"Hidden Gems Among Clinical Psychology Training Programs"

[AryaStark]

Hi All,
I just saw a recent article that used SEM to determine "hidden gem" clinical training programs. They conducted this study independently, and criteria for being a hidden gem included passing the EPPP and internship match (much more complicated, but you'll see if you read it). I just thought it might be helpful for those of you who are applying to graduate school this cycle. The citation is below:

Callahan, J. L., Ruggero, C. J., & Parent, M. C. (2013). Hidden Gems Among Clinical Psychology Training Programs.Training And Education In Professional Psychology (didn't list page number in citation).

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[MCParent]

Great paper!




I hear the third author is a jerk though.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Great paper!

I hear the third author is a jerk though.

I cannot argue w. that statement of presumed fact.

Maybe some people will stop looking blindly to USNWR and start evaluating programs more objectively.

 

[PTSDPhD]

Given the internship crisis, it's nice to see programs with 100% match rates!

 

[AryaStark]

I have to come clean. I'm a little biased in posting this paper. My program is listed in this article

 

[modestmousktr]

Congrats on the pub! I had no idea your username was your name, I always thought you had children, haha. Where can I find a .pdf of this? I'm applying not this cycle but the next and am very eager to read this.

 

[PTSDPhD]

I googled the article title and found a brief description of the article with a table at http://www.emich.edu/psychology/forms/hidden_gems_article.pdf

 

[docma]

Could someone list the programs as I am having trouble accessing the article?

 

[MCParent]

Here is a screenshot of the main table with the programs listed.

I don't think I can post the PDF; I think that's against the use rules. I can send a pdf to anyone who wants a reprint (and if someone with an anonymous user name posts it, well, I can't really control that )

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Here is a screenshot of the main table with the programs listed.

Looking at that table makes one thing clear…..

Gun friendly states are more likely to have hidden gems programs.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

Looking at that table makes one thing clear…..
Gun friendly states are more likely to have hidden gems programs.

My take is that these programs are in less desirable locations. They are very good programs but they just do not recruit as well as those in or near large urban areas. I would love to see if there is an association between this metric and population of surrounding area or distance from major city. Parent, what are your thoughts on this?

P.S.
it seems I accidentally attached something.

 

[erg923]

As of the past 3-5 years (due to some changes), I would really highlight the University of Louisville Counseling Psychology (Ph.D.) program, as a quality program that really isnt "on the map" yet.

 

[MCParent]

As of the past 3-5 years (due to some changes), I would really highlight the University of Louisville Counseling Psychology (Ph.D.) program, as a quality program that really isnt "on the map" yet.

There are no counseling psych programs on the list; we only used data from clinical programs. When we looked at the data, counseling programs were more homogenous (generally, mostly pretty good) than clinical programs (running from spectacular to abysmal), and would have made the data weird due to the groups having different variabilities. I'm looking for a way to do this with counseling programs but there are too few (~70) to use the same SEM.

 

[MCParent]

My take is that these programs are in less desirable locations. They are very good programs but they just do not recruit as well as those in or near large urban areas. I would love to see if there is an association between this metric and population of surrounding area or distance from major city. Parent, what are your thoughts on this?

P.S.
it seems I accidentally attached something.

If I had a guess, I'd say the variable of interest is being the only game in town, while also being good enough to recruit solid applicants, while ALSO not being so historically good that they only get superstars who are going to do well anyway. TTU competes against no one for pracs at a great counseling center, a VA outpatient clinic, athletic department, and an oncology department, for example. UF clinical is in a similar situation, but they're already so well-known that they can recruit superstars (which is why they don't show up on the list despite being a great program, for example).

 

[AryaStark]

Hi All!
From my perspective, I think Dynamic is likely on target with the point about "less desirable areas." Some programs in more rural areas offer truly great training, likely because there are few psychologists practicing EBPs in the area. For example, our program clinic receives MANY referrals that would likely go to full psychologists, if we were in another area. This ranges from diverse psychological and physical health concerns to forensic evaluations used by the state. Clients may sometimes travel over 3 hours to attend a weekly appointment, as there are no other treatment options around. In addition, if there are few other clinical programs in the state/area, there is absolutely no competition for external practicum placements, and most students will participate in several external experiences throughout their training. I would definitely not count a program out because of their location. Sometimes that "undesirable feature" is what makes a program great!

 

[AryaStark]

Ha! I was literally writing the same post as you wrote yours. Oops!

 

[cara susanna]

My program's in a rural area and we aren't on the list! Oh well

 

[bcliff]

.

 

[PTSDPhD]

My take is that these programs are in less desirable locations. They are very good programs but they just do not recruit as well as those in or near large urban areas. I would love to see if there is an association between this metric and population of surrounding area or distance from major city. Parent, what are your thoughts on this?

P.S.
it seems I accidentally attached something.

If I had a guess, I'd say the variable of interest is being the only game in town, while also being good enough to recruit solid applicants, while ALSO not being so historically good that they only get superstars who are going to do well anyway. TTU competes against no one for pracs at a great counseling center, a VA outpatient clinic, athletic department, and an oncology department, for example. UF clinical is in a similar situation, but they're already so well-known that they can recruit superstars (which is why they don't show up on the list despite being a great program, for example).

A couple of these programs are actually very close to more well-known schools. For example, Eastern Michigan is about 10 minutes from University of Michigan and Georgia State is about 15 minutes from Emory.