Supporting early learning experiences in graduate psychology training: the Krongold Outreach Program Career Assessment Service (KOP-CAS)

Early learning experiences in graduate psychology programs have a significant impact on self-efficacy. There is a risk that early exposure to complex clinical presentations may negatively impact on the development of clinical skills. Scaffolding the experiences of provisional psychologists involves a careful balance of managing risk while fostering autonomy. This paper will present the development and implementation of the KrongoldOutreach Program Career Assessment Service (KOP-CAS) at Monash University. Using freely available assessment tools, provisional psychologists under the supervision of faculty staff provided free vocational, values, and personality assessment; and feedback sessions, for 650 clients. Including program development time, the hourly staff to student experience ratio was 1:12, which suggested that the program is also cost-effective. Provisional psychologists found the experience of conducting career assessments and feedback sessions highly valuable, increasing perceptions of confidence and competence, as well as reducing subsequent stress when exposed to more complex presentations. Implications for the integration of teaching, clinical experience, and research opportunities will be discussed, as well as future directions for the KOP-CAS program.