Centering trainee voices: Serious mental illness doctoral training

Psychologists play a vital role in the care of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), yet doctoral training opportunities in this area remain scarce (O’Connor & Yanos, 2021; Reddy et al., 2010; Roe et al., 2006). While the field has made progress in outlining training models and competencies for SMI care, the number of training pathways has stagnated.

This conceptual article published in Psychological Services by Rbeiz et al. (2025) highlights the lived experiences of psychology trainees throughout each stage of the SMI doctoral training pipeline, including pre-graduate school, graduate school, and pre-doctoral internship. Drawing on existing research and first-person narratives, the authors identify common systemic barriers such as financial constraints, lack of programmatic support, limited access to SMI-focused practicum sites, and underrepresentation of diverse voices in departmental decision-making.

At the same time, the authors highlight facilitators that can enhance training pathways, including mentorship, institutional advocacy, and intentional integration of SMI content into core curricula. Notably, the article emphasizes that meaningful reform must involve not only structural changes but also a cultural shift that centers trainee perspectives in developing inclusive and effective training environments. The article concludes with a set of actionable recommendations:

• Expand financial support for SMI trainees,
• Embed SMI training into existing practicum opportunities, and
• Ensure trainee voices are heard in shaping program priorities.

These steps are vital to cultivating the next generation of SMI-trained psychologists to ultimately improve care for vulnerable and underserved populations.

By placing trainee experiences at the center of training reform, this article provides a compelling roadmap for addressing the underrepresentation of SMI training in clinical psychology. Its insights can inform policy changes in graduate departments, inspire mentorship programs, and help funders prioritize investments that build equitable and comprehensive training models for the future.

This article is in the Clinical Psychology topic area.

O’Connor, L. K., & Yanos, P. T. (2021). Where are all the psychologists? A review of factors impacting the underrepresentation of psychology in work with serious mental illness. Clinical Psychology Review, 86, 10202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102026opens in new window

Rbeiz, K. S., Badawi, J. C., Parker, C. J., Blanco, E., Fielden, C., Curland, A., Ross-Young, H., Hill, M., Ward, M., Mafarjeh, A., Vitro, M., Lee, E., Davidson, C. A., & Reznik, S. J. (2025). Exploring trainee perspectives on barriers and facilitators in serious mental illness doctoral training. Psychological Services, 22(1), 20–33. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000853

Reddy, F., Spaulding, W. D., Jansen, M. A., Menditto, A. A., & Pickett, S. (2010). Psychologists’ roles and opportunities in rehabilitation and recovery for serious mental illness: A survey of Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) clinical psychology training and doctoral education. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 4(4), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021457

Roe, D., Yanos, P. T., & Lysaker, P. H. (2006). Overcoming barriers to  increase the contribution of clinical psychologists to work with persons  with severe mental illness. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 13(4), 376–383. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2006.00051.x

Katrina Rbeiz, MS, is a clinical psychology PhD candidate at Vanderbilt University, where she conducts research on serious mental health conditions with a focus on ethnic and cultural factors. Her work aims to identify risk and resilience factors, as well as to develop culturally valid assessments and interventions. She also is committed to bringing attention to serious mental health within clinical psychology programs, working to make it more equitable and accessible at every level of training. Contact Katrina Rbeiz.