Responding to Clinical Psychology Practicum Competencies: An APPIC Perspective

This article offers a commentary by representatives of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) on the 2015 article written by Gonsalvez et al. related to the assessment of clinical competencies in clinical psychology practicum students. The four competency “super clusters” derived by Gonsalvez et al. result from a unique empirical hierarchical clustering approach and are sure to add important knowledge to the field. This commentary generalizes from clinical psychology education and training in Australia to the United States, expands from practica to internship and postdoctoral training, and reflects on some relevant APPIC issues and initiatives. Future research is also suggested.