Processes governing the selection of academic clinical training directors.

Abstract

Accreditation guidelines of the American Psychological Association require the formal designation of a program director, but readers may not be aware that the selection processes used by academic clinical psychology programs can vary widely. Clinical directors who were members of the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology surveyed in this article were either elected by a subset of program participants (clinical faculty, nonprogram faculty, and/or students) or appointed by a university administrator (chair or dean). About 15% of these 85 respondents assumed the directorship in the aftermath of a predecessor's failure to secure reappointment, resignation under pressure, or removal. These "pressured transitions" did occur more frequently in programs that involved students in the selection process. It is hoped that these survey results will prompt further discussion regarding the methods used to select clinical directors and the impact of these governance decisions on faculty and student morale and program stability. ALAN R. KING received his PhD in clinical psychology in 1984 from Louisiana State University. He is an associate professor of psychology at the University of North Dakota and has served as director of clinical training for 6 years. His research and writing has focused on professional issues and the role of personality variables in psychosocial functioning.

Character and Fitness Requirements for Professional Psychologists: Training Directors' Perspectives.

“…The average age among respondents was 51 years, and the average tenure in the training director role was 6.5 years. These demographics are consistent with those from other national surveys of DCTs (King, 2002; Wisocki, Grebstein, & Hunt, 1994) and suggest that the present sample compares well with similar research samples in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, and tenure in the DCT role.…”