Response to Comments on Belar et al. (2001).

On Being Careful When You Get What You Wish For: Comment on Belar et al. (2001).

“…With this increasing acceptance and interest comes the likely prospect that practitioners without formal training in clinical health psychology will be interested in expanding their work to include medical populations and settings. C. D. Belar et al (2001) provided an invaluable guide to self-assessment and selfstudy to help bridge this potentially worrisome gap in training. However, lessons from the first 25 years of work in the field suggest that training in this subdiscipline is complex and demanding and sometimes may be beyond the scope of self-directed education.…”

“…It is indeed an excellent template for self-evaluation and the ensuing personalized "short course" in topics in clinical health psychology. Belar et al (2001) also offered useful guidance in the process of obtaining not only the necessary didactic information but also the necessity of experience in actual health care settings. (On this note, the authors did not take a firm enough stand on the value of their own prior work in education and training in clinical health psychology; the Belar & Deardorff, 1995, volume is an absolute must-read for any serious student of clinical health psychology.)…”

“…Of course, the proposal by Belar et al (2001) involves the further training of already established professionals; much of the very difficult work has been done in their original education, and their skills have likely been polished in subsequent experience. Also, as noted above, Belar et al do provide an excellent guide to the missing material and experiences.…”

“…So, new resources will likely prove critical in the long-term viability of the approach they propose. Belar et al (2001) did not discuss another application of self-assessment and self-directed education in health psychology. Given the 25-year history of the field, there are now many clinical health psychologists who were trained in programs designed for this purpose.…”

“…Yet, given the limited curriculum time noted above, past training compromises might leave the professional insufficiently prepared for assessing and treating "traditional" problems in clinical or counseling psychology. Belar et al (2001) emphasized selfassessment of the "health" issues in clinical health psychology, but their general approach and specific suggestions are no less relevant for the "clinical psychology" component. Adequate training for all facets of these complex cases is needed, and we must also take care with our expertise in traditional areas-especially in a transition where the total amount of what the professional needs to know is increasing rapidly.…”