Trauma-informed care? Identifying training deficits in accredited doctoral programs.

UNLABELLED

Trauma-informed care has become a pillar of competent psychological services. A foundation in understanding trauma and its treatment should be viewed as essential for clinical psychologists entering the field, as working with individuals that have experienced trauma is inevitable.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the number of accredited doctoral programs in clinical psychology that require a course in trauma-informed theory and intervention in their curriculum.

METHOD

Clinical psychology programs accredited by the American Psychological Association were surveyed to determine their requirement for a course related to trauma-informed care. Program information was initially reviewed online and in the absence of clear indication within their program websites, survey questions were sent to the program Chair and/or Directors of Clinical Training.

RESULTS

Data were obtained from 193 of the 254 APA-accredited programs included in this survey process. Only nine (5%) require a course related to trauma-informed care. Of these, five were PhD programs and four were PsyD programs. This equates to 202 (8%) of graduating doctoral students having been required to take a course related to trauma-informed care.

CONCLUSIONS

Trauma exposure is common and a major factor to be considered in the development of psychological disorders and overall physical and emotional wellbeing. As a result, clinical psychologists should enter the field with a foundation in understanding the impact and treatment of trauma exposure. However, only a minority of graduating doctoral students have been required to take a course related to this topic in their graduate curriculum. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).