Improving the selection and training of trainee clinical psychologists

Abstract

First paragraph: For clinical psychology training, the good old days of selecting a small number of trainees from a large pool of applicants may be over. The latest edition of the Clearing House Handbook (CHPCCP, 1999) shows us that the rising number of training course places has coincided with a drop in the number of applicants. Whereas in 1993 only 18 per cent of applicants gained a training place, in 1999 24 per cent of applicants were successful, a proportion that is likely to rise. This new climate has profound implications for the selection of trainee clinical psychologists. In the past, the major concern has been unequal access to clinical psychology training, with consistent evidence that people from minority ethnic communities are less likely to gain training places - see Hatton and Gray (in press) for a review. However, training courses now also have to take on board the issue of efficiency in selection. With a smaller pool of candidates chasing more training places, it will become increasingly important for courses to ensure that they are carefully (and fairly) selecting the best candidates for training. In this article, we will briefly review the sparse evidence concerning the likely efficiency of selection procedures to clinical psychology training. We shall then briefly outline the Clearing House Project (funded by the CHPCCP), which is taking a systematic occupational psychology approach to issues of equity and efficiency in selection to clinical psychology training.