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)     

Up close and personal: An inside look at university training programs in school psychology.

In each issue, "Up Close and Personal: An Inside Look at University Training Programs in School Psychology" will highlight a different, nationally known graduate training program in school psychology. The purpose of this regularly appearing feature is to help professionals in the field as well as potential students gain insight into the particular education programs that currently prepare school psychologists. Our goal is to take a focused look at various programs through the eyes of the educators who have guided their direction. Hopefully, over time, we will draw a unique picture of the issues that underlie professional preparation in our field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An ecological analysis of research examining the experiences of students of color in graduate school.

This article critically reviews methodologies and theoretical orientations of 27 published empirical studies examining the graduate school experiences of students of color using Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1994) bioecological model. Despite the urgent need for evidence-based approaches to increase the number of scholars of color, the findings in this review indicate an inadequate number of studies explaining how to realize that goal. Furthermore, much of the existing literature examined individual-level characteristics rather than how environmental factors benefit students. Specific recommendations for future ecological research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists' competence to treat lesbian, gay and bisexual clients: State of the field and strategies for improvement.

Recognizing research which suggests that many practicing psychologists enter the field without training or with inadequate training in the knowledge, skills, and awareness needed to treat lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients, the authors in this Focus on Ethics provide suggestions for psychologists seeking competence with this population. In the lead article, Lyons fleshes out the contours of competent practice, presents the current state of psychologist competence, and calls for greater levels of competence. Next, Bieschke and Dendy respond by applying the Ethical Acculturation Model to describe the question of competence for those who may come from cultures not condoning of an LGB affirmative stance. Worthington provides hypotheses for the current rates of competence in the field and encourages the use of evidenced-based training and practice to increase competence. Finally, Georgemiller confirms the role of practicing psychologists who are heterosexual allies and identifies resources for gaining competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Up close and personal: An inside look at university training programs in school psychology.

This issue of Professional School Psychology marks the third in-depth presentation of a major school psychology training program. While reading these accounts of the development of graduate training programs, one raises the "what if" questions. Raising such questions highlights the complex nature of graduate program development. As we continue to present programs, we will attempt to look further for threads of similarity that connect these unique training settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Survey of graduate education in psychology: Some trends for the last decade.

In 1963, 182 of 186 psychology departments responded to a questionnaire in the endeavor to develop a contemporary picture of graduate training in psychology. 880 doctoral degrees were granted by 99 departments and 1796 masters degrees were granted by 158 departments. "At the doctoral level, the 13 largest departments produced 36% of all psychology doctorates granted in academic year 1962-63. At the doctoral level, clinical and experimental psychology dominated the areas of specialization with 36% and 29%, respectively, of the degrees granted. "In 1954, 37 or 77% of the 48 psychology doctoral programs in clinical were APA approved; in 1963, 60 or 76% of the 79 programs were approved." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and the politics of same-sex desire in the United States: An analysis of three cases.

Psychological science has assumed an increasingly explicit role in public policies related to same-sex desire in the United States. In this article, we present a historical analysis of the relationship between policy discourse and scientific discourse on homosexuality produced within U.S. psychology over the 20th and early 21st centuries through the lens of three cases: Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), Lawrence v. Texas (2003), and Perry v. Schwarzenegger (2010). Our analysis suggests that, for the majority of its disciplinary history, psychology produced knowledge that supported a status quo of legal and cultural subordination for same-sex–attracted individuals. The discipline's shift in understanding of homosexuality, reflected in a 1975 policy statement of the American Psychological Association, reversed this relationship and opened up space for advocacy for social and political change regarding homosexuality. Our analysis of policy decisions rendered by the courts reveals the increasingly important role psychological science has assumed in challenging the legal subordination of same-sex–attracted individuals, though the basis upon which psychological science has sought to inform policy remains limited. We conclude with a critical discussion of the type of knowledge claims psychologists have traditionally used to advocate for gay and lesbian rights, suggesting the vitality of a narrative approach which can reveal the meaning individuals make of legal subordination and political exclusion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

High school students as therapeutic agents with young children experiencing school adjustment difficulties: The effectiveness of a filial therapy training model.

Filial therapy has been used since the early 1960s to train parents as therapeutic agents for children experiencing a broad range of social, emotional and behavioral difficulties. Using a pretest-posttest control group design, this study examined the efficacy of a filial therapy model in training high school students to be effective helpers with young children experiencing school adjustment difficulties. 32 high school students enrolled in a Peer Assistance and Leadership course titled PALs were trained to become therapeutic change agents for identified prekindergarten and kindergarten students. The PALs students received training and supervision in child-centered play therapy skills that they practiced in weekly play sessions with their assigned child. Results from the statistical analyses reveal that the experimental group of high school students receiving filial therapy training demonstrated a significant increase in their empathic interactions with children and that the experimental group of children receiving the play therapy intervention experienced a significant reduction in problem behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional interests and career aspirations of graduate students in professional psychology: An exploratory survey.

Graduate students in American professional psychology programs (N = 498) were surveyed to examine differences between specialty area (clinical vs. counseling), degree type (PhD vs. PsyD), and gender with respect to demographics, training models, theoretical orientations, career aspirations and reasons for choices, research productivity, and expected salaries. Clinical and counseling students differed with respect to training models, theoretical orientations, career aspirations, and expected salaries, whereas PhD and PsyD students differed with respect to training models, theoretical orientations, career aspirations, and research emphasis. The changing gender composition in professional psychology is unlikely to have a dramatic effect given their professional similarities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Up close and personal: An inside look at university training programs in school psychology.

I am pleased to have the opportunity as Guest Associate Editor to build on the outstanding special feature of Professional School Psychology, "Up Close and Personal: An Inside Look at University Training Programs in School Psychology" initiated by Richard A. Weinberg (1986). By adding the school psychology program of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to the list of exemplary university training programs previously featured in the journal, we hope to maintain the established goal "to take a focused look at various programs through the eyes of the educators who have guided their direction" (Weinberg, 1986, p. 61). The feature's focus on American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited school psychology programs in a historical context provides a fascinating perspective on the intellectual history of programs and individual efforts to shape their academic and professional standards. Perhaps as we continue to feature school psychology programs, the focus on the future directions of each program will reveal the innovative changes emerging from the crucial scientific and practical issues in which professional psychology is currently engulfed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The decision of African American students to complete high school: An application of the theory of planned behavior.

A longitudinal study explored high school completion among African Americans. Male and female high school students aged 14 to 17 (N=166) completed a theory of planned behavior (I. Ajzen, 1991) questionnaire early in their 2nd year. Intentions to complete the year were accurately predicted from attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (R=.71; pR=.50; p     

Forensic psychology opportunities in Canadian graduate programs: An update of Simourd and Wormith's (1995) survey.

Forensic psychology has gained momentum in North America in recent decades, and Canadian psychologists have made considerable contributions to the field. Strong student interest and a high demand for professionals, however, have not been sufficiently matched with the availability of formal forensic psychology graduate training, nor with sufficient scholarly discussion of this issue. The purpose of the current study was to update Simourd and Wormith's (1995) survey of forensic psychology training available in Canadian psychology graduate programs. Of the 39 universities with psychology graduate programs, 36 (92%) responded to the survey. Twenty-four universities (67%) offered some forensic opportunities for students, although there was considerable variability in the number of courses, students, and faculty members in the forensic psychology programs. Since Simourd and Wormith's (1995) survey, forensic training is available at 10 new universities. Of the 14 programs with forensic psychology content in 1995 and in the current study, however, more than half of them reported a decrease in the number of faculty and students working with forensic issues. Considering the continued demand for trained forensic psychologists in applied settings, further attention to the availability of both education and training in forensic psychology is therefore still needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate training programs in evaluation and measurement: A report of the Test Use Committee of Division 5.

In furtherance of its efforts to increase the effectiveness of the use of psychological and educational tests, the American Psychological Association's Division 5 (Evaluation and Measurement) appointed a Test Use Committee in the fall of 1954. At the time of appointing this committee, its mission was to carry on where the Committee on Test Standards left off and its particular concern would be to consider problems of training test users and to study other ways in which services involving the use of tests could be improved. After some study, the committee decided that an appropriate starting point for its activity would be to conduct a survey of the training programs, course offerings, and placement procedures for high level specialists in the field of measurement, since such specialists exercise a major influence on the use of tests. In the summer of 1956 a questionnaire was mailed to 83 Division 5 members who were deemed likely to have some connection with measurement and evaluation training programs at the graduate level. The questionnaire items and the responses are summarized in this report. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)