Jason D. Williams

This article offers a commentary by representatives of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) on the 2015 article written by Gonsalvez et al. related to the assessment of clinical competencies in clinical psychology practicum students. The four competency “super clusters” derived by Gonsalvez et al. result from a unique empirical hierarchical clustering approach and are sure to add important knowledge to the field. This commentary generalizes from clinical psychology education and training in Australia to the United States, expands from practica to internship and postdoctoral training, and reflects on some relevant APPIC issues and initiatives. Future research is also suggested.

There are currently no manualized, intensive outpatient programs (IOP), for diagnostically heterogeneous pediatric samples that simultaneously intervene with youth and parents. Such a program was developed and has been operating at Children’s Hospital Colorado since January 2006. The current study was conducted to characterize the patient sample and evaluate clinical outcomes for this novel program. The study used a method of retrospective chart review to examine demographic and diagnostic information of youth and their families, who participated in IOP. Clinical outcomes were similarly assessed, using paired-samples t test comparisons of the baseline and endpoint parent-report versions of the Ohio Youth Outcome Scales. Results indicated that there were statistically significant differences in each of the Subscale scores on the Ohio Youth Scales from baseline to endpoint of IOP. Preliminary findings suggest that participation in the IOP program was associated with improved clinical outcomes, at the end of treatment.