Collaboration and Liaison Committee Report

Collaboration and Liaison Committee Report on activities related to ADPTC's mission and goals:

Lee Cooper, Ph.D.
 

One part of ADPTC's stated mission is to interface with related professional organizations to enhance pre-internship practicum training and the profession of psychology. Moreover, we want to represent the views of psychology training clinic directors regarding pre-doctoral practicum training and professional psychology to policy making/influencing organizations. Intertwined with this mission is the fact that representation and active participation in these organizations provides ADPTC with broader recognition, professional legitimacy, and fruitful collaborations that serve to improve our effectiveness and status as training clinic directors.

• Tony Cellucci, along with Erica Wise, serves on APA Council. Tony noted the passage of the APA policy statement that applicants for licensure complete "a sequential, organized, supervised professional experience equivalent to two years of full time training that can be completed prior to or subsequent to the granting of the doctoral degree". At the same time, Council supported "further development of competency goals and assessment methods in the professional education and training of psychologists". Although each state will individually consider this policy, it may slowly result in revisions of licensing laws and will clearly put more focus on practicum training. Both he and Erica noted that on balance this policy will require better defining practicum. Moreover, Tony noted with approval that CoA moved forward in accepting more responsibility to develop consensus and standards around practicum issues.
• Mary Alice Conroy attended the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology Programs (CUDCP) mid-winter meeting. Issues discussed were the implications of restructuring CoA, public disclosure on program websites including student outcome data, what is meant by "broad and general" training, the implications of the proposed Model Licensing Model by APA Council, a workforce analysis, and the results of student-initiated survey of CUDCP programs. It is worth noting that ADPTC was lauded for the development of practicum competencies.
• Bob Hatcher and Brian Lewis attended the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs (CCPTP). They reported that the program mainly focused on the topic of competence. Bob was invited by Nadya Fouad, current CCPTP Chair and future chair of BEA, to give his presentation on practicum competencies. The presentation was well received and it turns out that a number of programs have already implemented versions of the document, along with self-developed rating scales.
• Victor Pantesco is the ADPTC representative to CCTC Competencies Workgroup chaired by Nadine Kaslow. It is a workgroup devoted to dealing with students with problems and meets on national conference calls. Currently, the workgroup is considering articles for a special issue of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice with the theme of student trainees who are problematic. Vic is working on a manuscript entitled "Putting Difficult Confrontations into Practice: An Ethical and Professional Mainstay" on which the workgroup will provide feedback and support.
• Phyllis Terry Friedman attended the Education Leadership Conference in Washington DC. The topic of discussion was diversity issues at the level of ideas and program. They also had advocacy training and went to Capitol Hill to lobby for continued funding the Graduate Psychology Education program.
• Tony Cellucci was the ADPTC liaison to the Inter-organizational Summit on Restructuring CoA held last summer in Snowbird, Utah. The plan calls for increased CoA representation via panels (e.g., internship panels) on which some clinic directors might possibly serve. ADPTC would definitely be part of the broader Assembly of Liaisons so as to provide input regarding practicum. This report and reactions will be taken up in March at APA consolidated meetings with recommendations expected before APA Council this summer.
• Lee Cooper attended the Council of Chairs of Training Council (CCTC) in Washington DC in November 2005. The major focus of that meeting was the Accreditation Summit report and the proposed recommendation (now approved) by APA that applicants to licensure complete two years of sequential training with the additional internship year occurring either before or after completing the Ph.D. degree. Lee will be attending the upcoming April meeting of CCTC.