Psychology in the Schools Training Program at the University of Minnesota.

Describes the 30-yr history of the Psychology in the Schools Training Program at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It is reported that a stable base of local professional support and national trends in favor of school psychology combined to create a healthy climate for training school psychologists as scientists and practitioners. The model includes assessment, intervention, research and evaluation, and applied experiences. The nature of the curriculum, the roots of current beliefs, and changes in future directions are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparing psychologists to work with children: A comparison of curricula in child-clinical and school psychology programs.

This study examined the curriculum requirements of APA-accredited PhD programs preparing psychologists to work with children. A category system for analyzing program curricula is presented. Substantial overlap was found in curriculum requirements between child-clinical and school psychology programs, particularly in "core" psychology, research methods, and intervention courses. Program types were best distinguished by more course work in consultation and education in school programs and more course work in psychopathology in child-clinical programs. Child-clinical trainees, on average, also undertook significantly more supervised experience. The observed commonalities between the program types suggest that a combined approach to training may be feasible. However, variations in requirements within program types make it difficult for the profession to articulate clearly the core competencies possessed by graduates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychology training at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Summarizes the development of a school psychology program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and presents principles that have influenced the model and components of training doctoral and specialist level school psychologists. The program was begun with a commitment to the scientist practitioner training model and has evolved to the conceptualization of the school psychologist as scientific problem solver. The current and future emphases of the program to prepare school psychologists for diverse professional roles also are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multilevel school consultation training: Preliminary program evaluation.

Recommends the acquisition of consultation skills for school psychologists but notes that this is a neglected area in the majority of training programs. To meet the need for training prototypes, a multilevel consultation training sequence with matched field experiences graduated by learning goals and previous skill development is proposed. Specifically, Level 1 of the consultation program and its matched field experience, consultation with student teachers, is evaluated as a viable means within a university setting by which novice consultants can practice diverse consultation skills. Evaluation data from 12 consultation students (doctoral candidates), student teachers, and student teaching supervisors support the effectiveness of the program for both consultants and consultees. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time management training for school psychologists.

Describes a program for training school psychologists in time management, which was derived from a behavioral problem-solving framework and can be used by a practitioner either alone or with initial assistance from a supervisor. It consists of 4 steps: orientation to time management, time management problem analysis, plan development and implementation, and plan evaluation. Utilization of the program by 2 school psychology practitioners appears to have increased the amount of time devoted to behavioral counseling and to planning and evaluation of individualized education programs, without decreasing quality of assessment services. The program was judged to be socially valid by 10 outside practitioners. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA Visiting Psychologist Program.

The Visiting Psychologist Program, sponsored by the American Psychological Association and supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, has two major goals: (1) to provide information on recent developments in the field to psychologists in service settings, and (2) to provide opportunities to visit and learn about field centers for psychologists with significant training, service, and research responsibilities. The specific goals of the program are to disseminate up-to-date knowledge of recent research findings and to demonstrate innovations in psychological procedures and techniques. The Visiting Psychologist Program, under which psychologists from universities and other training and service centers visit selected field settings, involves the careful selection of visiting psychologists who have something new and substantial to transmit to the field, and the determination of representative settings to be visited that do not have ready access to significant recent developments. Main topics discussed in this article include the following: (1) how the program functions; (2) selection of visiting psychologists; (3) selection of agencies; and (4) how to apply. (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)     

Clinical psychologists reflect on the usefulness of various components of graduate training.

Graduates of clinical training programs were surveyed to determine the degree to which they have found various graduate school experiences useful in their professional work. Samples of academic clinical psychologists and practicing clinical psychologists reported time allocation and preference for various professional activities, perceived usefulness of various theoretical orientations, and the influence on their current professional work of 19 different graduate training topics. Results suggest that where differences exist, academic clinical psychologists are generally more satisfied with Boulder-model-inspired scientific training than are clinical practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence on multicultural training in school psychology: Recommendations for future directions.

School psychology training programs are required to provide multicultural training to preservice school psychologists; however, trainers have had difficulty adequately including multicultural content into the curriculum. Thus, there is a gap between the requirements and the training that many school psychologists receive. Training programs have grappled with multicultural training because of difficulty identifying the structure and content of such training for school psychologists. To advance multicultural training in school psychology, guidance is needed regarding the content and structure necessary to adequately develop multicultural competence. Hence, the purpose of this article is to critically review the evidence on multicultural training in school psychology and provide a synthesis of the best evidence for preparing multiculturally competent school psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA Visiting Psychologist Program.

The Visiting Psychologist Program, sponsored by the APA and supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, has two major goals: (a) to provide information on recent developments in the field to psychologists in service settings, and (b) to provide opportunities to visit and learn about field centers for psychologists with significant training, service, and research responsibilities. The specific goals of the program are to disseminate up-to-date knowledge of recent research findings and to demonstrate innovations in psychological procedures and techniques. This program is discussed in further detail in this article. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists’ sexual education and training in graduate school.

The current study explored the sex education and training that clinical and counselling psychologists receive during graduate school, practicum placements and internship. There were 162 psychologists who completed an Internet survey. Although nearly all participants had received some form of education related to sexuality during their graduate training, the depth and breadth of training was limited and was not related to how long clinicians had been practising. Modelling and feedback appeared to be underutilized as training methods. Participants reported more training related to sexual problems (e.g., sexual violence, sexual disorders) than healthy sexuality (e.g., contraception, STIs/STDs). Sexuality-specific training experiences but not participant characteristics (e.g., gender, religiosity) or cognitive-affective factors predicted the amount of sex therapy experience gained during graduate school. This suggests that training programs may be largely responsible for the (limited) amount of sex education and training received by students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Difficulties in family practice residency training: Recommendations for training health psychologists in primary care settings.

We attempt to pursue a model for health psychologists by developing recommendations for behavioral science input into family practice residencies, gleaned from experiences of several health psychologists specifically trained to be directors of behavioral science programs of such medicine departments. This information is accumulated and based on a 7-year period at one university-based, inner-city program and two community-based hospitals. These recommendations are offered in the hope that health psychology training specialists will anticipate roadblocks associated with family practice residency training programs and will plan accordingly. Specifically, we make recommendations regarding program overview and training background, roadblocks (including medicine as the final authority), theoretical versus practical teaching orientation, resident time constraints, administrative support and priorities, and training effectiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Education, training, and evaluation of practitioners today and in the future.

Presents new possibilities and paradigms for school psychology education, training, practice, and their evaluation, challenging school psychologists to examine their own views and make suggestions about points of future dialog between the psychology specialties. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multicultural experiences of U.S. military psychologists: Current trends and training target areas.

This study provides the first quantification of the multicultural experiences of U.S. military psychologists. The importance of multicultural competence cannot be overemphasized given that military psychologists now practice all over the world and are expected to treat active-duty personnel, their family members, and individuals encountered from many different countries. Additionally, a small, but significant portion of enlisted military members are not U.S. citizens. Provision of services to this diverse group can be improved through efforts to enhance the multicultural competence of military providers. To better understand the multicultural experience base of military psychologists, the authors sent a survey to all contactable active-duty U.S. military psychologists (i.e., 367). Eighty-six individuals responded to a survey regarding their experiences with active-duty personnel, U.S. civilians, and civilians from other countries. Also, respondents provided quantitative information regarding working with detainees, using interpreters, and interacting with patients from diverse religious backgrounds. Results indicated rich and varied multicultural experiences with definite trends, which can assist individual psychologists and military training program development. Recommended training target areas for military psychologists at all levels are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social psychology of behavior modification: Problems of implementation in natural settings.

Discusses problems encountered by psychologists who have attempted to use behavior modification principles in applied settings, and illustrates these problems through the authors' experiences implementing a behavior modification system at a large state training school for male delinquent adolescents. Difficulties developed as a result of (a) institutional constraints causing frustrating setbacks or delays in implementing certain aspects of the program; (b) external pressures exercised by political, economic, or administrative forces which endorsed changes in conflict with behavior modification principles; (c) misunderstandings caused by inconsistencies in language and meanings used by behavior modifier psychologists and indigenous staff; (d) inconsistent reinforcement given by indigenous staff and created by peer pressure; (e) limited resources restricting certain aspects of a behavior modification program (e.g., behavior measurement); (f) labels used to suggest certain values (e.g., recreation, therapy, and education) which were upon occasion in conflict with the concept of positive reinforcement; (g) perceived inflexibility of behavior modifiers seeking to ensure program integrity; and (h) compromises necessary to remain in the applied setting. It is concluded that psychologists seeking to implement institutional change in applied settings must be aware of the theoretical limitations of behavior modification. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supporting children's mental health in schools: Teacher perceptions of needs, roles, and barriers.

There is a significant research to practice gap in the area of mental health practices and interventions in schools. Understanding the teacher perspective can provide important information about contextual influences that can be used to bridge the research to practice gap in school-based mental health practices. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of current mental health needs in their schools; their knowledge, skills, training experiences and training needs; their roles for supporting children's mental health; and barriers to supporting mental health needs in their school settings. Participants included 292 teachers from 5 school districts. Teachers reported viewing school psychologists as having a primary role in most aspects of mental health service delivery in the school including conducting screening and behavioral assessments, monitoring student progress, and referring children to school-based or community services. Teachers perceived themselves as having primary responsibility for implementing classroom-based behavioral interventions but believed school psychologists had a greater role in teaching social emotional lessons. Teachers also reported a global lack of experience and training for supporting children's mental health needs. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 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)     

Preparing school psychologists: Perspectives on program design and training goals.

Describes the miniseries found within the current issue of Professional School Psychology: "Preparing School Psychologists: Perspectives on Program Design and Training Goals." Each of the four articles chosen presents a thoughtful and informative analysis of issues related to the miniseries topic. The first article argues for training school psychologists as "data-based problem solvers." The second paper examines the training of ethical principles and behavior in school psychology. The third article explores both the demographics and professional attitudes that are expected to be the major influences upon future training practices in school psychology. The final article of the miniseries presents a rationale for developing training efforts based on the research and principles of behavioral psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)