Factor Analysis of Job Functions and Employers' Preferred Training Models for Master's Level Clinical Psychologists

Abstract

A factor analysis was conducted on the functions that master's level clinical psychologists perform, and on their employers' preferred training models as reported on questionnaires returned from 400 mental health agencies west of the Mississippi River. The analysis extracted seven factors labeled Outpatient Therapy, Inpatient Therapy, Community Mental Health, Research Assistant, Inpatient Ward Management, Psychological Testing, and Other Functions. The results supported the belief that master's level clinical psychologists are performing traditional clinical functions such as psychotherapy, psychological testing, and research, as well as functions associated with the more recent community mental health model. The results were viewed as a step toward more rational, job-oriented curriculum development for master's level clinical psychologists.