An Exploratory Study of Psychology Graduate Student Workload, Health, and Program Satisfaction

Graduate students in clinical and counseling psychology programs must balance multiple professional and personal roles, navigate complex educational systems, and respond well to constructive feedback. How do students experience and cope with the stress related to this workload? Responses from a national survey of clinical and counseling psychology graduate students reveal that rates of physical and mental health symptomology are higher than those of the general population and of medical students. Of students surveyed, greater than 49% reported clinically significant anxiety symptoms, greater than 39% reported clinically significant depressive symptoms, and more than one third of participants (34.82%) reported clinically significant symptoms of both anxiety and depression. More than half of students also reported chronic physical health symptoms, with these symptoms increasing with greater workload. Despite these symptoms, many students reported lacking adequate support from supervisors and faculty, as well as limited use of mental health counseling. Recommendations to aid professional psychologists with increasing trainee self-care and coping are discussed.