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Evaluation ViewAttendees 21

Panel Discussions

Student Issues

Panel Discussion 15 - Improving the Mental Health & Wellbeing of Graduate Students in Clinical Psychology: A Call to Action from Trainee Stakeholders

Friday, November 17, 2023
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM PST
Location: Entiat (404), Level 4
Earn 1.5 Credit
Keywords: Student Issues, Professional Development, Education and Training
Recommended Readings:

Hobaica, S., Szkody, E., Owens, S. A., Boland, J. K., Washburn, J. J., & Bell, D. J. (2021). Mental health concerns and barriers to care among future clinical psychologists. Journal of clinical psychology, 77(11), 2473-2490.

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Daniel, K. E., Szkody, E., Aggarwal, P., Peterman, A. H., Washburn, J. J., & Selby, E. A. (2022). Characterizing changes in mental health‐related outcomes for health service psychology graduate students during the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 78(11), 2281-2298.

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Palitsky, R., Kaplan, D. M., Brodt, M. A., Anderson, M. R., Athey, A., Coffino, J. A., … & Stevenson, B. (2022). Systemic Challenges in Internship Training for Health-Service Psychology: A Call to Action From Trainee Stakeholders. Clinical Psychological Science, 10(5), 819-845.

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The COVID-19 pandemic ignited a global “mental health crisis.”. However, the implications of this crisis for graduate students–particularly those in clinical psychology–has been largely overlooked. Prior to the pandemic, the unique stress and challenges faced by clinical psychology trainees had begun to receive attention (e.g., Pakenham & Stafford-Brown, 2012). The interactions of these stressors with the COVID-19 pandemic and long-standing social injustice have critical implications for the wellbeing of clinical psychology students, and in turn, our field.
Through this panel, we aim to bring much needed attention to the state of mental health among clinical psychology trainees. We will build on several recent data-driven calls to action for structural initiatives to support the wellbeing of trainees within our field (e.g., Gee et al., 2022, Palitsky et al., 2022, Buchanan & Wiklund, 2020), and center the experiences of trainee stakeholders. Specifically, panelists with diverse backgrounds and training experiences will speak to the unique stressors faced by clinical psychology trainees, and their interactions with identity, cultural, and contextual factors. Panelists will speak to the factors that influence trainee mental health, including professional values/expectations, program climate, financial stressors, mentor-mentee relationships, and more. Finally, we will discuss solutions that individuals, programs, and professional institutions can implement to reduce stress and support mental health among clinical psychology trainees.
In sum, this panel will integrate recent research findings with stakeholder perspectives to help identity actionable steps to support the wellbeing of clinical psychology trainees. We hope to raise awareness around these critical issues and spark initiatives that can support the wellbeing of our next generation of clinical psychologists and scientists.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:
  • Describe the state of trainee mental health in clinical psychology and related fields, including common problems and structural risk factors.
  • Assess the evidence basis suggesting elevated stress and mental health challenges among graduate students.
  • Analyze how identity, culture, and contextual factors interact to impact trainee experiences in graduate school.
  • Describe the relevance of trainee mental health and wellbeing to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belongingness initiatives.
  • Apply clinical science findings to address mental health concerns among clinical psychology trainees.
  • Identify specific strategies and solutions to reduce mental health risk among clinical psychology trainees.
  • Develop an action plan that trainees, programs, and/or professional organizations can implement to improve student mental health and wellbeing.