A survey of activities of academic clinicians.

Surveyed 107 academic clinical psychologists regarding their actual and desired allocations of time across 7 activities: (a) graduate courses, (b) undergraduate courses, (c) own research, (d) supervising research, (e) own clinical work, (f) clinical supervision, and (g) administration. Except for own clinical work, which occupied less time, the majority of Ss actually spent 10–29% of their time in each activity, although they would prefer to spend less in administration. Results are discussed in the context of current concerns with professional clinical training. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The perceived effectiveness of Christian and secular graduate training programs in preparing Christian psychologists to deal with experiences of sexual attraction.

Most psychologists experience feelings of sexual attraction toward clients, and for some Christian therapists this situation can be further complicated by their tendency to deny such sexual attraction. How effective are graduate training programs in teaching Christian psychologists to manage feelings of sexual attraction in professional contexts? In this survey, 258 Christian psychologists answered questions regarding their graduate training. A positive training environment was related to healthy coping responses in managing feelings of sexual attraction, and graduates of explicitly Christian training programs reported greater satisfaction with training conditions than graduates of secular programs. Those involved in training professional psychologists should consider the general training environment in addition to specific course work about managing feelings of sexual attraction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical psychologists in the 1970s.

Reports a survey of 855 members of the Division of Clinical Psychology. Among the topics surveyed were professional activities, occupational setting, theoretical orientation, primary professional self-view of respondents, and satisfaction with the APA, graduate training, and choice of career. An ideology scale was administered to appraise attitudes along an intuitive-objective dimension and in terms of psychodynamic and behavioral value orientations. In general, the sample was very positive toward their choice of career and relatively so with regard to their graduate education. Approximately 41% of the respondents' time was devoted to clinical acitivities, 35% to training and research. Certain differences between subgroups are found with the greatest divergence noted between academic clinical psychologists and private practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Workshop.

If the article by Kahn and Santostefano in the April issue of the American Psychologist (1962, 17, 185-189) can be taken as an indication, clinical psychologists are still very much interested and concerned with their professional role image or images. Discussions of this topic invariably get around to a discussion of training programs for clinical students and the pros and cons of various types of curricula and educational experience. Partially because of the lack of agreement among faculty and practicum personnel, discussions of professional identity by clinical graduate students are filled with uncertainty, confusion, and conflict surpassing even that which is evident in the discussions of their professional fathers. Questions concerning "professionalism," academic versus clinical training, and the relationships of clinical psychology to other professions are representative of the omnipresent topics of conservation. As a matter of fact, the workshop was so well received that we plan to hold a second workshop next year. But we thought that those individuals who live too far from us to be easily able to attend our meeting might want to try something similar in their areas. We are preparing a more thorough summary and commentary concerning the recent meeting and would be glad to forward a copy to interested individuals. A group of graduate students in the clinical program at the University of Oklahoma decided that it might, be quite worthwhile if they could assemble a number of students from other training settings and attempt to exchange ideas concerning their future roles as professional people. It was the contention of these students that graduate students in psychology, and particularly clinical students, seldom have an opportunity to freely exchange ideas about these problems in an atmosphere which is specifically designed for this purpose. Thus, what we think is quite a unique idea was born: that we might be able to provide graduate students from various training programs in clinical psychology with the opportunity to get together to discuss training, role conflicts, identity, and other professional problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Practicing clinical psychologists’ provision of sexual health care services.

Practicing clinical psychologists are likely to work with sexual health concerns as part of their clinical practice because of high prevalence rates and sexual problems as symptoms of mental or physical health problems and their pharmacological treatment. However, the majority of clinicians do not receive didactic or supervised clinical training. This survey of 188 practicing clinical psychologists in one Canadian city confirmed that, despite lack of training, many clinicians discussed sexual health concerns with their clients and used a variety of sex therapy techniques. This survey also revealed, however, that 60% of clinicians did not ask, or very infrequently asked, clients about sexual health. In general, lack of training affected level of comfort, and both may result in inadequate application of sex therapy techniques and treatment. The results of this survey indicate an ethical imperative to included sexuality training in current graduate curricula to adequately prepare psychologists to assess, refer, and treat sexual health concerns. The inclusion of sexuality-related topics in existing clinical graduate courses, an increase in sexuality-specific courses focused on assessment and intervention in graduate curricula, and broader options for continuing education for practicing clinical psychologists are recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of Psychological Help Seeking in Clinical and Counseling Psychology Graduate Students.

Psychologists are often called upon to provide supervision, mentorship, and training to graduate student therapists-in-training. In these roles, psychologists may influence whether graduate students enter personal therapy during their training. This study investigated variables (including perceived faculty attitudes about students in personal therapy) that predict psychotherapy help seeking in clinical and counseling psychology graduate students (N = 262). The findings indicated that confidentiality issues, general attitudes about therapy, and perceptions of the importance of personal therapy for professional development were important predictors of graduate student help seeking. The implications for faculty, supervisors, and mentors of therapists-in-training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role functions of pediatric and health psychologists in health care settings.

686 pediatric and health psychologists completed questionnaires requesting background information concerning years of experience, current work settings, graduate training, and professional identification. Ss were also asked to describe services and functions they performed, difficulties they encountered, and general consultation goals. Results suggest that both groups are involved in a wide range of diagnostic, treatment, and consultative activities in health care settings and that there are many similarities in the ways they conceptualize their roles and how they function. However, pediatric psychologists were especially involved in clinical assessment activities, whereas research was a high priority for health psychologists. Other aspects of the roles, functions, and activities of these 2 groups are described. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Demise of the 3rd-year internship: The changing role of the internship in graduate training.

Current training in PhD clinical psychology stems from the 1949 Boulder conference on graduate education in clinical psychology. Among the detailed recommendations made by that committee were specific guidelines and goals for a clinical internship that was deeply embedded within the graduate training experience. Since that time, the academic and practical training of PhD clinical psychologists has become increasingly separated, to the point at which the clinical internship year almost universally occurs after the completion of graduate training. In this article the development of the current-day internship and the probable factors involved in the demise of the original 3rd-year model are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical and competent care of suicidal patients: Contemporary challenges, new developments, and considerations for clinical practice.

Clinical work with suicidal patients has become increasingly challenging in recent years. It is argued that contemporary issues related to working with suicidal patients have come to pose a number of considerable professional and even ethical hazards for psychologists. Among various concerns, these challenges include providing sufficient informed consent, performing competent assessments of suicidal risk, using empirically supported treatments/interventions, and using suitable risk management techniques. In summary, there are many complicated clinical issues related to suicide (e.g., improvements in the standard of care, resistance to changing practices, alterations to models of health care delivery, the role of research, and issues of diversity). Three experts comment on these considerations, emphasizing acute versus chronic suicide risk, the integration of empirical findings, effective documentation, graduate training, maintaining professional competence, perceptions of medical versus mental health care, fears of dealing with suicide risk, suicide myths, and stigma/blame related to suicide. The authors' intention is to raise awareness about various suicide-related ethical concerns. By increasing this awareness, they hope to compel psychologists to improve their clinical practices with suicidal patients, thereby helping to save lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate education of Negro psychologists.

The "Council on Psychological Resources in the South was impressed with the dearth of psychologists in the South, particularly Negro psychologists" and appointed a committee "… to study the facts in this regard and to make recommendations for pertinent action." Fifty-six (98.2%) of fifty-seven graduate departments of psychology surveyed answered questionnaires concerning Negro psychologists receiving graduate degrees and the undergraduate origin of these students. "Negro personnel in psychology come in considerable proportion (one-third) from Negro undergraduate schools in the South." "In the process of bridging the gap between inadequate undergraduate training and high level graduate work, Howard University is making an exceptional contribution toward training in scientific and professional psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contemporary counseling psychology: Results of a national survey.

Conducted a national survey of counseling psychologists to examine counseling psychology in its current state of development. A 6-page questionnaire, which examined such variables as demographics, professional activities, institutional affiliations, and training satisfaction, was mailed to 980 members of Division 17 (Counseling) of the American Psychological Association (APA). Of these, 716 (73%) usable questionnaires were returned. Counseling psychologists (aged 29–84 yrs) were found (a) to spend the majority of their professional time providing individual psychotherapy, (b) to be primarily eclectic in theoretical orientation, (c) to be increasingly identified with the work setting of private practice, and (d) to be generally satisfied with their graduate and internship training. Additional information about counseling psychologists' professional self-views, research and publication efforts, career satisfaction, and satisfaction with the APA was also obtained. Findings are discussed in relation to the present and future of counseling psychology. (60 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology in flux: The academic-professional bipolarity.

The "main fission in psychology is that between academic psychology and professional psychology." Clinical, industrial, and social psychology, among other applied fields, have expanded dramatically since World War II. Experimental psychology itself is now being professionalized. Serious problems stem from the fact that most graduate curricula are oriented to training "pure scientists" as scholars while most psychology graduates will "wind up in professional work outside universities and colleges." One solution is "to set up a school forthrightly embracing both academic and professional graduate training." There would be an "academic department" and a separate "professional department." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Career experiences of doctors of psychology.

Surveyed 184 graduates (mean age 37 yrs) of 9 PsyD programs to determine the professional activities in which they were engaged, satisfaction with careers and graduate training in professional psychology, and public acceptance of the PsyD degree and compared the results with similar data on PhD clinicians. Most Ss were primarily engaged in direct professional services in professional settings. They were generally satisfied with their careers in professional psychology and significantly more satisfied with the graduate training they had received than were clinical psychologists trained in traditional PhD programs. More Ss reported that the PsyD degree was an advantage rather than a disadvantage when competing for jobs with candidates who had other degrees. PsyD Ss were found to be active joiners of professional associations. 91% of PsyD Ss who applied for licensure or certification encountered no difficulty due to their degree. Almost no unfavorable attitudes toward the degree were perceived among clients, employers, or colleagues. It is concluded that fears about perception of the PsyD as a second-rate credential are unfounded. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Promotion of Academic Careers in School Psychology: A Conceptual Framework of Impact Points, Recommended Strategies, and Hopeful Outcomes.

School psychology is facing a major shortage of faculty in graduate training and education programs. To deal with this shortage and the issues that surround it, we propose a conceptual framework that incorporates a number of impact points that graduate training programs can use to educate and sustain individuals in academic careers. The impact points include: selection of students, program-related training variables, post-program transition variables, and sustainability of academic careers. Each of these impact points is discussed within the context of the role that current faculty and practitioners in the profession can play in graduate education and training of academic scholars. Among the variety of potential solutions to the shortage, we introduce the concept of the "virtual university" to promote future education and sustainability of faculty within our graduate training programs. A case scenario from graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is presented as a context for the impact points raised in the article. We argue that those of us in the profession think systemically and lead the way into a new era of collaborative work across our graduate programs and among our colleagues in clinical, counseling, and related areas of applied and professional psychology graduate training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA and (AP)–2.

Psychology developed 100 yrs ago as a laboratory "science," and there was no real interest in application until World War I. After World War I, psychology became more applied, but after World War II it exploded as clinical psychology. Clinical psychologists sought a professional society in the state psychological associations and eventually gained the support of the American Psychological Association (APA). The author emphasizes that, although basic and applied training procedures parallel the medical model, clinical psychologists are not junior psychiatrists and that they make a unique contribution because of their training in research and statistics. The author further states that their contributions should be supported by all psychologists for the benefit of everyone, including academic psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conference on the professional preparation of clinical psychologists: A summary.

Presents a summary of the conference on the professional preparation of clinical psychologists. Without countenancing the lowering of standards as such, the conferees have sought for a responsible position in the face of the dilemma presented by the foregoing combination of circumstances. Brought together for the purpose were not only clinical psychologists and their colleagues in applied areas, but experimental and social psychologists as well, together with representatives of such other disciplines as psychiatry and social work, a group including both suppliers of clinical psychologists and consumers. Topics discussed at the conference include: professional preparation; clinical training; research training; curricula; alternative models of doctoral training; and so forth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social Work Courses for Psychologists.

Andriola has stated (American Psychologist, December, 1951) that he was desirous of seeing an increase in the interchange of information between social workers and psychologists. He was critical of psychology in that he felt that psychologists had little or no knowledge of the field of social work. Singer replied (American Psychologist, December, 1952) that psychologists are hindered from gaining a knowledge of social work by virtue of the admission policies of certain schools of social work. Furthermore, he contended that the schools of social work had raised a barrier to cross communication with psychology. Singer poses some questions that he would like to have answered regarding psychologists and social work schools and it is the purpose of this communication to offer partial answers. It is my feeling that clinical and educational psychologists could profit immeasurably from courses offered in a social work curriculum. I found that such courses as Community Organization, Public Welfare, Case Work Techniques, Administration and Supervision and particularly Legal Aspects added much to my professional competence and academic stature. Psychology as it manifests itself in an applied sense could well take cognizance of the thorough and effective techniques developed by the social work profession in the area of supervision and on-the-job training. I am in complete agreement with Singer's contention that "An important outcome of a graduate training program which would require students in psychology and social work to take courses in each department would probably be a more effective team approach to the common problems to be solved by both groups, viz., to enable the client to live a happy and satisfactory life." My experience may not be representative of the general attitude of schools of social work. Nevertheless, my own enrollment has added to my feelings of respect and admiration for the social work profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)