Catalog 2014-2015 
    
    Mar 19, 2024  
Catalog 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Clinical Psychology: PhD, Los Angeles


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs

Clinical Psychology doctoral programs prepare students to function as multifaceted clinical psychologists through curricula based on an integration of psychological theory, research and practice. The Clinical Psychology PhD program is a practitioner and scholar oriented program. The Clinical Psychology curricula have four major areas of study: foundations of psychology, clinical and professional theory and skills, applied clinical research and professional growth. Students can follow their own clinical interests and further their individual career goals by selecting a specialized series of courses, research and field placements related to a particular area.

The Los Angeles Clinical PhD Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002; Phone: 202-336-5979; Email: apaaccred@apa.org; Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation).

Program Goals


Our three training goals are (a) to educate students to conduct applied clinical research and to be grounded in, as well to contribute to, the knowledge base of psychology; (b) to prepare students to be effective professional psychologists skilled at evaluating psychological functioning and providing efficacious interventions with diverse clients across a range of settings; and (c) to prepare ethical and responsible professional psychologists who are able to work collaboratively with other professionals as well as take on multiple roles in varied settings.

Training Model: A Scholar-Practitioner Program


The scholar-practitioner model guides our competency-based program philosophy. In training our students to be professional psychologists, we support trainees in creating a concurrent and interdependent relationship between their scholarship and practice. We prepare all trainees for key professional activities as emerging psychologists, including research, assessment, and clinical intervention within a multicultural context. Diversity, internationalism, and the relationship between individual and various community systems are appreciated and central to our training program. As such, marginalized populations, underrepresented groups, and psychologists’ work in community and applied settings as researchers and practitioners are given particular attention in this training model. In addition, we encourage students to explore and gain experience with multiple roles that they may have as professional psychologists, including roles in teaching, advocacy, supervision, and consultation.

The scholar-practitioner model builds upon the conviction that scholarship and practice enhance one another and should lead to reflective practice - in which the practitioner draws upon clinical experience to enhance scholarly understanding and upon multiple forms of scholarship in order to understand clinical case material.

Underlying the program are two core principles. The first principle is that psychologists make a commitment to seeing mental health and mental illness in sociocultural and sociopolitical contexts. The second principle is our belief that methods of psychological research and intervention must be relevant to the multiple cultures in which they are conducted.

Students receive advanced training in theoretical issues, techniques of psychological interventions, professional issues, consultation, social justice and advocacy, and ethics and supervision. In addition, they receive advanced training in research applications and complete a dissertation. The Clinical PhD program at Los Angeles has developed multicultural training to embrace consideration of diversity regarding issues of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, social class, and religion. This is reflected in the required course for all clinical students (Intercultural Processes/Human Diversity), as well as through the integration of multicultural perspectives throughout our curriculum.

Field Training


At the predoctoral stage, students’ professional development occurs within the context of both formal coursework and clinical training experiences supervised by faculty and professionals in the field. Students develop and acquire clinical skills through professional training experiences in a variety of mental health service settings in the community. Such supervised professional training experiences include practica and internships, as well as an optional clerkship in the second year.

Each student works with a professional field training liaison who meets regularly with the student to develop and implement an individualized training plan designed to assure (a) that the student receives a broad base of clinical experiences with a variety of clientele and professional role models and (b) that professional training experiences are chosen with due consideration of the student’s level of skill and longer-term professional goals.

In the second year of the Clinical PhD program, students may take an optional clerkship, subject to site availability. Clerkships include experience at a field site.

In the third year of the program, Clinical PhD students are required to have a minimum 15-hour per week practicum experience in a mental health setting. Students begin to assume clinical responsibility for assessment and intervention while being closely supervised at a level appropriate to their training and abilities. This clinical professional training experience varies with respect to the nature of clients served and the mental health setting in which the student serves, as well as with individual students’ skill levels, professional interests, and training needs. The total number of minimum required practicum hours is 800.

Clinical PhD students choose either to complete a second practicum (and therefore accrue an additional 800 hours of supervised practicum hours) in their fourth year for a minimum of 1600 hours of practicum. The students who have completed this second practicum then apply for a full-time internship in the fifth year after coursework has been completed. Clinical PhD students can also choose, instead of a second practicum, to to complete a CAPIC half-time internship in their fourth year and a second CAPIC half-time internship in their fifth year.

At the practicum level, students receive training in agencies that are formally affiliated with the school. At the internship level, students apply competitively for internships, participating either in the APA/APPIC match process or two consecutive CAPIC match processes. All clerkship and practicum training programs are carefully reviewed and monitored on an ongoing basis to assure consistent and high quality training.

The majority of affiliated clerkship and practicum training sites exist within a 40-mile radius of the campus. Students who wish to pursue full-time internships are encouraged to make applications throughout the country. Currently, all APA internships and some CAPIC internships offer a stipend. The majority of half-time internships and virtually all practica do not offer stipends. Students should not count on training stipends as a means of financing their education.

Research Training


During the course of their graduate training, students gain proficiency in applied research methods. The Clinical PhD program emphasizes training psychologists to be competent as producers of scientific research, and Clinical PhD students begin their research training right from the start of the program.

In addition to formal coursework, which provides a basic understanding of research methodology and statistics, within the first two and a half years of the program, Clinical PhD students complete three sequential semesters of Research Practicum which emphasizes the planning and conduct of research and culminates in a poster presentation of an original piece of empirical research. In the third year of the program, students enroll in Research in Applied Settings and focus on the development of research and consultation skills while investigating problems in practical situations.

By their fourth year, students enter into formal dissertation work with a faculty mentor to produce a scholarly and methodologically sound dissertation proposal that is to be completed by the end of the fifth year. The mentor becomes the student’s dissertation committee chair when preliminary orals have been successfully completed.

Students must pass preliminary orals by the end of their fourth year or before they apply for an APA or APPIC internship, whichever comes first.

Specialized Admissions Requirements: Credit for Previous Graduate Work


Subject to being over-ridden by other applicable University policies, students may petition for transfer credit for any of the following courses: PSY6109 Human Development, PSY6101 Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior, PSY6112 Social Bases of Behavior, PSY7112 History and Systems of Psychology, PSY6523 Advanced Psychopathology, PSY6529 Clinical Interviewing I (the first semester of a year-long sequence), PSY7515/7516 Psychodiagnostic Assessment, and PSY6040A/B/C Research Practicum (transferable with a bound Master’s thesis which required student to go through research training). No transfer credit will be granted for any of the above courses unless (a) the student files the transfer credit request by the end of their first semester, and (b) a faculty member assigned to review the transfer credit request deems the course in question of sufficient breadth and taught at a high enough level to substitute for a course in the CSPP-PhD curriculum. Course syllabi and a transcript from the institution offering the course must be submitted with the transfer credit petition. Students must consult the University Catalog to determine whether additional rules apply. In the event of transfer credit awards, the CSPP-LA Clinical PhD program does not guarantee financial aid eligibility in all semesters.

In addition, the student is able to “challenge” a course by demonstrating proficient competence in one designated content area related to the practice of professional psychology. The student then must take a “challenge exam” to ensure that they have sufficient mastery of the course material. There are four courses (12 units) that can be challenged by passing an examination: PSY 6023 Research and Program Design, PSY 6043 Statistics, PSY 6068 Research Methods: Multivariate Statistics, and PSY 6105 Biological Bases of Behavior.

Curriculum and Degree Requirements


All students must complete 150 units. The following curricula for the Clinical PhD program at the Los Angeles campus reflect two choices for students. The first curriculum incorporates a fifth-year, full-time internship. The second involves two part-time internships in the fourth and fifth years. Students interested in APA accredited internships, or any other internship secured through the APPIC match, should follow Curriculum Plan Track I; the Track II curriculum reflects two half-time internships. Emphasis area abbreviations used below are as follows: Health Emphasis (Health), Family/child and Couple Emphasis (FACE), Multicultural-Community Clinical Psychology Emphasis (MCCP), and the Multi-Interest Option (MIO). These are described more fully following the curriculum itself.

Students must pass written and oral comprehensive examinations as partial fulfillment of the requirements for admission to doctoral candidacy. They are also evaluated at other regular points in their matriculation, including an assessment of professional competencies prior to graduation. Forty-five hours of documented individual psychotherapy with a psychologist licensed in the state of California are required. For students with prior psychotherapy, this requirement may be satisfied by 45 hours of documented therapy conducted by a licensed psychologist within three years of matriculation.

Curriculum Plan


Track I (Fifth-year full-time internship)


Second Year - Summer


3 or 6 units (optional)

The PhD program expects Track I students to take two PSY7605 semester-long clinical electives in summer semesters, and two during fall/spring semesters. Track I students may take one or two of their four required PSY7605 electives in the summer of their second year, with instructor permission. See financial aid eligibility requirements and emphasis area elective requirements in notes following the curriculum plans.

Third Year - Summer


3 or 6 units (if applicable)

The PhD program expects Track I students to take two PSY7605 semester-long clinical electives in summer semesters, and two during fall/spring semesters. Track I students may take one or two of their four required PSY7605 electives in the summer of their third year. See financial aid eligibility requirements and emphasis area elective requirements in notes following the curriculum plans.

 

Fifth Year - Fall


11 units

Track II (Fourth and fifth-year half-time internships)


Third Year - Fall


12 units

Third Year - Spring


12 units

Fourth Year - Fall


13 units

Fourth Year - Summer


5 units

Fifth Year - Summer


5 units

Curriculum Notes


Required Electives


Over the course of their program, CSPP-LA Clinical PhD students must take FOUR (4) PSY7605 semester-long Practice Seminar: Clinical Elective courses.

  • Electives with different course numbers (e.g., PSY7607, PSY8500) will not count towards the Clinical Elective requirement, unless a Petition for Academic/ Administrative Exception clearly stating the rationale for taking a different course numbered elective is approved by the Program Director. Approval MUST be obtained PRIOR to registration.
  • Emphasis area students MUST take a minimum of TWO (2) PSY7605 electives offered from their emphasis area.
    • Some specific PSY7605 electives may be required by the emphasis area. Please check with the emphasis area coordinator for requirements.
    • Emphasis area students will receive priority registration for emphasis area electives. MIO students may take any elective, but will not receive priority registration.

Doctoral Dissertation Course Requirements


If the Doctoral Dissertation is not completed by the end of the PSY8907/8908/9925/9926 dissertation course sequence, students must enroll in Dissertation Extension EVERY SEMESTER (excepting summer, unless otherwise instructed by the Dissertation Chair) until the dissertation is completed and filed in the library. Students enrolled in half-time or full-time internship must enroll in PSY9955 for 1 unit. Students not enrolled in an internship must enroll in PSY9995 for 3 units.

Internship Course Enrollment Requirements


The THREE (3) semester (Fall/Spring/Summer) enrollment requirement for internship is intended to provide students with financial aid over the summer.

  • If a student’s half-time or full-time internship has an end date in MAY, the student should request enrollment in a TWO (2) semester internship unit model for that internship year. Please contact the Academic Affairs Center for information.
  • If a student’s full-time internship has a start date in June, the student may request enrollment in a Summer/Fall/Spring internship unit model. Please contact the Academic Affairs Center for information.

Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements


A minimum of FIVE (5) units of enrollment is required in any semester for financial aid eligibility. The program does not guarantee financial aid eligibility in the event of transfer credit awards.

Accurate Registration Requirements


It is the student’s responsibility to register for the accurate course titles, numbers, and units; consistent failure to register accurately may result in referrals to SERC. Proactive communication with academic advisors and Academic Affairs Center staff is highly recommended.
 

Emphasis Areas


Health Emphasis


Clinical health psychology combines the fields of clinical psychology, behavioral medicine, public health, social psychology, disease prevention and health promotion into an applied discipline that investigates underlying mechanisms that connect the mind and body and explain the dynamic interaction between our physical and mental health. Clinical health psychologists integrate biomedical, psychological, social and spiritual modalities to detect and treat psychological distress, foster behavior change, increase adjustment to acute and chronic illnesses, reduce health and health care disparities, and to promote psychological growth and wellness. Students in the clinical health psychology (CHP) emphasis receive the same thorough preparation for clinical and community practice as students in the other emphasis areas, while in addition gaining a foundation of theoretical knowledge and skills necessary to serve a number of professional roles across various community-based, medical and behavioral health care settings.

In addition to developing the diagnostic, assessment and treatment skills required of all clinical psychologists, CHP students learn practical techniques in the areas of cognitive-behavioral, existential, and community-based interventions.Faculty have expertise in and enjoy mentoring students in areas such as neuropsychological theory and assessment, child/pediatric psychology, LGBT health, women’s health, body image issues and disordered eating, health and racial disparities, substance abuse treatment and addictions, HIV/AIDS, biofeedback, chronic pain/pain management, loss, grief and bereavement, and resiliency, strength and wellness. Within and beyond these areas of focus, CHP students learn about the sociocultural, demographic, political, and economic forces that underlie health and health-care disparities, and influence risk-taking and health-promoting behaviors and practices within diverse and often underserved communities.

Training in the areas of behavioral medicine and health psychology prepare students from the clinical health psychology emphasis to explore a variety of opportunities in the rapidly evolving health care system. Early career positions for CHP graduates have ranged from entering post-doctoral fellowships in various behavioral medicine settingsto serving as members of interdisciplinary teams of health care professionals to working in private practice and community mental health settings using a biopsychosocial framework. Regardless of professional role, graduates from our emphasis area remain dedicated to promoting the mind-body health of children, adolescents, adults, families, and communities within a multicultural and international context.
 

Family/Child and Couple Emphasis


Our goal in the Family/child and Couple Emphasis (FACE) is to introduce graduate students to the theory, research, and clinical practice of family and couple psychology. This is accomplished through coursework in which students learn about families, couples, adults, and children from diverse backgrounds. Students are taught to work with families, couples, and individuals from a systemic perspective. Skills are developed in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of relationship systems.

In the first two or three years of the FACE emphasis, students learn how to conceptualize, assess, and interview families and couples. FACE students take four family systems courses. The family systems theory and assessment course prepares students for an advanced FACE family systems intervention course taken exclusively by FACE students. The Family/child and Couple Emphasis is for students who are dedicated to learning family and couple psychology intervention.

The emphasis area also provides a choice of one of two sets of courses as follows:

Family Therapy: Students may take the following two courses: Clinical Interventions with Children and Families and Interventions with Adolescents and Families. Other courses offered periodically are: Child Assessment, Family Violence and Sexual Abuse, Family of Origin Therapy, Advanced Family Therapy, Divorce Theory, Therapy with Alternative Families, and Group Psychotherapy.

Couple Therapy: Students examine relationship dynamics through either the year-long Integrated Approach to Sex, Intimacy and Relationship Problems course or the one-semester Couple Therapy and Sex Therapy courses. Other courses offered periodically are Family Violence and Sexual Abuse, Family of Origin Therapy, Advanced Family Therapy, Divorce Theory, and Group Psychotherapy.

Students meet with their FACE academic advisor to determine which other advanced clinical electives and seminars best fit into their plan of study so their career goals are met. Creating a niche entails taking courses as well as networking in the community.
 

Multicultural Community-Clinical Psychology Emphasis


The Multicultural Community-Clinical Psychology (MCCP) emphasis area was established at the Los Angeles campus in 1990. A synthesis of the previous ethnic minority mental health and community clinical proficiencies, MCCP reflects the state-of-the-art in training philosophy, curriculum, and applied experiences relevant to training clinical psychologists with special competence in multicultural and community psychology. The year-long course required of clinical psychology students in all emphasis areas, Intercultural Processes/ Human Diversity, provides basic competence in multicultural issues. The MCPP emphasis area provides the additional opportunity for students to develop (1) more advanced conceptual and intervention skills relevant to psychotherapy with culturally-diverse populations; (2) competence beyond individual psychopathology that includes conceptualization and intervention with community-level distress and social problems; (3) an understanding of sociopolitical and sociocultural influences on psychological functioning and well-being; (4) skills to develop programs and activities focused on the prevention of psychopathology and social problems; and (5) knowledge of community psychology theory and practice.

The mission of the training is to nurture the development of clinical psychologists who will work to understand, prevent, and reduce psychological and community distress, as well as enhance the psychological well-being of historically underserved, stigmatized, and oppressed groups. In doing this, special attention is paid to the cultural and sociopolitical context of the individuals, families, and communities we serve. Faculty members in the emphasis area are committed to fostering a climate of inclusion, respect for differences, and a sense of community both within and outside of CSPP. Ultimately, faculty members strive to empower individuals and communities and to facilitate personal and social healing.

Through coursework, field experiences and mentorship by our faculty, students learn theory, research, and intervention strategies applicable to working with adults, adolescents, children, families, groups, and communities. Students share the core curriculum in clinical psychology with students from all emphasis areas. MCCP students build upon this basic curriculum by learning alternative theories and strategies for intervention with communities, institutional systems and specific multicultural groups. Faculty focuses on training clinical psychologists who are critical thinkers about the etiology of psychological distress and who can conceptualize multiple pathways to healing individuals, families, and communities.

MCCP students participate in professional field training experiences that emphasize clinical services to multicultural and under- or inadequately-served populations. Settings can range from hospitals and mental health clinics to community-based agencies or university counseling centers. Students’ Doctoral Dissertations must reflect an aspect of multicultural and/or community psychology.

Multi-Interest Option (Non-Emphasis)


The Multi-Interest Option (MIO) is designed for students who do not choose to enter one of the three above-mentioned emphasis areas. The Multi-Interest Option offers students flexibility in their choice of elective courses and topics for their clinical dissertations and other scholarly and field training interests. The faculty and students affiliated with the Multi-Interest Option offer colloquia and social gatherings that, like those sponsored by the emphasis areas, are open to all members of the Los Angeles campus community. MIO have sponsored presentations that promote awareness of diverse roles in professional psychology by enlisting alumni to discuss their career trajectory, offering an introduction to grant writing, and hosting a panel discussion on professional consultation as a professional activity. The MIO faculty members seek to encourage students’ scholarly and professional growth in a wide range of interest areas.
 

Clinical PhD Program Faculty: Los Angeles


Core faculty for the Los Angeles PhD program are listed below:

Terece S. Bell, PhD, Associate Professor

Ellin L. Bloch, PhD, Professor

Ron Duran, PhD, Associate Professor

Michi Fu, PhD, Associate Professor

James Garbanati, PhD, Professor and Program Director

Molly Gasbarrini, PhD, Assistant Professor

Tina Houston-Armstrong, PhD, Assistant Professor

Richard Mendoza, PhD, Professor

Nicholas Noviello, PhD, Associate Professor

Susan Regas, PhD, Professor

For a detailed description of program faculty background and research interests, please see the alphabetical listing of faculty for the California School of Professional Psychology.

Licensure


All psychologists who offer direct services to the public for a fee must be licensed or certified by the state in which they practice. Applicants for licensure in the state of California must hold an earned doctoral degree in psychology, educational psychology, education with a specialization in counseling psychology, or education with a specialization in educational psychology from an approved or accredited educational institution. They also must have completed 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience (of which at least 1,500 must be postdoctoral) and have taken and passed the national Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the California Psychology Supplemental Examination (CPSE). In addition, they must submit evidence of having completed coursework in human sexuality, child abuse, substance abuse, spousal abuse, and aging and long-term care. Continuing education is required to maintain the license. CSPP doctoral course requirements are designed to fulfill the programmatic requirements for licensure in California, and in some cases they exceed the requirements.

Every state has its own requirements for licensure. Therefore, it is essential that all CSPP Clinical PsyD and PhD students who plan to apply for licensure in states other than California contact the licensing board in those states for information on state requirements (e.g., coursework, practicum and internship hours, supervision, or nature of the doctoral project or dissertation). Students seeking licensure in other states should plan ahead to ensure they meet all of those states’ requirements.

For further information on licensure in California or other states contact:

Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards
PO Box 241245
Montgomery, AL 36124-1245
(334) 832-4580, asppb@asppb.org

or

California Board of Psychology
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1400
Sacramento, CA 95815
(916) 263-2699, bopmail@dca.ca.gov

or

Practice Directorate American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
(202) 336-5979, apaaccred@apa.org

APA Education and Training Outcomes


The CSPP Los Angeles Clinical Psychology PhD program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA) and publishes the following outcome data as required by APA:

  • Time to Completion
  • Program Costs
  • Internship Placement Rates
  • Attrition
  • Licensure

Please visit the “About CSPP Programs” section of our website to view these data.

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202)336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs