Guiding psychologists through inner and outer worlds: reflections from an academic Levinsonian psychobiography of Joe Slovo.

Psychobiography has become valuable within the context of professional psychology training. A recent psychobiography purposively sampled Joe Slovo to uncover, reconstruct and illustrate significant trajectories of his development. Slovo's (1926-1995) lifelong dedication to the struggle against Apartheid has been widely acknowledged, and he held longstanding leadership positions in various South African liberation movements. Levinson's theory of lifespan development served as the study's psychological lens. Alexander's approaches to data identification and extraction were used, followed by a psycho-historical matrix for data categorisation based on the life cycle theory and significant historical periods throughout Slovo's life. To fully embrace the Levinsonian understanding that an individual cannot be separated from their social world, consideration was given to significant historical and sociocultural forces and events during the data analysis. Therefore, this study's findings extend beyond Slovo's individual development to illuminate the complex ways external forces, such as family dynamics, historical events, political movements, community concerns and cultural and language considerations, influence developmental trajectories, life structures and tasks. The authors reflect on the value of sociocultural and contextual sensitivity in psychobiography to help trainee psychologists venture beyond the subject's inner psychological life, including understanding their outer worlds.

Reforming clinical psychological science training: The importance of collaborative decision-making with trainees.

To effectively address the staggering burden of mental illness, clinical psychological science will need to face some uncomfortable truths about current training practices. In a commentary authored by 23 current or recent trainees, Palitsky and colleagues highlight a number of urgent challenges facing today's clinical interns. They provide a thoughtful framework for reform, with specific recommendations and guiding questions for a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Key suggestions are applicable to the entire sequence of clinical training. While there is cause for cautious optimism, overcoming these systemic barriers will require a coordinated, all-hands approach and a more collaborative approach to policy-making.

Short-changing the future: The systemic gap between psychology internship stipends and living wages.

Introduction: Providing doctoral internship stipends below living wages may harm interns, the clinical services they provide, and the field of health service psychology as a whole. This study evaluated the extent to which doctoral psychology internship stipends from the 2021-2022 training year for APA-accredited, APPIC-member programs in the US are consistent with living wages in the geographic region where sites are located. Methods: We obtained data reflecting internship sites' geographic location and stipends for the 2021-2022 academic year. Using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator, we computed a living wage for the county in which each internship site is located. Descriptive statistics, discrepancies, ratios, and correlations were calculated to reflect the associations between internship sites' stipends and their local living wages. Results: The average internship stipend was $31,783, which was lower than the average living wage by $2,091. Stipends ranged widely, from a low of $15,000 to a high of $94,595-reflecting a six-fold difference in wages. Although internship sites in higher cost of living areas paid higher stipends, over two-thirds (67.0%) of sites did not pay a stipend that equaled or exceeded a living wage. Ninety-eight sites (15.3%) had deficits of over $10,000 when comparing their stipends to local living wages, with $33,240 as the highest deficit. Discussion: Eliminating obstacles to educating health service psychologists by decreasing the financial burden of training will likely have subsequent critical benefits towards bridging the workforce gap between mental healthcare service needs and available providers, ultimately leading to improved population health.

Reconsidering the discontinuation of M.Phil. programs in clinical psychology and psychiatric social work: An imperative for India's mental health future.

This viewpoint critically examines the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020's decision to discontinue M.Phil. programs in Clinical Psychology and Psychiatric Social Work in India. It explores the crucial roles these programs play in addressing the country's shortage of mental health professionals and evaluates the potential impact of this decision on mental healthcare. The article advocates for the necessity of these programs in maintaining the quality and accessibility of mental health services and calls for a reconsidered policy approach that balances educational reforms with the specialized needs of the mental health sector.

Interprofessional Education in Psychology Doctoral Programs, Internships, and Postdoctoral Training: A Survey of Training Directors.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is intended to prepare health professionals for teambased care. Little is known about IPE offerings for psychology trainees. The article reports on a survey of training directors (263) from graduate school, internship, and fellowship programs about IPE in a 39-item survey. Most programs have IPE activities across 17 types (e.g., classroom didactics, IP team care, Grand Rounds, simulations, etc.), though 34% reported no or poorly coordinated IPE. Barriers included limited funding/protected time and conflicting student schedules. Resources needed for implementing IPE included incorporating IPE into clinical settings, curricular materials, and evaluation tools. Only 15% felt institutional leadership considered IPE a high priority. Training directors need leadership engagement and support, protected time, and administrative support as well as faculty development for event design and facilitation skills. This study is an exploratory first step, more granular investigation of quality and quantity of IPE from training directors' perspectives is needed.

A re-introduction of the psychodynamic approach to the standard clinical psychology curriculum.

OBJECTIVE: There is a strong evidence-base for a psychodynamic approach, supporting primary theoretical tenets as well as the treatment effectiveness. Additionally, there are increasing calls from the field for more individualized treatment for clients, and the lack of training in multiple orientations limits the ability of students in clinical psychology Ph.D. programs in the United States to personalize their treatments. The accumulated evidence-base for contemporary relational psychodynamic theory and therapy places it in good standing to return to the standard clinical psychology curriculum, along with other evidence-based approaches. METHODS: We use data from the Insider's Guide (which describes clinical Ph.D. programs in the United States) from three time points over 20 years to document the waning psychodynamic approach in clinical psychology programs. We review the scientific evidence for four primary tenets of a contemporary psychodynamic approach: three related to development-from healthy to psychopathological: (1) unconscious processes; (2) internal representations of self and other; (3) dimensional model of psychopathology, and a fourth tenet that builds on these three and is the foundation for a contemporary psychodynamic approach to psychotherapy: (4) therapeutic relationship as a primary mechanism of change. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Based on the review of the evidence, we make specific recommendations for clinical psychology training programs about how to include a psychodynamic approach in the curriculum.

Disseminating sleep education to graduate psychology programs online: a knowledge translation study to improve the management of insomnia.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Despite the negative impact of poor sleep on mental health, evidence-based insomnia management guidelines have not been translated into routine mental healthcare. Here, we evaluate a state-wide knowledge translation effort to disseminate sleep and insomnia education to graduate psychology programs online using the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) evaluation framework. METHODS: Using a non-randomized waitlist control design, graduate psychology students attended a validated 6-hour online sleep education workshop delivered live as part of their graduate psychology program in Victoria, Australia. Sleep knowledge, attitudes, and practice assessments were conducted pre- and post-program, with long-term feedback collected at 12 months. RESULTS: Seven out of ten graduate psychology programs adopted the workshop (adoption rate = 70%). The workshop reached 313 graduate students, with a research participation rate of 81%. The workshop was effective at improving students' sleep knowledge and self-efficacy to manage sleep disturbances using cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), compared to the waitlist control with medium-to-large effect sizes (all p < .001). Implementation feedback was positive, with 96% of students rating the workshop as very good-to-excellent. Twelve-month maintenance data demonstrated that 83% of students had used the sleep knowledge/skills learned in the workshop in their clinical practice. However, more practical training is required to achieve CBT-I competency. CONCLUSIONS: Online sleep education workshops can be scaled to deliver cost-effective foundational sleep training to graduate psychology students. This workshop will accelerate the translation of insomnia management guidelines into psychology practice to improve sleep and mental health outcomes nationwide.

Affirmative Stances in Training Programs Toward Sexual and Gender Minority Clients: Views From Clinical and Counseling Psychology Graduate Students.

Despite training recommendations to address mental health disparities among sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, the current state of SGM affirmative training in clinical and counseling doctoral psychology programs remains unclear. The present study surveyed 147 clinical and counseling psychology graduate students in the United States. Participants completed surveys on affirmative training stances in their graduate program for sexual minority clients, gender minority clients, and self-reported perceptions of their attitudes, knowledge, and skills related to SGM clients. Results revealed that current graduate students reported more affirmative stances for sexual minority clients compared to gender minority clients. SGM graduate students reported fewer affirmative stances in their programs for both sexual and gender minority clients compared to their heterosexual cisgender peers. Lastly, SGM identity was a significant predictor of perceived SGM clinical competency beyond years of training, program model, or type of graduate program. Implications for training and future research are discussed.

Implementation of a Post-Baccalaureate Program at a Pediatric Academic Medical Center: A Pathway to Graduate School.

Post-baccalaureate programs are increasingly common and have demonstrated success in preparing students for graduate programs. Most post-baccalaureate programs have a pre-medical focus, and the few existing clinical psychology-focused programs are centered on coursework, situated within a university, costly to students, and/or geared towards career change. The post-baccalaureate program at Nationwide Children's Hospital was created in 2017 and is uniquely positioned within a pediatric academic medical center. The program provides research skill training, mentorship, professional development, and graduate school preparation to employed clinical research coordinators. An early program assessment, based on self-reports, revealed the program attracts diverse participants that are primarily interested in pediatric or child psychology and rate themselves as "somewhat confident" in their current research skills. This manuscript summarizes the three phases of development and key components of the post-baccalaureate program, which can serve as a model to other medical centers interested in developing training programs for research staff, particularly underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Clinical and counseling psychology doctoral trainees' attitudes toward and interest in working with older adult clients.

The small percentage of psychologists specializing in geropsychology will be increasingly insufficient to meet projected mental health needs of the growing older adult population in the United States. The current study examined contact with older adults, empathy, and multicultural competence as predictors of counseling and clinical psychology doctoral trainees' attitudes toward and interest in working with older adults. A sample of 311 doctoral trainees in clinical (n = 234) and counseling (n = 78) psychology were surveyed online. A structural equation model testing hypothesized interrelationships between study variables showed good fit. Greater contact with older adults was significantly related to less ageist attitudes, greater interest in work with older adults, and more empathy. Less ageist attitudes were significantly related to greater interest in clinical work with older adults. Greater empathy was significantly related to less ageist attitudes and greater multicultural competence, but to less interest in working with older adults. Empathy mediated the relation of contact to attitudes. Increasing positive contact with older adults as part of doctoral training in counseling and clinical psychology may enhance trainees' empathy, attitudes toward older adults, and interest in work with older adults.

Implementation of an integrated primary care behavioral health training model on campus.

In the last 15 years, demand has surged among college students for mental health care and many campuses are struggling to keep up with the demand for services. Primary care services represent a pathway where individuals can receive mental health care without accessing specialty mental health services. There is evidence that integrating mental health services into primary care can reduce racial disparities in access to mental health care and provide greater access to mental health care for underserved persons. This paper describes the development and implementation of a fully integrated model of mental health care services into Xavier University's (XU) primary care clinic. In partnership with TriHealth, a local healthcare provider, and following the primary care behavioral care model, XU integrated supervised psychology doctoral students as behavior health consultants into a campus primary care clinic. Administrative, clinical care, and training processes together with preliminary findings and recommendations are shared.

Direitos Humanos: concepções por estudantes de psicologia em uma universidade pública brasileira / Human Rights: conceptions by psychology students in a brazilian public university

Resumo O artigo versa sobre compreensões que estudantes de psicologia produzem acerca da relação dessa ciência e profissão com os Direitos Humanos. Para tanto, o artigo traça um panorama geral acerca da história dos Direitos Humanos, dando centralidade à possibilidade de diferentes concepções desses direitos, indo de uma visão hegemônica, à perspectiva de que esses direitos são frutos de processos históricos, sociais e culturais. Para atingir o objetivo, foi realizada aplicação de questionário com perguntas abertas à estudantes de psicologia. As informações construídas foram analisadas por meio da Análise de Conteúdo Temática, de maneira a se evidenciar duas categorias (núcleos de sentido): Concepções acerca dos Direitos Humanos, e Psicologia e Direitos Humanos: uma relação necessária? Concluímos que as concepções de Direitos Humanos dos estudantes de psicologia participantes são majoritariamente liberais e naturalistas, e eles têm a percepção de que a formação fornece poucos elementos teóricos e práticos para que o psicólogo atue alinhado aos ideais dos Direitos Humanos.

Abstract The article deals with understandings that psychology students develop about the relationship of this science and profession with human rights. To this end, the article onlines a general overview about the history of human rights, being focused on different possibilities of their conceptions from a hegemonic vision, up to their perspective as a result of historical, social and cultural processes. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire with open questions was administered to psychology students. The collected information was analyzed by means of Thematic Content Analysis, in order to reveal two categories (nuclei of meaning): conceptions about human rights, and Psychology and human rights: Is it a necessary relationship? We conclude that the conceptions of human rights of the participating psychology students are mostly liberal and naturalistic, and they have the perception that the training provides limited theoretical and practical elements that allow the psychologist acts in accordance with the ideals of human rights.

Resumen El presente artículo aborda las concepciones que los estudiantes de psicología producen sobre la relación de esta ciencia y profesión con los Derechos Humanos. Para ello, traza un panorama general sobre la historia de los Derechos Humanos, dando centralidad a la posibilidad de diferentes concepciones de estos derechos, desde una visión hegemónica hasta una perspectiva de los mismos como resultado de procesos históricos, sociales y culturales. Para lograr el objetivo, se aplicó un cuestionario con preguntas abiertas a estudiantes de psicología. La información construida se analizó mediante el Análisis de Contenido Temático, con el fin de revelar dos categorías (núcleos de significado): Concepciones sobre derechos humanos y Psicología y derechos humanos: ¿una relación necesaria? Concluimos que las concepciones de los Derechos Humanos de los estudiantes de psicologia participantes son en su mayoría liberales y naturalistas, y tienen la percepción de que la capacitación proporciona pocos elementos teóricos y prácticos para que el psicólogo actúe de acuerdo con los ideales de los Derechos Humanos.

Training the Next Generation of Clinical Psychological Scientists: A Data-Driven Call to Action.

The central goal of clinical psychology is to reduce the suffering caused by mental health conditions. Anxiety, mood, psychosis, substance use, personality, and other mental disorders impose an immense burden on global public health and the economy. Tackling this burden will require the development and dissemination of intervention strategies that are more effective, sustainable, and equitable. Clinical psychology is uniquely poised to serve as a transdisciplinary hub for this work. But rising to this challengerequires an honest reckoning with the strengths and weaknesses of current training practices. Building on new data, we identify the most important challenges to training the next generation of clinical scientists. We provide specific recommendations for the full spectrum of stakeholders-from funders, accreditors, and universities to program directors, faculty, and students-with an emphasis on sustainable solutions that promote scientific rigor and discovery and enhance the mental health of clinical scientists and the public alike.

Examining Skills and Abilities During the Pandemic - Psychology Students' and Examiners' Perceptions of a Digital OSCE.

Finding valid and reliable ways to assess complex clinical skills within psychology is a challenge. Recently, there have been some examples of applying Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in psychology for making such assessments. The aim of this study was to examine students' and examiners' perceptions of a digital OSCE in psychology regarding quality and students' feelings about the OSCE. Participants were 51 students enrolled in the Programme for Master of Science in Clinical Psychology during two semesters and nine examiners assessing each OSCE occasion, at Umeå University, Sweden. Web-based questionnaires were used for data collection. Psychometric analyses indicated that the subscales in the student questionnaire had adequate or close to adequate levels of item and scale reliability. Both students and examiners felt that the digital OSCE was realistic, valid and well-aligned with professional practice. Although students perceived the digital OSCE as stressful, the results showed that they were focused and concentrated and found the OSCE to be a positive learning experience, implying that the stress did not affect performance to any significant extent. Based on the examiners' experiences, it can be concluded that there are both advantages and disadvantages which need to be considered when planning future digital OSCEs.

School Psychology Supervisors' Perceptions of Specialist-Level Training: An Exploratory Study.

Surveys of trainers in school psychology have been administered to examine training competencies and content delivered to school psychology trainees. Surveys of practitioners working with school psychology trainees are limited as discussed by Lewis et al. (2005). The purpose of this exploratory study is to seek to understand the perceptions of specialist-level site-based supervisors in relation to practicum students' knowledge in several competency areas. Utilizing the National Association of School Psychologists' Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services and Standards for Graduate Preparation of School Psychologists as reported by NASP (2020b) and commonly reported school psychology practices as discussed by McNamara et al. (2019), a survey was developed and administered to specialist-level practicum supervisors. Results of Chronbach's alpha analyses examining internal consistency for each of the seven domains ranged from good to excellent (0.85-0.95) although mean differences in domain ratings were not found to be significant. Results of the study are presented along with study limitations and directions for future research.

Perfil de psicoterapeutas pais-bebê de Porto Alegre: formação e atuação profissional / Profile of parent-infant psychotherapists of Porto Alegre: training and professional actuation / Perfil de psicoterapeutas padres-bebés de Porto Alegre: formación y actuación profesional

A psicoterapia pais-bebê é uma modalidade terapêutica que enfoca a relação da díade/tríade pai-mãe/bebê, geralmente embasada no referencial teórico psicanalítico. No Brasil, são escassas as pesquisas sobre o tema. Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar o perfil de profissionais que atuam como psicoterapeutas pais-bebê em Porto Alegre e as características e especificidades deste campo de atuação. Trata-se de estudo qualitativo, de caráter exploratório-descritivo. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada realizada presencialmente. Participaram do estudo 10 psicoterapeutas do sexo feminino, selecionadas por conveniência. Utilizou-se a Análise de Conteúdo proposta por Laurence Bardin para a análise dos dados. A possibilidade de intervir precocemente foi descrita como a principal motivação para a inserção na área, que ocorreu sem uma formação acadêmica estruturada. Possuir conhecimentos sobre desenvolvimento infantil, constituição de vínculos e dinâmica familiar foi citado como imprescindível para a atuação profissional. Quanto às características pessoais e técnicas, foram mencionadas a necessidade de identificação com a técnica e com o trabalho com bebês e de possuir formação sólida, pautada em estudo teórico, supervisão e análise pessoal. A importância da experiência prática e da observação de bebês enquanto ferramentas de aprendizagem também foi destacada, e constatou-se a necessidade de ampliar a visibilidade desse campo de atuação entre profissionais e público em geral.(AU)

The parent-infant psychotherapy is a therapeutic approach that focus on the father-mother/baby dyad/triad, usually based on the psychoanalytic theoretical framework. In Brazil, research on this theme is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the profile of parent-infant psychotherapists that work in Porto Alegre and the characteristics and specificities of their field of actuation. This is a qualitative study, with a descriptive and exploratory design. Data were collected by semi-structured in person interviews. A total of 10 female psychotherapists, selected by convenience, participated in the study. Content Analysis proposed by Laurence Bardin was used for data analysis. The possibility of early intervention was described as the main motivation for the choice of this field, which occurred without a formal training. Knowledge about child development, bonding and family dynamics stood out as essential for professional performance. Regarding personal and technical characteristics, the need for identification with this technique and with working with babies and a solid training, based on theoretical study, supervision and personal analysis, were mentioned. The importance of the practical experience and of the infant observation as learning tools was also highlighted, and the need to increase the visibility of this practical field among professionals and the general public was observed.(AU)

La psicoterapia padres-bebé es una modalidad terapéutica que se enfoca en la relación de la díada/tríada padre-madre/bebé, generalmente basada en el referencial teórico psicoanalítico. En Brasil, pocas son las investigaciones sobre el tema. Este estudio analizó el perfil de profesionales que actúan como psicoterapeutas padres-bebé en Porto Alegre (Brasil) y las características y especificidades de este ámbito de actuación. Este es un estudio cualitativo, de naturaleza exploratoria descriptiva. Para la recopilación de datos se realizó una entrevista semiestructurada de modo presencial. Se entrevistaron a 10 psicoterapeutas mujeres, elegidas por conveniencia. Se aplicó el Análisis de Contenido propuesto por Laurence Bardin para analizar los datos. La posibilidad de intervenir precozmente se describió como la principal motivación para la selección del área, que ocurrió sin una formación académica estructurada. Poseer conocimientos sobre desarrollo infantil, constitución de vínculos y dinámica familiar se destacó como imprescindible para la actuación profesional. Respecto a las características personales y técnicas, se mencionaron la necesidad de identificación con dicha técnica y con el trabajo con bebés, y tener una sólida formación, regida por estudios teóricos, supervisión y análisis personal. Además, se destacó la importancia de la experiencia práctica y de la observación de bebés como herramienta de aprendizaje, y se constató la necesidad de ampliar la visibilidad de este campo de actuación entre los profesionales y el público en general.(AU)

Examination of a Tiered Training Model to Increase School Psychology Graduate Students' Behavior Specific Praise.

Several strategies (e.g., performance feedback, video models, tactile prompting) have been found to be effective for improving preservice teachers' use of foundational behavior management skills. However, there is limited research examining these training strategies for promoting preservice clinicians' use of evidence-based behavior management skills. Furthermore, when these strategies are utilized, personnel receiving training often respond differentially. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a tiered training model that incorporated performance feedback, video models, and tactile prompts to increase school psychology graduate students' rates of behavior specific praise during one-to-one sessions with child clients. Results indicated that rates of behavior specific praise increased and maintained across time. Findings, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Teaching and Learning During A Pandemic: How one Graduate Community Psychology Class Quickly Incorporated Healing Justice Into Our Practices.

In this first-person account, we describe the changes we made to align our graduate student-level community psychology class with a healing justice model. We undertook this intervention because the class started in March, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home directive in our region. We describe the facets of a healing justice model, which promotes radical healing and collective action in a trauma-informed environment. We then discuss the changes we made to the class to better align with healing justice, including how enrolled students (i.e., co-authors) experienced the process of the course (e.g., reworking the syllabus, starting class with check-ins and an exercise to engage our parasympathetic nervous systems), as well as the content of the course (e.g., service projects to support people who are undocumented, unhoused, or minoritized in other ways; photovoice). We end with implications for teaching community psychology, including the importance of universal design, and for scholar-activist PhD programs.

What geropsychology trainees think geropsychologists do and what we actually do: A mixed-methods Study.

A shortage of individuals in academic geropsychology positions further perpetuates the shortage of clinicians trained to meet the needs of the aging population. Barriers to recruiting geropsychology trainees into academia and what attracts trainees into career paths within geropsychology are not understood. The current mixed-methods study examined 1) geropsychology trainees' (n = 28) knowledge and attitudes toward work in clinical or academic positions and 2) professional geropsychologists (n = 67) activities, career expectations, ideal activities, and work/life balance. We asked geropsychology trainees to estimate the amount of time their supervisors spent in clinical, research, education, and administrative activities, and professional geropsychologists reported how they currently spent their time in these same activities. We conducted qualitative interviews asking geropsychology trainees about experiences in academic or clinical settings and geropsychologists about career expectations, opportunities, and work/life balance. Geropsychology trainees had less accurate estimates of academic work time compared to clinically focused work time. Trainee interviews revealed negative perceptions of the university system, including bureaucracy, low salary, and perceived workload. Professional geropsychologists reported high agreement between actual and ideal work time with some individual differences. Each group discussed work-life balance, based on career stage or work setting. Interventions for recruiting more geropsychology trainees into academic jobs are discussed.

Training Experience in the US School Psychology Program: Understanding Asian International Students' Assets, Challenges, and Coping.

To address the rapidly increasing demand for culturally and linguistically diverse school psychologists and training needs for international school psychology students in the USA, this study was grounded in the risk and resilience framework and used semi-structured interviews to explore the nuanced experiences of Asian international trainees in school psychology programs in the USA. Participants included 11 Asian international students who were enrolled in or recently graduated from school psychology programs in the USA. Thematic analysis revealed that Asian international school psychology students identified some assets they have brought to the program, including their diverse perspectives and experiences, awareness and commitment to social justice, and the potential to diversify the school psychology workforce. Participants also identified several challenges they were facing, such as acculturative stress, microaggression and discrimination, training program-related issues, and working restrictions related to their visa status. Moreover, they identified some effective strategies (i.e., seeking resources and increasing internal strengths) they have used to cope with these challenges. The findings provide important implications for school psychology graduate programs in the USA to improve the training experiences and training outcomes for international students from Asia and other countries.