Editors: W. Brad Johnson, PhD and Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD
Publisher: Oxford University Press – 583 pages
Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram
This book presents in comprehensive form, the processes and practices on how professional psychologists are educated and trained for their profession in the United States. It provides you a lot of material on many topics relating to career preparation of psychologists, including:
- The full spectrum of historic developments
- Salient issues
- Current standards
- Emerging trends in psychology education and training
It provides analyses of doctoral and postgraduate training programs for psychologists in clinical, counseling, and school psychology specialties. Aware that competency concerns are arising in the design of psychology training programs and evaluation of trainee performance, the book’s editors and authors have made models and standards for competency a primary issue.
The material for this book was written by 54 specialists in various fields of psychology, including the two editors. The 31 chapters in this book cover a wide range of subjects, but they are organized around five main areas, the subjects of Parts One through Five:
- Overview and Evolution of Education and Training in Psychology
- Competence and Competencies in Professional Psychology
- Trainee Selection, Development, and Evaluation
- Culture and Context in Education and Training
- Emerging Trends in Education and Training
Each chapter begins with a short, usually single-paragraph Abstract in boxed form on the subject covered in that chapter. After an introductory discussion, subsidiary and related topics are expounded on. Relevant data are presented in charts and tables. The chapter ends with suggested readings for further exploration and study, listed in References.
Some chapters start with an Introduction or Definitions and end with a Conclusion. These sections help readers who want to get quick overviews of the contents of chapters.
This is an excellent, useful and valuable book on education and training for those interested in becoming professional psychologists or for those who want to learn about the current state of education and training in psychology.
Brad Johnson, PhD is a professor of psychology in the Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law at the United States Naval Academy, and a faculty member in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University.
He currently serves as senior professor for the Naval Academy’s Lead Division. A clinical psychologist and former lieutenant commander in the Navy’s Medical Service Corps, Dr. Johnson served as a psychologist at Bethesda Naval Hospital and the Medical Clinic at Pearl Harbor where he was the division head for psychology.
Nadine J. J. Kaslow, PhD, ABPP is a professor with tenure, vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and director of the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Professional Psychology at Emory University School of Medicine.
She is chief psychologist at Grady Health System and holds a joint appointment in the Departments of Psychology, Pediatrics, and Emergency Medicine at Rollins School of Public Health. In 2012, she received an honorary degree – Doctor of Human Letters – from Pepperdine University, where she also gave the commencement address. Dr. Kaslow is the 2014 President of the American Psychological Association.
