A New Reality: The Role of Simulated Learning Activities in Postgraduate Psychology Training Programs

In training to become a registered psychologist in Australia, as with many other countries, there is a requirement for students to attend placements, where they work with clients in an apprenticeship model under the guidance of qualified supervisors. In the context of COVID-19, tertiary sector psychology educators responsible for facilitating these placements, which typically require face-to-face client work, have been challenged to arrange or maintain practica. During the pandemic, across Australia, most placements have been affected through cancellation, postponement, or modification (e.g., using telehealth, supported by the Australian Federal Government). In this paper we describe a collaborative initiative by members of the psychology profession across 15 providers of Australian postgraduate professional training programs. The initiative aimed to identify ways in which to develop and innovate psychological placement offerings, specifically using simulation-based learning. Although simulation-based learning in psychology training programs in Australia is a widely employed pedagogy for the scaffolding of theory into psychological practice, there is paucity of clear and comprehensive guidelines for the use of simulation to both optimize competency-based training and ensure public and student safety. The overarching aim of the group, and the focus of this paper, is to provide standardized guidelines for the inclusion of simulation-based learning in psychology training in Australia both during and post-COVID 19. Such guidelines may be equally valuable for psychology training programs globally.

Are We Preparing School Psychologists for Evidence-Based Practices? Considering Research Methods Curricula

Professional service delivery in school psychology is changing. The evolution toward complex service delivery (e.g., social justice, social and emotional learning, school climate) in the context of evidence-based practices has resulted in important changes in training and curricula for school psychologists. Training programs have responded to the new directions of the profession by revisiting the focus of curricula while maintaining consistency with the standards established by accrediting bodies and credentialing standards. Despite the evolution of the profession and increased focus on evidence-based practices, research methods and statistics courses have changed little. Research methods curricula, usually not taught by core school psychology faculty, do not often directly support evidence-based practices. Issues and problems of current research methods curricula are reviewed. Revisiting research methods curricula is an opportunity to provide students with the skills to help them become better evidence-based clinicians. Recommendations for school psychology training programs are presented to improve the utility, relevance, and applicability of research methods curricula. More than a relic of an interpretation of the scientist-practitioner model, mindful curricular reform in research methods can be the foundation upon which evidence-based practices and quality school psychology service delivery rests: useful, relevant, and flexible.

A Call for Enhanced Training and Action on the Intersections of Mental Health, Decent Work, and Career in Counselling and Psychotherapy

Although career is identified as a key element of counselling and counselling psychology, currently many students and professionals within these disciplines do not identify career as integral to their practice. This neglect persists despite ongoing calls for increased awareness of career development issues from scholars in the field. The authors argue that the integration of the psychology of work and career is essential to ethical practice in counselling and counselling psychology as well as a necessary area of competency in acting on fostering social justice and decent work as a human right. Recommendations for integrating career within counsellor education and counselling psychology training programs are discussed.

1171 Commonly Encountered Yet Not Confident: Graduate Psychology Students’ Experience and Confidence Managing Sleep Disturbances

Introduction Trainee psychologists receive minimal sleep education during graduate psychology training programs, despite the frequent co-occurrence of sleep disturbances in mental health conditions. This study aimed to explore graduate psychology students’ experience working with sleep disturbances and their perceived skills and confidence to assess and treat sleep problems in clinical practice. Methods Australian graduate psychology students (N = 163) completed a novel survey developed specifically for the study, inquiring about their experience, skills and confidence to manage sleep disturbances in clinical practice. Students perceived skills to manage sleep disturbances were recorded on a 7-point Likert scale, where 1 = ‘strongly disagree’ and 7 = ‘strongly agree’. Students’ confidence to treat specific sleep disorders was also recorded. Results Sixty-eight percent of students reported having already worked with a client who experienced a sleep disturbance as part of their training. However, students’ perceived skills to assess and treat sleep disturbances were low. Only 14.9% ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they had the skills to assess and diagnose common sleep disorders (M = 3.22, SD = 1.75). Similarly, less than a quarter of students ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they felt comfortable using common sleep-related assessments (23.7%; M = 3.56, SD = 1.96) or empirically-supported interventions for sleep disturbances (22.6%; M = 3.71, SD = 1.83). The majority of students reported they were ‘not confident at all’ to treat parasomnias (80.3%); hypersomnias (77.9%); OSA (71.3%); circadian rhythm disorders (50%) or insomnia (41%). Conclusion Graduate psychology students report low levels of confidence in assessing and managing sleep disturbances in clinical practice, despite over two-thirds of students already working with clients experiencing sleep difficulties. Clinical training in the management of sleep disturbances is required for graduate psychology students. Support N/A

Our State of the Union: Results From the 2017–2018 CCPTP Membership Survey

In honor of the 50th anniversary of The Counseling Psychologist, we present a snapshot of the current state of counseling psychology training in the context of the health service psychology model and competency-based framework of the Standards of Accreditation. Using data from the 2017–2018 Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs membership survey that was completed by 95% of counseling psychology training directors ( N = 76), we describe how counseling psychology programs are meeting accreditation requirements and present their self-reported institutional resources and supports. We also summarize preliminary data on program-specific competencies and master’s-level training—two current training-related issues that may strengthen or weaken counseling psychology professional identity and values. We discuss ways of balancing the demands of training and available resources within the current context of overall rising costs and diminishing resources across higher education.

Integrated Behavioral Health Curriculum in Counseling Psychology Training Programs

Effective training in integrated behavioral health requires systematic, interprofessional education that is anchored in competencies. We describe core learning objectives, competencies, and strategies for assessing counseling psychology trainees in integrated health care settings. Two programs that have transformed their training to emphasize interprofessional and primary care competencies of psychological practice are presented, along with their training goals and didactic and experiential curricular activities. We describe the assessment of student learning, accompanied by program adjustments implemented to improve student outcomes. We conclude with a call for counseling psychologists to ensure student competency development as members of the interprofessional health care workforce.