Inside the practicum in professional psychology: A survey of practicum site coordinators.

Abstract

In recent years, practicum training has become increasingly salient in professional psychology. External practica in particular play a large role in the early, formative experiences of students in training as professional psychologists. The results of this survey of coordinators of external practicum sites {N = 123) give a fresh perspective on how this important work is conducted, building on surveys conducted over 10 years ago, and on a related survey of practicum policies and practices in graduate programs (R. L. Hatcher, C. L. Grus, & E. H. Wise, 2011). The survey responses suggest that there are many strengths and positives in our current system of practicum training. Practicum coordinators value their role in training and report that graduate students bring significant benefits to the training setting. Practicum sites generally reported sufficient resources for conducting training and a good level of communication with graduate programs. Sites' training priorities closely match those of graduate programs in most respects, although offering less training in systematic use of research literature and assessment of outcomes. Very limited use of direct observation of student clinical work was also concerning, perhaps reflecting strain related to other priorities in real-world settings. External practicum sites lack any kind of professional organization, and the majority of site coordinators expressed interest in opportunities to share professional resources in order to enhance training. Overall, the results suggest that our current system of practicum training is characterized by significant strengths and a number of areas in which further growth and development are warranted.

Postgraduate Clinical Psychology Placements in Victoria: The Experience of Students and Supervisors

“…A recent North American survey of 123 coordinators of internship style placements at external practicum sites found that, consistent with the argument here, placement "coordinators value their role in training and report that graduate students bring significant benefits to the training setting" (Hatcher, Wise, Grus, Mangione, & Emmons, 2012). However, the authors found cause for concern over limitations in direct clinical observation of student work and suggest this may reflect overall strain upon supervisors and organisations occurring in these real-world settings (Hatcher et al, 2012).…”

Counsellor training and supervision in Uganda

“…Where internships are directly linked to academic programs, institutions have the responsibility to ensure placement of interns at appropriate sites and to monitor and evaluate their progress (Lewis et al 2005). They also have to identify appropriate sites and establish working agreements with them as training partners (Hatcher et al 2011(Hatcher et al , 2015(Hatcher et al , 2012. Secondly, education institutions stipulate the qualifications supervisors should possess and delineate the number of hours of supervised clinical activities as well as the total number of hours spent at the counselling internship site (Kaslow et al 2005;Lewis et al 2005).…”

“…Secondly, education institutions stipulate the qualifications supervisors should possess and delineate the number of hours of supervised clinical activities as well as the total number of hours spent at the counselling internship site (Kaslow et al 2005;Lewis et al 2005). Counsellor education institutions should work closely with internship sites to address the evaluative nature of supervision by indicating the counselling competencies that interns should acquire at the end of the internship (Hatcher et al 2015(Hatcher et al , 2012. More specifically, training experiences should be appropriate and consistent with education institutions' training goals and objectives (Lewis et al 2005).…”

“…WIL refers to "an approach to career-focussed education that includes classroom-based and workplace-based forms of learning that are appropriate for the professional qualification" (Council on Higher Education 2011, p. 4). This form of learning, which is common in professional qualifications, focuses on helping students develop academically, personally, and professionally (Hatcher et al 2012;Kilminster et al 2007).…”

Enhancing student competency in risky clinical environments: Evaluating an online education program

“…A systematic review conducted by Sheen, Graj, Pestell, and McGillivray () has demonstrated that psychology students face educational and supervision‐related risk during clinical placement. Educational risk arises from barriers to clinical placement participation including financial difficulties (Bor, Watts, & Parker, ), extended hours (Helmes & Pachana, ), and limited opportunities for direct supervision (Hatcher, Wise, Grus, Mangione, & Emmons, ; Scott, Pachana, & Sofronoff, ). Furthermore, supervision quality can at times be undermined by poor supervisory style or methods of communication (Atkinson & Woods, ; Dodds, ; Gray, Ladany, Walker, & Ancis, ; Nelson & Friedlander, ; Rhinehart, ; Zinkiewicz, ).…”