University psychology clinics in Australia: Their place in professional training

Abstract

There is universal recognition of the need for developmentally appropriate supervised clinical experience in professional psychology training. University clinics were established to provide a bridging function for postgraduate clinical psychology students, assisting the integration of psychological theory and research into real-world clinical applications and professional identity development. The aim of training in university clinics is to provide opportunities for clinical practice and highquality supervision to monitor and shape clinical skills. The experiences gained in external practicum settings complement this initial training but cannot replace it. The recent introduction of Medicare rebates for psychology services has threatened the survival of university clinics because low-cost psychological treatment is now available from experienced practitioners. This paper provides data on Australian university clinics collected before the introduction of Medicare. Concerted efforts are needed to protect university clinics in order to maintain standards required for accreditation of clinical psychology training programs. The potential impact of the loss of university training clinics is discussed and strategies to ensure their survival are suggested.

Introduction of a university‐based counselling service for older adults

“…Third, in contrast to other placements, such as within a university psychology clinic [29] where professional roles are more circumscribed, the role of provisional psychologists in residential aged care settings felt ill-defined to the students. Some students struggled to distinguish their contribution from that of a 'well-meaning visitor', pastoral care worker or social worker, because the students perceived their actions (e.g.…”

Exploration of Client Profile and Clinical Outcome in a University Psychology Clinic

“…This study will potentially contribute to the education of trainee psychologists by informing future development of clinical competency‐based training (Messer & Boals, ). Evaluating treatment outcome is one means by which the effectiveness of clinical training can be measured alongside the potential benefits to members of the public (Gonsalvez et al, ).…”

“…University‐based psychology clinics provide appropriate training of clinical psychologists under intensive and expert supervision in a supportive environment (Gonsalvez, Hyde, Lancaster, & Barrington, ). In Australia, master's level trainees in clinical psychology are referred to as “provisional psychologists.” The advantage of this style of training is that clinics provide training that integrates psychological theory, research, and practical application in professional development (Babbage, ; Gonsalvez et al, ; Murrell, Steel, Gaston, & Proudfoot, ). To ensure standards are maintained for accreditation/quality and clinical best practice processes for training programmes, it is imperative to evaluate the effectiveness of clinic operations.…”

The First Experience of Clinical Practice on Psychology Students’ Imaginary

“…Among the productions that are directly aimed toward the consideration of specific moments in the academic development of psychologists, it is worth remembering those of Babbage (2008), Gonsalvez, Hyde, Lancaster and Barrington (2008) and Lewis, Hatcher and Pate (2005), which rigorously addressed the importance of the university clinic and the supervision in the professional development of psychologists. We also highlight the studies of Aguirre et al (2000), Aiello-Vaisberg (1999) and Moratto (1989) who, from different methodological perspectives, presented pedagogical proposals to deal with the affective-emotional aspects of the students that emerge in the first contacts with patients.…”