Clinical child psychology practice and training: A survey

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Abstract
A survey of members of Section 1 of Division 12, APA, was conducted to collect information about their practice and training. Results from 358 respondents show that most work in applied settings and spend most of their professional time with children between ages 5 and 10. Approaches to clinical practice tend to be eclectic with an equal degree of influence of psychodynamic and behavioral traditions. The kinds of assessment and therapeutic techniques utilized in practice reflect mainly traditional influences. Very few of the respondents received formal specialty training in clinical child psychology or completed programs with optional concentrations of courses within general clinical psychology. In evaluating their training, respondents rank postdoctoral fellowship training as the most valuable level and consider individual supervision, child‐oriented coursework and experience with children the most valuable features of their training. The ideal training program compiled from the respondents would include child‐oriented courses, intensive child psychotherapy and assessment training, and experience with a wide variety of children. The information from this survey reveals an inconsistency between training and practice. While practice is dominated by techniques specific to child populations, training has been predominantly adult‐oriented and reflects little relevance to clinical work with children.

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