Supervision of psychology trainees in field placements.

Describes some supervision and systems factors that may produce stress for the professional psychology trainee in a part-time field placement outside the training institution. Stress in the supervisor–supervisee relationship can arise from differences between the supervisor and supervisee in theoretical orientation, style of supervision and learning, and perception of the basis of their relationship, as well as from personality differences. Training institutions and service agencies have different goals and roles that can place the supervisor and the supervisee in conflict. The stress can be reduced as the supervisor, who is a field placement agency employee, acts in accordance with training institution goals and as the trainee can act as a junior staff member of the field placement agency. It is suggested that the student who is aware of some of the difficulties that can arise in a supervisor–supervisee relationship and who understands the stresses inherent in the different goals and roles of a field-placement agency and a training institution will be able to avoid some trouble. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human diversity and professional competence: Training in clinical and counseling psychology revisited.

Psychologists have increasingly recognized the need to appropriately train students to serve individuals from diverse groups. These groups have been characterized by racial-ethnic membership or defined by sexual orientation, SES, gender, and physical ability. Recent reports have documented that many applied graduate training programs still do not provide courses and experiences specific to working with diverse populations. This study presents results from a survey of 259 graduates of counseling and clinical psychology programs. Respondents were asked about training and professional work experiences with diverse groups. Results indicate restricted opportunities for training with diverse clients. Training experiences reported to be most effective are presented. Findings are discussed in light of continuing efforts to promote appropriate services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapist's anxiety level, self-insight, and psychotherapeutic competence.

"The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that competent psychotherapists are less anxious and possess a greater degree of insight into the nature of their anxieties than do psychotherapists who are judged to be less competent." The results showed that anxious therapists were rated to be less competent than therapists low in anxiety. There were no significant relationships between the therapist's self ratings of anxiety or the degree of insight and ratings of psychotherapeutic competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Knowledge of and interest in geropsychology among psychology trainees.

Given the increasing number of older people in the U.S. population, how well prepared are graduate students to deliver services to older adults? Do graduate students want to see older adults in clinical practice? Ninety-four psychology externs and interns were surveyed about their knowledge of and attitudes toward older people. Although trainees evidenced gaps in knowledge, they indicated interest in expanding that knowledge. They also reported favorable attitudes toward the aged and interest in practice with them. This article summarizes geropsychology resources for graduate program directors, students, and practitioners who want to expand practice to include older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of perceived competence in professional psychology.

Appraised levels of general professional competence for 126 trainees in professional psychology by supervisors who had worked closely with the students. After rating the students, supervisors were asked to describe the dominant characteristics of "outstanding" and "incompetent" trainees. The most commonly mentioned quality of outstanding practitioner-trainees was high intelligence. The most commonly mentioned characteristic of incompetent trainees was lack of knowledge. A rating schedule composed of the 28 most commonly used terms was then employed by supervisors in rating students the following year. Four factors—Professional Responsibility, Interpersonal Warmth, Intelligence, and Experience—emerged from analysis of intercorrelations among variables. Intercorrelations of factor scores with ratings of overall competence showed that behaviorally oriented supervisors gave less weight to warmth in evaluating general competence than did supervisors with psychodynamic or eclectic viewpoints. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Addressing professional competence problems in trainees: Some ethical considerations.

Psychologists working as graduate student educators and clinical supervisors often encounter trainees who manifest problems of professional competence. At times, faculty members and supervisors may experience role conflict, ambiguity, and anxiety about how to respond to trainee competence problems. Psychologists engaged in the education, training, and credentialing of trainees are ethically and professionally obligated to balance their developmental and gatekeeping roles with respect to trainees. A discussion of several systemic concerns related to psychology's approach to competence problems is presented along with 3 expert commentaries that further elucidate the core issues from the vantage point of education, training, and licensure. Several recommendations for enhancing cooperation and excellent practice among psychologists who train and credential are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training in engineering psychology.

"This report considers the nature of the scientific and professional work of psychologists and related specialists who are active in the broad fields of human factors engineering, analyzes the qualifications required for such work, and outlines training programs which should provide an adequate preparation for specialization in this area." Increased emphasis is now being given to man-machine system problems. From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2AM71A. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training and organizational psychology.

Discusses the relevance and significance of training programs in organizations. It is argued that emphasis on design of new instructional techniques is misplaced; the concern should be on the development of appropriate need assessment procedures that consider task, person, and organizational characteristics. The design should include the determination of tasks to be performed, behaviors essential to the performance of those tasks, type of learning necessary to acquire those behaviors, and the type of instructional content best suited to accomplish that type of learning. Evaluation designs must recognize that the training program and the evaluation are an intervention within the structure of the organization. (18 ref) (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)     

Ten principles of success for psychology trainees embarking on their careers.

During this challenging and rapidly changing period in the mental health field, one often hears a great deal of concern and pessimism being expressed by psychologists and psychology trainees alike concerning the future of professional psychology. Concerns regarding the impact of managed health care, the availability of jobs, and diminishing career options and opportunities are on the lips of many. The purpose of this brief article is to offer 10 principles to consider for trainees about to embark on their professional careers following internship or postdoctoral training. Although it is a difficult and challenging time to be embarking on a new career in psychology, the rewards and satisfaction of the field can still be enormous. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology trainees with competence problems: From individual to ecological conceptualizations.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 3(1) of Training and Education in Professional Psychology (see record 2009-01388-008). The order of authorship was printed incorrectly, both in the issue Table of Contents and in the article. The correct order of authorship for this article is: Linda Forrest, Nancy S. Elman, and David S. Shen Miller.] Problems with professional competence or impairment in psychology have been viewed almost exclusively as residing within the individual trainee or psychologist, with limited attention to the contexts in which such difficulties are embedded. The authors propose an ecological perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1989, 1995) to capture the influence of multiple factors that affect trainee development and provide a stronger base from which to conceptualize and address problems of professional competence. The authors describe Bronfenbrenner's ecological model and use it as a framework to understand professional competence problems, recommend best practices for prevention and intervention, and suggest future research directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing research competence in a psychology licensing examination.

Discusses impressions about the quality of several hundred research essays submitted by candidates who took the New York State Licensing Examination and presents a list of 16 desirable elements of answers to research questions. Suggestions are made for improving the research competence of psychologists and for assessing that competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Color-blind racial attitudes and white racial identity attitudes in psychology trainees.

Is it really important to talk about race in therapy? Does discussion of societal racism have any place in the consulting room? The American Psychological Association's (2003) recent multicultural guidelines highlight the limitations of a racially "color-blind" perspective for clinical practice. This study explored the relationships between color-blind racial attitudes and White racial identity. In a sample of 177 White counseling and clinical psychology trainees, we found that higher levels of attitudes that minimized or distorted the existence of contemporary racism (i.e., color-blind attitudes) were positively related to attitudes associated with less integrated forms of racial identity. Conversely, the results indicated that greater awareness of racism was related to more integrated White racial identity statuses. Implications for assessment, treatment, training, and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Philosophical tensions influencing psychology and social action.

Debate on psychology's role in social action centers on whether an acceptable minimal standard for social activism by members of the profession and the profession as a whole can be determined. The debate is often couched in political terms. This article examines psychology's role in social action from the vantage point of philosophical tensions that make definition of social action and psychology's role difficult. Three tensions are discussed—tensions between those operating from a perspective of judgment of care versus judgment of rights; tensions between those arguing that the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles inform choice versus mandate behavior; and tensions between those in the profession who are consumers versus creators of facts. These tensions, although not resolvable, can provide increased understanding of professional and moral decision making within a heterogeneous professional community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training for the future of psychology practice.

This article responds to the Eby et al. (this issue, pp. 57–68) paper on issues and dilemmas for the future of training for psychology practice. The author addresses these issues and discusses them in regards to our identity as psychologists and changes in training needed in light of the recent passage of federal health care reform legislation. The changes in health care include the importance of training to work in integrated health care systems, primary care, using electronic health records, and dealing with health disparities. Training recommendations from the 2009 APA Presidential Task Force on the Future of Psychology Practice are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

HIV training and perceived competence among doctoral students in psychology.

A training-needs assessment was conducted at California School of Professional Psychology, Berkeley/Alameda, on students' beliefs about clinical competence, past training in HIV issues, and future training needs at the school. They perceived themselves to be somewhat competent in providing clinical services to HIV patients and members of groups at high risk for HIV. A modest correlation was found between the students' total HIV training and perceived competence, but none was found between the multicultural emphasis in HIV education and their perceived competence. These findings suggest an ethical dilemma surrounding inadequately trained psychologists providing services to multicultural populations. Ethical issues concerning training standards and criteria for clinical competency are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating social justice training into the practicum experience for psychology trainees: Starting earlier.

Calls from the psychological literature have highlighted a need for the integration of social justice training in both didactic and fieldwork practicum experiences in professional psychology. This article presents concrete strategies for practicum instructors and applied fieldwork training site staff to integrate social justice work into practicum experiences. The authors review current scholarship on social justice training, identify foundational principles of social justice and recommendations for teaching social justice in applied training facilities, and apply these principles and recommendations to practicum experiences. Learning activities and evaluation methods are identified and presented, and recommendations for integration of these methods for teaching psychology trainees are underscored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some factors influencing income aspiration.

For two industrial groups (N = 534, 269), the relationships among age, length of service, total earnings, satisfaction with earnings, and earnings aspirations and expectations were studied. For the groups of Indian workers studied, it was found that job satisfaction was highly related to income expectation, and that expectations are related to earnings. Income aspirations also were related to skill level and educational level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Education and Training Board. Doctoral training programs in clinical psychology and in counseling psychology.

"On recommendation of the Committee on Evaluation, the Education and Training Board with the concurrence of the Board of Directors of the American Psychological Association has approved the doctoral training programs in clinical psychology and in counseling psychology… " in a number of institutions. 43 institutions are specified in the clinical psychology approved list; 23 in the counseling psychology list. The institutions listed have been reported to the USPHS, to the VA and to the Surgeon General's Department of the U. S. Army. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Education and Training Board. Doctoral training programs in clinical psychology and in counseling psychology.

"On recommendation of the Committee on Evaluation, the Education and Training Board with the concurrence of the Board of Directors of the American Psychological Association has approved the doctoral training programs in clinical psychology and in counseling psychology that are conducted by the institutions listed… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)