Postdoctoral training in clinical psychology: As amorphous as an inkblot.

Although the American Psychological Association (APA) currently recognizes no formal training requirements beyond the PhD degree and offers no standards or guidelines for postdoctoral training, an examination of state licensing and certification laws clearly indicates that postdoctoral training is quickly becoming the norm rather than the exception for psychology doctorates pursuing state licensure. In light of the increasing demand for postdoctoral training experience before state licensing eligibility, and because of the further specialization of psychology, Toye and Pierce (1987) recently called for the development of a required postdoctoral residency program after a year of predoctoral internship training, to be instituted and promulgated by the APA. Whether one is in favor of or opposed to the implementation of a mandatory postdoctoral residency program, current and future licensing and certification laws may eventually force psychologists to implement such a program as well as develop standards and guidelines regarding postdoctoral training. Thus although postdoctoral training experience has become a practical reality for psychology professionals pursuing state licensure, the APA currently offers no standards or guidelines for postdoctoral training or the postdoctoral training application process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of interns' preferences and plans for postdoctoral training.

What are interns' plans and preferences for postdoctoral training? In this survey, most interns indicated they preferred an informal postdoctoral experience rather than a formal one, and half of them obtained a position before the end of their internships. Interns based their choices for positions more on personal and practical considerations and indicated that obtaining a postdoctoral position was less stressful than obtaining an internship. Interns had adequate knowledge of the required length of postdoctoral experience for licensure, but most were unsure about the parameters for supervision. Half of the interns were willing to pursue postdoctoral psychopharmacology training, especially if it could be completed within 2 years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postdoctoral education-training for specialty practice: Long anticipated, finally realized.

Recommendations for broad and generic predoctoral education and training and postdoctoral specialization for practice have been made by psychology education and training conference groups since 1949. The number of postdoctoral education and training offerings has grown steadily over the succeeding decades. Selected data on postdoctoral education and training are presented in this article for a sample of 388 current postdoctoral education and training sites. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postdoctoral training in severe mental illness: A model for trainee development.

The development of postdoctoral training in professional psychology has been gaining increased attention. This article presents a model of trainee development based on the processes of change that are deemed essential for the transition from an intern to a fully functioning professional psychologist. The model focuses on work with the severely mentally disordered, an area that currently lacks strong leadership within the mental health community. The program, which is highly integrated within the existing service-delivery system and teaching/research community of a medical center, emphasizes continuity with the internship experience, the integration of multiple treatment approaches, training in the provision of supervision, and scholarly contributions. The development of required, 1-yr, American Psychological Association-accredited postdoctoral training programs that provide the opportunity for specialization is recommended as the final stage in the professional initiation process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology postdoctoral training: A developmental perspective.

Postdoctoral training for psychologists has increased. This article provides an overview of postdoctoral fellowships, including information regarding training opportunities and requirements for licensure and employment. A developmental perspective on the postdoctoral training experience is offered, focusing on negotiating the tasks of individuation and self-definition. Special attention is paid to personal issues. As the postdoctoral fellow's professional identity solidifies, he/she develops expertise in focused areas of interest, experiences a deepening commitment to the work, develops an increasing sense of self-efficacy and self-acceptance as a psychologist, and gains respect from others as a competent professional. This enables the postdoctoral fellow to develop more collegial relationships with former mentors, teachers, and supervisors and shift toward the practice of professional psychology and the teaching of more junior professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

State psychological association creates a postdoctoral residency and internship training program.

State psychological associations can respond to supply and demand problems for postdoctoral residencies and internships by creating statewide training programs. A state psychological association training model is presented. The Arizona Psychological Association (AzPA) created a nonprofit subsidiary corporation- the Arizona Psychology Training Consortium-to increase the number of high-quality training opportunities in Arizona. The structure and operation of the program are described. The training model emphasizes cultural diversity, psychotherapy, and independent practice. Members of the practice community in Arizona serve as supervisors, trainers, and mentors. From 2001 through 2006, 19 postdoctoral residents and 51 interns completed the program. AzPA has benefited from increased student involvement. Many residents and interns later became association members. Arizona can serve as a model for other states that wish to help their professionals in training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Basic science training in psychopharmacology: How much is enough?

Training psychologists to administer psychotropic medication will require acquisition of a unique knowledge base and set of skills that are generally not components of graduate education in psychology. Nevertheless, the current level of basic science training in graduate education in psychology is substantial and should, with minor modification, allow adequate preparation for students to enter into specialized training to prescribe. The direct provision of psychopharmacology requires psychologists to demonstrate competencies in addition to those required in the general provision of psychological services. Such competencies are perhaps best taught at the postdoctoral level. The authors argue that all curricula training professional psychologists should be able to train psychologists capable of practicing as independent, full-fledged health care providers. (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)     

Postdoctoral training in primary care health psychology: Duties, observations, and recommendations.

The need for postdoctoral training in health psychology has taken on added importance following transformations of the U.S. health care delivery system toward primary care models of delivery. This transformation provides psychologists with the opportunity to work as primary care practitioners, educators, and researchers, and it suggests the need for postdoctoral training that prepares students for those opportunities. The author addresses issues relevant to postdoctoral training from the perspective of a former participant in a postdoctoral fellowship training program in primary care health psychology. The duties and contributions of a primary care health psychologist are described. These include the provision of graduate medical education and clinical services tailored to primary care. The author also offers recommendations regarding postdoctoral health psychology training in order to enhance psychologists' ability to collaborate with medical professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology Training Directors' Views of Number of Practicum Hours Necessary Prior to Internship Application.

A national survey of training directors of academic programs, predoctoral internships, and postdoctoral fellowships was conducted to explore what constitutes an adequate number of practicum hours necessary to apply for internship. Training directors agreed that minimum standard hours should be set but differed on what those hours should be, with academic training directors endorsing fewer hours than directors of predoctoral internships and postdoctoral fellowships. The results raise questions about what is a practicum hour and suggest a need to obtain consensus about minimum standards and the possibility of a competency-based approach rather than emphasizing hours of practicum experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Issues related to postdoctoral education and training in professional psychology: Results of an opinion survey.

Is professional psychology assuming adequate responsibility for advanced training in the profession? Although professional psychology has taken enormous strides in articulating standards for doctoral and internship training, postdoctoral education and training (PDET) have received much less attention, resulting in a lack of clear guidelines for managing the transition from training to independent practice. Professional psychology's practitioners, educators, and trainees were asked to provide their opinions on a number of PDET-related issues. Data are presented that include broad support for maintaining the postdoctoral training year. Implications address steps to assist advanced students in maximizing their postdoctoral training experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accredited internship and postdoctoral programs for training in psychology: 2008.

This article provides an official listing of accredited internship and postdoctoral residency programs. It reflects all Commission on Accreditation decisions through July 20, 2008. The Commission on Accreditation has accredited the predoctoral internship and postdoctoral residency training programs in psychology offered by the agencies listed. The accreditation status listed for each program reflects that program's current status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postdoctoral training in clinical psychology: A preliminary report by an interest group.

3 purposes of this paper are: "to bring to those concerned with the education of psychologists some information about postdoctoral training in clinical psychology and some thinking of an interest group actively concerned with this problem, to call to the attention of potential candidates postdoctoral training opportunities which now exist, and to invite correspondence and future participation from interested institutions and individuals." 19 centers offering postdoctoral fellowships and their training directors are listed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rightsizing the workforce of psychologist in health care: Trends from licensing boards, training programs, and managed care.

The psychology workforce continues to expand despite changes within health care, such as managed care, that appear to reduce the demand for psychologists' services. Data from doctoral training and internship training are reviewed. Estimates of the psychology workforce are provided, including the authors' survey of psychology boards for 1995, which estimated there were 89,514 licensed psychologists in the United States. Growth in the field between 1988 and 1995 is estimated at 44%. Workforce estimates are applied to 3 HMO staffing models and population estimates, projecting a surplus of psychologists in many states. The authors provide suggestions for reducing the workforce, including improved monitoring of workforce size and reducing current training levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary care health psychology training: A collaborative model with family practice.

Are you planning a new postdoctoral training program in health psychology? Are your students seeking postdoctoral training in health psychology? Are you looking for a good formal postdoctoral fellowship in health psychology to continue your training? This article describes in detail the philosophy, educational objectives, and learning activities that make up a 13-year-old fellowship approved by the American Psychological Association in clinical health psychology, a model for clinical training in this specialty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accredited internship and postdoctoral programs for training in psychology: 2007.

Provides the official listing of accredited internship and postdoctoral residency programs. This list reflects all committee decisions through July 22, 2007. The Committee on Accreditation has accredited the doctoral internship and postdoctoral residency training programs in psychology offered by the agencies listed. Also listed for each program is the date of the next regularly scheduled site visit. The accreditation status listed for each program reflects that program's current accredited status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A postdoctoral residency program in clinical psychology.

Describes "1 training center's approach to postdoctoral training for the professional aspects of clinical psychology, as seen through the eyes of 1 of its faculty members. 1 or 2 yr. of postdoctoral residency training prepare the young clinical psychologist to engage in professional practice in 2 areas," as a psychodiagnostician-clinician-consultant and as a psychotherapist. These 2 roles are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology Training Directors' Views of Trainees' Readiness to Practice Independently.

When are psychology trainees ready to practice independently? This question has been debated extensively during the past few years. To contribute to this debate, a national survey of training directors of academic programs, predoctoral internships, and postdoctoral fellowships was conducted. The study explored training directors' views regarding the examinations and supervisory hours necessary to become an independent practitioner. The study found that training directors were divided in their opinions of when trainees are competent to practice independently. Academic training directors believed that trainees are ready for independent practice earlier in the training sequence than internship and postdoctoral training directors. The implications for conflicting views are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Manitoba's Rural and Northern Community-Based Training Program for Psychology Interns and Residents.

This article describes a unique internship training experience developed by the Department of Clinical Health Psychology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Manitoba. Interns live in and provide services to remote northern communities for half of the internship year and receive supervision from a psychologist in the community, supplemented by telehealth. The department also offers a full-year, postdoctoral rural residency. Ten interns and 4 residents have been trained so far. The community-based generalist training model and responses to the challenges, for both supervisors and trainees, of working in small underserved communities are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On Setting for Clinical Training.

Comments on "A postdoctoral residency program in clinical psychology" by J. Matarazzo (see record 1965-13326-001). Matarazzo describes an interesting postdoctoral training program in clinical psychology in a medical school setting. A major feature of this program is the intent to train young psychologists to assume "full professional responsibility for patients and clients." The assumption of "full professional responsibility" is incompatible with an extension of the professional's formal training period into the postdoctoral years. The multiple-consultant and highly institutionalized approach characteristic of the medical setting actually attenuates the degree of responsibility that any one professional is required and able to assume, rather than to intensify it. A final objection could be directed at the basic concept of the desirability of one person's assuming "full responsibility" for another. It would seem to me that the use of this concept in Matarazzo's report may in itself be an indication of how a medically based idea can inadvertently infiltrate the thinking of those who had been exposed for years to such a setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)