An Exploration of Trainees’ Perception of Clinical Psychology Training in India: A Qualitative Analysis

This study explored trainees’ perception of clinical psychology training in India. A sample of 20 (18 females; 2 males; Mean age = 25 years) clinical psychology trainees participated in the study following written informed consent. Participants were interviewed individually (40–50 min) using a semi-structured interview schedule developed for the study. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Broader themes were identified using principles of content analysis. The findings indicated trainees’ great enthusiasm about practical training, supervisor supervision and hospital based training. Results also showed poor recognition of the role of research and theory in training, unilateral view of supervision, poor perception of secondary goals and components of training and limited awareness about variety of clinical material. The results are indicative of trainees’ preference of clinical component of training over theory and research components of training, the backbone of prevailing systems of training globally. The preliminary findings suggest the need for further research in this area.