Values and Goals in Clinical Psychology Training Programs: Are Practice and Science at Odds?

Clinical psychology programs rate their research versus practice orientation on a bipolar scale but this singular rating might mask important differences across programs in the extent to which training programs have goals in both research and practice. The current study determined associations between training goals in practice and research across program models. All APA-accredited programs in clinical psychology were invited to participate; 43% of surveyed programs provided data. Participants were 26 clinical science programs, 50 scientist practitioner programs, and 22 practitioner scholar programs. Research training goals were not significantly correlated with practice training goals. Within each training model, programs varied widely on research and practice goals. Further, many programs (42%) rated research goals and practice goals as simultaneously strong, which conveys information about programs that is not available on a single bipolar program orientation scale. Programs with stronger research goals reported more commitment to evidence-based practice. Instead of a single scale for programs to indicate their research versus practice orientation, we propose a 2-scale system for programs to separately rate research and practice training goals.