Twenty‐first century education: Toward greater emphasis on context—social, economic, and educational

Abstract

In calling for a greater emphasis on the social, economic, and educational contexts, the discussion presented in this article is generally supportive of C.R. Snyder and T.R. Elliott's (this issue, pp. 1033-1054) vision of 21st century graduate education in clinical psychology. Attention is directed toward the asocial nature of professional psychology, a brief analysis of the influence of economics on the development of clinical psychology education, and the American Psychological Association's accreditation process as it shapes professional psychology education.

Enhancing preparation among entry-level clinical health psychologists: Recommendations for “best practices” from the first meeting of the Council of Clinical Health Psychology Training Programs (CCHPTP).

“…The tension between graduate training in broad and general aspects of psychology versus specialization in more narrow areas is a hardy perennial and one likely to garner increased attention in the future, not only as it pertains to clinical health psychology but to other areas of psychology as well (e.g., clinical child psychology, clinical neuropsychology, clinical geropsychology). Though some tension is inevitable, it appears to be unnecessarily exacerbated by dependence on unclear definitions and requirements regarding what constitutes adequate broad and general training in professional psychology (Peterson, 2005). Roberts (2006) provided an excellent summary of these issues and how they are particularly applicable regarding training in clinical child psychology.…”

The National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology: Educational Model 2009.

“…Education must be socially responsive and responsible. A profession of psychology can be justified only if it meets the fundamental needs of the larger society (D. R. Peterson, 1996aPeterson, , 1996bR. L. Peterson, 2005).…”

Michael C. Roberts: Award for Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology.

“…Although some people decry the "proliferation of specialties" (e.g., Sobell, 2005, p. 1), there is little agreement on what constitute the broad and general aspects of psychology (Peterson, 2005). Of course, the Guidelines and Princi-ples of the Committee on Accreditation (CoA) of the APA outline some basic areas for coverage in the curriculum, indicating that a trainee in a program has received an education in the "breadth of scientific psychology, its history of thought and development, its research methods, and its application" in social, cognitive-affective, and biological aspects of behavior (Committee on Accreditation, 2005, p. 7).…”

“…As one training director intimated when the CCPP was started at the University of Kansas Roberts & Steele, 2003), other training directors who offer less focused training may fear that they will have to compete with a true specialty program and will have to do things differently to be able to claim that they offer clinical child psychology training. Additionally, the innovationlimiting conservative forces of the status quo (and CoA; see Peterson, 2005) and inertia, coupled with the pervasive monospecialty adultcentrism, have erected obstacles against the development of adequate training models in specialties other than the dominant clinical (adult) psychology, which is presumed to be general. Of course, for some, any difference from what they do is unacceptable and is narrow or overly focused.…”

“…Of course, for some, any difference from what they do is unacceptable and is narrow or overly focused. As Peterson (2005) noted, "one group's innovations are another group's anathema" (p. 1124).…”