Competencies in Child Clinical Psychology
The present chapter applies much of the discussion from the previous chapter to the unique aspects of providing clinical services to children, adolescents, and their families. For example, the 12 competencies of the “cube model” were designed to represent
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Overview
2.1.1 Specialization in Clinical Child Psychology In the following chapter, we expand upon the construct of “competence” as presented in > Chapter 1, volume 1 and explore its application to the training of the next generation of clinical child psychologists. Clinical child psychology is a recognized specialty within professional psychology, and though there is considerable overlap between clinical adult and clinical child psychology, core competencies in clinical child psychology deserve unique consideration. The American Psychological Association (APA) Council in collaboration with the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) formally approves new specialties in the field and offer the following definition of a specialty. A specialty is a defined area of psychological practice that requires advanced knowledge and skills acquired through an organized sequence of education and training. The advanced knowledge J. Thomas, M. Hersen (eds.), Handbook of Clinical Psychology Competencies, DOI 10.1007/978-0-387-09757-2_2, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
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Competencies in Child Clinical Psychology
and skills specific to a specialty are obtained subsequent to the acquisition of core scientific and professional foundations in psychology. Although the specific dimensions of specialty programs may vary in their emphases and in avail able resources, every defined specialty in professional psychology will contain: (a) core scientific foundations in psychology, (b) basic professional foundation, (c) advanced scientific and theoretical knowledge germane to the specialty, and (d) advanced professional applications of this knowledge to selected problems and populations in particular settings, through use of procedures and tech niques validated on the same (Joint Interim Committee for the Identification and Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies (JICIRSP), 1995).
A specialty in clinical child psychology was considered as far back as in the 1949 Boulder Conference proceedings (famous for elucidating the scientist-practitioner model); however, by 1967, there were only four recognized specialties in psychology: clinical, counseling, school, and industrial/organizational (Drum & Blom, 2001). Roberts and Sobel (1999) discuss some of the obstacles of creating a child specialty. For example, many of those attending the Boulder Conference questioned the merits of distinguishing between clinical work with children and adults. In the decades following the Boulder Conference, the growing clinical and empirical literature concerned with children and families appeared to support the argument for a clinical child specialization. Still, when advocates petitioned for recognition of a clinical child psychology specialty in 1981, the application was denied for failing to establish the unique characteristics of clinical child psychology (Roberts & Sobel, 1999). Contemporary arguments supporting a clinical child psychology specialty have converged on sev
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