Placement Review
A multi-site collaboration since 2000

Research

The research program associated with Placement Review is a multi-site collaboration that commenced around 2000, addressing one of the most important — but difficult and enduring — problems in psychology training: objective and valid assessment of practitioner competence.

Led by Professor Craig Gonsalvez (currently based at Western Sydney University), the project grew out of a commitment from a small group of clinician researchers. It has since 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.

Research programme imagery

Key research publications

  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. 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. 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. doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2022.2125282
  4. Grassby, S., & Gonsalvez, C. J. (2022). Group supervision is an independent supervisor competency: Empirical evidence and a brief scale for supervisory practice. Australian Psychologist, 57, 352–358. 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. 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. 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. 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. doi.org/10.1080/13284207.2020.1829943
  10. Gonsalvez, C. J., Deane, F. P., Terry, J., & Gooi, C. H. (2020). Anatomy of psychology practitioner competence: Clustering approach reveals the hierarchical organisation of competence. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 27(4), e12347. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 multi-site study of supervisor ratings. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 22(4), 390–403. 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. 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. DOI: 10.1037/a0031617
VMAT-CΨPRS overview PCAM overview