Practical training completed by clinical psychology Master’s students commencing their internship at 1 Military Hospital: a preliminary study

Psychology in South Africa continues to develop within the changing socio-historical context. Domains of competence are anticipated to develop over the course of the career of a clinical psychology student and professional. Guidelines from the Health Professions Council of South Africa stipulate that the internship year should be dedicated to developing functional competences. It is also required that students provide psychological services to a wide spectrum of patients to prepare for the mental health care needs of the diverse South African population. This preliminary study set out to describe the nature of practical training completed by clinical psychology students that may aid in the development of functional competence domains. Surveys assessing practical training during Master’s coursework were completed by clinical psychology students ( n = 20) during the first week of their internship. Interns placed at 1 Military Hospital for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020 participated in the study, and the completed surveys were examined. Results indicated a variance in the number of patients consulted, the hours spent consulting patients as well as the diversity of patient exposure. Some students reported limited to no practical training in psychological tests, which is a cause for concern. Students also rated their perceived competence in report writing as average, which may reflect socially desirable responses. Study outcomes suggest a need to develop agreement among psychology trainers at various stages of the training process regarding the priority to be placed on different practical training aspects. This may assist in training clinical psychologists who can adequately provide much-needed community-based services.

Experiences and views of clinical psychologists working in non-urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The process of integrating mental health care into primary health care remains slow in many non-urban areas of low to middle-income countries. The present study explored clinical psychologists’ experiences of working in non-urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal to assess the progress of integrating mental health into primary health care. Twenty-nine clinical psychologists participated in this study and provided input on the following areas: clinical psychologists’ preparedness, through training, to work in resource-constrained non-urban areas; availability of mental health resources; and understanding of the clinical psychologists’ role in their work context. Over half (51.7%) of the participants reported that their training did not prepare them to work in resource-constrained non-urban areas and more than two-thirds (72.4%) reported a lack of basic resources needed for optimal mental health care in non-urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings reflect the need for comprehensive training of clinical psychologists to enhance their competency and confidence to work in resource-constrained settings. Furthermore, investment in the promotion of clinical psychology services and more conducive mental health service environments is necessary.

Assessing the employability and employment destinations of professional psychology alumni

Professional training in psychology typically focuses on competencies and learning outcomes. However, this does not necessarily translate into long-term employability. Graduate tracer studies are recommended for exploring employment destinations and employability. Graduate tracer studies are noted to be of particular use for investigating health professionals’ career paths and examining field-specific issues. The reported study examined the employability and employment destinations of 29 alumni from two psychology Master’s programmes at a South African higher education institution, by incorporating best practices for tracer studies and survey research. Results indicated that 86.2% had secured employment in various fields and sectors, suggesting their skills and training were relevant and transferable. Differential patterns of registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa were reported. Most respondents identified their studies as closely related to their work, and pragmatic reasons were provided by those pursuing work in unrelated fields. Entrepreneurial skills were identified as a gap in their training, that, if included, has the potential to boost employability. Graduate employability was identified to be a complex, non-linear issue. Professional competencies are, therefore, not sufficient for conceptualising employability within the South African context. A broader and more nuanced understanding of employability is needed. Practically, this means that educational processes need to prepare students for securing long-term employment. The tracer study methodology applied in this study may be utilised by other institutions and disciplines to explore key issues of employment and employability in the South African health professions and higher education context.

Clinical supervision in South Africa: Perceptions of supervision training, practices, and professional competencies

We investigated South African clinical and counselling psychology supervisors’ (n=44) perceptions of supervision training, their supervision experiences, and their perceived competence, confidence and effectiveness in providing supervision. Results indicated that many supervisors prematurely engage in supervision responsibilities and initiate supervision prior to receiving formal training in supervision. With limited regulatory guidelines available on supervision training and practices in South Africa, the findings indicate a need for the South African psychology profession to establish a formal regulatory framework on supervision training and practices. This includes identifying supervision training needs, developing training programmes, and instituting formal training requirements for practitioners who participate in clinical supervision.

Clinical psychology service distribution and integration into primary health care in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Inadequate investment in mental health care by the governments of both high- and low-income countries contributes to recurrent challenges of uneven distribution of and access to mental health services between urban and non-urban communities. While recent research has acknowledged the role of mental health in well-being and the cost of failure to invest in the sector, prioritising mental health to the same degree as physical health remains a challenge. This article highlights the unequal distribution of mental health services, and psychological services in particular, in KwaZulu-Natal. This is achieved by considering the background of psychology in South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal and then examining the ratio of clinical psychologists to the KwaZulu-Natal population. Furthermore, the article explores the geographical distribution of psychological services in KwaZulu-Natal and concludes with a discussion of the impact of uneven mental health service distribution on service provision and utilisation in non-urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal.

A cross-sectional survey of South African psychology interns’ perceptions of negative supervision events

Prevalence rates of negative supervision events among Psychology interns in South Africa are non-existent. This article investigates the incidence of negative supervision events and explores the influence of various contextual variables on supervision outcomes. Quantitative data were obtained via a web survey from a sample ( N = 92) of Clinical and Counselling psychology interns across nine provinces in South Africa. In all, 42 (or 45.6%) of the 92 participants had a negative supervision event during their internship, 26.19% categorized their experience as ‘Harmful’, and 73.81% (or 31) had an ‘Inadequate’ experience. A total of 14 (or 22.6%) interns experienced a negative supervision event on a weekly basis. Proportionately more White interns reported experiencing negative supervision events and had the highest number of reported harmful experiences. Neither race nor gender significantly impacted the feedback and evaluation process. A significantly larger number of mixed race and mixed culture dyads reported harmful negative supervision compared to same race/culture dyads. There was no significant positive relationship between inadequate or harmful negative supervision event and sexual orientation, theoretical orientation, gender, religion, and language. Implications for training and professional development are discussed.