Work activities of academic clinical psychologists: Do they practice what they teach?

Abstract

Do PhD-level clinical psychologists who work in academic settings engage in both research and clinical practice, as the Boulder model recommends? Clinical psychology faculty members in 3 types of psychology departments were surveyed regarding their actual and preferred work activities and their attitudes toward clinical practice. Respondents indicated that they spent more than twice as much time in research as in clinical activity, with many (44%) reporting no involvement in clinical practice. Implications of declining practice among clinical faculty include potentially ineffective instruction in clinical course work, less informed clinical research, and the devaluing of clinical practice in traditional academic settings. Recommendations for facilitating practice among clinical faculty who wish to do so are proposed.Professional psychologists sometimes question how much clinical experience their professors might have had. You've heard the gripe: "Dr. Smith taught the psychotherapy course, but I bet he hasn't seen a client since graduate school!"In fact, Dr. Smith may have once intended to establish himself as a true Boulder model psychologist, incorporating both research and clinical work into his faculty responsibilities. Perhaps he chose an academic career because he genuinely enjoyed both activities. Eventually, however, Dr. Smith may have discovered that the demands of academia did not allow time for the private practice he had imagined, or that tenure rewarded research and publication, not clinical activity, or that he was simply no longer invigorated by seeing clients.More than 50 years after the Boulder conference, the scientistpractitioner model of clinical training remains highly influential. Nearly all PhD and most master's programs in clinical psychology remain committed to its tenets (O'Sullivan & Quevilion, 1992), but to what extent is the Boulder philosophy modeled by educators themselves? Are clinical psychologists who choose MELISSA J. HIMELEIN received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Kentucky in 1987. She is an associate professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Her professional interests include infertility, sexual victimization, and helping-profession career development. ELIZABETH A. PUTNAM received her BA in psychology from Appalachian State University in 1999. She was a postbaccalaureate student at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 1999-2000 and is currently a graduate student in counseling at Western Carolina University. THE AUTHORS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE the contributions of Kenneth Shemberg. professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University, who provided valuable feedback on the survey design and thoughtful comments about the findings.

Untitled

“…This is consistent with the literature that has described the desire of new faculty to enhance their own clinical skills and, if possible and applicable, also work toward a level of counseling licensure within their states (DiLillo et al, 2006;Himelein & Putnam, 2001). The current research also identified some significant themes related to how pre-tenured counselor educators view or experience DCS which include: feeling significant restrictions on time to be able to pursue DCS; lack of departmental or institutional support to pursue DCS; little value placed on DCS within tenure processes; the idea that skill and practice remain current as a result of a DCS connection; the sense that DCS lends credibility to both teaching and research endeavors; and feeling that DCS plays an important role in the evolving identity of counselor educators who are new in their faculty careers.…”

“…The journey toward tenure can be challenging and complex (Austin & Rice, 1998;Cohen et al, 2003;Himelein & Putnam, 2001), and the existing research indicates that new counselor educators are often expected to "hit the ground running" (Magnuson et al, 2001). New faculty are also faced with figuring out the roles that they are required to serve in academic settings, in addition to navigating the tenure and renewal processes within their institutions.…”

“…While there little research in the area of counselor education and direct counseling service, in the psychology literature, the issue of pre-tenured faculty engaging in direct clinical practice has been more closely examined (Cohen et al, 2003;DiLillo et al, 2006;Himelein & Putnam, 2001). Cohen, Morgan, DiLillo, and Flores (2003), emphasized the importance of operating from a true scientist-practitioner model, meaning that direct counseling practice has the unique opportunity to inform teaching and scholarship.…”

“…Himelein and Putnam (2001) asserted that the best clinical research is informed by practice. When clinicians stopped practicing, research was likely to become divorced from the needs and concerns of real world practitioners.…”

Why was my major professor so busy? Establishing an academic career while pursuing applied work.

“…The cumulative effect these challenges may contribute to recent fi gures indicating that 44% of applied academic psychologists are uninvolved in any type of clinical practice (Himelein & Putnam, 2001). One major hurdle is the requirement of postdoctoral supervised experience, which ranges from 0 to 4,000 hr, depending on the state in which one wishes to become licensed.…”