Chapter 2

Question 1

Assessment

Answer 1

• Large percentage of clinical psychologists engage in assessment, which they devote over a quarter of their professional time to
• May target various areas and populations, like individuals, families, couples, etc.
• Can be used to address many types of questions (disorders, interpersonal dynamics, intellectual disabilities, etc.)
• A multi-method approach is used to integrate diverse data, like standardized tests, collected data from observations and interviews, etc.

Question 2

What would it be like to spend almost a day a week doing psychological assessments?

Answer 2

• Reports get written afterwards, which tend to be very long and mentally tasking as they address the client’s history, factors, symptoms, recommendations and any added notes that psych may have written down themselves
• Managing behaviours
• Running tests

Question 3

Intervention

Answer 3

• Psychologists spend ongoing time with the client
• Most common professional activity, with the highest percentage of clinical psychologists and professional time devoted to this practice
• Many clients attend only a few sessions, as not all therapists will be a good fit

Question 4

What would it be like to spend over 40% of your work week helping people with their problems&?

Answer 4

• Separating professional from personal and adjusting mindset for yourself and the client
• Active listening and empathy
• Developing boundaries for how much you can take on and which individuals you can or cannot work with
• Saving time for debriefing with colleagues or seeing your own therapist and for self-care and grounding/deescalating habits

Question 5

Research

Answer 5

• Almost half engage or are involved in research
• For many conducting research is only a small part of workday or workweek, maybe going to lab once every 2 weeks

Question 6

Can clinical psychology be a science-based profession, if clinical psychologists spend so little time conducting research?

Answer 6

Yes (although there is a current dilemma on the lack of research done for certain populations that may need it, leading to gaps in EPB

Question 7

Clinical Supervision

Answer 7

• Almost half engage in supervision
• Model of supervision reflects model of supervisor, meaning it mirrors their theoretical orientation (if oriented towards CBA, will emphasize CBT), and it is therefore important to find a good match
• Very little research on what makes a good supervisor

Question 8

Administration

Answer 8

Almost half of psychologists spend some of their time in admin, by managing clinics, overseeing staff, programs, processes, etc.

Question 9

Are there ways that a clinical psychologist can apply clinical skills in administration?

Answer 9

• Supporting individuals (other psychologists, students, etc.)
• Problem-solving (assessing skills and applying to organizational areas)
• Leading teams

Question 10

Where do clinical psychologists work?

Answer 10

• Hospitals (support patients with medical pr psychiatric issues)
• Community clinics
• Residential clinics (longterm care individuals)
• Child protection agencies (safeguard children and families)
• Prisons (rehab support and MH of inmates)
• Family practice
• Private MH practice (specialized services (assessment/therapy)
• Universities (engage in teaching, research, opportunities for future psychs)

Question 11

Pro arguments for Clinical psychologists having prescriptive authority

Answer 11

• Brain-behaviour links
• Psychologists could be as competent as other health-care providers
• Offer comprehensive services
• Especially helpful in remote or underserved areas which have limited support, by filling the gaps

Question 12

Con arguments for Clinical psychologists having prescriptive authority

Answer 12

• May lead to greater prescribing as it is quicker in short-term
• Psychologists should focus only on psychological interventions
• Extend training or drop something else, as it would add another element to their busy schedule

Question 13

If psychologists do not prescribe medication, what should they know about it?

Answer 13

• Classes of drugs for different problems (basic understanding of these for different disorders)
• Efficacy of drugs and of drugs in combo with psychological treatment (research based cost vs benefit to provide clients with an educated decision)
• Side-effects (researched common side effects, recognize when they interfere with psychotherapy, can collaborate with diagnosing practitioners to help clients best as possible)

Question 14

Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists

Answer 14

• Sets out principles that guide all activities
• Requires psychologists to base their practice on scientific evidence (EBP)
• Evidence may not address the specific issue you are working with
• Can help tailor work to meet needs of clients by providing specific recommendations to align with social, cultural and personal factors and by actively involving clients in process

Question 15

Staying healthy

Answer 15

• This is important for clinical psychologists as they are not immune and are very exposed to suffering and stressors which can cause burnouts and emotional fatigue
• Also because they have an ethical responsibility to ensure their own issues do not interfere and serve as a credible model of coping
• To stay healthy, they maintain a balance, prioritizing exercise, eating, health and sleep, as well as saving time for debriefing, decompressing, stress management and self-care outside of work and work load

Question 16

Training in Clinical Psychology

Answer 16

• Most popular area in psychology (broad application with multiple opportunities and career paths)
• Highly competitive
• All accredited programs are required to present data on their applicants and students (student demographics and how many stayed vs dropped out); there are 35 doctoral clinical psych accredited programs
• Usually two years of Masters with a practicum on top of course work 2nd year
• PhD Programs usually have three years with coursework in the 1st, additional practicum in 2nd and additional comps in 3rd year; then its two years of doctoral candidacy with a dissertation and where you defend why you chose your topic then what you discovered with your research, coupled with 1500 hours of internship

Question 17

Models of training

Answer 17

• Practice based on scientific findings
• Require clinical skills
• Continuum-research producer to research consumer
• In CAD all accredited programs are university based
• In US PsyD is also offered in large free-standing professional schools

Question 18

Three Models of training

Answer 18

• Scientist practitioner
• Clinical scientist
• Practitioner scholar

Question 19

Scientist practitioner

Answer 19

• PhD
• Most common
• Balance of science and practice

Question 20

Clinical scientist

Answer 20

• PhD
• Strongest focus on the development of research skills

Question 21

Practitioner scholar

Answer 21

• Clinical psychologist as ‘research consumer’

Question 22

Clinical Psychology training - Courses

Answer 22

• Statistics; research methods; core content areas of psychology: biological, cognitive, social, individual differences
• Assessment, Intervention, Consultation, Program evaluation
• Diversity

Question 23

Clinical Psychology training - Practica

Answer 23

Graduated exposure to clinical skills in a variety of settings

Question 24

Clinical Psychology training - Research

Answer 24

• MA + PhD or PsyD vs combined masters and doctorate
• Large single study, versus series of smaller studies

Question 25

Clinical Psychology training - Internship

Answer 25

2000 hours full time in accredited setting

Question 26

Choosing a health profession

Answer 26

- Have to choose how you want to spend your time as a a professional (working directly with clients, assessment or intervention or research?) - What proportion of your time you want to spend in direct service provision - Whether you are interested in training, supervising, and admin - How long and how much you want to spend/invest in training - Where you like to work on continuum from research producer to research consumer

Question 27

Are you eligible for clinical psychology training based on Honours thesis

Answer 27

- Shows your experience in conducting research - Ability to collect, interpret and defend your data in an ethical way - Invested and can work independently

Question 28

Are you eligible for clinical psychology training based on Psychology Credits

Answer 28

- Shows the background knowledge you have gained - Foundation in psychology principles

Question 29

Are you eligible for clinical psychology training based on GPA

Answer 29

Shows your academic achievement and likelihood of getting a scholarship to fund your studies

Question 30

How to Apply to Grad Programs

Answer 30

- Find out which programs interest you and look into the requirements on their website, whether they are accredited on CPA list, whether any profs recommend these programs - Contact potential supervisors through email (send CV and transcript directly) ask them questions on their availability, area of research and expectation of students - Apply with CV, transcript, letters of support/recommendation, statement of interests, etc.

Question 31

Potential supervisors

Answer 31

- What areas, problems, and ppn interest you? Which ones do NOT? - Find a supervisor that is a good match and has approach you need - What are your long-term goals?

Question 32

Volunteer Experience

Answer 32

- Valuable learning for you as you are faced with real world challenges, diverse populations and develop interpersonal skills - Can be in community agency or research lab - May help identify what interests you or not - If in research lab may be helpful in getting letter of reference - Strengthens knowledge, experience and profile

Question 33

Coping with the application

Answer 33

- Equivalent to a three-credit course in time required (Time commitment about 3h a week) - Odds of acceptance are low even for excellent candidates so be kind with yourself and remember to practice self-care - Many successful candidates have applied several times - Essential to have a plan B and to not take rejection personally, rather to remain persistent and even reach out for feedback to know where you can improve and show how invested you are in a program

Question 34

Accreditation

Answer 34

- Programs that are CPA certified - It is important as it ensures quality, appropriate training and licensing foundation in assessment, treatment and intervention - Also is more recognized and respected - Ensures you are up to date and can trust you have received proper training

Question 35

Protecting students and protecting the public - Accreditation

Answer 35

- Of programs and internships (self-study, site visit, panel decision) - By national (CPA or APA), or provincial (OPQ) body - Limited term - Annual fee

Question 36

Protecting students and protecting the public - Licensure

Answer 36

- Of individuals (degree, supervised practice, jurisprudence exam, EPPP) - Continuing education - Annual fee

Question 37

Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)

Answer 37

Biological (12%), Cognitive-affective (13%), Social-cultural (12%), Growth-life span (12%), Assessment & diagnosis (14%), Treatment, Intervention, Prevention and Supervision (14%), Research methods & statistics (8%), Ethical/Professional/Legal (15%)

Question 38

Mutual Recognition Agreement 2001 & 2004

Answer 38

- Agreement between ten provincial licensing association, plus government of NWT - Core competencies: Interpersonal relationships, assessment & eval, consultation & intervention, research, ethics, supervision