Chien Hoong Gooi

Psychology training in Australia has undergone a significant change to professional training pathways in the last decade. Training to be a registered psychologist in Australia has traditionally had...

In recent years, supervisor competency frameworks have been developed to guide the provision of supervision for trainee psychologists and counsellors, and ongoing clinical supervision in the workplace. A range of instruments have been developed that focus on one or more of these competencies. The aim of this systematic review was to identify psychometrically validated measures of supervisory competence and to review which domains are assessed by each instrument. Three databases were systematically searched, PsycINFO, Scopus and Medline, from 2010 to 2025, to identify sources that met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen sources were included in the review, all of which had a cross‐sectional design, and four included a repeated‐measures component. Two reviewers independently assessed the risk of bias of these studies, and two reviewers mapped the instruments to the domains they assess. All instruments were evaluated across five criteria: type of rating measure, number of domains assessed, psychometric properties, who completes the instrument and number of instrument formats. All instruments were questionnaire‐based; most assessed at least five of 10 relevant domains. The majority were designed for supervisees, with a few having supervisor and supervisee versions, and only two instruments had multiple formats. Internal reliability ranged from moderate to high, and four instruments demonstrated high test–retest reliability. Adequate to good convergent validity was established on most instruments, and adequate to good divergent validity on a few. This review synthesises key aspects of supervisor competency instruments, enabling supervisors, training institutions and clinical practices to select tools most relevant to their settings.

Professional psychology postgraduate education programs support the development of skills and competencies in psychology trainees, while also ensuring the safety of the communities they treat (Aust...

Existing research and scholarship have established that emotions impact on student learning. However, to date, there has been little research regarding the learning experiences of students studying administrative law at the tertiary level. In this exploratory study at an Australian research-intensive university, we set out to explore the types of anticipatory emotions experienced by administrative law students at the start of term. One hundred and sixty-six administrative law students at the University of New South Wales were surveyed during 2021 about their perceptions of studying the course. Students reported a mix of both positive emotions such as interest and excitement, as well as negative emotions such as boredom and fear. The most salient factor influencing student emotions were perceptions about the topic and course content. While generally students valued administrative law and believed they would be successful in the course, they also reported concerns relating to its workload. These findings provide valuable insight into student perceptions of administrative law, alongside an evidence base for improving the learning and teaching of this topic for future cohorts and contributing to the wellbeing of law students.

Objective Postgraduate training programs are required to maintain a formal record of trainees' placement experiences in the form of placement logbooks. There is a need to explore the perceived functions, benefits and shortcomings of placement logbooks, as well as how practicum information can be further utilised to support trainee development. Method This qualitative study aimed to better understand the placement logbook user experience. Sixteen participants (eight trainees and eight academic staff) at Australian higher education providers participated in focus groups and interviews. This study was informed by a critical realist epistemological framework with transcripts analysed using thematic analysis. Results There was substantial overlap in themes identified across the participant groups, therefore results for trainees and academic staff were merged. Findings indicated that the logbook was perceived to be predominately a tool to keep track of placement hours, with potential pedagogical functions noted but seldom employed. Completion and review of the logbook was mostly expressed in negative terms, with trainees reporting anxiety related to attaining needed hours, and academics noting time constraints for review. There was notable confusion regarding what counts as recordable activity. Participants raised a number of ways to improve logbooks, including better use of technology, standardized formats and integration with other systems. Conclusions Findings highlight that more could and should be done to improve the use of logbooks in psychology training.

Objectives: The objective of this multisite study was to examine failure rates across placements during clinical psychology training. Method: Placement supervisors from nine clinical psychology programmes used the Clinical Psychology Practicum Competencies Rating Scale (CΨPRS) to rate trainees’ competencies at the end of one of four placements (P1, P2, P3, P4). Results: Out of a total of 1449 placements, seventeen (1.17%) placements were failed, with fail-rates reducing as trainees progressed from P1 (2.45%) to P2 (0.77%), P3 (0.33%) and P4 (0.37%). CΨPRS norms used to identify competence as Much Below Standards generated similar fail-rates: 1.04% for all placements; 0.61% for P1; 1.28% for P2; 1.33% for P3; and 1.12% for P4. A larger subgroup (6.97% for all placements; 9.41% for P1; 4.34% for P2; 5.65% for P3 and 7.87% for P4) were also categorised as falling Somewhat Below Standards. The majority (88%) of these “Below Standards” placements received a pass grade from their supervisor. Conclusions: Supervisors tend to pass trainees who fail to meet competence thresholds on the CΨPRS. Placement supervisor assessments are essential but insufficient to ensure trainee competence, and supplemental assessments such as objective structured clinical examinations or competency assessment portfolios are important to complement supervisor assessments. KEY POINTS (1) The study reports end of placement failure rates for clinical psychology trainees across nine training institutions. (2) A number of trainees who received scores below competency thresholds were passed by their placement supervisors. (3) The study raises serious concerns about the sole reliance on placement supervisors’ assessments, and recommends additional independent assessments such as the use of standardised objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) to ensure safe and competent practice among clinical psychology trainees.