ABSTRACT
As is evidenced by the adoption of the scientist-practitioner or local clinicalscientist models by graduate programs in clinical and counseling psychology, it is clear that the role of research is vitally important in graduate training. Thus, whether planning a career as a researcher or a practitioner, graduate students are expected to gain an understanding of, and an appreciation for, research methodology. Further, as both beginning graduate students and seasoned researchers are aware, the goal of scientific inquiry is to help understand the phenomena of interest in more precise, complete terms. Related to the topic of the present volume, this general goal translates into scientific inquiry that elucidates the conditions resulting in human distress, as well as the methods by which that distress can be alleviated. In other words, research methodologies should assist in understanding the cause-effect relationships between various life events and situations and the clinical phenomena with which clients present. Such an understanding can be developed either via group or single subject design methodologies, depending on the particular questions of interest and constraints present. This chapter focuses on the latter methodologies.
