Defining characteristic or unrealistic ideal: Historical and contemporary perspectives on scientist-practitioner training in counselling psychology

Abstract

Counselling psychologists have affirmed their allegiance to the scientist-practitioner (S-P) model through all of the discipline's major conferences in the United States of America, and the philosophy has been critical to training across the globe. Despite the centrality of this training approach to counselling psychology's identity, no comprehensive overview of the field's history with the model has been undertaken. A review spanning sixty years describes the evolving relationship between the S-P model and counselling psychology and also points to historical and current challenges within that relationship.

Keywords:

• Counselling psychology
• scientist-practitioner model
• history

Notes

[1] From “Recommended graduate training program in clinical psychology” by the American Psychological Association, Committee on Training in Clinical Psychology, 1947, American Psychologist, 2, p. 543. Copyright by the American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.

[2] From “Recommended standards for training counseling psychologists at the doctoral level,” by the American Psychological Association, Division of Counseling and Guidance Committee on Counselor Training, 1952, American Psychologist, 7, pp. 176–180. Copyright by the American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.

[3] From “National Conference on Scientist-Practitioner Education and Training for the Professional Practice of Psychology,” by C. D. Belar and N. W. Perry, 1992, American Psychologist, 47, pp. 71–72. Copyright by the American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.