Although the current philosophy of education in clinical psychology allows for the existence oj a program of training clinical psychologists who primarily want to be practitioners in conjunction with the more traditional scientist-practitioner (Boulder Model) program, departments of psychology have been reticent to adopt two-track programs. Indeed, the controversy as to the heuristic value of the scientist-practitioner program versus the practitioner program continues. The criticism of the Boulder Model is that the rationale for requiring clinical psychology students to learn to do research as well as train to be clinicians was spurious; the Boulder Model trains students as researchers, a role that is incompatible with their interests and abilities. The history of the development of the Boulder Model was reviewed as were the data regarding the personality traits, interests, and abilities of people interested in research versus service work. These data indicate that the objections of the critics are well-founded.

methods

The Doctor of Psychology Program at the University of Illinois.

The Boulder model: history, rationale, and critique

This article examines the development and growth of professional doctorates in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. It provides an overview of the development of the doctoral degree from its establishment at the universities of Paris and Bologna, and highlights the emergence of new forms of doctorates that have challenged the PhD. The examination indicates that similar growth patterns for applied doctorates have occurred in the United States, the UK and in Australia, but contrasting forces in Canada have reshaped existing PhD programs to meet changing external requirements. For each of the countries studied, the relative difficulty in obtaining consistent definitions of professional doctorates, and reliable statistics on the numbers of students enrolled in and graduating from such programs, suggests the need for continuing discussions within and across countries concerning these emerging professional doctorates.

Emergence and growth of professional doctorates in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia: a comparative analysis

The National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology educational model.

https://psycnet.apa.org/journals/amp/31/11/792.pdf

Need for the Doctor of Psychology Degree in Professional Psychology.

Since the Boulder conference on training in clinical psychology in 1949, at least 13 national conferences have been convened to examine issues in training for practice in psychology, all based on the assumption that extensive training is required to develop professional skills in psychotherapy, psychodiagnosis, and related professional functions. This assumption is challenged by a large body of research that fails to show any relationship between training and efficacy in common forms of practice. Educators of professional psychologists are urged to heed the challenge closely and examine its implications critically. At the same time, educators of researchers in psychology are encouraged to examine common assumptions about the nature of practice in psychology and to consider conceptions of professional work that emphasize reflection in action and disciplined inquiry, rather than psychotherapy and psychodiagnosis, as defining features. Education for practice is neither science nor art, but a profession in itself. When the educational process is approached from this vantage point, novel opportunities for systematic investigation emerge. Decisive studies of the appropriate kind have yet to be done.

The Doctor of Psychology Program at the University of Illinois.

Citations

The Boulder model: history, rationale, and critique

Emergence and growth of professional doctorates in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia: a comparative analysis

The National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology educational model.

Need for the Doctor of Psychology Degree in Professional Psychology.

The reflective educator.

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