Some Issues Raised in the Training of Paraprofessional Personnel as Clinic Therapists

Abstract

Since October 1966 the Temple University Community Mental Health Center has engaged in selecting and training area residents, without the usual academic credentials, to become primary therapists in psychiatric clinical settings. The six-month training period focuses on didactic curriculum, development of group process, self-image, psychological-mindedness, and those personal attributes considered characteristic of effective helpers or therapists. The authors discuss some issues that the program has raised concerning role definition, role structuring, supervision, career ladders, the credentials dilemma, and the paraprofessionals' impact on the organization.