1. Complete Psychology 810 (Psychodiagnostic Testing) and 811 (Psychodiagnostic Interviewing). These courses are taught every year, and are taken by clinical students during the summer after their first year in the program.
2. Gain first-hand experience with the phenomena of psychopathology, through some combination of observational, research, therapeutic, and diagnostic interactions. Completion of Psychology 815 (Introductory Practicum) and Psychology 820 (Advanced Practicum) is required. Students may begin taking Psychology 815 upon completion of Psychology 810 and 811. This is a nine month practica in assessment and diagnostic interviewing that is usually completed during the student's second year in the program. Psychology 820 (Advanced Practicum) begins in the third year, and gives students the opportunity to provide ongoing psychotherapy in a closely supervised setting. Practica generally require a 10- to 15-hour a week commitment. It is typically expected that students continue to carry their cases over the summer following a practicum. Most students continue practicum training after completion of Psychology 820 on a noncredit basis. Without an additional year of practicum training, few students will have sufficient clinical contact hours and expertise to support an internship application.
There are a number of existing channels for practica both within the department and at external sites in psychiatry or through other institutions. In addition, a student, in conjunction with members of his or her Advisory Committee and the Associate Director, may arrange for specialized practica at other sites. All practicum experiences must be coordinated with the Associate Director of Clinical Training. Students should also discuss with the Associate Director and their Advisory Committee any plans to undertake clinical work outside of organized practica and internship. Such activities are not covered by university liability insurance and need to be carefully considered. This policy holds even if a student is on leave of absence.
3. Complete 3 semesters of Psychology 709 (Clinical Psychology Seminar). Some 709 seminars may meet other program distribution requirements as well as 709 requirements. Clinical seminars cover a wide range of possible clinical topics.
4. Complete a 0.5 credit seminar in Ethics and Professional Conduct. This seminar, which is an APA requirement, will normally be taught by Dr. Hunt every 2 years. It will appear on the student's transcript as 0.5 credits of Psychology 709, but is in addition to the 3 semester credits of regular 709 clinical seminars listed above (#3).
5. Attend the Pan Clinical Seminars throughout residence in the Program. Pan Clinical Seminars are regular meetings of faculty and students involved in the Clinical Program, which are held approximately three times per semester.
6. Complete APA's breadth of training requirements. APA has a list of general requirements some of which can be fulfilled by a variety of potential courses, and others of which must be fulfilled by a specific course. What follows is a list of courses that clinical students must complete during their tenure here in order to fulfill APA's requirements. Note that fulfilling APA's requirements is necessary for licensure in almost all states, but may not be sufficient in all states. Note also that many of these courses will also fulfill departmental distribution requirements.
WHEN students have already used the credits alloted by the Registrar's office for a given semester, they may need to take some clinical program requirements off the books. These courses will not appear on the student's transcript. In such a case, the student must still complete all relevant course work, including papers and exams, and must receive a final grade for the course. Students should take responsibility for informing the Associate Director of Clinical Training that they have completed the course, and should ask the professor to provide the Associate Director with their final grade.
Because our department is fortunate to be part of a diverse academic community, students will sometimes wish to take courses offered in other departments. In many cases, such courses can be used to fulfill either departmental or clinical program requirements. Any student with an interest in such a course should consult with the Director of Clinical Training about whether such a course can count towards fulfilling a specific requirement.
The Associate Director of Clinical Training will review annually students' progress in meeting breadth of training requirements and will provide students with feedback via the student's annual evaluation letter from the Clinical Program. Because a given course will not be offered every year, students need to plan their curriculum carefully to meet all requirements.
7. The internship. To obtain a letter from the Director of the Clinical Program certifying that he or she has completed the APA-accredited clinical program, the student must have successfully completed the aforementioned requirements and have completed a 1-year, full-time (2000-hour) clinical internship before graduation. (Some internships permit a 2-year program at 1000 hours each year, and this is acceptable to the program.) Successful completion, in the case of coursework, is defined as a grade of B or better and, in the case of noncredit practicum work and internship, is based on the judgment of the clinical supervisor(s).
Should the student choose to graduate before completing the internship, the Director will not be able to certify completion of the clinical program. In such cases, the Director will provide a letter covering all aspects of clinical training other than the completion of a clinical internship. The student will then need to provide evidence of satisfactory completion of an internship directly to the organization or body requesting information about the student's training program.
The internship must be accredited by the American Psychological Association or, in unusual circumstances, not so accredited but approved by the Clinical Program Committee.
Because the principal focus of all students, including clinical students, is research, no student may enroll in Psychology 820 (Advanced Practicum) unless the student's Advisory Committee has informed the Director of Clinical Training that the student is making adequate progress in research. The same holds true for students who desire to undertake additional practicum training after 820 on a non-credit basis. The student is responsible for requesting that the chair of the Advisory Committee write the Director of Clinical Training as to the student's status by the middle of spring term of the second year. For the same reason, the Clinical Program will not provide a letter of support for internship unless the student's Advisory Committee informs the Director of Clinical Training that it expects the student to complete a dissertation by the end of the internship. Thus, students should arrange for their Advisory Committees to meet early in the fall term in which they are submitting an internship application and should request a report to the Director of Clinical Training.
Students may be asked to suspend clinical training, temporarily or permanently, on the basis of patent violation of ethical principles (see below), significant unprofessional behavior, personal impairment that would jeopardize their clinical work, or failure to make adequate progress in the applied or research aspects of the program. Such decisions are made by the Clinical Program Committee, with input solicited from the student's clinical supervisors and Advisory Committee and from the student. When students are asked to suspend clinical training solely because of inadequate progress in practicum or personal impairment, their standing in the doctoral program otherwise will not be affected. Students are provided with annual written feedback concerning their progress in the program, including progress in clinical training.
Should a student fail to abide by ethical and legal guidelines for psychologists, the Clinical Program Committee will review the seriousness of the violation. Possible consequences include requirements for additional training in ethics and professional practice or remediation of the violation, probation or termination from the program, and reports to state or national ethical committees.