Preparing Professional Psychologists to Serve a Diverse Public: A Core Requirement in Doctoral Education and Training A Pedagogical Statement

For psychologists to competently serve all members of the public now and in the future, professional psychology training programs strive to ensure that psychology trainees demonstrate acceptable levels of knowledge, skills, and awareness to work effectively with diverse individuals. Clients/patients are complex individuals who belong to diverse cultures and groups. Trainees also bring a complex set of personal characteristics and diverse cultural or group memberships to the education and training process. An important component of psychology training to explore is when and how trainees’ worldviews, beliefs, or religious values interact with and even impede the provision of competent professional services to members of the public. It is essential that potential conflicts be acknowledged and addressed during training so that psychologists are prepared to beneficially and noninjuriously interact with all clients/patients. This statement is intended to help training programs address conflicts between trainees’ worldviews, beliefs, or religious values and professional psychology’s commitment to offering culturally responsive psychological services to all members of the public, especially to those from traditionally marginalized groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)