Research

The research program associated with the Placement Review platform is a multisite collaboration that commenced around 2000, under the leadership of Professor Craig Gonsalvez (currently based at Western Sydney University). It grew out of a commitment from a small group of clinician researchers to address what was an important, but difficult and enduring problem: objective and valid assessment of practitioner competence in psychology.

The project has grown rapidly and has made major contributions to the international literature on competence assessment, won major national grant awards and has been disseminated in multiple national and international conferences.

Key research publications from the group include:

1. Gonsalvez, C.J., Riebel, T., Nolan, L., Pohlmann, S., Bartik, W. (2023). Supervisor versus self-assessment of trainee competence: Differences across developmental stages and competency domains. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 79(12), 2959-2973.  https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23590

2. Gonsalvez C.J., & Calvert, F. (2023). The Affect-Graph as a supervisory technique: Theoretical foundations, procedures and applications. The Clinical Supervisor, 42, 329-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/07325223.2023.2240780.

3. Barrett, J. A., Calvert, F. L., Gonsalvez, C. J., & Shires, A. G. (2023). A qualitative investigation into perceptions of scientist-practitioner competence within supervision during psychology training programmes. Australian Psychologist, 58(2), 80–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2022.2125282

4. Grassby, S., & Gonsalvez, C.J. (2022). Group supervisión is an independent supervisor competency: Empirical evidence and a brief scale for supervisory practice. Australian Psychologist, 57, 352-358.https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2022.2107890

5. Gonsalvez, C.J. (2022). On accreditation standards, competence assessment and gate-keeping: Houston, we have a problem! Clinical Psychologist, 26, 2, 193-197. https://doi.org/10.1080/13284207.2022.2035652

6. Gonsalvez, C. J., Terry, J., Deane, F.P., Nasstasia, Y., Knight, R., Gooi C.H. (2021).  End-of-placement failure rates among clinical psychology trainees: Exceptional training and outstanding trainees or poor gate-keeping? Clinical Psychologist. 25(3) 294-305. DOI: 10.1080/13284207.2021.1927692

7. Gonsalvez, C. J., Deane, F. P., Terry, J., Nasstasia, Y., & Shires, A. (2021). Innovations in competence assessment: Design and initial validation of the Vignette Matching Assessment Tool (VMAT). Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 15(2), 106–116. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000302

8. Gonsalvez C. J. (2021). A short scale to evaluate supervision and supervisor competence-The SE-SC8. Clinical psychology & psychotherapy, 28(2), 452–461. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2510

9. Gonsalvez, C. J., Shafranske, E. P., McLeod, H., Falender, C. (2021). Competency-based standards and guidelines for psychology practice in Australia: Opportunities and risks. Clinical Psychologist, 25(3), 244-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/13284207.2020.1829943

10. Gonsalvez, C. J., Deane, F.P., Terry, J., and Gooi, C. H. (2020). Anatomy of psychology practitioner competence: Clustering approach reveals the hierarchical organisation of competence. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 27(4), ArtID: e12347. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12347 

11. Barrett, J., Shires, A., Gonsalvez, C.J. (2020). Promoting Scientist-Practitioner Competence within Clinical Supervision of Psychology Trainees: A Systematic Review. Clinical Psychologist, 24, 3-17.  https://doi.org/10.1111/cp.12196

12. Hitzemann C., Gonsalvez, C.J., Britt, E., Moses, K. (2020).  Clinical psychology trainees’ self versus supervisor assessments of practitioner competencies. Clinical  Psychologist, 24,18-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/cp.12183

13. Deane, F.P., Gonsalvez, C. Joyce, C., Britt E. (2018). Developmental trajectories of competency attainment amongst clinical psychology trainees across field placements. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(9), 1641–1652. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22619

14. Nicholson perry, K., Donovan, M., Knight, R., & Shires, A. (2017). Addressing Professional Competency Problems in Clinical Psychology Trainees. Australian Psychologist, 52(2), 121–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12268

15. Terry, J., Gonsalvez, C., & Deane, F. P. (2017). Brief Online Training with Standardised Vignettes Reduces Inflated Supervisor Ratings of Trainee Practitioner Competencies. Australian Psychologist, 52(2), 130–139. https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12250

16. Gonsalvez, C. J., Deane, F. P., Blackman, R., Matthias, M., Knight, R., Nasstasia, Y., Shires, A., Nicholson Perry, K., Allan, C., & Bliokas, V. (2015). The hierarchical clustering of clinical psychology practicum competencies: A multisite study of supervisor ratings. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 22(4), 390–403. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0101730

17. Gonsalvez, C. J., & Crowe, T. P. (2014). Evaluation of psychology practitioner competence in clinical supervision. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 68(2), 177–193. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2014.68.2.177

18. Gonsalvez, C. J., et al. (2013). Assessment of psychology competencies in field placements: Standardized vignettes reduce rater bias. Training and Education in Professional Practice, 7, 99-111. DOI10.1037/a0031617