Slide 2 + The Professional Training of Clinical Psychologists
Melody N. Mickens, B.A. 3 rd year Clinical Psychology Doctoral
Student Virginia Commonwealth University Slide 3 + Learning
Objectives Describe what clinical psychology is and how clinical
psychologists are trained Discuss some of the career paths
available to clinical psychologists Explain key challenges for the
field of clinical psychology Slide 4 + What is Clinical Psychology?
The integration of science, theory and practice to understand,
predict and alleviate maladjustment, disability and discomfort as
well as to promote human adaptation, adjustment and personal
development. -American Psychological Association, Society of
Clinical Psychology (Division 12) Slide 5 + Clinical Psychology
AssessmentPsychopathology Psychotherapy and behavior change
Personality and human development RESEARCH Slide 6 +
Scientist-Practitioner Model of Training Scientist Practitioner
Slide 7 + Ph.D versus Psy.D. : Whats the difference? Ph.D programs
Follow a scientist-practitioner model of training Heavy emphasis on
research and preparation for a career in clinical and academic
settings Smaller class sizes (4-15 students) and funding for
students masters thesis and dissertation research with data
collection Psy.D programs Follow a practitioner-scholar model of
training Heavier emphasis on clinical work and research related to
clinical practice Larger class sizes (100+), high tuition costs, no
financial support, lower internship match rates that result in
students completing internships at non-accredited sites Rarely
involves masters thesis and dissertation can be a theory paper in
many programs Slide 8 + Counseling Psychology PhD Leads to same
license as clinical psychology PhD Smaller number of programs, with
slightly different emphasis (similar to D.O. vs. M.D. training) VCU
Psychology Department has both programs (very unusual) with large
overlap in courses and training. Both work on MCV campus and in
primary care. Slide 9 + Applying the Scientist-Practitioner Model
Slide 10 + The Training of Clinical Psychologists Undergraduate
education Graduate education 5-6 years to earn Ph.D. Internship
required to earn Ph.D (shortage of accredited internships has
created stress for students and training programs) Post-doctoral
fellowship (Optional in some cases) Licensure and board
certification Continuing education to maintain license and
certifications Training Overview Slide 11 + Two Tracks in Clinical
Program at VCU Generalist training focused on psychopathology,
assessment, treatment and research with adults Specialist training
for research and clinical work in health settings * Also know as
Health Psychology. VCU Counseling PhD has same track. Training
focused on understanding human development, family and social
aspects of human development, research, assessment and the
treatment of children and adolescents with psychopathology.
Behavioral Medicine* Child and Adolescent Slide 12 + Year One
Complete coursework Intellectual & personality assessment,
psychopathology, biological basis of behavior, statistics, behavior
therapy and clinical interviewing skills Work ~ 20 hours at an
assistantship Teaching a course or the lab/discussion section of an
undergraduate or graduate course Recruiting participants for a
faculty members research, running intervention groups or collecting
data from participants or analyzing data Independent research
Collaborating with a faculty advisor or mentor Reading and
discussing literature for thesis Analyzing data for an abstract or
poster for a conference Slide 13 + Year Two Complete coursework
Research methodology, psychometrics, health psychology, learning
and cognition and neuropsychology Work ~ 20 hours at an
assistantship Begin clinical practicum at CPSD Independent Research
Thesis proposal and data collection Slide 14 + Clinical practicum
at the Center for Psychological Services and Development (CPSD) 2
nd year students begin working as staff therapists at the CPSD in
the fall semester CPSD is a clinic operated by VCUs Psychology
department Services are provided on a sliding fee scale based on
patients income and insurance Services include Individual therapy
for children and adults Couples therapy Assessment (court ordered
evaluations, ADHD/LD, therapeutic & neuropsychological) Family
therapy Group therapy Career counseling Slide 15 + Additional
Department Clinics Anxiety Clinic (CPSD) Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT) focus for individuals with anxiety disorders Training
in exposure therapy Peer supervision model Primary Care Psychology
Clinic Students treat patients at MCVs ACC Resident Clinic for a
variety of psychological and health related disorders Weight loss,
depression, smoking cessation, diabetes management, anxiety and
adjustment to chronic illness Students collaborate with residents,
a medical social worker and pharmacist students to integrate
patient care Assessment Clinic (CPSD) Students administer, score
and report findings from psychological assessments Students gain
experience in case conceptualization and assessment administration,
scoring and report writing Child and Adolescent Primary Care Clinic
Similar to PCPC, but with children, adolescents and families at
Childrens Pavillion To begin in January, 2011 Funded by same HRSA
grant as PCPC Slide 16 + Year Three Complete elective coursework
Work ~ 20 hours at an assistantship (one option is Primary Care via
grant funding) Complete clinical practicum at CPSD and apply for
off- campus practicum Independent research Thesis defense obtain
Masters degree Dissertation proposal Complete comprehensive
examinations (50 page paper worthy of journal submission) Slide 17
+ Year Four Begin off-campus practicum Continue with clinical work
at Anxiety clinic or Primary Care Clinics Independent research
Internship applications and interviews Work ~ 20 hours at
assistantship Slide 18 + Off-campus Practicum Training 3rd year
students apply to work at several training sites within the Metro
Richmond area or DC area Training sites Hunter Holmes McGuire VAMC
Virginia Treatment Center for Children Central State Psychiatric
Hospital, Petersburg, VA UVA Center for Addiction Research and
Education VCU Department of Psychiatry: burn unit, transplant and
gastric bypass evaluations and treatment Slide 19 + Year Five or
Six Complete internship Defend dissertation Graduate OR Off-campus
practicum Dissertation data collection Internship applications and
interviews Slide 20 + Internship Application process includes a
written application, an invitation to interview, interviews and
then match process similar to medical residency Internships
typically begin in July or August and include extensive training
for one year Internship allows students the opportunity to work
autonomously in a new setting and to experience some of the
challenges that licensed clinicians face Interns continue to
receive supervision and training through clinical rotations, where
they often have the opportunity to practice in sub-specialties such
as neuropsychology, forensic psychology, integrated primary care
psychology, rehabilitation psychology, sports psychology, program
evaluation and development. Slide 21 + Internship sites Agency
Types: VA hospitals Community mental health centers Medical schools
Prisons and correctional facilities Private and state owned
hospitals (general or psychiatric) University counseling centers
Outpatient clinics Slide 22 + Post-graduate training Post-doctoral
fellowship 2 year training opportunity Training in a sub-specialty
area such as neuropsychology, addiction psychology, primary care
psychology and health disparities research Mixture of research and
clinical focus with some programs emphasizing one area over the
other Provides clinical hours needed to achieve board credentials
in sub-specialty areas Licensure and credentialing Licensure by
state board Credentialing by specialty boards and professional
organizations American Board of Professional Psychology Continuing
education requirements Slide 23 + What do clinical psychologists
do? Assess intellectual development, psychopathology, adjustment
and personal growth Treat psychological disorders and individuals
experiencing symptoms of psychological distress in a variety of
settings Teach at university psychology and psychiatry departments
Conduct research in the community Consult with government agencies,
private institutions, businesses and organizations Lead and
participate in professional organizations Publish and edit journals
and books Slide 24 + Career paths of VCU grads 65% work at academic
medical centers or VA hospitals with adult or pediatric populations
and are frequently involved in both clinical service and research
20% work in private practice 5-10% work at universities or colleges
as tenure track professors 5-10% work as administrators for various
health care organizations Slide 25 + Differentiating clinical
psychologists from other mental health providers (MSW, MA level
counselors, Psychiatrists) Major differences Different training
models, professional degrees and areas of competency Different
ethical standards American Psychological Association Psychologists
complete training in intellectual, cognitive and personality
assessments Research skills and clinical competencies provide
leadership expertise Slide 26 + Five challenges for the profession
of clinical psychology: Are for-profit programs creating too many
psychologists and how will this affect the field over time? Note:
most limitations placed on the free market of training would be
considered illegal Shortage of accredited internships, required by
many programs and licensure boards Differentiating competencies and
justifying higher reimbursement rates for doctoral trained
psychologists relative to masters level mental health providers
Moving toward an outcomes oriented reimbursement model that still
embraces diverse orientations to practice Clinical psychologists
continuing to find new niches that capitalize on unique expertise
in measurement and research skills Slide 27 + Summary Complete
rigorous training to achieve a Ph.D. or Psy.D., licensure and
credentials Use their knowledge of science and research to
understand and treat a variety of disorders or promote adjustment
Practice in a variety of settings Fulfill many roles as
researchers, educators, consultants and clinicians Clinical
psychologists: Slide 28 + References Slide 3: Society of Clinical
Psychology. (2010) What is Clinical Psychology? Available from
http://www.div12.orgabout-clinical-psychology http://www.div12.org
Comic courtesy of
http://www.zjobs.com.au/imagespsychologist.jpghttp://www.zjobs.com.au/images
Slide 4: Graphic courtesy of
http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/dssinformation/images/NM0504-PSYCHOLOGY.jpghttp://www.uaa.alaska.edu/dss
Slide 5: Scientist comic courtesy of
http://www.age-of-the-sage.orgpsychology/pavlov.htmlhttp://www.age-of-the-sage.org
Practitioner comic courtesy of cartoonstock.com Slide 7: Graph
courtesy of
http://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/CEPSE/cpimages/table.gifhttp://ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/CEPSE/cp
Slide 8: Comic courtesy of phdcomics.com Slide 9: Rat in Skinner
box courtesy of
http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-imageshttp://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images
1566-0123734 Photo courtesy of
http://www.wm.edu/research/ideation/issues/2010-spring/facing-http://www.wm.edu/research/ideation/issues/2010-spring/facing
race-008.php Slide 14: Photo courtesy of CPSD staff Slide 19: Photo
courtesy of http://www.richmond.va.gov/http://www.richmond.va.gov/
Photo courtesy of
http://yourunitedway.org/images/jewish_family_services.bmphttp://yourunitedway.org/images/jewish_family_services.bmp
Photo courtesy of http://www.virginiakids.net/pics/logo.jpg Photo
courtesy of
http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/psychiatry/sections/neurobiologicalstudies/
uvacare/home-page
http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/psychiatry/sections/neurobiologicalstudies/
uvacare/home-page Slide 20: Photo courtesy of
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bWyMZGz_G0c/TNi5zjznt8I/AAAAAAAAA3c/oK95SU73EfQ/s1600/The+Li
ght+At+the+End+of+the+Tunnel.jpg Slide 24: Photo courtesy of
http://www.paranormalknowledge.com/articles/5-articles-on-psychology.html
