Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
Mission Statement
The Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology is grounded in the scholar/practitioner model with training that underscores the integration of theory and research. The program teaches a variety of theoretical perspectives, emphasizing a developmental understanding of human behavior. The program seeks to establish strong foundations for critical thinking. A commitment to ethical principles, with an appreciation of issues of diversity, service and social justice is a core component of the program.
Educational Objectives
- To develop competent clinicians whose work is guided by empirical research and scholarly inquiry.
- To develop the ability for analysis, synthesis and evaluation of issues related to the practice of clinical psychology.
- To develop clinical skills that are founded on the integration of theory and research.
- To foster an understanding of the developmental perspectives that underlie human behavior.
- To develop professionals whose work is guided by knowledge and application of ethical principles.
- To instill an appreciation of human diversity and integrate this understanding into clinical work, research and practice.
- To advance a commitment to social justice and service.
Program Philosophy
The Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology at CLU is based on the Vail Model which was developed for professional schools who were focused on training clinicians and awarded the Psy.D. (Nelson & Messenger, 2003).
While the foundation of CLU’s Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology is built upon the integration of research and professional development, as an institution, CLU has adopted three Core Commitments which include Liberal Learning, Professional Preparation and Character and Leadership Development. Professional Preparation is described as providing the theoretical and practical framework for students to excel in specialized careers. In keeping with the core commitment of Professional Preparation, the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology is aligned with CLU’s educational objectives. The Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology will prepare students to become licensed clinical psychologists. In addition, the clinical training and skills that students develop will be based on sound research and a solid understanding of how research contributes to clinical practice.
The curriculum will reflect the integration of practice and research by offering a sequence of research courses, requiring a thesis and a dissertation and requiring ongoing practica experiences and an internship prior to graduation.
The Psy.D. program will attempt to incorporate the best features of first-rate existing programs as well as add innovative components. Thus, like any viable doctoral program in clinical psychology, the Psy.D. program at California Lutheran University will provide training in a range of therapeutic modalities and theoretical approaches. With regard to the former, students will learn about individual, couples, group, and family therapy as well as child therapy and therapeutic interventions with infant and child-caregiver dyads. As for theoretical approaches, students will receive training in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic theory (including brief psychodynamic therapy approaches) and will also be exposed to therapeutic approaches shown to be effective with particular diagnostic groups — for example, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), and Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT) with borderline personality disorder patients; exposure therapy and short-term psychodynamic therapy with agoraphobic patients; and attachment-based interventions with couples and with distressed infant-mother dyads.
Our approach to courses and practical training will be integrative in two senses: one, in the sense of an emphasis on common themes and principles that cut across different theoretical approaches, for example, change principles and therapeutic factors common to different therapeutic modalities; two, in the sense of integrating, to the extent possible, assessment and clinical training with theory and research rather than the usual practice of separate courses on clinical skills, theory, and research. Also, in meeting the course work requirements, students will generally be expected to integrate clinical material, theory, and research. Rather than encouraging exclusive loyalty to a particular therapeutic modality or “school,” we will aim to ensure that our students are sufficiently knowledgeable about different approaches and change principles so that they can make informed judgments regarding which approach is effective for particular sets of problems and clinical populations, that is, “what works for whom” (Fonagy & Roth, 1996). What we want to ensure, however, is that students develop the professional attitude of turning to relevant research findings to inform their clinical work and become intelligent research consumers (Stricker & Trierweiler, 1995).
A unique feature of the curriculum includes six core courses which reflect the spectrum of disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 4th Edition - Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Rather than requiring a course in psychopathology and courses in assessment and technique, each of the six core courses will introduce students to a group of disorders and present them with a historical overview, diagnostic considerations, prevalence, incidence and course information, etiological considerations from multiple orientations that will include seminal studies and papers, issues of assessment and treatment including evidence-based treatments and relevant research, cultural considerations, local resources, ethical considerations and related topics.
The six core courses require students to develop an integrated, developmental understanding of psychopathology. In addition, diagnosis, assessment and intervention are incorporated in each course from a research perspective. This approach prevents adherence to any one theoretical orientation and requires students to rely on research and evidence-based interventions.
In addition to an integrated curriculum, we have the good fortune at California Lutheran University to have available two well-run and highly regarded Counseling Centers that serve the surrounding community, as well as a group of experienced and diverse supervisors who contribute to the clinical training of our students.
The fact that students’ initial clinical experience will take place at the Counseling Center will enable us to ensure a consistently high level of supervision, which has been recognized as a “key in one’s learning of therapeutic skills” (Boswell & Castonguay, 2007, p. 380) and, one might add, also in one’s learning of assessment skills.
We also plan to initiate an ongoing process and outcome study of clients seen at the Counseling Center, which should serve as a live model of the integration of clinical work and research (Boswell & Castonguay, 2007). Our Counseling Center is equipped with videotaping capacity, which will be very useful in supplementing other techniques such as role-playing, and in linking the teaching of helping skills to observations of moment-to-moment interactions (Hill et al, 2007).
Other features of our training program that we want especially to note include:
- Students participate in an ongoing research work group of between four to seven students with a selected faculty member throughout their training. The work group is intended to facilitate the selection and completion of the dissertation, to provide a sense of camaraderie throughout their training, and to establish and maintain an ongoing close working relationship with at least one faculty member.
- Along with quantitative research methods, students will also receive training in rigorous qualitative research methods. As part of this training, students will learn to view the clinical case study as a vehicle for critical thinking, appeal to evidence, and disciplined clinical inference (Edelson, 1984; Kazdin, 2007; Wolitzky, 2007; and the journal Clinical Case Studies).
- As part of our Counseling Center, we have established a Parent-Child Study Clinic whose purposes are primary and secondary prevention and therapeutic intervention. Our approach in this clinic is modeled after other infant and parent-child intervention programs throughout the country that are based on attachment theory and research — for example, the “Circle of Security” Program initiated at the University of Virginia and led by Robert Marvin (a colleague of Mary Ainsworth) and his colleagues (2006); and the intervention program led by Cicchetti and his colleagues initially at the University of Rochester (2006). These and other similar programs have the common aim of transforming the infant’s disorganized and insecure attachment, risk factors in development, to more organized and secure attachment, protective factors in development.
- We will build into our training program ongoing feedback from our students regarding aspects of their training that they find helpful and areas for improvement. We will use this information in an ongoing process of evaluation of our program.
- We will initiate a colloquium series and will invite speakers whose work can serve as a model for our students.
- We plan to include in our program the requirement of a second year project, which will be preparatory to the carrying out of a dissertation. The latter can include a critical literature review, a case study that includes relevant theory and research, or an exploratory empirical project. Whatever project the student selects, the overall and consistent emphasis will be on integrating clinical data, theory, and research.
- In conjunction with the Parent-Child Study Center, we hope to establish an Attachment Consortium modeled after the New York Attachment Consortium, sponsored by Adelphi University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The consortium will serve as a hub for bringing together individuals interested in attachment theory and research, for sharing research, clinical, and theoretical ideas, for inviting speakers who work in the attachment area, and for organizing periodic conferences. Students will be invited to participate in all these activities.
One of our strengths is the existence within a university setting of a strong faculty with a variety of scholarly and research interests. This seems to us to constitute a palpable advantage over free-standing Psy.D. training settings that are not embedded in a full university structure.
Admission Requirements
Students with a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related major and students with a master’s degree in psychology or a related major may apply. Students will need to demonstrate their abilities to succeed in a doctoral level program through GPA, GRE scores, research experience and experience in the field. Students will also need to have well developed writing skills. In addition, students need to demonstrate potential as clinicians by their abilities to engage with and develop interpersonal relationships. The need to target and enroll students from diverse backgrounds will be a priority in recruiting. Ventura County has a strong need for clinical psychologists who are bilingual in English and Spanish and efforts will be made to target potential students who are fluent in both languages. Addressing diversity has been a priority at CLU and will be a priority in the Psy.D. program as well.
The Psy.D. program will admit students when the following requirements have been met:
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- GRE General Exam and Psychology Exam
- If a student applies who has received a Bachelor's or Master's degree in psychology or a field closely associated with psychology within the past 7 years, the applicant will not have to submit scores from the psychology subject GRE Exam.
- Official transcripts
- Curriculum vitae
- Statement of Purpose
- Copy of Thesis if applicable
- Completed Application and Application Fee
- Two Letters of Recommendation
- Interview (for those invited)
- Writing Sample
International students must provide the following:
- TOEFL score of at least 600
- Proof of financial sponsorship
- Financial statements
Requirements for the Doctoral Degree in Psychology
The Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology curriculum includes sequential research courses, practicum experience and an internship in the field:
- Five-year program with a traditional semester format
- 114 course credits required
- Three areas of focus:
- o Six core courses
- o Research
- o Practical skill development courses
- Includes three years of practical training (one year at CLU)
- One year of internship
- Qualifying Exam
- Dissertation
Note: When students who are enrolled in the Psy.D. program successfully complete the requirements for the first two years of the program, they will be awarded a Master’s Degree in Advanced Clinical Psychology.
Course Requirements
| First Year | Hours | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PSYC 701 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 702 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 705 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 706 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 711 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 712 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 716 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 740 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 741 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 742 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 761 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 762 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 763 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 780 | 3 | ||
| 29 | |||
| Second Year | Hours | ||
| PSYC 703 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 704 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 713 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 714 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 717 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 718 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 721 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 722 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 728 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 729 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 743 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 744 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 750 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 751 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 770 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 771 | 3 | ||
| 32 | |||
| Third Year | Hours | ||
| PSYC 719 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 723 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 724 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 731 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 732 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 745 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 746 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 752 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 753 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 781 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 782 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 792 | 3 | ||
| 28 | |||
| Fourth Year | Hours | ||
| PSYC 725 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 726 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 733 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 734 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 747 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 754 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 755 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 790 | 3 | ||
| PSYC 791 | 2 | ||
| PSYC 792 (2) | 3 | ||
| PSYC 792 (3) | 3 | ||
| 23 | |||
| Fifth Year | Hours | ||
| PSYC 795 | 1 | ||
| PSYC 796 | 1 | ||
| 2 | |||
| Total credit hours: 114 | |||
Courses
PSYD 701. Research Seminar 1. (1).
Throughout the first two years of the program,
five to seven students work with a faculty member
who mentors student research. The class will
introduce various research methodologies used in
clinical psychology and assist students in
exploring their research interests.
PSYD 702. Research Seminar 2. (1).
A continuation of PSYD-701, this course will
focus on introducing students to various research
tools and strategies as students develop their
research projects. Specific attention will be
given to developing the literature review. It is
expected that students will complete their
literature reviews over the summer.
PSYD 703. Research Seminar 3. (1).
A continuation of PSYD-702, this course assists
students in becoming familiar with completing IRB
forms, developing the methodology sections of
their research projects, and examining the ethics
of research and data collection. By the
completion of this course, students are expected
to have a completed proposal and be ready for
data collection.
PSYD 704. Research Seminar 4. (1).
A continuation of PSYD-703, this course examines
data analysis and writing results. By the
completion of this course, students are expected
to have completed their second year projects,
which may function as pilot studies for the
dissertation project.
PSYD 705. Research Methods 1. (3).
This course examines qualitative and
correlational research designs including case
studies, survey research, focus groups,
conducting interviews and collecting data to
support hypotheses regarding possible
relationships and associations. In addition,
students will learn the appropriate statistical
analyses to use with qualitative and
correlational research. Issues involving
validity, bias and cultural diversity in research
will be addressed.
PSYD 706. Research Methods 2. (3).
This course examines quantitative research
designs including experimental,
quasi-experimental, multivariate, cross-sectional
and longitudinal studies. In addition, students
will gain experience using SPSS for analysis of
variance and covariance, simple effects analysis,
factorial designs and multivariate analysis of
variance.
PSYD 711. Colloquia 1. (1).
Professionals in the mental health field will
conduct presentations on a wide range of issues
that are relevant to careers in psychology. By
drawing on local resources, the colloquia series
addresses issues that are particularly applicable
to our neighboring communities. The colloquia
also include formal clinical case presentations
from students, faculty and invited guests.
PSYD 712. Colloquia 2. (1).
Continuation of PSYD 711.
PSYD 713. Colloquia 3. (1).
Continuation of PSYD 712.
PSYD 714. Colloquia 4. (1).
Continuation of PSYD 713.
PSYD 716. Biological Aspects of Behavior. (3).
This course examines brain-behavior
relationships. An emphasis is placed on
understanding neuropsychological functions,
physiological mechanisms and biochemical
processes.
PSYD 717. Human Development. (3).
This course examines theory and research related
to lifespan development. Clinical application of
course material will be emphasized.
PSYD 718. Cognitive-Affective Aspects of Behavior. (3).
This course examines current theory and research
in human cognitive and affective. The impact of
cognitive and affective processes on the
individual are studied and applied to clinical
material.
PSYD 719. Social Psychology. (3).
This course examines the social and cultural
bases of human behavior by examining relevant
theory and research. Consideration is given to
the ethnic/cultural issues that impact clinical
practice.
PSYD 721. Practicum 1. (2).
The Practicum is structured to provide clinical
experience in conducting psychotherapy. Students
provide psychotherapy services to clients at the
Community Counseling and Parent Child Study
Center under the close supervision of licensed
clinicians who are part of the Psy.D. program's
clinical faculty. In addition to direct
face-to-face contact and supervision, the
practicum also provides supervised training in
assessment, using standard test batteries that
include intelligence tests, projective tests and
self-report inventories. In practicum, students
acquire the skills to present test findings to
their clients and integrate assessment into their
clinical practice.
PSYD 722. Practicum 2. (2).
Continuation of PSYD 721.
PSYD 723. Practicum 3. (2).
Continuation of PSYD 722.
PSYD 724. Practicum 4. (2).
Continuation of PSYD 723.
PSYD 725. Practicum 5. (2).
Continuation of PSYD 724.
PSYD 726. Practicum 6. (2).
Continuation of PSYD 725.
PSYD 728. Case Conference 1. (1).
As part of this yearlong seminar, students
present information from clinical intakes that
they are conducting as part of their practicum,
as well as information on ongoing treatments, to
a small group of peers and supervisors. The case
conference gives each student the opportunity to
develop skills in discussing presenting problems,
diagnostic impressions, psychodynamic case
formulation and treatment planning.
PSYD 729. Case Conference 2. (1).
Continuation of PSYD 728.
PSYD 731. Dissertation Reserach Seminar 1. (1).
This course is designed for five to seven
students led by a faculty member who will mentor
students through the dissertation project
process. Students will support one another by
acting as peer mentors in the course as
dissertation proposals are explored.
PSYD 732. Dissertation Research Seminar 2. (1).
A continuation of PSYD-731, this course continues
to provide support for students as they actively
develop their dissertation projects. At the
conclusion of this course, students are expected
to have completed their proposals, chosen a
dissertation committee, and successfully defended
their proposals. They should be ready for data
collection and analysis over the summer.
PSYD 733. Dissertation Research Seminar 3. (1).
A continuation of PSYD-732, this course supports
students as they analyze data and begin to write
the results chapter of their dissertation
projects.
PSYD 734. Dissertation Research Seminar 4. (1).
A continuation of PSYD-733, this course provides
support for students as they complete their
dissertation projects. In addition, students
explore various methods of presenting their
research including journal articles, conferences
and community forums. Students are expected to
complete their final defense by the conclusion of
this course and are encouraged to present and
publish their work.
PSYD 735. Dissertation Supervision. (2).
This course is intended for students who have not
completed their dissertations within the first
four years of coursework and who require
additional supervision.
PSYD 740. Diagnostic Interviewing. (3).
Diagnostic and therapeutic interviewing skills
are essential for a clinician. In this course,
students will develop techniques for conducting
diagnostic interviews of clients with a range of
symptoms and psychological disorders. The course
involves hands-on interviewing exercises and a
review of etiological and treatment issues
specific to psychological disorders, such as
anxiety, depression and eating disorder. Includes
interviewing strategies that focus on symptoms,
behaviors and dynamics that are specific to each
disorder.
PSYD 741. Basic Attending Skills. (2).
This course examines one of the basic skills
necessary for effective psychotherapy - the
development of listening skills. The course
explores concepts such as empathy, sympathy,
reassurance, the importance of process versus
content, and the importance of examining
obstacles that interfere with a therapist's basic
listening skills, including countertransference.
PSYD 742. Frame. (2).
Frame refers to the establishing and maintaining
of a therapeutic structure of protocols,
guidelines, boundaries and any other technical
parameters. The handling of frame constitutes a
critically important skill for the treatment of
character pathology, serious mental disorders and
other complex treatments. Students will learn and
have the opportunity to practice these skills in
role-play and simulated therapy sessions. They
will also be presented with videos of therapy
sessions where they can critique other
clinician's attempts to manage frames.
PSYD 743. Child and Adolescent Interventions. (2).
This course will examine specific treatment
strategies for psychotherapy from the approaches
of psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral and family
systems theories. Students will learn how to
organize their clinical interventions according
to these psychotherapeutic models and how to
direct their treatment goals accordingly.
PSYD 744. Principles of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. (2).
The course surveys some of the basic treatment
modalities that fall under the rubric of
psychodynamic psychotherapies, including
perspectives from object relations, self
psychology, ego psychology and interpersonal
psychology. Students develop the capacity for
distinguishing and finding points of convergence
between the different theoretical perspectives
and their application in clinical practice.
Traditional concepts such as transference,
countertransference, resistance, neutrality and
compromise formation are discussed. This course
also addresses the role of enactments,
self-disclosure and insight in effecting
therapeutic change.
PSYD 745. ABA and CBT Interventions. (3).
This course examines the conceptual foundations
underlying behavioral and cognitive approaches to
assessment and treatment. The principles and
techniques of applied behavioral analysis and
cognitive behavioral therapy will be reviewed. In
addition, relevant outcome research will be
presented to support the use of these therapies
with specific populations.
PSYD 746. Couples and Family Therapy. (2).
This is an advanced course on the study of
conjoint therapy with couples and families. A
number of theoretical perspectives and related
clinical techniques will be studied including
cognitive-behavioral, system theory and
psychodynamic approaches. The intervention
techniques can be applied with pre-marital
couples for couple enrichment and as part of
psychotherapy with distressed couples.
Interventions will be taught for dealing with a
variety of marital and divorce issues, e.g.,
dual-career, multicultural/multinational,
domestic violence, alcoholism and remarriage.
Instruction is through lecture, discussions,
role-playing and video. Students will complete a
course project either through a practicum
experience or some other applied experience
developed with the instructor.
PSYD 747. Group Psychotherapy. (2).
This course is designed to help students learn
about group theory and the practice of group
psychotherapy. Students acquire information and
skills on different types of psychotherapy
groups, including inpatient and outpatient
groups, as well as psycho-educational groups,
symptom-focused groups (e.g., eating disorder
group), and others. The course examines the
value, as well as the potential for iatrogenic
effects, of group work as it is impacted by
diagnostic categories, age populations and other
relevant factors.
PSYD 750. Child and Adolescent Disorders. (3).
This course will integrate psychological and
neuroscientific research on child and adolescent
development with issues of learning disabilities,
behavioral and impulse disorders, addictions and
other psychopathologies. The student will
understand how psychological, social, cultural
and biological factors influence the problems and
disorders experienced by children and adolescents.
PSYD 751. Personality and Dissociative Disorders. (3).
This course is designed to review the major
theories of personality and dissociative
disorders, addressing psychoanalytic, behavioral
and humanistic schools of thought, as well as
biological approaches that include the study of
genetics and heritability. The course takes a
developmental approach to the study of these
disorders and examines points of convergence and
divergence between the different theories.
PSYD 752. Mood and Anxiety Disorders. (3).
This course provides an in-depth examination of
mood disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar
disorder, dysthymia) and anxiety disorders (e.g.,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobia, panic
disorders). The course examines the etiology and
course of the disorders from multiple
perspectives. In addition, the course requires a
critical review of psychotherapeutic
interventions that have been proven effective
from a variety of theoretical and treatment
modalities. The most current approaches to
assessment are reviewed.
PSYD 753. Gender and Sexual Disorders. (2).
This course will explore gender and sexual
disorders from multiple perspectives including
historical, object relational, attachment,
cognitive, behavioral, systems, biological and
social. Diagnostic criteria and etiology will be
examined while considering the influence of
culture and societal values. Multiple treatment
approaches and interventions will be examined as
found in relevant research. Students will explore
their own sexual attitudes and develop an
awareness of and comfort with the complexities of
human sexuality.
PSYD 754. Eating Disorders/Substance Abuse/ Somatoform Disorders. (2).
The course examines the major theories addressing
somatoform disorders (body dysmorphia,
conversion, hypochondriasis, pain disorder and
somatization), as well as substance abuse and
eating disorders. Students will explore possible
overlap between these disorders as understood
from a variety of theoretical frameworks
(including psychoanalytic, behavioral, humanistic
and social learning theory), as well as findings
from neuroscience. The course emphasizes a
developmental perspective in the understanding of
these issues.
PSYD 755. Schizophrenia and Other Cognitive Disorders. (2).
This course examines major theories on the
etiology of schizophrenia and other cognitive
disorders and their symptomatic manifestations.
The course includes a historical overview of the
disorders as well as recent findings from the
fields of biology and neuroscience. The course
also includes a review of medications and the
neural pathways by which pychotropic medications
are thought to affect thought disorders.
PSYD 761. Professional Seminar. (2).
The purpose of this course is to assist students
in the development of a professional identity.
Students will investigate the various roles of
clinical psychologists. They will examine
practice issues in light of relevant ethical and
legal issues. Each student will develop a plan
for transitioning from student to professional.
PSYD 762. Test and Measurement. (2).
This course introduces students to test theory
and the psychometric properties of tests.
Controversies and ethical issues in assessment
are explored from both a quantitative and
qualitative perspective. Particular attention is
given to potential test biases and the potential
misuse of testing in clinical psychology.
PSYD 763. Ethics. (2).
This course is designed to explore the advanced
legal and ethical issues for professional
psychology. Students will examine and discuss
complex and controversial legal and ethical
issues as they pertain to clinical practice and
research. Students will be expected to
demonstrate a good working knowledge of many
legal and ethical concepts and to demonstrate
their ability to offer a critical analysis of the
professional literature. Classroom discussion is
an essential part of this course and students are
expected to come to each meeting prepared to ask
questions and debate topics. Several take-home
assignments and a final exam will also be used to
assess grades.
PSYD 770. Assessment: Cognitive. (3).
This course is designed to provide graduate level
students with training in the administration,
scoring and interpretation of the current
editions of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
(WAIS-IV), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for
Children (WISC-IV), and the Woodcock-Johnson
Achievement Test (WJ-III). In addition, other
measures of cognitive assessment will be
reviewed. Issues relating to the appropriate use
of intelligence tests, theories of intelligence,
ethical test use, testing culturally diverse
populations, integration of data and effective
report writing will be addressed.
PSYD 771. Assessment: Personality. (3).
This course is designed to provide graduate level
students with training in the administration,
scoring, and interpretation of personality
measures including projective drawings, sentence
completion, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT, CAT,
RAT), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory-2 (MMPI-2, MMPI-A), Millon Clinical
Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), California
Personality Inventory-R (CPI-R), Beck Depression
Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Achenbach Child
Behavior Checklist (CBCL). In addition, other
measures of personality assessment will be
reviewed. Issues relating to the appropriate use
of personality measures, theories of personality,
ethical test use, testing culturally diverse
populations, integration of data and effective
report writing will be addressed.
PSYD 780. History and Systems. (3).
The intention in this course is to guide you to
understand psychological science through its
history, and through the histories of the
societies in Europe and North America within
which that science has been embedded. Much of
psychology's past has found its roots within the
social histories of the countries where Western
psychology has developed - Germany, France, Great
Britain and the United States. This course will
take you on a journey into some of the
fascinating theories developed by our
intellectual forefathers who proved to have a
profound influence on later psychological
thought, combining those with investigations into
the cultural-historical contexts within which
these works were written. Often we erroneously
assume that what has been written decades or even
centuries ago is too old and must be outdated.
Yet, as we will see, the great dinosaurs from the
old schools of psychology are still able to teach
us modern psychologists a great deal.
PSYD 781. Consultation/Supervision. (3).
This course examines the role of psychologists as
consultants and as supervisors. Theories of
consulting and supervising will be presented, as
well as experiential exercises. Students will
consider the roles of consultant and supervisor
from developmental perspectives.
PSYD 782. Cultural Theory and Research. (3).
This is a course for interested students who want
to learn about cultural perspectives in
psychology at large, and particularly in the
cases of human development within varied cultural
contexts. Crucial philosophical, theoretical and
methodological research issues that are central
for developmentally focused cultural psychology
will be covered in this course. This course is
tailored toward students with philosophical and
interdisciplinary interests, whose goals are to
learn more about our basic scientific
understanding of human psychology. The course is
primarily based on an active learning approach
founded on the principles of Accountable Talk,
which dictates that all students must be held
accountable to their learning community, to
accurate and appropriate knowledge, and to
rigorous thinking. In other words, this will not
be a standard lecture course in which students
passively absorb knowledge, rather the course
format will take a partnership approach in which
students help one another build knowledge (based
on the course textbook and instructor guidance),
in order to make sense of who we are and the
culture in which we live.
PSYD 783. Intimate Partner Violence: Advanced Research, Theory and Technique. (3).
This course will examine the history of intimate
partner violence from multiple perspectives
including psychological and psychosocial
understandings. Current research will be
presented and multiple theoretical frameworks
will be explored. In addition, the course will
review current approaches to treating clients who
have been exposed to intimate partner violence
including evidence-based practices. Cultural
understanding and influences will also be studied.
PSYD 784. Intimate Partner Violence: Advanced Clinical Applications. (3).
This course will provide an in-depth examination,
analysis and evaluation of current practices
utilized in working with clients who have been
exposed to intimate partner violence. Students
will examine research, view video of therapy
sessions and present their own work with clients.
PSYD 790. Neuropsychoanalysis. (3).
This course will provide an interface between
modern neuroscientific research and
psychoanalytic theory and practice. Students will
explore the relationships between brain structure
and function as they relate to the
phenomenological expression of the human
condition. They will examine how brain
development may underlie both psychosexual and
psychosocial maturity and the implications of
these changes for psychotherapy. By building from
the neuroscience of understanding brain injuries
and anomalies, we will consider how psychogenic
processes may involve similar biological and
anatomical systems. The student will also become
versed in the modern scientific epistemologies of
complex dynamic systems. These epistemologies
will also be integrated with psychoanalytic
concepts in consideration of expanding our
conventional understanding of depth psychology.
PSYD 791. Psychopharmacology. (2).
This course will examine the principles of
psychopharmacology and will review individual
classes of drugs as well as their mechanisms.
Special attention will be given to drug-to-drug
interactions, particularly with the elderly.
Students will become familiar with the FDA drug
review process and will consider relevant legal
and ethical issues.
PSYD 792. Advanced Topics. (3).
PSYD 795. Internship 1. (1).
PSYD 796. Internship 2. (1).
Provost
| Leanne Neilson | Psy.D. |
Director of Psychology Graduate Programs
| Mindy Puopolo | Psy.D. |
Director of Counseling Psychology
| Jamie Banker | Ph.D., MFT |
Director of Clinical Psychology
| Jamie Bedics | Ph.D |
Assistant Professor
| Micheal Gerson | Ph.D |
Distinguished Educator in Residence
| Morris Eagle | Ph.D |
Lecturer
| Bob Beilin | Ph.D |