A naturalistic comparison of the effectiveness of trainee and qualified clinical psychologists

Objective. To compare the effect of clinician type on the outcome for adult mental health clients treated by trainee and qualified clinical psychologists. Design. Naturalistic, non‐random between‐participants group design: a group of 60 adult mental health out‐patients treated by trainees and a matched group of 60 patients treated by qualified clinical psychologists. Method. Participants completed a range of established measures at assessment and outcome of their treatment during routine clinical practice. Results. Significant improvements in mental health were made for both groups from assessment to outcome; however, no significant effect of clinician type was evident. Conclusions. A variety of factors (e.g. quantity of supervision) contributing to trainee effectiveness are identified and discussed.