"Graduate training...in Canada": Comment.

Comments on the original article by Dr. Park O. Davidson (see record 2007-02137-003) on "Graduate training and research funding for clinical psychology in Canada." Davidson has made some excellent recommendations regarding the nature of graduate training and research funding in psychology, and then has negated the effectiveness of such recommendations for social relevancy in community services by ignoring the spectrum of psychological services required and by restricting himself to a rather sterile Eysenckian model. Dr. Davidson's general recommendations regarding graduate training in clinical psychology are sensible and long overdue--less extreme specialization in Ph.D. programs, greater knowledge of problems of applied settings for research, more interdisciplinary training, broader methodology, more effective internship and practicum training, a community psychology program, and more effective bridging research. However when the needed spectrum of services for people is considered, there is an obvious need for psychologists who can share in the assessment and treatment of problems in human functioning beyond the technician level. Manpower needs will never be adequately met until service personnel and University personnel can share in the what, why and how of professional training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical psychology in Poland.

Discusses the history and current practice of clinical psychology in Poland, focusing on recent developmental trends and the educational standards and practices used in the training of Polish clinical psychologists. The preparation of students for the Magister (master's degree) in clinical psychology includes basic courses in psychology, specialization in 1 of 4 clinical areas (adult clinical, child clinical, neuropsychology, or forensic psychology), sensitivity training, and on-site practicum training. Doctoral work includes research and often emphasizes teaching more than in the US. Settings in which clinical psychologists work, programs in which they are involved, and the orientation or style of their work are described. Differences in psychological practices between Eastern and Western countries are examined in the context of sociocultural and political differences. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a clinical child psychology training program.

Growing interest in clinical child psychology has led to concern for appropriate training for the field. An example is presented of a graduate-level specialty training program that is heavily based on a scientist–practitioner model, that integrates clinical and developmental psychology perspectives, and that responds to expanded roles for clinical child psychologists. Issues to be considered in the development of such a program are noted. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Traumatic stress, disaster psychology, and graduate education: Reflections on the special section and recommendations for professional psychology training.

The articles appearing in this special section highlight disaster psychology as a typically neglected aspect of the clinical curriculum, the challenges of operationalizing efficacy measures for program evaluation, and the personal and professional impact of disaster exposure. The authors review literature suggesting the importance of training in disaster psychology. The authors also offer a framework for promoting competency among future psychologists who may serve and conduct research in disaster-affected communities and describe the clinical/disaster psychology specialization within the University of South Dakota's doctoral clinical psychology program as an example of how disaster-related curriculums, research, and practicums may be integrated into existing predoctoral training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the expansion of professional psychology.

"My aim has been to discuss some of the effects which present-day training in clinical psychology may have upon the role and identity of professional psychologists; how the consequences of professional expansion and the interaction with other groups affect training programs in psychology; and how in turn the circumstances of the latter, by determining the range and quality of experiences, may affect the intellectual and professional orientation of clinical psychologists." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Survey of current clinical and research trends in clinical psychology.

Surveyed directors of 115 clinical PhD and PsyD psychology programs with accreditation from the American Psychological Association to explore trends in the training of clinical psychologists. The most popular area of clinical research appeared to be behavioral medicine/health psychology. The most popular specialty clinics allowing training in a specific domain of clinical psychology were family therapy, behavioral medicine, neuropsychology/rehabilitation, and couples therapy. Ss in PhD programs were more likely than those in PsyD programs to subscribe to a cognitive-behavioral/social-learning orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA and (AP)–2.

Psychology developed 100 yrs ago as a laboratory "science," and there was no real interest in application until World War I. After World War I, psychology became more applied, but after World War II it exploded as clinical psychology. Clinical psychologists sought a professional society in the state psychological associations and eventually gained the support of the American Psychological Association (APA). The author emphasizes that, although basic and applied training procedures parallel the medical model, clinical psychologists are not junior psychiatrists and that they make a unique contribution because of their training in research and statistics. The author further states that their contributions should be supported by all psychologists for the benefit of everyone, including academic psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A training model for psychologists with prescription privileges: Clinical pharmacopsychologists.

Presents a training model for prescribing psychologists. Training for independent psychology practitioners is modeled after a training program drafted by the International Neuropsychological Society-Division 40 Task Force for Neuropsychology. In the proposed model, the prescribing psychologist is trained as a specialist within clinical psychology. The term used to describe this specialist, clinical pharmacopsychologist, emphasizes psychology as the underlying field and is homologous with clinical neuropsychologist. Not all clinical psychologists will have this privilege because it is a specialty in its own right, which requires specific didactic and experiential training. During the transition period before the appearance of clinical pharmacopsychologists on clinical psychology faculties, prospective prescribing psychologists will obtain specialty training primarily in medical settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Department of Defense Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project: An evolving program for postdoctoral education in psychology.

In 1991, the Department of Defense (DoD) initiated a program designed to train doctoral-level psychologists to prescribe psychotropic medications. The program is housed in the psychology department at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC); trainees receive didactic instruction at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and clinical training through the departments of psychology and psychiatry at WRAMC and Malcolm Grow Air Force Medical Center. Since its inception, the training curriculum has evolved from a standard medical school, basic sciences sequence to a tailored program designed specifically to meet the goal of training psychologists to become proficient in the independent use of psychopharmacological agents. To date, the program and its curriculum have not been described in detail in the literature. This article provides an archival reference of the DoD program by means of a review of successive versions of the curriculum and a comparison of these versions to other published models for training psychologists to this end. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating the real and academic worlds: An experienced-based research training model.

Notes that a shift toward more applied settings of employment among research psychologists has focused attention on the need to develop training models to prepare psychologists for careers in applied/evaluative research. A research practicum course sequence is suggested as a training device for developing applied skills during graduate training. The research practica in a doctoral program in applied research and evaluation are described. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology in Mexico.

Describes the growth and changes that have occurred in the development of psychology in Mexico since 1964. Universities offering training in psychology have increased from 5-20. The orientation which had previously been strictly psychoanalytic and philosophical is now including experimental and applied psychology, based on a behavioral orientation. The University of Veracruz is initiating behaviorally oriented research programs and an international invitation exchange program. It is hoped that this program will eventually lead to graduate programs for the MA and PhD degrees since a "Psychologist" degree, which is earned in a 5-yr program, has been the only one previously offered. The University has recently instituted a program giving partial financial support to those who wish to study abroad for advanced degrees. A Mexican Psychological Society has been formed with the aim of publishing the 1st Mexican journal of psychological research as soon as possible. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On psychological identity and training: Boulder is better for rehabilitation psychology.

This article addresses issues of training in applied psychology, generally, and rehabilitation psychology, specifically. The long-term success and growth of rehabilitation psychology will depend, in part, on how the field answers the following questions: How do rehabilitation psychologists define their area of competence? How is this competence to be achieved? A review of recent literature suggests that rehabilitation psychology has yet to resolve fully the fundamental issues of a young subspecialty: identity, training, and long-term direction. We maintain that the scientist-practitioner model should continue to be the framework for training future rehabilitation psychologists. Furthermore, subspecialty and cross discipline training should be completed following core training in an appropriate specialty of psychology (i.e., counseling or clinical). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Practicum training for pediatric psychologists: A case study.

Describes a university-based practicum training program in pediatric psychology that represents a collaborative effort of the 2 areas of clinical and developmental psychology, as well as joint efforts between pediatric residents and pediatric psychology students. The academic component of the training involves shared course work between psychologists and pediatric residents. The clinical component includes consultation, assessment, and short-term treatment of children with combined medical, developmental, and psychological problems. An evaluation of the training program using several effectiveness indicators is presented. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology in clinical health psychology: The impact of specialty perspective.

Not all clinical health psychologists are trained as clinical psychologists. A significant minority is trained and identifies as counseling psychologists. As a field, it is important to understand how the specialty-specific values, training context, scholarship, and parameters of practice of counseling psychology contribute to clinical health psychology. In this article, we (a) identify the core values and training context of counseling psychology, (b) review the scholarly history of clinical health psychology by counseling psychologists, (c) present the parameters of practice of clinical health psychology as identified from the extant counseling psychology literature, and (d) examine American Psychological Association membership status to investigate joint membership in the Division of Health Psychology and the Society of Counseling Psychology. Conclusions indicate that (a) an identifiable set of core values guides the training of counseling psychologists, (b) scholarly literature by counseling psychologists has contributed to the growth and development of clinical health psychology, and (c) parameters of practice reflect the specialty-specific perspective of counseling psychology. As professional psychology continues to grow as a health care profession, clinical health psychology will benefit from the knowledge, values, attitudes, competencies, and practice parameters of counseling psychology, and counseling psychology will benefit from recognizing what it brings to the practice of clinical health psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Boulder Model: History, rationale, and critique.

Although the current philosophy of education in clinical psychology allows for the existence of a program of training clinical psychologists who primarily want to be practitioners in conjunction with the more traditional scientist-practitioner (Boulder model) program, the controversy over the value of the 2 types of program continues. The criticism of the Boulder model is that the rationale for requiring clinical psychology students to learn to do research as well as train to be clinicians was spurious; the Boulder model trains students as researchers, a role that is incompatible with their interests and abilities. The history of the development of the Boulder model is reviewed together with data regarding the personality traits, interests, and abilities of people interested in research as opposed to service work. Findings indicate that the objections of the critics are well founded. (6 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Committee on the Scientific and Professional Aims of Psychology: Preliminary Report.

"This report concerns some of the issues involved in the increasing diversification of psychology." Focus was "on problems of professionalization in clinical psychology in order: (a) to deal with the problems involving the largest number of psychologists, and (b) to make it possible to speak more specifically about issues." The "training of clinical psychologists for the practice of psychotherapy should be established as a new doctoral program within the university." Interdisciplinary training is encouraged. "Generally we favor awarding a degree other than the PhD at the end of such doctoral training." "None of the present models for training of psychotherapists, whether within clinical psychology, medicine, or social work, are satisfactory means for developing competent practitioners able to meet the needs or expectations of society." Guidelines for legislation are suggested. It was suggested that "perhaps as much as 50% of the [APA Convention] program should be composed of invited talks and papers which would be either integrative in their nature or which would open up new areas in which significant advances are being made." The Committee has proposed suggestions rather than solutions to problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sport psychology in the profession of psychology.

Historically, sport psychology has been identified with physical education; however, recent developments in the field toward applied issues have substantially expanded psychologists' interests and opportunities. Unfortunately, little is known about professional psychologists' involvement in sport psychology practice, research, and training. Therefore, a national survey of 500 male and 500 female psychologists (American Psychological Association Division 12 members) was conducted. Based on 489 responses, results indicated that psychologists (a) were uninvolved in sport psychology research and teaching and (b) had received minimal training or supervision in the field. Despite this absence of sport science training, many had consulted with (22%) or provided individual therapy to (48%) athletes or sport teams. Implications for psychology training and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new role for psychologists—Hospital Ethics Committees.

Over the past decade psychology has begun to appreciate that it represents more than "merely mental health care" and has become increasingly involved in the generic health care arena. The participation of psychologists in Hospital Ethics Committees (HECs) is presented as a professional activity for which psychologists are particularly well suited. The clinical mission of HECs, the historical importance of ethical considerations to psychology, and the field's specific training and psycho-social expertise suggest valuable contributions that psychologists can make in this particular area. Further, as psychology actively increases its participation in HECs, other professional disciplines outside of the mental field will systematically have the opportunity to become more familiar with psychology and its clinical and research expertise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)