Trauma-Informed Care? Identifying Training Deficits in Accredited Doctoral Programs

Trauma-informed care has become a pillar of competent psychological services. A foundation in understanding trauma and its treatment should be viewed as essential for clinical psychologists entering the field, as working with individuals that have experienced trauma is inevitable. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the number of accredited doctoral programs in clinical psychology that require a course in trauma-informed theory and intervention in their curriculum. Method: Clinical psychology programs accredited by the American Psychological Association were surveyed to determine their requirement for a course related to trauma-informed care. Program information was initially reviewed online and in the absence of clear indication within their program websites, survey questions were sent to the program Chair and/or Directors of Clinical Training. Results: Data were obtained from 193 of the 254 APA-accredited programs included in this survey process. Only nine (5%) require a course related to trauma-informed care. Of these, five were PhD programs and four were PsyD programs. This equates to 202 (8%) of graduating doctoral students having been required to take a course related to trauma-informed care. Conclusions: Trauma exposure is common and a major factor to be considered in the development of psychological disorders and overall physical and emotional wellbeing. As a result, clinical psychologists should enter the field with a foundation in understanding the impact and treatment of trauma exposure. However, only a minority of graduating doctoral students have been required to take a course related to this topic in their graduate curriculum.

Automated summary

Trauma-informed care is crucial for competent psychological services, but only a minority of clinical psychology doctoral students are required to take a course on this topic in their graduate curriculum.