Catalog 2014-2015 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
Catalog 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Clinical Psychology: PsyD, Fresno


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Our 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 PsyD is a practitioner 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 Fresno Clinical PsyD Program is a practitioner-scholar program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; Phone: 202-336-5979; Email: apaaccred@apa.org; Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation).

Program Outcomes


The Clinical PsyD program in Fresno trains students to be competent in nine broad areas:

  • Foundational Science of Psychology (Social and Developmental Psychology, History and Systems, Biological Science, and Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior) links the core sciences with contemporary thought, research and practice in psychology;
  • Intervention Skills enable students to plan, implement, and evaluate their work within a cultural framework;
  • Ethics and Professional Competency prepares students to effectively and ethically intervene in a range of settings using a variety of techniques and modalities
  • Relationship Skills enable students to make interpersonal connections, maintain professional boundaries as appropriate to the multicultural context in which they are operating, and engage in ethical and professional behavior;
  • Diversity Competence involves developing awareness of students’ own culture and the cultures of others as mediators of one’s world view;
  • Assessment and Diagnostic Skills (diagnosis, interviewing, testing, and report writing) enable students to engage in an ongoing process of evaluating their practice, research and teaching;
  • Lifelong Learning engages students in self-evaluation and continuous education;
  • Supervision and Management enables students to provide good clinical and professional feedback to others and effective leadership;
  • Research and Evaluation prepares students to critically evaluate the research literature in service of clinical goals and to conduct applied research and program evaluation.

Training Model: A Practitioner-Scholar Program


The Fresno Clinical PsyD Program emphasizes clinical skills and the application of research knowledge. The PsyD program takes four years to complete, with the fourth year spent in a full-time internship.

The clinical program trains students to consider the role of diverse systems in creating and/or remedying individual and social problems. While students receive an exceptional grounding in traditional clinical assessment and intervention, they also are taught to consider the potential value of advocacy, consultation, or public policy work in helping both individuals and entire groups of clients with similar problems.

In addition to their basic education in clinical psychology, students have the opportunity to select an emphasis area (ecosystemic child, health, forensic or self-determined) in which to develop focused study and clinical expertise. During the program students are evaluated on progressive developmental stages of their training. The evaluation begins prior to admission and includes evaluation of a student’s readiness for practicum training, readiness for internship, and readiness for practice.

Field Training


The PsyD program emphasizes the integration of academic coursework with clinical practice. In order to integrate clinical skills with material learned in the classroom, students typically participate in a professional training placement beginning in the first year. Clinical training placements completed prior to the full-time predoctoral internship are known as practicum experiences. Students train in diverse settings, gaining experience with different populations in order to ensure a broad base of training.

Students typically are placed in a 10-15 hour/week practicum in the second semester of their first year. Second-year clinical PsyD students spend 20 hours per week in a practicum at the Psychological Services Center on the Fresno campus.  With few exceptions, third-year clinical PsyD students spend 20 hours per week in a community practicum.  Clinical training coursework is graded on a CR/NC basis.

Assignments to the practica are accomplished with guidance from the Office of Professional Training. Each practicum agency is screened prior to being presented to the student as a placement. The student and his/her Professional Training Liaison make the final placement decisions jointly. Each site is evaluated annually by the students and the OPT staff.

Fourth year students are responsible for obtaining an appropriate yearlong, full-time internship (2,800 hours) and are assisted in this process by the Office of Professional Training. For many students in the fourth year, the internship stipend covers the costs of tuition and living expenses. The Golden State Psychological Internship Association, housed in Fresno provides local APA-Accredited internship sites.

Internship Application Policy


During Phase I of APPIC match, students may only apply to APA-accredited internships. During Phase II of APPIC match, students may apply to both APA-accredited and APPIC (non-APA accredited) internships.  PsyD students who do not match in APPIC match Phase I or II may apply for APA, APPIC or CAPIC post-match vacancies.

Research Training


One of the unique aspects of the PsyD program is the class format in which the dissertation is completed. During their second and third years in the program, students complete their dissertation while taking the PsyD Dissertation Proposal and PsyD Dissertation course series. This four semester intensive structure has proven extremely successful in facilitating students completing the program on time.

Specialized Admissions Requirements: Credit for Previous Graduate Work


Students applying to the Fresno Clinical PsyD program must meet the prerequisite coursework requirements for preparation in psychology. While an applicant may not have completed these undergraduate course requirements at the time of application, these requirements must be satisfied before the admitted student can enroll.

Transfer Credit


The Fresno Clinical PsyD Program allows a maximum of 30 units of graduate level transfer credit into the program. These credits must be completed with a grade of a B or better, within the past seven years and must be from an accredited institution.

Transfer credits reduce the total number of units a student must complete in order to obtain the degree. Therefore, it is sometimes possible for a student to reduce a four-year program to three years, but this is rare due to the sequential nature of the curriculum. Students should consult with the Program Director if they believe they can reduce their time to completion.

Students must submit the course syllabuses and instructors’ CV for each course for which transfer credit is being requested

Regardless of the number of transfer units allowed, a student must complete any and all requirements remaining in both the core and emphasis areas for which transfer credit was not allowed.

Listed below are courses that are NOT eligible for transfer credit. Please note that transfer units are credit units and do not require replacement.

  •     PSY 6507 Basic Foundations of Clinical Practice: I (3 units)*
  •     PSY 6508 Basic Foundations of Clinical Practice: II (3 units)*
  •     PSY 6530 Introduction to Ethical Practice & Law (1 unit)
  •     PSY 7566 Ethical Foundations of Clinical Practice (2 units)
  •     PSY 6501 Intellectual Assessment (3 units)***
  •     PSY 6505 Personality Assessment I (3 units)***
  •     PSY 6506 Personality Assessment II (2 units)***
  •     PSY 6570**, PSY 7571, PSY7572, PSY 8571, PSY8572 Practicum
  •     PSY9531, PSY9532, PSY9533, Internship

* These courses may be considered for waiver; if they are waived, units must be replaced with electives

* To apply for a waiver of Basic Foundations of Clinical Practice, students should submit 1) syllabi of graduate level coursework in psychopathology/diagnosis, basic counseling skills, and theories of psychotherapy and 2) a brief videotaped role play or actual therapy session so the student’s basic counseling skills can be assessed. This material should be submitted to the Program Director no later than mid-August. The materials will be submitted to the instructor of Basic Foundations of Clinical Practice for review and for a waiver decision. If the courses are waived, the units must be replaced with elective units. As this is a year-long class, students will receive a waiver for the entire year, if granted, rather than just one semester.

** In order to waive this requirement, the OPT Liaison reviews the information submitted by the student as to the nature and content of the practicum, the number of hours, and the site of the experience. The OPT Liaison will make a decision in conjunction with the Program Director and the student will be notified as to whether or not the practicum may be waived. This decision must be made as soon as possible, preferably by the Add/Drop deadline. If the practicum is waived, the units must be replaced and the hours of the waived practicum will be added to the next required practicum.

*** In order to waive this requirement, the student must contact the Program Director for referral to a faculty member designated to determine waiver requirements.

Curriculum and Degree Requirements


Note:  First and second year coursework require enrollment for the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters.

The PsyD Program requires a minimum of 90 academic units and 30 internship units. Requirements for advancement to candidacy include 1) successful completion of 60 units of graduate study; 2) successful defense of the dissertation proposal at the Preliminary Oral Examination by the last day of final exams in the spring semester of the second year; 3) successful completion of both the multiple choice and the essay portions of all five Foundational Science Examinations; 4) a passing score on the Clinical Proficiency Progress Review (CPPR pre-test) to be taken in August at the beginning of the third year; 5) an evaluation by the G-2 supervisor indicating that the student is ready to apply to internship. The Foundational Science exams are offered at the end of each semester (including summer) and are intended to be taken at the end of the term in which the student completes the related course. The Clinical Proficiency Progress Review (CPPR) is given twice during the student’s clinical training, at the beginning and end of the third year practicum. Students who fail a competency exam (Foundational Science or CPPR) may re-take each exam one time. If a student fails an exam a second time, remedial support will be offered. If a student fails an exam a third time, s/he must audit the course for which competency was not established.  Students may not apply for internship until they have met all requirements for advancement to candidacy. Students must also take and pass a Multicultural Competency exam (PSY8123) prior to beginning internship.

 

Curriculum Plan


First Year


Note(s):


*PSY6501 & PSY6505 require weekly participation in both 3-hour instruction and 1-hour lab (scheduled separately).

**First year students participate in a reciprocal learning experience with a third year student, who has been assigned by the Supervision Seminar instructor. The first year student meets with the faculty instructors of the Supervision Seminar class during the fall semester to accomplish the match of first and third year students. During the second semester, the matched supervisor-supervisee meet weekly to examine clinical material as an adjunct to the supervision provided by the first year student’s field placement agency.

Second Year


Third Year


Note(s):


Students must remain enrolled in Dissertation Extension until the final manuscript is presented to the library staff for binding. During internship year, the registration requirement is one unit in Fall and Spring semesters. After or before internship, the requirement is three units per semester.

Several courses are offered online. Students may complete up to two foundational science courses, one ethics course, and two other required courses, as well as up to nine units of electives, in an online/distributed learning format. Required assessment and intervention courses must be taken in a face-to-face format. The CSPP section of online coursework describes the equipment and software needed for full participation in these courses.

Emphasis Areas


In order to obtain an emphasis in any one of the following areas, students must complete the coursework and clinical training as defined by the emphasis area and complete a dissertation with a topic that focuses on that emphasis area.

In addition to formal emphasis areas, students may create a program of study emphasizing their own area(s) of interest. For example, a student might create a program emphasizing “Family Advocacy” by combining topics such as family therapy, play therapy, juvenile justice, education law as it applies to the rights of emotionally disturbed children, pediatric psychology, child custody evaluation, divorce mediation, and so forth. The ecosystemic focus of the PsyD program lends itself particularly well to the creation of such individualized programs of study.

Ecosystemic Child Emphasis


The core focus of the Ecosystemic Clinical Child Psychology Emphasis is the integration of the biological, developmental, intrapsychic, systemic, sociocultural, and historical variables that must be taken into account when addressing a child or adolescent’s functioning.  All of these variables must be considered at both the case conceptualization and the intervention levels. Psychological assessments and interventions are then planned within the context of the client’s familial, peer, educational, medical, legal, cultural, and historical systems and, take the intrapsychic perceptions and developmental level of the client into account.

The Ecosystemic Child Emphasis is offered through the Ecosystemic Play Therapy Training Center (EPTTC) on the Fresno campus.  The EPTTC is an Association for Play Therapy (APT) Approved Center of Play Therapy Education.  The CSPP clinical psychology programs in Fresno are usually able to offer all the coursework required by APT to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT).

All students must take Play Therapy (2 units). Elective course offerings may include of some of the following: Pediatric Neuropsychology; Family Therapy; Play Therapy: Advanced Techniques and Special Populations; Teaching Parents Parenting Skills; Custody Evaluations; Interventions in the Schools; and, any of the Infant-Preschooler Mental Health courses (see the Certificates section for a description of this and other certificate programs available to students).

All students must complete 1000 hours of clinical training with children, adolescents, and families and a dissertation on a topic with a child or adolescent focus.

Health Psychology Emphasis


Psychologists in nearly every setting frequently encounter clients with medical concerns that have psychological components and mental illnesses that express as medical symptoms.  The Health Psychology Emphasis prepares clinicians to work effectively with those issues in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, medical practices, sports teams, corporate wellness programs, private practice and many others.  Health Psychologists also work in the area of prevention, assisting clients to modify lifestyle behaviors such as diet, exercise and stress management to enhance their health and prevent illness.

Following are the requirements for the Health Psychology Emphasis:

  1. Introduction to Health Psychology (2 units) and Interventions in Health Psychology (2 units) are required courses, and are to be taken during the first two years of the program.  These courses are offered in alternating years and are described below.
  2. An additional 6 units of electives* complete the emphasis coursework.
  3. In addition, students must complete at least 400 hours of practicum training in a health psychology setting.  A full-time doctoral internship in a health psychology setting such as a medical office or hospital is strongly recommended.
  4. The dissertation must have a health psychology focus.

*Health Psychology Electives include but are not limited to: Hypnotherapy, Eating Disorders, Pediatric Psychology, Pediatric Neuropsychology, Issues/Treatment of Clients with HIV/AIDS, Psychology of Women’s Health, Biopsychosocial Factors in Prenatal and Infant-Preschooler Mental Health, Functional Neuroanatomy/Neuropathology, Advanced Clinical Elective: Grand Rounds-Perspectives in Health Psychology, Minority Health Psychology, Pediatric Neuropsychology, Neuropsychology Foundations, Psychopharmacology, Substance Abuse in Diverse Populations, LGBT Health Issues, LGBT Health Disparities, and Disabilities, Law and Families.

Clinical Forensic Psychology Emphasis


The field of clinical forensic psychology includes clinical services provided to clients with criminal and non-criminal contact with the legal system, covering diverse needs related to divorce, custody mediation, worker’s compensation evaluations, disability evaluations, child abuse, and adoption, in addition to work in prisons and jails. The Clinical Forensic Emphasis in Fresno aims to prepare students to work with clients in these diverse settings.

All students will take the following courses:

  • Introduction to Forensic Psychology (2 units)
  • Advanced Forensic Assessment with Children/Families or Adults (2 units)
  • Forensic Ethics (1 unit)
  • Forensic Report Writing (1 unit)
  • Child Custody Consultation: Evaluation and Mediation (2 units)
  • Disabilities, Law and Families (2 units)

Students must complete a practicum (800 hours) in a forensic psychology setting; a pre-doctoral internship in a forensic psychology setting is strongly recommended as well. Dissertations must be completed in a forensic psychology related area.

Note(s):


Multicultural Facilitated Learning

In addition to the primary emphases, the Fresno PsyD faculty is committed to offering a broad array of elective courses reflecting theory, assessment, and intervention across a variety of systems, especially across cultural systems. The importance of the cultural system is emphasized throughout students’ academic and clinical training. In addition to regular coursework in this area, many of the faculty members have extensive experience teaching and working outside the United States. Countries where our faculty have lived, taught, or worked include Canada, Chile, England, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, the Netherlands, Scotland, Singapore and South Africa, among others. This experience enriches every course they teach. The focus on cultural issues ensures students will be prepared for professional practice in a pluralistic society.

Clinical PsyD Program Faculty: Fresno


Core faculty for the Fresno PsyD program are listed below:

Lynette Bassman, PhD, Professor

Debra Bekerian, PhD, Assistant Professor

Robert N. Harris, PhD, Professor and Program Director

OShan D. Gadsden, PhD, Assistant Professor

Sue A. Kuba, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Systemwide Director for Online Education

Kevin O’Connor, PhD, Distinguished 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 Fresno/Sacramento Clinical Psychology PsyD 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

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