Catalog 2016-2017 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Catalog 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Clinical Psychology: PsyD, Hong Kong


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The Clinical Psychology doctoral programs prepare students to function as multifaceted clinical psychologists through a curriculum based on an integration of psychological theory, research and practice. The Clinical Psychology PsyD program is a practitioner-oriented program. The Clinical Psychology curriculum has four major areas of study: foundations of psychology, clinical and professional theory and skills, applied clinical research, and professional growth and ethics. Students take required courses and select practica sites to meet breadth requirements. Internship is the final year of placement and can be either full or part-time and can be anywhere in the world.

Program Goals


Goal 1: To produce graduates who have mastered the scientific foundations of clinical psychology and who apply this knowledge to their work.

Objectives for Goal 1: Students will:

  • Acquire knowledge of psychology as a scientific discipline that serves as the basis for professional practice.
  • Integrate, synthesize, and critique scientific knowledge from multiple sources, taking into account and weighing the significance of multiple determinates of human behavior and cultural influences.
  • Apply scientific knowledge to the practice of clinical psychology.

Goal 2: To develop graduates who understand research methods and skillfully apply them to significant human problems.

Objectives for Goal 2: Students will:

  • Be knowledgeable about test construction, quantitative and qualitative research methods.
  • Be able to critically evaluate literature in terms of its scientific rigor.
  • Understand that research informs effective practice and that useful research often arises from clinical work and vice versa, in an iterative process.
  • Master the scientific literature on a clinical topic, identify lacunae and then design and execute a scholarly, applied empirical study.
  • Communicate research findings to a professional audience.
  • Be able to demonstrate in writing and orally the application of research findings to clinical phenomena and/or practice in helping individuals, families, groups, and local communities.

Goal 3: To produce graduates who identify as clinical practitioners and who use ethical and legal principles to guide professional practice, self-evaluation, and professional growth.

Objectives for Goal 3: Students will:

  • Acquire knowledge of and adopt values and ethical principles of professional practices as outlined in the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct as well as professional organizations in Hong Kong and whichever nation student choose to apply for professional credential.
  • Understand legal regulations pertaining to psychological practice and research in the US, Hong Kong, and whichever nation student chooses to apply for professional credential.
  • Apply ethical principles of practice in the various roles of a clinical psychologist (therapist, manager, consultant, educator, supervisor, and researcher).
  • Take responsibility for their own professional behavior and actively seek supervision when appropriate.
  • Be able to use supervision in a reciprocal fashion, evaluate supervisory feedback, and select an appropriate action.

Goal 4: To train students to understand clinical phenomena within social and cultural contexts in order to apply this understanding in evaluation/assessment, consultation/education, and supervision/management.

Objectives for Goal 4: Students will:

  • Possess an in-depth and integrative understanding of clinical phenomena (i.e., psychopathology, therapeutic processes, and associated phenomena).
  • Identify assessment tools appropriate to the clinical questions, be able to administer an assessment battery, interpret results, and complete a psychological report in an objective and accurate manner.
  • Understand that assessment is not a discrete event but is an ongoing process informing practice and research.
  • Be able to understand the effects of nationality, race, class, culture and gender on assessment procedures and outcomes.
  • Understand the role of the psychologist in complex systems and the general principles of consultation, education, supervision, and management.

Goal 5: To develop graduates who are able to intervene using multiple methods, with diverse populations, across many settings and in changing and evolving contexts.

Objectives for Goal 5: Students will:

  • Achieve knowledge of the theoretical and research bases of interventions in professional psychology.
  • Establish and maintain productive and respective working relationships with clients, colleagues, and supervisors from diverse national, social and cultural contexts.
  • Understand the needs of clients on individual and system levels and within national, social and cultural contexts.
  • Demonstrate the ability to create treatment plans that are nationally, socially and culturally appropriate and informed by current clinical research and utilize multiple intervention strategies consistent with these treatment plans and with standards of practice.
  • Evaluate the efficacy of their interventions and use this information to continuously assess the treatment plan and intervention methods.

Goal 6: To graduate students with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills to work professionally in a global context.

Objectives for Goal 6: Students will:

  • Understand the presuppositions of their own culture and attitudes towards diverse others as mediators of their worldview.
  • Develop knowledge of themselves as cultural beings in assessment, treatment, consultation, and all other professional activities.
  • Integrate knowledge, sensitivity and relevant skills regarding individual and social differences into all aspects of their work.
  • Possess the ability to articulate an integrative conceptualization of diversity as it impacts self, clients, colleagues, and larger systems, and an ability to engage in effective dialogue about multicultural issues.

Goal 7: To train students who engage in lifelong learning and Professional Development.

Objectives for Goal 7: Students will:

  • Develop positive attitudes about lifelong, self-directed learning, and take responsibility for their ongoing development as professionals.
  • Be able to identify challenges and problems in clinical practice and to undertake self-directed education to resolve these challenges and problems.
  • Present the results of self-directed education in educational presentations both verbally and through written documents incorporating scholarly integration of practice, theory, and research findings.
  • Inform clinical practice with the results of self-education and using both traditional tools and contemporary technologies.

Training Model: A Practitioner Program


The goal of the program is to educate professional clinical psychologists who bring critical thinking and active problem solving skills to bear on human problems. They use their familiarity with local communities and cultural groups to guide socially appropriate practice, assessment, program evaluation, and research. Students are educated and trained to be able to intervene effectively using multiple methods of assessment and intervention, working with diverse populations, across many settings, and in changing and evolving contexts. Our Local Clinical Scientist Model focuses on applying empirically derived knowledge to work with individuals, families, groups, and local communities. The model also utilizes practice-based evidence to enhance assessments and interventions.

The PsyD program subscribes to the belief that effective professional psychologists must be aware of and responsive to the broader social and cultural contexts in which they function. Thus, students must attain proficiency in providing services to individuals of diverse national and socioeconomic backgrounds. To achieve this goal, we infuse multiculturalism throughout our entire curriculum, offer courses focusing on diverse populations, and provide clinical training experiences that provide exposure to a range of populations. Effects of power differentials, prejudice, oppression and discrimination on individuals, families, and communities are part of our culturally-informed training.

The standard PsyD. curriculum is four years, including at least two summer semesters. However, students may extend their time over five years, which allows students to do a supplemental practicum to gain additional hours and be more competitive when applying to internships. An additional year also allows students to take additional courses, complete the dissertation, or take two half-time internships.

 

Field Training


By the end of the program students will have a minimum of one year of clerkship (year 1), two years of practicum (years two and three) and one full-time or two half-time internships (final years). Students may elect to do an additional year of supplemental practicum prior to internship. Beginning in the first year and throughout the program, field training placements are paired with required course(s), to integrate classroom learning with practical experience (Observation and Interviewing in G1, Theories and Technique series in G1 and G2, and Advance Clinical Seminars in G3). The selection of professional training (practicum) placements for each student is guided by:

  • CSPP’s requirement for a broad range of diverse and rigorous professional training experiences;
  • CSPP’s commitment to education and training in multicultural competence;
  • The primary criteria used in selection and approvals of placements are the quality and rigor of the training experience and the supervision provided for the student.

Students from the Hong Kong Program are primarily placed in agencies in Hong Kong, and may choose placements in other countries with approval from the program.  

After three years of practica placements, students on the four-year plan begin the required pre-doctoral internship in the fourth year. Full-time internships are 40 hours per week for 9-12 months, while two half-time internships in lieu of one full-time internship are 20 hours per week for 18-24 months.

Students on the five-year moderated plan may take a supplemental practicum in their fourth year and an internship in their fifth year. 
 

Research Training


All students complete a clinical dissertation, which includes an empirical portion (i.e., data collection). The PsyD dissertation is meant to demonstrate the student’s ability to think critically about clinical and social issues and to make appropriate use of scientific knowledge and psychological research in professional practice. Several features of the dissertation are required for all students. They must include a synthesis and analysis of existing literature relevant to a psychological topic; the development of the student’s own ideas, and research questions or hypotheses. We require an empirical portion i.e., there must be data collected and analyzed. However, the types of clinical dissertations that are acceptable have a wider range than the typical PhD disseration. A PsyD student might focus on a case study for the dissertation; develop a videotape; design an intervention program for a specific population; conduct a survey, program evaluation or interviews; field test new diagnostic criteria, compare results of assessments in two languages; write a children’s book focusing on skills (e.g. mindfulness) or situations (e.g., a parent with bipolar disorder); do a content analysis of a biography. Dissertations may be quantitative or qualitative studies. Thus there is a wide range of possible types of dissertations. What unites them is the focus on furthering practice, inclusion of empirical data, and social awareness and sensitivity in all aspects of the dissertation from literature review to discussion of implications.

In the four-year plan, PsyD students begin work on their clinical dissertations in the second year in a small cohort with their instructor, who generally will be the dissertation chair. The dissertation committee comprises the chair (a core faculty member) and one additional member. There are milestones in the dissertation process. The first milestone is development of a proposal and passing proposal orals. The proposal is an introduction to the topic, an integrated literature review, and a methods section. Passing proposal orals is required for students to be allowed to apply for internship. The second milestone is the dissertation defense. This comes after completion of the proposed project, the addition of a written results and discussion chapters, and the dissertation defense with the committee. To graduate in four years, students begin the dissertation in the second year, pass proposal orals in the spring of the second year, complete the dissertation in the third year, and go to internship in the fourth year. Many students are still working on the dissertation in the fourth year, but completion by the end of the internship still allows graduation at the end of the fourth year. However, once students start the dissertation they must remain enrolled in dissertation units until they complete the dissertation. Note that twelve units of dissertation are required (six units in the G2 year, six units in the G3 year). Any units beyond the twelve units, while admissible, is extra and not part of the standard program..

In a five-year moderated plan in which a student elects to do a supplemental practicum, the student may still begin the dissertation in the second year and continue to work on it in the third (and potentially fourth) year. However, some students are not ready to select a topic and begin the kind of in-depth synthesis and conceptualization by the beginning of their second year, and such students may elect to wait until their third year to begin the dissertation process.
 

Professional Training


Students are held to the standards of the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (www.apa.org/ethics/code/) from the time of acceptance of admission.

Specialized Admissions Requirements


This program is currently not accepting new applications.

Specialized Admissions Requirements: Credit for Previous Graduate Work


Entering students may be eligible to receive transfer credit for previous graduate work up to a maximum of 30 units. However, to receive a master’s degree from this PsyD program students should not have received more than 9 units of credit transferred from another university.

  1. To be considered for transfer credits in our program students’ graduate coursework.
    a. Must have been taken in an appropriately nationally recognized master’s or doctorate program.
    b. Must have been completed prior to entering our doctoral degree program.
    c. Must have resulted in grades of B or better and have been completed within the last seven years.
  2. The following PsyD program requirements will be considered for credit for previous work: Social Bases of Behavior; Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Behavior; Biological Bases of Behavior and Psychopharmacology; Human Development; History and Systems; Advanced Psychopathology; Observation and Interviewing; Theory & Technique of Clinical Practice (3 units); Cognitive Assessment (I) and Personality Assessment (II);  Multicultural psychotherapy (focused on a specific population), and Practicum I (clerkship)..
  3. In addition, students who have met the following requirements may be able to receive 2 units of transfer credits for the required first year practicum. To do so, they must submit proof of their master’s degree and 300 hours of supervised practicum. For those who receive this credit, the zero-unit Introduction to Professional Psychology course will be waived. 
    a. Either have completed a master’s degree in psychology or a closely related field or be currently enrolled in a clinical psychology doctoral program
    b. Have completed and be able to verify 300 hours of supervised practicum or professional experience of a psychological nature

 

Curriculum and Degree Requirements


The PsyD program requires a minimum of 120 units total.

Other requirements:

  • Passage of Diagnostic Writing Exam
  • Preliminary Examinations
    (a) Assessment Preliminary Examination taken at the end of the second year, following completion of Psychological Assessment I, II and assessment practicum sequence;
    (b) Clinical and Ethical Preliminary Examination taken at end of second year. Passing both preliminary examinations is required for Advancement to Candidacy.
  • Dissertation Proposal Orals - Must be passed prior to being allowed to apply for internship, and is concurrent with Advancement to Candidacy. Students wanting to complete the program in four years must complete clinical dissertation proposal orals no later than the end of the eighth week of the fall semester of the third year (the year of applications to internships). Failure to do so will result in additional dissertation units and will delay completion of the program by at least one year.
  • Advancement to Candidacy is required before applying to internship.
  • Clinical Proficiency Progress Review (CPPR), taken at the end of the third year, must be passed before graduation.
  • The clinical Dissertation must be completed before graduation.

Curriculum Plan


All courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated. Order of courses subject to change based on scheduling needs.

Third Year - Summer


Notes:


* For students choosing Option 1

** For students choosing Option 2

Credential Requirements


The program prepares students to practice clinical psychology. Hong Kong does not currently license psychology practitioners.

National Register Designation


This program meets the “Guidelines for Defining ‘Doctoral Degree in Psychology’” as implemented by the ASPPB/National Register Designation Project. Therefore, a graduate of this designated program who decides to apply for licensure as a psychologist typically will meet the jurisdictional educational requirements for licensing. However, individual circumstances vary, and there are additional requirements that must be satisfied prior to being licensed as a psychologist. Please contact the state / provincial / territorial licensing board in the jurisdiction in which you plan to apply for exact information. Additional information including links to jurisdictions is available on the ASPPB’s web site: www.asppb.org.

Once licensed, a graduate of a designated program is eligible to apply for credentialing as a Health Service Provider in Psychology by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Graduation from a designated program typically ensures that the program completed meets the educational requirements for the National Register credential. However, individual circumstances vary, and there are additional requirements that must be satisfied prior to being credentialed by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology and listed on the FindaPsychologist.org database. Doctoral students may apply to have their credentials banked and reviewed prior to licensure. For further information about the National Psychologist’s Trainee Register and the National Register application process, consult the National Register’s web site: www.nationalregister.org.

Note:

Students who would like to extend their time in the program to five years are on a moderated schedule (8-11 units/semester). Students may elect to go slower at any time in the first two years, and such students should meet with the Program Director to work out a plan that works for them.

Licensure


We strongly encourage our students to apply for licensure/registry. Every nation and every State in the US have their own requirements for licensure and registry. Therefore, it is essential that all CSPP Clinical PsyD students in the Hong Kong Program who plan to apply for licensure contact the licensing board in those countries or US States for information on requirements (e.g., coursework, practicum and internship hours, supervision, or nature of the doctoral project or dissertation). Students seeking licensure should plan ahead to ensure they meet all of those credentialing requirements.

Clinical PsyD Hong Kong Core Faculty


Tien Liang, PsyD, Professor and Program Director

Christopher Tori, PhD, Visiting Professor and Professor Emeritus (non-core)

Diane Zelman, 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.

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