TEACHING OF CONTROVERSIAL AND EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED TREATMENTS IN APA-ACCREDITED CLINICAL AND COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAMS

We surveyed directors of clinical and counseling psychology programs t o determine whether they teach controversial memory recovery technique s and the controversial technique, facilitated communication. We also asked about training in empirically validated treatments. We found tha t counseling psychology programs were more likely than clinical psycho logy programs to teach memory recovery techniques, and counseling prog rams were less likely to discourage the use of both memory recovery te chniques and facilitated communication. More emphasis on research, les s on practice, and a higher percentage of behaviorally-oriented facult y was related to less training of controversial techniques, Empiricall y validated treatments were reportedly taught more in clinical than in counseling psychology programs and in programs that emphasize researc h and have a higher percentage of behaviorally-oriented faculty.