> PhD Training Model

The scientist-practitioner model of training is represented in PhD clinical psychology programs. This model of training was first formally articulated in a report commissioned by the APA... And subsequently at a conference in Boulder, Colorado. It is typically referred to as the BOULDER MODEL of training in clinical psychology. Students are required to develop skills both as psychological researchers and as practicing psychologists. Although the balance of these two types of training activities is rarely exactly 50-50 in any single program, all Boulder Model programs share a committment to a relative balance of training in the science and application of clinical psychology...

The rationale for the balance of training in research and practice is that, regardless of the specific career they persue, clinical psychologists will need to draw on both sets of skills. For clinical psychologists who are actively involved in research, it is essential to be able to draw on experience working with people who have clinically significant problems. This experience keeps researchers in touch with the issues and problems that are faced by such people... Similarly, it is essential for clinical psychologists who are primarily involved in clinical practice to have a solid foundation in psychological research. Without training in research methods, practicing clinicians will be unable to stay informed of the latest developments in research so they can be educated consumers of the research advances that will emerge during the course of their career.

PsyD Training Model

Programs that grant a PsyD degree in clinical psychology to their graduates differ from PhD programs in the balance of training devoted to research and clinical practice. Although some PsyD training programs are based in universities, most exist in seperate freestanding professional schools devoted solely to the training of professional psychologists. In these programs, relatively little emphasis is given to clinical research and relatively more training is devoted to skills in psychological asesssment and intervention. Although students in these programs may conduct original clinical research for their dissertation, PsyD programs allow students an alternative to complete this requirement through other means, such as a review of the literature on a topic relevant to clinical psychology or a detailed case study.

The rationale behind practitioner-oriented models of training is twofold. First, there is a large body of knowledge and skills that a student needs to learn to become a competent clinician, and competence in the skills needed for clinical practice requires more time than can be devoted to them in a program that emphasizes both research and practice. Second, because most clinical psychologists do not go on to conduct research, they need relatively less training in research. Proponents of this model contend that it is no longer possible to acquire the necessary foundation of both clinical and research skills in the span of four to five years of doctoral training.

Introduction to Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, pp18-19 (The book is, of course, biased towards the boulder model - as the title suggests).