Selecting a doctoral program in professional psychology: Some comparisons among PhD counseling, PhD clinical, and PsyD clinical psychology programs.

Directors of American Psychological Association-accredited doctoral programs in counseling psychology (95% response) and clinical psychology (99% response) provided data regarding number of applications, credentials of incoming students, rates of acceptance, and the theoretical orientations and research areas of the faculty. The acceptance rates of PhD clinical and PhD counseling psychology programs were comparable (6% vs. 8%), despite the higher number of applications (270 vs. 130) to clinical programs. Compared with clinical students, counseling students were more likely to represent ethnic minorities and have master's degrees, but were otherwise similar in academic credentials. Clinical faculty were more likely to be involved in research with pathological populations and associated with medical settings, whereas counseling faculty were more involved in research concerning career processes, human diversity, and professional issues. These results should alert applicants and their advisors to robust differences across these specializations and should enhance matching between programs and students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating trainees relative to their supervisors during the psychology internship.

In the prevalent clinical training model, experienced clinicians provide direct supervision for apprentice trainee/interns. The literature provides some indications of what and how evaluations of training could be conducted. This literature is reviewed, and guidelines are offered for developing an evaluation package to provide ongoing (a) performance evaluation of internship training and (b) data collection to support psychotherapy research within the training program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inservice training for clinical supervisors.

Clinical supervisors have had to rely heavily on their training as psychotherapists to meet their responsibilities as supervisors. A 2-day training program in supervision skills designed to broaden the repertoire and enhance the professional development of practicing supervisors is described. The training laboratory is divided into 3 parts: (a) examination of baseline supervisor behaviors, with particular attention given to focus and role; (b) presentation of 4 distinct models of supervision (Discrimination, Interpersonal Process Recall, Microtraining, and Live Supervision); and (c) training in ethical/legal issues, which includes evaluation, emergency situations, and ethical and/or legal dilemmas. The in-service training program is designed to give participants an opportunity to practice the skills presented. Furthermore, an attempt is made to integrate the laboratory materials so that the supervisor is trained to use different behaviors discriminately. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training graduate students to be clinical supervisors: A survey of Canadian professional psychology programmes.

Recognising the need for training in clinical supervision, the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) requires that accredited professional psychology programmes offer graduate students training in supervision. To fill a gap in the existing supervision literature, we surveyed training directors (or designates) of CPA accredited clinical and counselling programmes to understand how this training standard is currently being met in the area of clinical supervision. Responses were obtained from 20 of 28 programmes (71.4% response rate). Approximately 50% of respondents indicated that their programmes required some coursework related to clinical supervision, with wide variability, however, in the number of hours of coursework provided to students (range 3 to 39). Most courses included lectures and group discussion, but also often provided students with practical experience in clinical supervision provision. Only 25% of programmes required a practicum in which students gained experience in clinically supervising other students, although an additional 40% of programmes offered an elective practicum in which students gained some training in clinical supervision. Most programmes (~71%) identified strategies for improving training in clinical supervision (e.g., improving course work, requiring practical experience), but also identified challenges to offering clinical supervision training (e.g., availability of skilled supervisors, insufficient time to devote to supervision, student competency). Based on the findings, we offer some recommendations for how training in clinical supervision could be improved in Canadian professional psychology programmes as well as describe some important directions for future research in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Promoting clinical expertise in academic faculty supervisors.

Surveyed 71 training clinic directors at American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited clinical psychology doctoral programs to determine the role of departmental policies in encouraging clinical faculty to maintain and develop their clinical skills. Ss estimated the amount of current clinical faculty involvement in direct service work, the relationship between such involvement and effectiveness at clinical supervision, and the weight given to supervisory skill in departmental promotion and tenure decisions. Supervisory skill was positively related to the supervisor's level of current clinical activity. However, Ss in many programs felt that the quality of supervision was being ignored in tenure and promotion determinations. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

PhD and MA clinical psychologists and MSWs in public mental health settings: A nationwide comparison.

Presents results of a nationwide survey of 402 public mental health facility directors that solicited information and opinions comparing the employment opportunities, salaries, duties, and job skills of doctoral and subdoctoral clinical psychologists and MSWs. Results indicate that although all groups are in demand in the marketplace, receive competitive salaries, and are evaluated as competent service providers, subdoctoral clinicians consistently fall behind MSWs on all dimensions, and both, in turn, fall behind doctoral-level clinical psychologists. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microaggressions by supervisors of color.

Supervisors of color are not only targets of discrimination but also perpretators. The denial of supervisees’ identities reveals a lack of respect and empathy, creating significant barriers to a good supervisory relationship. An area of professional development for supervisors of color is understanding the diverse identities of our supervisees, who are increasingly multiethnic and transnational. Supervisors of color also need the opportunity to examine their experiences of microaggressions both as sender and receiver and reflect on their own identities and how they impede or enhance the quality of supervision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on the clinical internship application process.

Suggests ways the application process for internships in clinical psychology could be improved. The present author recommends additional items that could be included in the directory of internship centers, the establishment of a national application deadline date, guidelines regarding the time frame within which interviews are conducted and the proportion of applicants invited for on-site interviews, and caveats against internship sites requiring feedback from applicants far in advance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Doctoral internship training opportunities in clinical geropsychology.

What types of internship training opportunities are there for psychology graduate students interested in working with older adults? The authors summarize characteristics of 65 doctoral psychology internships self-identified as offering training opportunities in clinical geropsychology. The internships appear to have the resources, staff, training placements, and training experiences that are at least adequate, and in most programs, much more than adequate, for generalist training in aging. Internship programs at facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs compose a major resource in clinical geropsychology training. Practical suggestions are offered to graduate students interested in obtaining geropsychology training during internship and to internship program directors who may want to offer such training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Standardization versus individualization in the clinical internship.

The roles of standardization and individualization in internship training are examined. Several areas in which standardization may be useful are identified. These include ones in which it facilitates clear communication and information sharing. Individualization is needed to take account of interns' unique patterns of training needs and rates of personal and professional development. A developmental model of training and supervision may facilitate this individualization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Educational backgrounds of clinical neuropsychologists in APA-approved internship sites.

Surveyed the educational backgrounds and related postdoctoral experiences of 122 current instructors of clinical neuropsychology in American Psychological Association (APA)-approved internship programs to determine how closely their training approximated the minimal standards for practitioners of clinical neuropsychology proposed by the International Neuropsychological Society (INS)/Division 40 of the APA. Overall, the training of internship instructors in clinical neuropsychology was better than that reported in a previous survey of predoctoral instructors. Findings suggest a need for further development of formal postdoctoral training experiences in clinical neuropsychology as a means of fulfilling the spirit of the INS training guidelines. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple relations in supervision: Guidance for administrators, supervisors, and students.

As fiduciaries, supervisors are to act on behalf of their supervisees; there are at least 10 provisions in the American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002) that provide guidance for those in this role. Unfortunately, there are many questions the APA Ethics Code does not answer with regard to multiple relations in supervision. The authors address a variety of problems that can arise in this professional context and offer guidance for administrators, practitioners, and students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Strategies for selecting and securing the predoctoral clinical internship of choice.

Discusses the goals that need to be considered in selecting a clinical internship site, procedures involved in applications and interviews, and the need for preparation in both the academic and personal realms. A carefully planned transition will likely result in a positive experience for both the intern and the site. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of internship directors toward preinternship training and clinical training models.

A survey of 179 internship directors revealed considerable dissatisfaction concerning university preparation in clinical skills. Interns are seen by many as not well prepared in assessment or psychotherapeutic activities, and university training in these areas frequently failed to improve over 3 yrs. Nevertheless, there was little sentiment to abandon the scientist/practitioner training model in favor of either university-based PsyD programs or free-standing professional schools. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patients' sexual behavior and sexual harassment: A survey of clinical supervisors.

How do clinical supervisors respond to supervisees' reports of sexualized or sexually harassing behaviors by patients? A survey of experienced supervisors was conducted to answer this question and to determine the incidence of such reports. A substantial number of participants reported receiving at least 1 report of patient sexual harassment of a supervisee. Reports ranged from persistent inappropriate sexual comments to physical sexual assaults. Supervisors' responses ranged from supervisory discussions to active interventions. Clinical supervisors must acknowledge the potential for supervisees to be sexually harassed by patients and incorporate strategies to deal with harassment in their training programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The clinical internship: A call for national standards.

Comments on the differences in stipends, supervision, number of days allotted for leave, titles, and others items related to clinical internships at various training sites and suggests that the establishment of minimum national standards for approved sites should be considered by the Association of Psychology Internship Centers and the American Psychological Association. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual behavior between clinical supervisors and trainees: Implications for professional standards.

Comments that sexual behavior between clinical supervisors and trainees presents a challenge to professional psychology. At least 4 areas need attention: the prevalence and nature of such sexual contact, its effects on clinical training, ethical implications, and the potential legal liability of supervisors who engage in sexual intimacies with trainees. The extent to which sexual behavior in the supervisory relationship may have negative effects on the teaching and learning of professional skills remains unknown until it becomes a legitimate subject of research and discussion. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA internship selection criteria: Relative importance of academic and clinical preparation.

Surveyed American Psychological Association (APA)-approved internships to assess what criteria are important to internship selection committees and to determine how much clinical experience is desired to make an applicant competitive. The survey also assessed the number of courses and amount of hours of supervised experience in both diagnostics and treatment that internships look for in preferred applicants. A brief questionnaire was sent to 120 APA-approved internships, which resulted in a response rate of 75%, or 90 respondents. Results show that internship training centers emphasize clinical training experience and personal qualifications over traditional academic achievements. In addition, internships look for substantially more hours of supervised clinical experience than the amount the minimum APA-accreditation criteria require. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)