Clinical Psychology 821 Courses

18:821:538 - Treatment At-Risk Ethnic Minority Adolescents in Clinics and Schools

Addresses the treatment of at-risk, ethnic-minority adolescents in clinics and schools. Explores culture dynamics for African-American and Latino adolescents and their families. Provides clinical as well as school-based interventions. The course will include individual, group, and family therapy interventions. The multisystems model will be introduced as a conceptual framework for comprehensive work with adolescents. Motivational interviewing techniques will be taught as an evidence-based individual treatment that is particularly useful with adolescents who are initially resistant to treatment. The issues of violence prevention and gang involvement in schools and communities will be explored. SANKOFA, a culturally sensitive, evidence-based group treatment intervention will be discussed. Strategies for involving ethnic minority families in our treatment interventions in clinics and schools will be explored throughout the course

18:821:555 - Applications of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety nd Depression

This course focuses on the clinical application of specific behavioral and cognitive principles and practices that are used with adults with anxiety and depression. The focus is on adult populations, but the principles and practices have broad applicability. Principles will include cognitive and learning theories. Practices will include case conceptualization, treatment planning, progress/outcomes monitoring, exposure-based interventions, behavioral activation, and cognitive restructuring. The course will also expose students to third wave practices, such as mindfulness and values-based behavioral approaches (e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Students are required to complete an experiential component of the course, which typically entails applying course-taught techniques with a case that the student is seeing through the school clinic or at the student's external practicum.

Prerequisites: 18:820:504 (school), 820:509 (clinical) or instructor's approval.

18:821:557 - Serious Mental Illness: Hospital and Community Care

Introduces modern therapeutic approaches to the treatment of serious mental illness. Topics covered include: treatment of basic psychopathology and core psychological issues involved in recovery; evolution and rationale of various approaches to and components of hospital and community care; and special systematic and clinical issues associated work with this population (e.g., interaction with physicians, use of restraints, medical-legal issues, etc.)

18:821:562 - Behavioral Couples Therapy

Introduces students to national couple trends and normative couple behavior. Teaches theoretical and empirical bases of behavioral couples therapy and clinical applications. Topics include interviewing; ethics; self-report and observational assessment procedures; treatment planning; intervention techniques such as behavior exchange, communication, and problem solving; and cognitive and affective interventions. Applies behavioral couples therapy to couples from diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds and to gay/lesbian couples.

18:821:603 - Psychotherapy Integration

This seminar covers the history of psychotherapy integration, the major established approaches to psychotherapy integration with individuals and couples, application of integration to DSM-5 disorders, research on psychotherapy integration, and the future of psychotherapy integration. All major models of psychotherapy can be considered for integration within this class. Students will learn several evolving perspectives on psychotherapy integration, demonstrate familiarity with several specific models of combining treatments from different psychotherapy orientations, learn and demonstrate their own coherent application of the material, and demonstrate familiarity with the empirical support that these treatments have received. The course considers diverse clients and multiple disorders and problems to which psychotherapy integration can be applied. It also provides a space for students to consider the any of various established treatment models that excite them and combine them in a coherent and useful fashion, thus building on what they have learned from the foundations and single orientation classes they have had thus far.

18:821:608 - Clinical Research and Treatment for Youth Anxiety and Depression

This clinical applications coursewill provide didactic and experiential training in state-of-the-art diagnostic,assessment, and treatment procedures for youth anxiety and mood disorders (ages8-17). Course 608 is run in the fall and is open to anyone. Course 609 runsin the spring and is only open to students who are selected for the YouthAnxiety and Depression Clinic practicum. In the fall (608) course, studentswill become competent in the administration of a structured diagnosticinterview (e.g., Anxiety Disorders Interview Scale; Child Depression RatingScale) and objective measurement (e.g., Multidimensional Anxiety Scale forChildren, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale). Students will develop aknowledge base of theoretical and empirical research on the phenomenology,assessment, and treatment of internalizing disorders in youth, focusing onevidence-based protocols. Students will receive didactic and experientialtraining in multiple manual-based treatments, including the Coping Cat, Primaryand Secondary Enhancement Therapy, and the Individual Behavioral ActivationTherapy protocols. Students who enroll for the course may also participate in aclinical research setting, recruiting research participants, collecting data,administering assessments, and providing treatment. This will provide a modelfor how research can be completed within a service setting. Students mustreceive permission from the instructor prior to enrolling for or attending thiscourse.

Student must be selected by instructor to take this course.

18:821:612 - Fundamentals of Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Familiarizes students with dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), an evidence based psychosocial treatment initially developed for suicidal individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Students will be taught the primary theories, principles, and strategies that inform DBT. Students will also become familiar with the latest research on DBT for BPD as well as adaptations for other populations. Lecture, demonstration, multimedia applications, and group discussion will be used as the primary teaching methods. DBT is a complex treatment with multiple facets. This course will be a necessary prerequisite before using DBT in an applied setting

18:821:614 - Practice of DBT II

This course is the second of a yearlong sequence that focuses on the clinical application of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based treatment designed for individuals with borderline personality disorder and comorbid psychological disorders. Students learn how to conduct a multidimensional assessment using structured clinical interviews, generate a DBT case conceptualization, and implement DBT. Students will have a variety of opportunities to gain experiential practice that may include DBT individual therapy, co-therapy on a DBT case, rating tapes of DBT sessions, and/or co-leading DBT skills training groups. The emphasis for experiential practice will be on developing adherence to the DBT model, maintaining fidelity to the model, and conducting outcomes and psychotherapy process assessment in clinical cases. Topics will focus primarily on adult cases. This course is part of a one-to-two year practicum experience.

Prerequisites: 18:821:613 and instructor's approval.

18:821:616 - Family Therapy

Discusses family systems theory as a new paradigm for conceptualizing human dilemmas; major theoreticians and schools in the family therapy field; core concepts and their relevance for the clinical application; phases of psychotherapy with a family, basic interventions, implementation of change, and the main attitudes of a family therapist exemplified through clinical experiences; formulation of a psychosocial assessment of a family system with the therapist's use of self within the "therapeutic system." Participants study their own clinical work and focus on specific strategies of intervention according to different types of families. Family therapy case with supervision required.

18:821:623 - Introduction to Neuropsychological Assessment

Studies the relationship between brain function and behavior. Major topics include anatomy and physiology of the brain, behavioral functions associated with the cerebral hemispheres and lobes, behavioral presentations of common neurological and psychiatric conditions, administration and interpretation of the most commonly used neuropsychological tests and batteries, and diagnostic examination for brain dysfunction.

18:821:625 - Theory and Practice of CBT I

Required of all first-year Ph.D. students in the clinical program; open to selected students from the Psy.D. program. Provides comprehensive and in-depth coverage of cognitive behavior therapy for adult clinical disorders. The guiding principles of social learning (social cognitive) theory are emphasized. Consistent with the philosophy of the clinical Ph.D. program, the course integrates theory, research methodology, and clinical application.

18:821:630 - Assessment and Treatment of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Provides an overview of theory and research on the nature, assessment, and treatment of alcohol problems, abuse, and dependence. Includes models to conceptualize how people with drinking problems change, approaches to assessment, and models of treatment. Drug abuse is covered somewhat as well. Evidence-based practice in the treatment and assessment of substance-abuse disorders is emphasized. An experiential element is included as part of the coursework for the class. This can be in the form of a clinic substance-abuse case, a self-change project, and/or several other options for experience with substance-abuse treatment.æ

18:821:633 - Existential, Phenomenological, and Hermeneutic Approaches to Clinical Psychology

An introduction to existential, phenomenological, and hermeneutic (interpretive) approaches to clinical psychology and psychiatry, and, more generally, to the humanistic tradition in psychology. The goal of these approaches is to offer a rich and accurate account of subjective life--of "what it is like" to be a particular individual or type of person (especially those with mental disorders). The course includes discussion of the relevant philosophical background, but with a focus on applications to psychopathology, psychotherapy, and other topics in clinical psychology.  In the past, readings have included philosophers (selected from the following: Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Foucault) and various psychiatrists and psychologists: (Jaspers, Binswanger, Minkowski, Blankenburg, Schachtel, Lacan, and Laing). Student interests are taken into account in the selection of topics.

18:821:635 - Integrative Couple Therapy I

Students will learn the theoretical and empirical bases of various modalities of couples therapy, such as Behavioral Couple Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Imago, Experiential/Body-Based Treatment, and the Gottman Method. Students will also learn about treating couples using systems- and multiculturally-informed perspectives. To facilitate application of the material, students will review tape of real couples therapy sessions and may have the option to take on their own couple case. Special topics include trauma, mindfulness/self-regulation, individual psychopathology, family caregiving (kids, parents, extended family), sex therapy, infidelity, intimate partner violence, and separation/divorce. Students will have the opportunity to take this as a year-long course to receive comprehensive training in couple therapy. However, students have the option of taking either semester of this course, depending on scheduling availability and interests in topics

18:821:637 - Basic Principles and Methods of Psychoanalytic Therapy

Introduction to standard psychoanalytic therapy, described via case presentation and literature from the domains of ego psychology, self-psychology, the relational movement, and control-mastery theory. Overview of psychodynamic approaches to problems involving neurotic, borderline, psychotic, and post-traumatic conditions. Topics include the analytic attitude, the real relationship, the working alliance, transference and countertransference, resistance, and phases of treatment.

18:821:640 - Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy

Psychodynamic understanding and technique as applied to the short-term treatment (10 to 35 sessions) of selected clients; current models of practice based on either drive/structural, relational, cognitive/dynamic, or integrative concepts; and theory and application demonstrated through use of videotapes. Discussion topics include psychotherapy integration, transference and resistance, curative factors, research approaches, gender and sociocultural factors, and values and visions in psychotherapy. Therapy case with supervision required.æ

18:821:644 - Multicultural Supervision

Advanced students seeing diverse clients in cross-cultural therapy will present their work for help in areas of cross-cultural formulation and treatment. Cultural diversity is defined broadly, including differences (between client and therapist) in race, ethnicity, national status, religion, and sexual identity. The supervision will emphasize self-awareness in the therapist regarding his or her own cultural beliefs and assumptions, and facilitate a cross-cultural understanding of individual and group transference, counter transference, and resistance configurations to enhance treatment effectiveness. Although the focus will largely be on individual and couples cases, students interested in presenting cross-cultural group therapy or outreach activities are also welcome.

18:821:647 - Advanced Couples Therapy Supervision

For those with special interest in couples therapy. Includes training for, and supervision of, couples therapy provided in the GSAPP clinic. Its primary focus will be upon emotionally focused couples therapy, Susan Johnson's empirically supported model, though contributions of other models will be discussed as well. Training modalities will include didactic training, viewing of training tapes, review of students' videotaped cases, and role playing of couple/therapist interactions.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor, with preference being given to students who have taken Behavioral Couples Therapy or Family Therapy or have previous experience in couples therapy.     

18:821:649 - Current Science and Practice within the LGBTQ Communities

This course is an extension of GSAPP’s 821:650 (GLBT Clinical Issues) and 821:650 (Gender and Psychotherapy) and provides in depth review of the psychological literature as it pertains This course is an extension of GSAPP’s 821:650 (GLBT Clinical Issues) and 821:650 (Gender and Psychotherapy) and provides in depth review of the psychological literature as it pertains to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) communities. While the LGBTQ communities present with diverse challenges, the sociopolitical perspective has combined the groups as one community, and this course will differentiate issues between the groups, highlight the main clinical presentations, assess treatment modalities specific to the LGBTQ experience, and review the evidence-based research within the practice of applied and professional psychology with the LGBTQ communities. to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) communities. While the LGBTQ communities present with diverse challenges, the sociopolitical perspective has combined the groups as one community, and this course will differentiate issues between the groups, highlight the main clinical presentations, assess treatment modalities specific to the LGBTQ experience, and review the evidence-based research within the practice of applied and professional psychology with the LGBTQ communities.

18:821:653 - Clinical Practicum Supervision

Biweekly group supervision to discuss cases and issues that arise in practicum settings.

18:821:657 - Internship in Clinical Psychology

Required for all Psy.D. students in the clinical psychology program, usually during the fourth or fifth year of training. Provides a 12-month (1,750 hours) supervised experience in a setting determined by the program chair and the student.

18:821:659 - Part-Time Internship in Clinical Psychology

For students who have approval to complete the supervised experience over a two-year period. Register for 2 credits in the fall and 1 credit in the spring semester, totaling 3 credits each year.æ

18:821:668 - Advanced Cognitive-Behavioral Supervision

Cases presented; discussions focus on assessment and intervention methods.