You are on page 1of 9

Journal of Psychotherapy Integration © 2017 American Psychological Association

2017, Vol. 27, No. 3, 304 –312 1053-0479/17/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/int0000071

Trainee Perspectives on Issues of Psychotherapy Integration Across


Research and Practice: Comment on McWilliams

Nicholas R. Morrison and Brien J. Goodwin


University of Massachusetts Amherst

As students of clinical psychology, we comment on McWilliams’s (this issue) article,


“Integrative Research for Integrative Practice: A Plea for Respectful Collaboration Across
Clinician and Researcher Roles.” McWilliams touches upon a number of contentious areas
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

within the field of clinical psychology with implications for research, practice, and inte-
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

gration as they relate to psychotherapy. We are in agreement with McWilliams across a


variety of her concerns, and hope to add to the conversation on contemporary issues in
psychotherapy integration by bringing trainee viewpoints to the table. In our commentary,
we discuss our thoughts regarding the role graduate training program environments and
culture may play in initiating and sustaining issues that divide research and practice. Among
other issues, we discuss our concerns related to theoretical orientations and the need for
greater emphases on common factors across training programs. Additionally, we comment
on the importance of both clinician and researcher understanding of the constraints placed
on each other’s respective fields by external pressures (e.g., third-party insurers, research
funding), and the lack of information often dispensed at the graduate training level related
to these domains. We hope that our comments emphasize considerations that may not have
received attention in the field, and are taken in context as only one perspective of many on
the state of psychotherapy integration.

Keywords: psychotherapy integration, science-practice integration, psychotherapy


training, graduate training, clinical programs

As clinical psychology trainees engaged in reg- difficult to see how their day-to-day clinical train-
ular psychotherapy process and outcome research, ing relates to their research. This is likely true both
we were particularly excited to be asked to com- for students involved in more clinically oriented
ment on McWilliams’s (this issue) article. McWil- programs who view research as a hurdle that
liams highlights a number of contemporary issues needs to be overcome before completing their
related to psychotherapy research and practice, degrees and moving on to independent practice, as
with specific attention devoted to the growing well as those who simply view psychotherapy and
divide between psychologists dedicated to each of assessment hours as numbers that need to be at-
these core disciplines. From the earliest points in tained before they can focus exclusively on aca-
the graduate school application process, potential demic pursuits. We hope to highlight how the
trainees consider the roles they want research and themes and attitudes McWilliams addresses in her
practice to play over their looming and intensive article stem in large part from, and in many cases
years of clinical training. For many students, it is are perpetuated by, the cultures students are im-
the case that their research interests are divorced mersed in during their years of graduate training.
from their clinical work, and they may find it Additionally, we discuss from our perspectives as
students how trainees navigate some of the press-
ing practice- and research-related issues addressed
in her article.
Nicholas R. Morrison and Brien J. Goodwin, Department
of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massa- Graduate Training Concerns
chusetts Amherst.
Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- In her discussion, McWilliams identifies a
dressed to Nicholas R. Morrison, Department of Psycho-
logical and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts,
variety of key problems associated with the
602 Tobin Hall, Amherst, MA 01003-9271. E-mail: divides that exist between research and practice.
nmorriso@psych.umass.edu To adequately address the problems McWil-
304
TRAINEE PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES 305

liams discusses, it is critical to consider the with, they learn early on during their graduate
origins of the attitudes that give way to the lines training to manage the perception of their clini-
of thinking she reviews. There are a number of cian and researcher identities. We imagine that
issues trainees must navigate regarding the ef- the scenario McWilliams describes of the aca-
fective balance of research and practice, and we demic interviewer rolling his or her eyes at the
contend that these concerns are at the forefront earnest motivations of the applicant who wants
for trainees before any degree of formal training to help people is increasingly a rarity, particu-
begins. Although we can only comment on our larly among programs with at least some degree
experiences as trainees of clinical psychology, of emphasis on research training. This is be-
we would expect similar trends to emerge in cause applicants know what they are supposed
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

counseling psychology programs given the in- to say. Applicants are able to discern from train-
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

creasingly similar overlap between program ing program descriptions, online graduate
characteristics, student demographics, and ad- school forums, and conversations with those
mission and training requirements (Morgan & involved in training programs what is and is not
Cohen, 2008). Potential applicants are encour- okay to discuss during the application process.
aged from very early on when selecting gradu- Applicants understand that they are not to stray
ate programs to choose programmatic models from the party line during interviews: Keep the
consistent with their values regarding research discussion of clinical work to a minimum and
and practice. There are several inherent con- avoid discussion of an interest in a future clin-
cerns with this approach. First, there are a num- ical career.
ber of factors that applicants will ultimately take For some fortunate applicants, their motiva-
into account when finalizing their graduate pro- tions and ultimate career goals will remain sta-
grams of interest, not the least of which is ble during their time in graduate school and
financial consideration. A number of students allow them to stay their anticipated course.
(particularly first-generation applicants and ap- However, other trainees may shift focus and
plicants from low socioeconomic backgrounds) interest once exposed to the actual experience of
will likely apply to graduate programs having working as the primary investigator of a re-
already accrued a considerable amount of un- search study, or conducting a psychodiagnostic
dergraduate debt, and depending on the degree assessment or psychotherapy session. As a re-
type and training model of the programs of sult, trainees who accept an offer of admission
interest, students will need to be selective when may find relatively shortly after enrollment that,
considering the financial burden of attending a contrary to their initial impressions, they find
graduate program. Notably, research-focused their clinical work or research to be either a
programs are more likely than Psy.D. and other source of pleasure or dissatisfaction. Notably, in
clinically focused programs to provide funding to a survey of over 600 students affiliated with
students (Norcross, Ellis, & Sayette, 2010). Al- Council of University Directors of Clinical Psy-
though unfortunate, and often to the detriment chology (CUDCP) programs, Kamen, Veilleux,
of the applicant, advisor, and program, it is Bangen, VanderVeen, and Klonoff (2010) found
therefore unsurprising that students who might that over 45% of their sample indicated a desire
otherwise be interested in a more clinically ori- for predominantly clinical careers, despite
ented career may ultimately consider research- CUDCP-member programs’ general commit-
oriented programs. After all, they reason, any ment to research training. Relatedly, in a survey
program accredited by the American Psycho- of over 100 clinical and counseling trainees
logical Association (APA) will sufficiently pre- regarding program satisfaction, Rummell
pare them for a clinical career. When faced with (2015) found two of the areas of greatest dis-
the alternative of a crippling future debt/income satisfaction for students with their doctoral pro-
ratio, some applicants adopt a “I can put up with grams were “feeling like I have a voice in my
the research for a time” mind-set. To be clear, program” (40% of respondents) and “resources
we do not condone this approach, but rather available to me” (27% of respondents). Al-
recognize that it is an ongoing problem that has though this is speculative, and only one area of
not been adequately addressed by the field. concern, it may be the case that trainees who
For those who do not preemptively decide feel more supported in either domain they enjoy
upon which camp they most closely identify less (research or practice) and have access to
306 MORRISON AND GOODWIN

additional resources might be more amenable to censures with which one can deliver psycho-
engaging in that domain. therapy (e.g., licensed mental health counselors,
Given the likelihood that a trainee’s interests licensed clinical social workers, etc.). In our lab,
may shift during graduate training, it would we organize regular psychotherapy-related ca-
appear incumbent upon the training program to reer panel discussions for our undergraduate
develop channels to discuss these shifts. Even research assistants, which frequently result in a
if, for example, a clinical science program does lively question and answer session. These ses-
not have sufficient resources to meet a trainee’s sions are in many ways beneficial for the grad-
newfound practice-oriented goals, the program uate trainees, as this is one of the only forums
should foster a safe environment in which the where we get a glimpse into the world of clini-
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

trainee can explore alternative options, includ- cians trained in other modes of psychotherapy.
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

ing the selection of a more appropriate training In addition to the unfamiliarity with other
program. This is particularly notable, given that mental health professions, a similar experience
it can be devastating for a trainee to feel isolated exists within the fields of clinical and counsel-
regarding his or her career trajectory, especially ing psychology in the ongoing dialogues sur-
if he or she feels like a “closet clinician” who rounding theoretical orientation. As McWil-
needs to feign interest in research with an ad- liams states, the days of “clashing visions of
visor for the next four years (we note that this therapy” may be over; however, the ripples
situation would be lamentable only for trainees from these fights continue to linger and the
who experience a genuine shift during training, shadow of orientationism is still visible in clin-
not those who deceived their way into a pro- ical training paradigms. Orientation specific
gram). We are aware that this situation has teams, in our experience, appear to be the norm
occurred for fellow graduate students across a rather than the exception.
number of graduate training programs, and we Notably, the opportunity to train in orienta-
venture to guess these students represent only a tions other than cognitive– behavioral therapy
small fraction of individuals in similar predica- (CBT) in clinical psychology Ph.D. programs is
ments across the country. If this is in fact the limited. The majority of faculty in clinical psy-
case, it is understandable how McWilliams’s chology Ph.D. programs report their therapeutic
descriptions of increased distance, and in some orientation as CBT: an overwhelming 80% in
cases contempt, between researchers and prac- programs designated as clinical science pro-
titioners can occur from an early point in a grams, and 67% in all other Ph.D. programs
trainee’s career. (Heatherington et al., 2012). For Psy.D. and
M.S. programs, CBT faculty are still in the
Practice-Related Issues majority (48% and 57% respectively), but there
is also increased representation of other orien-
Our personal experience as trainees echoes tations, namely psychodynamic and family sys-
McWilliams’s assertion that clinicians and re- tem approaches. We share Heatherington and
searchers know little of the demands of each colleagues’ (2012) concerns about implications
other’s careers. With the assumption that most of this CBT-dominated climate both in terms of
of us will go on to academic positions at re- research and practice. The predominance of any
search universities or academic medical centers, orientation in the field may limit the develop-
even though this is statistically improbable, we ment of psychotherapy research. While CBT is
receive little exposure to the world of practicing effective, it is not the only effective treatment,
clinicians. It is difficult enough to understand a and as McWilliams states, many clinicians iden-
fellow clinical or counseling psychologist’s tify as assimilative integrators who pull from a
day-to-day struggles when they fall on the other variety of orientations. Rather than working
side of the researcher/clinician coin; this lack of only within the constraints of the CBT model of
understanding is only amplified when consider- psychopathology, focusing on reducing a finite
ing how different mental health professionals number of symptoms and tinkering with CBT
approach their clinical care and the degree to components in a way that often yields mixed
which they consume/produce research. Across results, we should be looking to techniques and
the United States and Canada, there is a healthy mechanisms of change across multiple orienta-
variability in discipline-specific degrees and li- tions and approaches. Ironically, it may be the
TRAINEE PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES 307

case for the CBT clinician that this is happening housed in the varying theoretical orientations.
organically. In a survey of clinicians in a large Although training paradigms for the therapeutic
mental health care behavioral health organiza- alliance have been suggested, there appears to
tion, 50% of clinicians described their therapeu- be little consensus in the field even among al-
tic orientation as CBT, yet the most employed liance researchers regarding what an ideal alli-
therapeutic techniques for treating depression ance-centered training program might look like
were relationship focused, falling within the (Constantino, Morrison, MacEwan, & Boswell,
wheelhouse of interpersonal therapy (Hepner, 2013).
Greenwood, Azocar, Miranda, & Burnam, In our personal experience as trainees, this
2010). finding is unsurprising, given our and our col-
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

We believe that much of the confusion about leagues’ involvement in a variety of practica in
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

the role of clinicians that permeates the field, which the therapeutic alliance is all-too-
and our own understanding of our role(s) as frequently addressed as an afterthought. In fact,
trainee-clinicians is in part due to CBT’s dom- until APA’s Commission on Accreditation
inance. McWilliams speaks to this confusion, (2015) released the most recent iteration of the
contrasting the sole focus on symptom reduc- Implementation Regulations for the Standards
tion with therapists’ concern for the general life of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology,
satisfaction of their patients. Even in our train- training in evidence-based relationships was not
ing clinic, operating unfettered by the cost/ explicitly recommended. Consistent with Mc-
benefit focus of the managed care model, we Williams, we are hopeful that including these
struggle with these questions. If, for example, a recommendations for training evidence-based
patient presents with depressive symptoms that relationships will change the existing paradigm
appear rooted in specific contexts (e.g., job dis- of clinical training and supervision. Addition-
satisfaction, difficult living situation), should ally, given the empirical support for such con-
our primary focus be cognitive restructuring structs, we as trainees would very much like to
and behavioral contingencies, or is it more ef- see supervisors more explicitly address addi-
fective to simultaneously take on the role of a tional common factors regardless of the super-
case manager in changing these contexts? Fur- visor’s therapeutic orientation, including
thermore, is the goal of treatment simply to help (among others) how to instill hope, increase
patients meet some threshold of disorder remis- patient outcome expectations, and appropriately
sion, to return them to a baseline of nonclinical incorporate routine outcomes monitoring into
distress, or to improve their overall psycholog- regular practice.
ical functioning beyond “the average?” In our Pivoting to some of the more logistical con-
training clinic, as in clinical psychology writ cerns expressed by McWilliams, we are struck
large, this is an ongoing debate. by the enormous influence of managed care and
Another limitation of an orientation-specific third-party insurers in treatment delivery. As
training climate is the frequent lack of focus on trainees in our low-fee, out-of-pocket training
empirically supported common factors. Despite clinic, we operate unfettered by the demands of
the fact that empirical evidence overwhelm- insurers, the bureaucracy, and other constraints
ingly indicates that common factors, including placed on treatment modality and duration. For
the therapeutic alliance, account for more vari- those of us that choose a more clinically focused
ance in clinical outcomes than orientation spe- career, we will undoubtedly learn about these
cific techniques (Laska, Gurman, & Wampold, challenges first hand. For those of us who
2014), there is little explicit clinical training in choose more research-focused careers, this
these constructs. Moreover, while there is an knowledge seems equally important. Asking
extant literature regarding training in the thera- questions and designing studies within the pa-
peutic alliance (e.g., Constantino, Morrison, rameters of the current treatment-delivery envi-
Coyne, & Howard, 2016; Eubanks-Carter, Mu- ronment may help repair the disconnect be-
ran, & Safran, 2015; Sharpless, Muran, & Bar- tween research and practice, yet these factors
ber, 2010; Smith-Hansen, 2016), this subset of are rarely discussed in our program, and we
articles pales in comparison to the voluminous would imagine in other programs as well. How-
literature accrued regarding the therapeutic al- ever, we are encouraged that psychotherapy re-
liance itself, let alone the specific techniques search is increasingly trying to unravel the per-
308 MORRISON AND GOODWIN

ceived disconnect between efficacy and Additionally, McWilliams calls specific at-
effectiveness. For example, Minami and col- tention to the fact that the National Institute of
leagues (2008) found that the effectiveness of Mental Health (NIMH) has recently shifted its
treatments for depression in the managed care focus to neurobiological data, which has the
environment was comparable to the efficacy potential for considerable negative implications
reported in clinical trials. Further investigation on the research-practice divide. These com-
is certainly warranted, necessitating the discus- ments triggered our own complex reactions in
sion of the demands of third-party insurers and terms of the problems of Research Domain Cri-
managed care in both practice- and research- teria (RDoC) as implemented, versus the poten-
focused training programs. tial promise of RDoC as written. In the age of
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

One particularly notable in-service training RDoC, there is an ever-increasing focus on the
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

implication of the managed care model pre- genetic, molecular, and neurobiological bases
sented by McWilliams was a revelation for us. of psychopathology: specifically, the role these
The pressure of cost cutting has resulted in factors play in etiology and maintenance of
positioning psychology interns as a source of psychopathology. We echo the concerns of Mc-
“cheap labor.” This is especially salient to us as Williams that this line of research will further
we look down the line toward internship. There alienate practicing psychotherapists. For exam-
is a painful irony that for most clinical doctoral ple, what is the pragmatic benefit for therapists
trainees, their salary in their postbaccalaureate of investigating genetic correlates of negative
year as a research assistant will be the most affect? How does a therapist integrate findings
money they will make until after internship and from such research into daily practice? Al-
postdoctorate training. In light of our reading of though the relationships between psychopathol-
McWilliams, we have at least garnered a better ogy and genetic and neurobiological factors cer-
understanding of why this seemingly counterin- tainly warrant investigation, one unintended
tuitive funding disparity exists, and the institu- result is that it is becoming increasingly difficult
tional forces at work in maintaining a funding to secure funding for psychotherapy research:
climate that appears to de-value some five to research that scientifically examines what Mc-
seven years of rigorous training. Williams refers to as “the human relationship in
which one person struggles to make a meaning-
ful difference in the life of another.”
Research-Related Issues However, it is important to note that the
criticisms we level here concerning RDoC are
In her article, McWilliams asks one of the with how it has been implemented by NIMH,
most important questions regarding the role of not the concept itself. We agree with Goldfried
research in clinical work: What kind of research (2016) that as written, RDoC has great potential
would be most helpful to practicing therapists? for furthering psychotherapy process and out-
Highlighting the trepidation that often emerges come research. For example, included in
concerning randomized controlled trials (RCTs) RDoC’s five research domains is the focus on
and their applicability to clinical practice in the social processes. Subsumed in this category is
community, McWilliams acknowledges some research that focuses on many of the areas that
of the problems inherent in this research meth- McWilliams positions as necessary for improv-
odology. She is certainly not alone in calling for ing psychotherapy as practiced (e.g., attach-
greater focus on additional methodologies and ment, relationships). In fact, RDoC explicitly
approaches, particularly regarding their prag- calls for research into the same interpersonal
matic utility in the field (e.g., Carey & Stiles, process variables (e.g., body language, facial
2016; Kazdin, 2008; Onwuegbuzie & Leech, affect) that McWilliams highlights as necessary
2005). We would like to be abundantly clear for the future of clinically relevant research.
that we view the RCT as a critical component of Furthermore, RDoC as written may result in a
psychotherapy research. However, like most of body of research that speaks directly to McWil-
the concepts discussed in this article, a number liams’s criticisms of the RCT approach. RDoC
of both external and internal pressures influence may ultimately allow the field to move away
the field and the psychologists who shape it, and from the focus on the efficacy of specific treat-
the emphasis on RCTs is no exception. ments for people with a single categorical dis-
TRAINEE PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES 309

order (no comorbidity), who are treated in ac- Clearly, this is an anecdotal observation. Little
cordance with strict manualized adherence in data exist that highlight the number of training
which treatment success is defined solely in programs that offer (let alone require) qualitative
terms of symptom reduction. Instead, RDoC has methods courses. Moreover, in qualitative courses
the potential to foster research that speaks to that are offered, the level of consistency in course
how best treat a specific patient at a specific content remains unclear. Although most trainees
moment in therapy (i.e., context-responsive- would be able to elaborate on multiple quanti-
ness). That is, instead of yielding recommenda- tative research designs, how many would be
tions solely focused on the reduction of symp- able to elaborate on multiple qualitative ap-
toms associated with a specific categorical proaches? For that matter, how many could
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

diagnosis, there is the possibility to focus in- adequately describe the basic premises of only
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

stead on process variables that have repeatedly one qualitative approach?


been shown to impact treatment effectiveness These issues not only highlight McWil-
(e.g., motivation, resistance). Recommenda- liams’s concerns related to in-group/out-group
tions of this nature would certainly be a boon to dynamics between researchers and clinicians,
the practicing therapist. However, the current but also speak to similar dynamics between
implementation of RDoC does not appear to smaller research circles (e.g., quantitative vs.
help the clinicians in the trenches. We would qualitative camps). Our fear is that the conti-
like to see a greater emphasis on the promises of nental drift McWilliams describes between re-
RDoC as written, thus retaining its purported search and practice will occur at a lower level
relevance to improving psychotherapy as prac- between research approaches, but our hope is
ticed. that genuine mixed method approaches will
Although these external issues are concern- continue to gain momentum in the field of psy-
ing and have very real implications for the spe- chotherapy research.
cific avenues through which research is con-
ducted, internal pressures at the institutional Concluding Remarks
level also play an important role in maintaining
the divides between research approaches. One As trainees engaged in psychotherapy re-
of the most salient examples for us is the “sec- search, practice, and integration, we are grateful
ondary citizen” status qualitative research meth- for the opportunity to respond to McWilliams.
ods and analysis are afforded at most institu- We believe she acknowledges a variety of is-
tions. Just go to any clinical psychology training sues that continue to concern members of the
program website and you will almost certainly greater psychotherapy community.
see statistics courses listed as core require- We would first like to emphasize the need to
ments, but rarely will see qualitative analysis address the research/practice divide as it pres-
courses listed as electives, let alone integral ents itself across graduate training programs.
degree requirements. Moreover, research meth- Although McWilliams does not speak to this
ods courses are almost entirely comprised of concern directly, we believe that the systemic
quantitative approaches. All one needs to do is group dynamics she discusses that lead to “oth-
attend either an undergraduate or graduate re- ering” are in many cases first conceived just
search methods course to see that only one or before and during graduate training. We feel
two classes (normally toward the end of the that in many instances, the research and practice
term after all of the “important” material is dichotomy is a false one, and that many pro-
covered) is dedicated to qualitative research grams work to seamlessly integrate the two.
methods, almost as if to say, “Oh, and some- However, this is not true across all programs,
times people do this to supplement the real and until the field addresses the culture of re-
research.” Even in our training program, a self- searcher versus practitioner attitudes at the
described clinical science program whose first training level, it is likely that the systems Mc-
priority is producing students who have the Williams alludes to will only be perpetuated.
ability to conduct original and impactful re- Although we highlighted an empirical study
search, trainees are unable to pursue qualitative conducted by Kamen and colleagues (2010) in
methods courses unless they look to other de- which doctoral trainees enrolled in CUDCP-
partments (e.g., education, sociology, etc.). affiliated institutions indicated a desire for pre-
310 MORRISON AND GOODWIN

dominantly clinical careers despite CUDCP- search more pragmatic and accessible for the
member programs’ general commitment to community practitioner by addressing these
research training, we are hopeful that these barriers. Greater emphasis on these barriers dur-
trainees will continue to value research in their ing graduate training might help researchers
future work. In a separate survey of over 600 design studies with these hurdles in mind. That
students affiliated with CUDCP programs, being said, we recognize the increasing con-
Merlo, Collins, and Bernstein (2008) found that striction on the latitude of clinicians’ ability to
clinical psychology students provided good to practice, and encourage the next generation of
excellent ratings of the quantity and quality of clinicians and researchers to attend to this issue
science training in their respective programs, by engaging with policymakers and other insti-
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

and noted that “the overwhelming majority of tutional factors when possible.
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

students reported believing that traditional sci- As graduate trainees, our day-to-day tasks are
ence training is very important or extremely continuously influenced by our ability to bal-
important, and no students indicated that sci- ance the research and clinical demands of our
ence training was not important to them” (p. training program. However, we simultaneously
63). Given these findings, we are optimistic that strive to integrate the two, a precedent that has
the current generation of trainees is learning to been set by integrationists in years gone by. We
respect the importance of both research and are grateful for the work already done by the
practice, which will hopefully lead to less of the psychotherapy integration community, and look
systemic “othering” and contempt for one or the ahead with optimism at addressing the pressing
other that McWilliams describes. issues McWilliams astutely underscores.
Regarding practice-oriented solutions, we
whole-heartedly echo McWilliams’s sentiment
that we not fight yesterday’s battles, and agree References
that many of today’s clinicians adhere to mul-
tiple orientations and approaches. As students, Carey, T. A., & Stiles, W. B. (2016). Some problems
we would hope graduate training programs are with randomized controlled trials and some viable
alternatives. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy,
mindful of this fact when they offer clinical 23, 87–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cpp.1942
practica to students. If the only practica avail- Commission on Accreditation. (2015). Implementa-
able to students during their training are com- tion regulations for the standards of accreditation
prised of a sole orientation, it would stand to for health service psychology. Retrieved from http://
reason that those students may be less open to www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/about/policies/
clinical integration during their careers. Ideally, section-c.aspx
we would hope that psychotherapy integration Constantino, M. J., Boswell, J. F., Bernecker, S. L.,
moves beyond the synthesis of only specific & Castonguay, L. G. (2013). Context-responsive
orientations or techniques. In this vein, we sus- psychotherapy integration as a framework for a
pect the next phase of psychotherapy integra- unified clinical science: Conceptual and empirical
considerations. Journal of Unified Psychotherapy
tion will incorporate both theory-specific ap- and Clinical Science, 2, 1–20.
proaches and evidence-based common factors Constantino, M. J., Morrison, N. R., Coyne, A. E., &
in response to patients’ idiographic presenta- Howard, T. (2016). The state of therapeutic alli-
tions. Constantino, Boswell, Bernecker, and ance training in clinical and counseling psychol-
Castonguay (2013) discuss the potential of con- ogy graduate programs. Manuscript submitted for
text-responsive psychotherapy integration, and publication.
its future directions in research and practice. We Constantino, M. J., Morrison, N. R., MacEwan, G., &
as students would like to see similar paradigms Boswell, J. F. (2013). Therapeutic alliance re-
offered by supervision teams, and hope addi- searchers’ perspectives on alliance-centered train-
tional opportunities for training in these ap- ing practices. Journal of Psychotherapy Integra-
tion, 23, 284 –289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/
proaches become more available to trainees be- a0032357
fore moving on to internship. Eubanks-Carter, C., Muran, J. C., & Safran, J. D.
In regards to McWilliams’s comments re- (2015). Alliance-focused training. Psychotherapy,
garding third-party payers and other bureau- 52, 169 –173. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0037596
cratic barriers to treatment, we would advocate Goldfried, M. R. (2016). On possible consequences
for increased efforts to make psychotherapy re- of National Institute of Mental Health funding for
TRAINEE PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES 311

psychotherapy research and training. Professional treatment for adult depression in a managed care
Psychology: Research and Practice, 47, 77– 83. environment: A preliminary study. Journal of
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pro0000034 Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76, 116 –124.
Heatherington, L., Messer, S. B., Angus, L., Strau- http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.76.1.116
man, T. J., Friedlander, M. L., & Kolden, G. G. Morgan, R. D., & Cohen, L. M. (2008). Clinical and
(2012). The narrowing of theoretical orientations counseling psychology: Can differences be
in clinical psychology doctoral training. Clinical gleaned from printed recruiting materials? Train-
Psychology: Science and Practice, 19, 364 –374. ing and Education in Professional Psychology, 2,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12012 156 –164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1931-3918.2.3
Hepner, K. A., Greenwood, G. L., Azocar, F., Mi-
.156
randa, J., & Burnam, M. A. (2010). Usual care
Norcross, J. C., Ellis, J. L., & Sayette, M. A. (2010).
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

psychotherapy for depression in a large managed


Getting in and getting money: A comparative anal-
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

behavioral health organization. Administration and


Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Ser- ysis of admission standards, acceptance rates, and
vices Research, 37, 270 –278. http://dx.doi.org/10 financial assistance across the research-practice
.1007/s10488-009-0247-6 continuum in clinical psychology programs. Train-
Kamen, C., Veilleux, J. C., Bangen, K. J., Vander- ing and Education in Professional Psychology, 4,
Veen, J. W., & Klonoff, E. A. (2010). Climbing 99 –104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0014880
the stairway to competency: Trainee perspectives Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Leech, N. L. (2005). On
on competency development. Training and Edu- becoming a pragmatic researcher: The importance
cation in Professional Psychology, 4, 227–234. of combining quantitative and qualitative research
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0021092 methodologies. International Journal of Social Re-
Kazdin, A. E. (2008). Evidence-based treatment and search Methodology: Theory & Practice, 8, 375–
practice: New opportunities to bridge clinical re- 387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/136455705004
search and practice, enhance the knowledge base, 02447
and improve patient care. American Psychologist, Rummell, C. M. (2015). An exploratory study of
63, 146 –159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003- psychology graduate student workload, health, and
066X.63.3.146 program satisfaction. Professional Psychology:
Laska, K. M., Gurman, A. S., & Wampold, B. E. Research and Practice, 46, 391–399. http://dx.doi
(2014). Expanding the lens of evidence-based .org/10.1037/pro0000056
practice in psychotherapy: A common factors per-
Sharpless, B. A., Muran, J. C., & Barber, J. P. (2010).
spective. Psychotherapy, 51, 467– 481. http://dx
Coda: Recommendations for practice and training.
.doi.org/10.1037/a0034332
Merlo, L. J., Collins, A., & Bernstein, J. (2008). In J. C. Muran & J. P. Barber (Eds.), The thera-
CUDCP-affiliated clinical psychology student peutic alliance: An evidence-based guide to prac-
views of their science training. Training and Edu- tice (pp. 341–354). New York, NY: Guilford
cation in Professional Psychology, 2, 58 – 65. Press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1931-3918.2.1.58 Smith-Hansen, L. (2016). The therapeutic alliance:
Minami, T., Wampold, B. E., Serlin, R. C., Hamilton, From correlational studies to training models.
E. G., Brown, G. S., & Kircher, J. C. (2008). Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 26, 217–
Benchmarking the effectiveness of psychotherapy 229. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/int0000012

Perspectivas de los aprendices sobre temas de la psicoterapia integrativa a través de la investigación


y practica: comentarios sobre McWilliams

Como estudiantes de la psicología clínica, comentamos sobre el artículo de McWilliams (esta edición), ‘La investigación
integrativa para la práctica integrativa: La petición para una colaboración respetuosa a través de los oficios de clínicos e
investigadores.’ McWilliams aborda varias áreas conflictivas en el campo de psicología clínica, con implicaciones para la
investigación, practica, e integración en cómo se relacionan con la psicoterapia. Estamos de acuerdo con McWilliams a
través de sus varias preocupaciones, y esperamos agregar a la conversación sobre temas contemporáneos en la psicoterapia
integrativa, trayendo los puntos de vista de los aprendices. En nuestro comentario, discutimos nuestras ideas sobre el oficio
del ambiente y cultura de programas de formación de posgrado y como pueden influenciar en iniciando y sosteniendo temas
que hacen grietas en la investigación y práctica. Entre otros temas, discutimos nuestras preocupaciones relacionadas a las
orientaciones teoréticas y la necesidad por mayores énfasis en factores común a través de programas de formación. Además,
comentamos sobre la importancia de la comprensión de ambos clínicos e investigadores sobre las restricciones colocados
en los respectivos campos por presión externa (e.g., aseguradores de terceros, fondos de investigación), y la falta de
información muchas veces dispensados al nivel de formación posgrado relacionada a estos dominios. Esperamos que
312 MORRISON AND GOODWIN

nuestros comentarios enfatizan las consideraciones que aún no han recibido atención, y se toman en el contexto como solo
un perspectivo de varias, sobre el estado de la psicoterapia integrativa.

Integración psicoterapia, integración de ciencia y práctica, formación de psicoterapia, formación de posgrado, programas
clínicos

从实习生的角度谈研究与实践中心理治疗整合的问题:对McWilliams的评论
作为临床心理学的学生,我们评论了麦克威廉姆斯(本期)的文章“综合研究为综合实践:为临床医师和研究人员
角色之间尊重性合作的請求”。麦克威廉姆斯谈到了临床心理学领域的一些具有争议的领域,以及其对心理治疗相
关的研究,实践和整合的影响。我们對麦克威廉姆斯以及她所关注的各种问题表示同意,并希望通过从一个受訓
員的角度考虑心理治疗整合当代问题。在我们的评论中,我们讨论了关于研究生培训项目的环境和文化在引发和
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.

持續研究和实践的分裂问题上可能的角色。对于其他问题,我们还讨论了我们对理论方向的关注,以及需要更多
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.

地强调培训计划中的共同因素的必要性。此外,我们评论了临床医师和研究人员对外部压力对彼此各自领域的限
制(例如,第三方保险公司,研究经费)的理解的重要性,以及研究生培训中常见的对这些领域缺乏信息。我们
希望我们的意见强调了(还)没有得到关注的考虑因素,并且被視为许多心理治疗整合意見中的一个观点。

心理治疗整合, 科学-实践整合, 心理治疗培训, 研究生培训, 临床专业

Received October 3, 2016


Revision received January 3, 2017
Accepted January 4, 2017 䡲

E-Mail Notification of Your Latest Issue Online!


Would you like to know when the next issue of your favorite APA journal will be
available online? This service is now available to you. Sign up at https://my.apa.org/
portal/alerts/ and you will be notified by e-mail when issues of interest to you become
available!

You might also like