Training for the practice of clinical psychology

Clinical psychologists' views on which skills are important for professiona l practice and where these skills should receive emphasis in training were investigated. One hundred and forty-five members of the college of clinical psychology returned the questionnaire, which requested participants to rat e the importance to clinical practice of skills in the domains of research, assessment, clinical intervention, interpersonal communication, and profes sional practice. All the skills were generally rated as important, and the majority of participants indicated that primary emphasis should occur in po stgraduate level formal training. Clinical orientation was found to have so me systematic influence on the importance ratings of skills within the inte rvention domain. The practice and training implications of these findings a re discussed.