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Clinical supervision plays an important role in competency development during psychology practitioner training. How the scientist-practitioner competency is operationalised, disseminated, and evaluated in supervision is unclear. This study aimed to explore supervisor and trainee attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of scientist-practitioner competence. It also sought to understand what supervisors are doing in supervision to develop and assess the scientist-practitioner competency, as well as how trainees demonstrate the competency in supervision. Three focus groups comprised 12 trainees and a total of 12 supervisor individual telephone interviews were conducted, where participants reflected on their supervision experiences, responding to questions about the scientist-practitioner competency. A thematic analysis resulted in the identification of core themes and subthemes. Core themes identified were 1) Scientist-Practitioner Model as a Foundation to Professional and Ethical Practice; 2) The Translation of Science into Real-World Practice; 3) Flexibility to Learn/Change within the Scientist-Practitioner Model; 4) Supervision as the Route to Developing Scientist Practitioner Skills and Knowledge; and 5) Barriers and Challenges to Bridging Science and Practice. Findings reveal specific ways supervisors and trainees can acquire and demonstrate scientist-practitioner competence in supervision during professional training. This may assist with self- and other evaluation of scientist-practitioner competence in supervision. Implications for training, education, and supervision are discussed. What is already known about this topic: The scientist-practitioner model underpins university postgraduate training programmes in clinical psychology. The supervision and competency literature has gained increased attention in recent decades, resulting in the identification and conceptualisation of the scientist-practitioner approach and mindset. Clinical supervision has an influential role in the development, assessment, and evaluation of the scientist-practitioner meta competency in psychology practitioner training. What this topic adds: This study is unique in that it provides an exploration of both supervisor and trainee perspectives of scientist-practitioner competence. Supervisor interviews and trainee focus groups revealed ways in which the scientist-practitioner competency is operationalised, disseminated, and evaluated in clinical supervision. Findings reveal specific and observable supervisor and trainee behaviours that demonstrate scientist-practitioner competence. This may assist supervisors in self-monitoring and evaluating scientist-practitioner competence and that of trainees during professional training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated whether the ability to disengage quickly from pain-related stimuli moderated the relative efficacy of a mindfulness-based intervention versus distraction in response to an experimental pain task.Methods: Participants (n = 100) completed a dot probe task with eye tracking and were then randomized (2:2:1) to receive a mindfulness-based interoceptive exposure task (MIET), distraction instructions or no instructions (control group) before engaging in the cold pressor test.Results: Participants who were allocated to the MIET condition reported a significantly higher pain threshold and distress than the distraction group, although not significantly higher than the control group. Those in the MIET group had improved tolerance compared to both the distraction and control groups. Difficulty disengaging from pain-related stimuli, as measured by the duration of the first fixation on sensory words, was found to moderate the relative efficacy of mindfulness versus distraction in terms of pain threshold and distress, but not tolerance. Those with difficulty disengaging from sensory pain words benefited less from the MIET. Duration of first fixation on sensory and affective pain words were highly correlated, and duration of first fixation on affective pain words also moderated the relative efficacy of MIET and distraction on threshold, but not distress.Conclusions: These results show that a single brief session of a mindfulness task was sufficient to change an acute pain experience in comparison with a distraction task, and that those who disengaged quickly from pain words benefited most.Significance: This study demonstrated the efficacy of a novel, exposure-based mindfulness technique for pain tolerance and showed that those who disengaged easily from pain stimuli benefited most. This brief task could be clinically useful, particularly for those who are not overly focused on their pain symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]