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Professional Development Needs and Training Interests: a Survey of Early Career School Psychologists

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Abstract

Early career psychologists (ECPs) are considered a distinct professional group that faces unique career challenges. Despite recent organizational efforts to increase engagement of these individuals, little is known about the professional development needs and training interests of ECPs, particularly within psychology’s subfields. As such, this study assessed ECPs’ professional development needs and training interests in school psychology, as well as their perceptions of how well their professional organization was in meeting their needs. One hundred ECP and graduate students responded to an online survey. Results indicated that participants had a strong interest in a variety of professional development topics, including developing short- and long-term career plans, the publication process, obtaining licensure, and work-life balance. Further, participants endorsed interest in various training formats, including brief workshops, ECP mentoring programs, and conference symposia. Participants stated that their professional organization currently met their needs moderately well, but reported seeking professional development support via a number of other sources. Researchers, faculty, and graduate students reported significantly higher perceptions of their professional organization than clinicians. Findings suggest areas for desired professional development and training format. Implications for professional organizations serving ECPs and school psychology graduate programs are addressed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Pace University, 41 Park Row, 13th Floor, New York, NY, 10038, USA

    Prerna G. Arora

  2. School of Medicine, University of Maryland, 737 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Prerna G. Arora

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Montana, Skaggs Build Rm 143, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA

    Jacqueline Brown

  4. School of Education & Human Development, University of Colorado Denver, 1380 Lawrence St, Denver, CO, 80204, USA

    Bryn Harris

  5. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, 56 E River Road, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Amanda Sullivan

Authors
  1. Prerna G. Arora
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  2. Jacqueline Brown
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  3. Bryn Harris
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  4. Amanda Sullivan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Prerna G. Arora.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Arora, P.G., Brown, J., Harris, B. et al. Professional Development Needs and Training Interests: a Survey of Early Career School Psychologists. Contemp School Psychol 21, 49–57 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-016-0108-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-016-0108-8

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