Advising on the College Campus

Students having mental health concerns are a significant reality for the university campus. Advisers are likely to see a growing trend of increasingly severe mental health problems while advising students. Warning signs of abnormal behaviors are usually evident. The mental health disorders of depression and anxiety are highly recognized as occurring on college campuses, but advisers see many other disorders regularly in our student advisees. Learning what constitutes abnormal behavior will assist student advisees. This article is a means to educate advisers about the identification of abnormal behaviors and assist in their planning for advising students with mental health problems. Let me begin by stating that I am currently a faculty adviser at a small university in the south. However, my professional education is in Counseling Psychology and mental health. My training and experience in counseling psychology have provided me with the ability to recognize mental health illnesses and abnormality of behaviors. This article will provide some basic signs to watch for and identify as symptomology of potential mental health problems. These may be evident as overt behavioral displays or reports from your advisees. As an adviser, you will have student advisees who are experiencing or displaying mental health issues. There are oftentimes situations in which an advisee will describe symptoms that they are experiencing which sound unusual, detrimental, atypical, or even frightening. Symptomology can range from relatively mild feelings of stress, exhaustion, or fatigue all the way to severe and extreme indications of suicidality or psychoticism. A student advisee may arrive in your office for advising confused and unsure of how to gain assistance for their mental health concerns. Your role as an adviser for students is not only to help the advisee with choosing a major to study or selecting a class section. Instead, your role as an adviser may also include aiding student advisees who are in need of support, and that assistance may sometimes include mental health concerns.

Sexuality training in counseling psychology

ABSTRACT The United States (U.S.) is characterized by some of the poorest sexual health outcomes in the industrialized world, as indicated by the teen and unplanned pregnancy rates, rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and occurrence of sexual dysfunction. Many people seek psychotherapy for sex-related concerns, yet little is known about the specific education psychologists receive during their training regarding sex. Existing research has largely been conducted in Canada and among clinical psychologists. While studies have revealed that few applied psychology graduate programs offer training in sexuality, very little is known about the specific content areas covered by those programs who do offer this training. We surveyed faculty from 38 counseling psychology doctoral programs primarily in the U.S. Results indicated that relatively few programs offer comprehensive training in sexuality with particular areas such as sex therapy, sexual expression, and reproductive health especially unlikely to be covered. Commonly covered topics included sexual development, sexual orientation and gender identity, intimacy, sexual trauma and abuse, and intersectionality. Implications for training and future research are offered.

Tick-boxes and technologisation: Concerns for counselling psychology training

Tick-boxes and technologisation: Concerns for counselling psychology training

Do doctoral training programmes actively promote a culture of self-care among clinical and counselling psychology trainees?

ABSTRACTDespite frequent calls for the importance of self-care among both novice and practicing psychologists, evidence suggests that training institutions have done little to actively promote a culture of self-care among trainees. The current study examined self-care-related policies and practices in all the clinical and counselling psychology graduate programmes currently accredited by the British Psychological Society. Training handbooks and related programme material were evaluated for a mention of search terms related to self-care. Of the 46 programmes sampled, material was available online for 43 (93.5%) of them. “Personal development” was the most frequently occurring search term. Most of the programme material was well-developed and detailed, providing comprehensive information relating to self-care. Program material are evaluated and their strengths highlighted.

Being in-between: A model of cultural identity negotiation for emerging adult immigrants.

This qualitative study explored the cultural identity negotiation of young adult immigrants. Using a grounded theory research design, 10 semistructured interviews were conducted with emerging adult immigrants (EAI), ages 19-27. Results yielded a substantive model of cultural identity negotiation (MCIN) for EAI and posited that One's Motivation and Sense of Agency to Negotiate Cultural Identity is at the core of how participants navigate their cultural identities. This model included 6 major categories: (a) Family Cultural Rigidity; (b) Connections Specific to Canada; (c) Connection to a Same Cultured Community; (d) Sense of Permanency; (e) Desire to Preserve Culture of Origin; (f) Desire to Fit in to Canadian Culture, as well as 2 overarching factors (Dimension of Time and Dimension of Age), which were found to be influential on participants' cultural identity negotiation. The model also included the identification of 4 approaches to cultural identity negotiation: (a) Blended; (b) Dual; (c) Disconnected; and (d) Intermediate. The MCIN for EAI is discussed in terms of the current literature on cultural identity formation as well as implications for counseling psychology training and practice. Recommendations for further research are also suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record

Implementing Social Change: A Qualitative Analysis of Counseling Psychologists’ Engagement in Advocacy

In recent years, many counseling psychology training programs in the United States have adopted social justice principles into training. Although previous studies have provided thought-provoking discussions on social justice advocacy, they mostly reflected the voices of psychologists in academia; therefore, the advocacy work of practitioners has been neglected. In order to explore the advocacy experiences of counseling psychologists in practice, we utilized qualitative content analysis to analyze semistructured interviews with 11 practitioners who were trained in social justice-oriented counseling psychology doctoral programs. The findings were clustered under three domains: (a) participants’ development of a social justice orientation, (b) different ways of implementing advocacy in practice, and (c) positioning advocacy in psychology. The interviews depicted resources and challenges with regard to integrating advocacy into practice indicating that counseling psychologists continue to struggle with systemic barriers that limit their advocacy actions. We discuss implications for research, practice, and training in counseling psychology.

Counseling Psychology Model Training Program

The counseling psychology Model Training Program (MTP) was written to reflect new developments in counseling psychology, the American Psychological Association, and the world. The updated MTP is aspirational, intended to guide the development and maintenance of counseling psychology programs. The MTP conforms to the American Psychological Association’s and the Society of Counseling Psychology’s standards and guidelines. A strategic task group appointed by 2015 Society president James W. Lichtenberg sought feedback from the field to assist in its formulation, and the executive boards of the Society and the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs approved the final version. The 2017 MTP consists of four core values (i.e., growth toward full potential, holistic and contextual, diversity and social justice, communitarian perspective) as well as 20 principles grouped into six clusters: counseling psychology identity; multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice; health service psychology; developmental, prevention, and strengths orientation; science–practice integration; and relationships within and between professional communities.

A Cross‐Cultural Comparison of U.S. and Japanese Trainees’ Emotion‐Recognition Ability

AbstractThis study investigated the ability of non‐Hispanic White U.S. counseling psychology trainees and Japanese clinical psychology trainees to recognize facially expressed emotions. Researchers proposed that an in‐group advantage for emotion recognition would occur, women would have higher emotion‐recognition accuracy than men, and participants would vary in their emotion‐intensity ratings. Sixty White U.S. students and 60 Japanese students viewed photographs of non‐Hispanic White U.S. and Japanese individuals expressing emotions and completed a survey assessing emotion‐recognition ability and emotion‐intensity ratings. Two four‐way mixed‐factor analyses of variance were performed, examining effects of participant nationality/race, participant gender, poser nationality/race, and poser gender on emotion‐recognition accuracy scores and intensity ratings. Results did not support the in‐group advantage hypothesis, rather, U.S. participants had higher accuracy rates than Japanese trainees overall. No gender differences in accuracy were found. However, respondents varied in their intensity ratings across gender and nationality. Implications for training applied psychology students and for future research are presented.

Advocating for advocacy: An exploratory survey on student advocacy skills and training in counseling psychology.

Advocating for advocacy: An exploratory survey on student advocacy skills and training in counseling psychology.

Black Lives Matter: A Call to Action for Counseling Psychology Leaders.

Police brutality and widespread systemic racism represent historical and current sources of trauma in Black communities. Both the Black Lives Matter movement and counseling psychology propose to confront these realities at multiple levels. Black Lives Matter seeks to increase awareness about systemic racism and promote resilience among Black people. Counseling psychology states values of multiculturalism, social justice, and advocacy. Executive leadership in counseling psychology may seek to promote racial justice, yet struggle with how to participate in Black Lives Matter movements and address racial discrimination within larger systems spontaneously and consistently. However, counseling psychology trainees and professionals are actively involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, leading the way forward. Through the framework of spontaneity in social movements, this manuscript highlights what counseling psychologists are currently contributing to Black Lives Matter and makes recommendations that build on the opportunity counseling psychologists have for further involvement in the movement.

Professional Burnout, Early Maladaptive Schemas, and Physical Health in Clinical and Counselling Psychology Trainees.

Little is known about the personal factors that increase vulnerability to job-related stress and burnout among psychologists in training. This study was based on a large international sample and aimed to explore the role of early maladaptive schemas (EMS) in predicting vulnerability to burnout, as well as attendant effects on short-term physical health, in clinical and counseling postgraduate psychology trainees. An online, quantitative, cross-sectional survey method design was used to collect self-report data that measured burnout, EMS, and physical health from 1,297 trainees. Only the unrelenting standards (US) schema predicted high burnout among trainees. The most commonly endorsed physical health symptoms were back and neck pain and tiredness, and were more severe for those experiencing high burnout. The current study contributes to our understanding of the role of the US EMS in the evolution of burnout in trainees and has implications for the development of self-awareness training programs for this population.

Graduate Counseling Psychology Training in Sex and Sexuality: An Exploratory Analysis

In this manuscript, we explore the need for inclusion of sex-positivity training in counseling psychology doctoral program curricula. We surveyed 25 counseling psychology doctoral program administrators throughout the United States and asked about the inclusion of human sexuality coursework and training opportunities as well as sex positivity within their curricula. We report our findings, noting the number of programs that include human sexuality coursework, incorporate sex positivity, discuss sex positivity, and discuss sex positivity from a multicultural lens. The implications of these findings for research, practice, training, and advocacy within counseling psychology are discussed.

Personal therapy for therapists: Reflections on past and current research from an autoethnographic perspective

The following article will describe and reflect on a research study that was published in Counselling Psychology Quarterly in 2011, entitled ‘Personal Therapy as a Mandatory Requirement for Counselling Psychologists in Training: A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Therapy on Trainees’ Personal and Professional Development.’ The aim of the study was to explore trainee counselling psychologists’ experiences of mandatory personal therapy, and the impact it had on their personal and professional development. This article is written from an autoethnographic perspective. Autoethnography is a research method which allows authors to define, explain and methodically evaluate their personal experiences of being part of a particular culture, over a prolonged period of time. The use of the dialogue approach has allowed the study to be presented as an interview or a conversation that has taken place between two people. The article concentrates on three areas of autoethnography: firstly, sincerity which is interested in the author’s objectives and the ways in which a study is designed, carried out, and presented. Secondly, contribution is about the significance of participants’ stories and the ways in which they are interpreted. The standard of any research study is judged on the extent to which the work has furthered knowledge and understanding of a particular subject area. Thirdly, rich insight, involves an idiosyncratic process of self-reflection for the researcher to gain insight into their area of interest.

Dalle origini al futuro della PCP. Intervista a Franz R. Epting

Franz Ryan Epting is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He received his B.A. from Millsaps College and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, where, as a graduate student, he had the opportunity to study with George Kelly. In 1989 he served as the chairperson of the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs in the United States. In 2000 he received a lifetime achievement award from the North American Personal Construct Network.[14] In 2008 he received the Abraham Maslow award from the American Psychological Association Society for Humanistic Psychology.

Interprofessional immersion: Use of interprofessional education collaborative competencies in side-by-side training of family medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and counselling psychology trainees

ABSTRACTWhile supported by the Affordable Care Act, in the United States, interprofessional training often takes place after healthcare providers graduate and are practicing in the field. This article describes the implementation and evaluation of an interprofessional training for graduate-level healthcare trainees. A group of interprofessional healthcare faculty provided a weeklong interprofessional immersion for doctoral-level healthcare trainees (n = 24) in Pharmacy, Counselling Psychology, Nursing, and Family Medicine residents. Healthcare faculty and staff from each profession worked side-by-side to provide integrated training utilising the Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competency domains. Trainees were placed into small teams with representatives from each profession; each team observed, learned, and practiced working within teams to provide quality patient care. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to identify the effect of the training on trainees’ self-reported team skills, as well as the extent to which the trainees learned and utilised the competencies. The results suggest that after completing the training, trainees felt more confident in their ability to work within an interprofessional team and more likely to utilise a team-based approach in the future.

A discursive analysis of White trainee counselling psychologists’ experience in racial difference

Content & FocusThis study has investigated how White trainee counselling psychologists construct their experience of training in the area of racial difference, and how they discursively explore and negotiate their own potential for racial prejudice within the therapeutic encounter. This study attempts to offer some insight into the available discourses and their role in the creation of subject positions that the trainees come to occupy.MethodUsing the framework of Critical Discursive Psychology (CDP), data from eight interviews and two focus groups have been discursively analysed and are presented as one of an ever-evolving number of possible analyses. The study consisted of four female and four male participants, ranging in age from 28–57 years, who were between their second and fourth year of training.FindingsThe present analysis of the data has found that as the participants grapple with their professional identities as counselling psychologists in training, they inhabit one of three seemingly omnipresent discursive fields; ‘colour-blindness’, ‘interculturalism’ and ‘pluralism’. These fields offer the trainees alternative constructions of practice that are drawn on depending on which professional representation appears to be at stake. In particular, the participants struggle to balance the desire for value free openness associated with a pluralistic approach, alongside a need for professional competency. This professional competency is characterised by a dependence upon generalised understandings of racialised groups as supported by an intercultural perspective.ConclusionIt is argued that the multifaceted epistemological roots of counselling psychology leave much open to interpretation. Discursive fields are occupied interchangeably and supported by ideologies that are seemingly ill-defined. The present study would argue that the result is a basis for practice that runs the risk of alternating between privileging and excluding difference, whilst espousing an apparent integrity presented within the theory of pluralism.