Panel Discussions
Workforce Development / Training / Supervision
Yevgeny Botanov, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Pennsylvania State University York
York, Pennsylvania
Andrew Bertagnolli, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor - San Francisco Campus
Alliant International University
Emeryville, California
Lee Cooper, Ph.D.
Clinical Professor
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia
Tammy McClain, Psy.D.
Psychology Professor, Clinical Psychologist
West Liberty University
Colliers, West Virginia
Jason J. Washburn, ABPP, Ph.D.
Professor
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how science, data, and scientific literacy – or lack thereof – impacted the lives of everyone around the globe. The pandemic also highlighted the need for frontline mental health providers. It is unclear, however, if the majority of frontline mental health practitioners are trained to provide science-based services. Indeed, frontline mental health providers are unlikely to be doctoral-level providers with strong training in science. However, master’s training presents unique challenges compared to doctoral training such as shorter training periods and greater variability in training experiences. The decision of the American Psychological Association to accredit master’s level Health Service Psychology (HSP) programs provides a unique opportunity to infuse science-based competencies into master’s-level training. The consequences of future global health crises may be mitigated now by a greater emphasis on science-based treatment. The panelists will outline several strategies for incorporating science-based competencies into master’s level HSP training. The panelists will provide detailed assessment methods for scientific competence that can be feasibly and practically adopted by diverse training programs. Additionally, the panelists will provide a roadmap for incorporating the necessary content for scientific competence that can be included in a master's-level applied methodology course. The panelists were chosen based on their ongoing collaboration as members of ABCT’s Academic Training and Education Standards committee’s subcommittee on master’s training. The panelists include faculty from a variety of programs including undergraduate, master’s, and diverse doctoral training programs.