Program Goals and Objectives

Training goals and objectives and expected competencies

Goal 1: To develop clinical research scientists

Objective 1a: Students will acquire and demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to evaluate empirical research in clinical psychology and related domains

Competency 1: Ability to evaluate and formulate research in clinical psychology

Activities:

  1. Students participate in mentored research experiences in programmatic areas and generate data-based research projects (i.e., First Year Project, Thesis, Dissertation) that include evaluations of the literature. Research questions are formulated in the context of an understanding of the existing literature.
  2. Students complete relevant courses which include oral and written assignments that require demonstration of the ability to evaluate published empirical work and formulate research questions based on existing literature;
  3. Students complete research methods (N = 1) and quantitative psychology courses (N = minimum of 3) aimed to provide scaffolding necessary to evaluate and formulate research questions in clinical psychology. These courses include: Statistical Methods in Psychology I and II (Psych 6811 and Psych 6812), Research Design and Methods in Clinical Psychology (Psych 6861), and one additional statistical course, e.g., Causal Inference (Psych 7695.06), Covariance Structure Models (Psych 7821), Fundamentals of Item Response Theory (Psych 7822), Analysis of Repeated Measures and Longitudinal Data (Psych 7823), Non-Parametric Statistics (Psych 7824), Simulation Modeling (Psych 7825). (See course syllabi, Appendix F).
  4. Written and oral portions of the Generals Qualifying Examination are required to enter into doctoral candidacy. Both the written and oral portions of the examination require evaluation of existing clinical literature as well as demonstration of the ability to formulate research questions based.

Objective 1b: Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct independent clinical research

Competency 1: Ability to design and implement research protocols with human subjects, and create and give an effective presentation of research findings

Activities:

  1. Students complete mentored research experiences in programmatic area resulting in three data based projects (First Year Project, Master’s thesis, and Dissertation).
  2. Students receive training regarding principles and ethics of conducting human subjects research.
  3. Students receive supervised training in recruiting participants for human research and conducting studies.
  4. Students complete analysis of data under direct supervision of mentor;
  5. Students participate in writing research abstracts for presentation at national meetings.

Goal 2: Students will acquire and demonstrate knowledge of psychological theories and research in psychopathology, psychological assessment, and psychological interventions

Objective 2a: Students will demonstrate mastery of the theoretical and current empirical work in these areas of psychopathology, psychological assessment, and psychological interventions

Competency 1: Knowledge of theoretical, scientific, empirical, and contextual bases of psychopathology

Activities:

  1. Students complete two courses: Life Span Developmental Psychopathology I: Foundations (Psych 6853) and Lifespan Developmental Psychopathology II: Adult (Psych 6854).
  2. Students answer integrative questions pertaining to psychopathology in the Qualifying Generals Exam.
Competency 2: Knowledge of theoretical, scientific, empirical, and contextual bases of psychological assessment

Activities:

  1. Students complete courses covering psychological test construction, including validity and reliability (Psychometrics , Psych 6863), and intellectual and personality assessment (Psychological Appraisal - Psych 7864).
  2. Students conduct integrative psychological assessments.
  3. Students answer integrative questions pertaining to psychopathology in the Qualifying Generals Exam.
  4. Psychological assessments are conducted in the course of practica experiences. Students with particular interest in adult assessment also may take additional focused Adult Assessment Practicum course (Psych 7188).
Competency 3: Knowledge of evidenced-based practices and empirically supported treatments

Activities:

  1. Students complete two courses: Introduction to Clinical Psychology: History, Ethics, and Pragmatics (Psych 6865) and Empirically Supported Treatments (Psych 6866).
  2. Students complete a minimum of three years of supervised clinical practica.
  3. Students answer integrative questions pertaining to empirically supported treatments in the Qualifying Generals Exam.
  4. Students attend Clinical Program Colloquia (PSYCH 8891) addressing empirically supported treatments (See Appendix F).

Goal 3: Students will acquire and demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to perform ethically and professionally in the practice of clinical psychology

Objective 3a: Students will develop clinical skills necessary for communicating with patients and delivering best practices empirically supported assessments and interventions

Competency 1: Students acquire knowledge of the models and techniques of clinical interviewing

Activities:

  1. During the summer between the first and second year of the program, students complete a clinical interviewing seminar.
  2. Students complete a minimum of three years of supervised practica.
Competency 2: Students acquire mastery of principles of ethical professional practice

Activities:

  1. Students complete relevant coursework including Introduction to Clinical Psychology: History, Ethics, and Pragmatics (Psych 6865) as well as focused sections of Psychological Appraisal (Psych 7864) and Empirically Supported Treatments (Psych 6866).
  2. Students complete a minimum of three years of supervised clinical practicum.
Competency 3: Students acquire knowledge and appreciation of unique issues relevant to minority groups reflecting diversity of race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation in the United States and how these impact clinical assessments, diagnoses, and interventions

Activities: 

  1. All core clinical courses include material specifically addressing research and clinical practice with ethnic minorities and other minority groups representing diverse perspectives in race, religion, and sexual orientation. Core clinical courses include: Introduction to Clinical Psychology: History, Ethics, and Pragmatics (Psych 6865), Theories of Personality (Psych 6860), Empirically Supported Treatments (Psych 6866), Psychological Appraisal (Psych 7864), Research Design and Methods (Psych 6854), and Life Span Developmental Psychopathology (Psych 6853 and Psych 6854 (see course syllabi in Appendix D where diversity topics are highlighted). Note: Prior to 2011 students also took Foundations of Multicultural Counseling (Psych 887.08), but it was determined at that time that the course was redundant because material on multicultural issues had been integrated into all clinical coursework.
  2. Students participate in practica with clientele from culturally diverse, disadvantaged, and ethnic minority populations. (See core course syllabi in Appendix E where diversity topics are highlighted).
  3. Students answer integrative questions pertaining to cultural sensitivity and diversity issues in the Qualifying Generals Exam.