Thirty Years of Integrative Doctoral Training: Historic Developments, Assessment of Outcomes, and Recommendations for the Future

Abstract

Integrative clinical psychology doctoral programs explicitly blend religious faith with professional training. During the past thirty years, there has been a steady increase in the number of integrative programs in the United States, yet the mission-relevant training outcomes of these programs remain largely unknown. In this article, we review published literature relative to integrative doctoral programs and offer an assessment of the training outcomes recently reported by those integrative programs currently accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). We briefly summarize the distinctive strengths and relative weaknesses of integrative programs and consider the primary challenges they now face. We conclude with several specific recommendations designed to help integrative doctoral programs thrive in the future.