Friday 24 July 15:40 - 17:10

Hall: 28 - Room 6 SPT

Chair and Presenter: Wang Chiachih Dc

Division: Division 16: Counseling Psychology

Graduate training programs worldwide have encountered many challenges in recent years, including a rapid increase in online therapy, proper utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in clinical work, collaboration between academic programs and practicum sites in the field, the continuous need to enhance multicultural competencies, and supporting trainees with problems in competence. This symposium includes five specific presentations with a shared theme of addressing emerging challenges faced by mental health graduate training programs globally with a goal to enhance the professional competencies of future mental health providers. The presenters of this symposium are faculty members and licensed practitioners from three countries (i.e., Turkey, Taiwan, and USA) who possess extensive training, supervisory, research, and administrative experiences.


Each of the individual presentations addresses a distinct topic, that is imperative to the training quality and outcome of mental health graduate programs that train providers of the next generation. The first presentation focuses on how graduate training programs in psychology can better prepare trainees' online therapy competencies. The second presentation addresses the current state, potential opportunities, and ethical considerations related to utilizing AI in clinical training. The third presents a successful collaborative model between a graduate training program and practicum sites that offer clinical supervision to graduate trainees in Taiwan. The fourth highlights how clinical practicum supervisors may enhance supervisees' multicultural competencies. The fifth discusses strategies and considerations for developing and implementing effective remediation plans to support graduate trainees experiencing difficulties in developing required competencies.


The theme and specific topics of the five presentations in this symposium are consistently aligned with the overall theme of the ICAP 2026 in that the symposium not only explores emerging fields or key topics in applied psychology training but also deliberates societal applications by outlining constructive ways to transform challenges into opportunities for the competency enhancement of future providers.