ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the various dimensions of the design of the basic Rorschach course within a doctoral training program in professional psychology. The challenge that arises for instructors who wish to share ideas in regard to Rorschach instruction is that across various programs, the Rorschach is given highly varying treatment concerning where it appears in the assessment curriculum and the time devoted to its presentation. As a recent survey has shown, academic programs vary widely in terms of the time devoted to the Rorschach (Hilsenroth & Handler, 1995). Some programs accord to the Rorschach Inkblot Method its own course; others include it along with a number of other personality instruments; still others offer no Rorschach instruction. Some programs offer advanced courses on the Rorschach after the basic course, whereas others do not. To some extent, this great variability has hindered instructors’ engagement in a dialogue about teaching philosophies and methods within Rorschach courses. However, surveys conducted with internship training directors over the past 25 years show consistently that these directors see students as being poorly prepared to utilize core psychological tests such as the Rorschach during their internship (e. g, Tipton, Watkins, & Ritz, 1991). Moreover, on completion of Rorschach courses, students feel that they had difficulty communicating the Rorschach results in terms that would be useful and descriptive in a psychological report (Hilsenroth & Handler, 1995). These facts indicate that despite the impediments to carrying on an intellectual discussion about pedagogical techniques, it is high time such a dialogue begin so that our students can become more competent users of the Rorschach Inkblot Method.
