Clinical Training Program

Table of Contents

• Program Philosophy
• Program Requirements
• Length of Program and Program Costs
• Clinical Course Work
• Practicum Training
• Clinical Program Faculty
• Clinical Program Committee
• Clinical Associates and Supervisors
• Current Graduate Students
• Full Disclosure Data

Program Philosophy

Since the clinical training program is fully integrated into the Department, clinical students have the opportunity to take courses in Learning Theory, Physiological Psychology, Neuropsychology, Cognitive Psychology, Decision Making, Personality, Social, Developmental, Language and Perception. The core of knowledge gained in these areas is expected to give the clinical student a solid foundation of basic psychological science and research methodology from which to launch their clinical training and research. Click here to link to our general graduate program homepage, which includes application information, program requirements and so on. Graduate Program Homepage

Consistent with Penn's basic scientific orientation, the clinical training opportunities at Penn focus on empirically supported treatments. Practicum opportunities are heavily weighted towards cognitive-behavioral interventions. Experience with a variety of patient populations, diagnostic groups, and clinical supervisors helps the graduate students hone their own research questions, generate new hypotheses, and maximize the ecological validity and generalizability of their research. While practical clinical training can be gratifying in its own right, the clinical scientist model implies that research and clinical work are inextricably entwined, each in the service of the other. Thus, Penn graduates are not expected to pursue careers purely in the practice of clinical psychology. Anyone committed to such a career track would be well advised to apply elsewhere.

As Ph.D. level clinical psychologists, Penn graduates can be expected to advance the frontiers of basic science and to contribute to our understanding of the etiology, prevention, and treatment of psychopathology, and to the advancement of well-being. In addition, the Penn education prepares its graduates to participate in the development and validation of new, effective treatment and prevention programs. It is the combination of basic scientific knowledge, excellence in research and clinical accumen, and experience that prepares individuals for careers of such scope and impact.

Program Requirements:

1. Complete Psychology 810 (Psychological Assessment) and 811 (Psychodiagnostic Interviewing).
2. Gain first-hand experience with the phenomena of psychopathology, through some combination of observational, research, therapeutic and diagnostic interactions in Psychology 815 (Introductory Practicum) and Psychology 820 (Advanced Practicum). Students may begin taking Psychology 815 upon completion of Psychology 810 and 811.
3. Complete a half-semester course in Ethics (0.5 credits of the Clinical Psychology Seminar, Psychology 709).
4. Complete 3.5 semesters of Psychology 709 (Clinical Psychology Seminar) and attend the Pan Clinical Seminar -- meetings of faculty and students involved in the Clinical Program. These meetings are held weekly during the fall term and monthly during the spring term.
5. Complete the Psychopathology Proseminar (Psychology 600). This proseminar may be used to fulfill other requirements as well.
6. Complete distribution requirements inherent to APA accreditation of the program, including (a) biological aspects of behavior, (b) cognitive and affective aspects of behavior, (c) social aspects of behavior, (d) history and systems of psychology, (e) psychological measurement, (f) research methodology (including evaluation of interventions), (f)  techniques of data analysis, (g) human development, (h) individual differences in behavior, including issues of ethnic and cultural diversity. Many courses fulfill both departmental and clinical program requirements.
7. Complete a 1-year, full-time clinical internship. To obtain a letter from the Director of the Clinical Training Program certifying that he/she has completed the APA-accredited clinical program, the student must have completed the aforementioned requirements.

Length of Program and Program Costs

Clinical Course Work

Psychopathology Proseminar

This course covers fundamental topics in psychopathology, with an emphasis on etiological and diagnostic issues, in the context of current nosology (Research Diagnostic Criteria, DSM-IV, etc.). Theoretical models of psychopathological phenomena and major syndromes (e.g. affective disorders, personality disorders, substance abuse) are discussed, with reference to relevant empirical findings. Implications for treatment are also considered.

Special Topics Seminars - Clinical Psychology

These courses cover a wide array of specialized topics in the area of clinical psychology. Some recent courses include:
• Systems of Psychotherapy
• Neuropsychopharmacology
• Empirically Supported Treatments
  

Psychological Assessment (Psychology 810)

This course provides a basic introduction to the theories and tools of psychological assessment. Students learn how to administer and interpret a number of standard cognitive, neuropsychological and personality tests including the WAIS-III, WMS-III, WIAT-II, Wisconsin Card Sort, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Millon Index of Personality Styles. Attention is given to serving as a consultant, differential diagnosis, case conceptualization, and integrating test results into formal but accessible reports.

Psychodiagnostic Interviewing (Psychology 811)

This course, usually taken simultaneously with Psychology 810, provides a basic introduction to psychodiagnostic interviewing and differential diagnosis. Students learn to take clinical histories and to administer a number of standardized diagnostic interviews, including the mental status exam, the SCID I and II for DSM-IV, the ADIS, and various clinician rating scales such as the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Attention is also given to self-report symptom inventories such as the Beck Depression Inventory and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised as well as to computerized diagnostic tools.

Practicum Training

Assessment and Diagnosis

During their second year, all clinical students participate in the assessment and diagnosis practicum, which is run and supervised by the Associate Director of Clinical Training. Referrals for assessments and diagnostic consultations come from local hospitals and clinics, professionals in private practice, employee assistance programs, and the University's Student Counseling Center. Assessments cover intellectual functioning, academic achievement, neuropsychological tests, and objective personality tests. Diagnostic workups include structured and unstructured clinical interviews as well as validated symptom inventories and self-report questionnaires. Students complete approximately 8 full assessment batteries, analyze and integrate the results, and write up reports suitable for both the referring professional and the client.

Behavior Therapy

Alan Goldstein conducts a two-semester practicum each year focused on behavior therapy for anxiety disorders. Students learn not only to apply empirically supported behavioral interventions but also to use the moment-to-moment analysis of the process of therapy to identify stumbling blocks to progress. Students carry a caseload of approximately three clients at any given time. Two to three students share a 2- to 3-hour group supervision that follows Dr. Goldstein's review of videotapes of their treatment sessions. Students also have the opportunity to participate in training activities at the Agoraphobia and Anxiety Treatment Center (formerly directed by Dr. Goldstein, and currently directed by Dr. Jonathon Grayson) in suburban Philadelphia.

Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy

Robert DeRubeis conducts a practicum each year in which students learn to practice cognitive therapy with adult outpatients. Each student carries a caseload of between two and five patients who have been referred because of the patient's interest in cognitive therapy, or because the referrer believes cognitive therapy will benefit the patient. Most patients have difficulty with depressed mood, but they may also (or instead) have difficulties with anger, anxiety, or maladaptive eating patterns. Group supervision is held for 3 hours each week throughout the 1-year practicum. In a typical year, there are two to three students on the practicum team.

Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety

Under the leadership of Edna Foa, the CTSA offers students a unique opportunity to learn both the theory and practice of cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults and children, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social phobia. A recent addition to Penn's network of training and research clinics, the is an important site for both practicum training and research opportunities for Penn graduate students.

Center for Psychotherapy Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania

Jacques Barber conducts a year-long practicum in which students learn modern approaches to psychodynamic psychotherapy as well as a comprehensive and eclectic attitude toward psychotherapy. Goals include developing greater interpersonal skills and a more comprehensive understanding of what impedes individual developments and how psychotherapy can help. Together with the psychiatry residents, the students will attend an introductory course on dynamic psychotherapy. Students will see a variety of patients, some of whom may be seen in collaboration with a psychiatrist. In addition, students meet weekly with Dr. Barber for a 2-hour supervision group.

Clinical Program Faculty

• Jacques Barber
• Dianne Chambless
• Paul Crits-Christoph
• Robert DeRubeis
• David Dinges
• Martha Farah
• Edna Foa 
• Steven Fluharty
• Anne Kazak
• Irwin Lucki
• Frank Norman
• Arlen Price
• Adrian Raine
• Paul Rozin
• Ayelet Ruscio
• Martin Seligman
• Margaret Beale Spencer
• Thomas Wadden 
• Ingrid Waldron

Clinical Program Committee

• Jacques Barber - Acting Director of Clinical Training (July-December 2008)
• Dianne Chambless - Director of Clinical Training
• Robert DeRubeis - Core Clinical Faculty
• Melissa Hunt - Associate Director of Clinical Training
• Jason Dana - Departmental Faculty
• Ayelet Ruscio - Core Clinical Faculty
• Martin Seligman - Core Clinical Faculty

Clinical Associates and Supervisors

• Judith Coche - Clinical Associate
• Alan Goldstein - Clinical Associate
• Martin Franklin - Clinical Associate
• Jonathon Grayson - Clinical Associate
• Elizabeth Hembree - Clinical Associate
• Steven Sayers - Clinical Associate
• Linda Welsh - Clinical Associate

Current Graduate Students

Full Disclosure Data For Program

Internship Acceptance Rates by Year