Teaching the Rorschach and learning psychodiagnostic testing: a commentary on Hilsenroth and Handler (1995)

A recent report by Hilsenroth and Handler (1995) surveyed graduate students' impressions of their predoctoral-level training on the Rorschach method. My commentary underscores two central points from their article: (a) the problem of program specialization in a crowded curriculum, and (b) students' indication of a need for more secure grounding in personality theory and clinical diagnosis. The focus of these remarks concerns current trends in clinical psychology education, their implications for training in psychological assessment, establishing a reasonable upper limit of solid competence for achieving a journeyman level of ability, and some considerations about a suitable role for continuing education workshops. A sharp distinction between filing in gaps in knowledge and compensating for fundamental deficiencies is emphasized in this context.