Conversations with Practicum Students

The first psychology practicum training experience is typically filled with anxiety and there are minimal resources available to help prepare students for what to expect. This book will augment resources for instructors teaching practicum preparation courses and/or overseeing practicum training itself, as well as ethics or supervision seminars. It uses stories describing students' experiences during practicum training. Students summarize the dilemmas encountered, describe how they resolved the issue, and discuss what they learned from their experience. Brief literature about each issue under discussion is provided. The authors, who have extensive knowledge in the areas of ethics and supervision, provide questions for the readers to ponder, explore their reactions, and analyze the students' decision making. The goals are to help reduce students' anxiety, enhance their critical thinking, and help build confidence as they prepare for practicum. The rich material in the book will help instructors facilitate learning and classroom discussion.