Catalog 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Clinical Psychology: PhD, Los Angeles
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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 specific 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).
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Program Goals
GOAL 1: To educate students to conduct applied clinical research and to be grounded in, as well as contribute to, the knowledge base of psychology.
Objectives for Goal 1:
Applied Research .We expect students to develop research skills and knowledge, to develop the ability to review, synthesize, and evaluate empirical research, to develop skills as independent, ethically conscious and multiculturally competent researchers who contribute new knowledge to the field of psychology.
Competencies: Students will
- understand the fundamental techniques of data analysis and quantitative research methodology.
- be able to apply fundamental research methods and analyses to an independently designed project.
- understand the fundamental ethical standards and legal regulations and procedures related to psychology research.
- be able to apply fundamental research methods and analyses to a variety of clinical problems, and settings.
- be able to apply fundamental research methods and analyses to generate a meaningful scholarly contribution to the field of psychology.
GOAL 2: 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.
Objectives for Goal 2:
Assessment. We expect students to develop an understanding of psychopathology and psychological assessment and to apply this knowledge to the evaluation of psychological functioning in a variety of settings with diverse populations.
Competencies: Students will
- attain knowledge of the breadth of human psychopathology including foundational competence in diagnostic interviewing and case conceptualization.
- be able to apply effective clinical assessment skills in varied field settings with diverse populations.
Intervention. We expect students to understand the efficacy and modes of application of psychological interventions in a variety of settings with diverse populations.
Competencies: Students will
- understand the efficacy and modes of application of psychological interventions in a variety of settings with diverse populations.
- be able to formulate and execute effective interventions in a variety of settings with diverse populations.
- be able to apply appropriate ethical principles and standards and legal regulations related to intervention in a variety of settings.
Scholar-Practice Integration. We expect students to learn to integrate and apply research findings and clinical literature for practice with diverse populations.
Competencies: Students will
- demonstrate foundational knowledge of individual and group differences.
- demonstrate knowledge of psychology’s historical roots and systems.
- demonstrate knowledge of the scientific foundation of issues and application of research principles to populations in varied settings.
GOAL 3: 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
Objective for Goal 3:
Diverse Professional Roles. We expect students to be prepared to function as ethical, responsible, and culturally competent professional psychologists who can occupy multiple professional roles over a career lifetime to serve an increasingly diverse society
Competencies: Students will
- demonstrate an understanding of varied roles for multiculturally competent professional psychologists, including clinical service, assessment, applied research, teaching, prevention, and administrative roles.
- be prepared to engage in varied roles through application of knowledge and skills consistent with life-long learning and adaptation to the changing landscape of professional work combined with an awareness of professional duties related to scope of practice and ethical ways of expanding one’s skill set into new areas.
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.
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, third and fourth years of the program, Clinical PhD students are required to have a 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 per year is 800. Students typically receive a minimum of 2400 hours of clinical training prior to internship.
At the practicum level, students receive training in agencies that are formally affiliated with the school. All practicum training programs are carefully reviewed and monitored on an ongoing basis to assure consistent and high quality training. After completion of the three practica, students are required to apply competitively for an APA internship, participating in the APA/APPIC match process If a student does not obtain an APA internship after the initial application process, the student may reapply for an APA internship or pursue two half-time internships in consecutive years, the latter in the CAPIC match processes.
Face to face individual supervision provided by a licensed supervisor is required on a weekly basis. Should a student fail to attend weekly supervision it is expected that the supervisor will notify the Supervisory Faculty Liaison assigned to the site. In addition, students receive evaluations from supervisors twice a year.
The majority of affiliated practicum training sites exist within a 40-mile radius of the campus. Students are encouraged to make full-time internship 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 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.
In their third year, students enter into formal dissertation work with a faculty mentor to produce a scholarly and methodologically sound dissertation that is to be completed by the end of the fourth year. The mentor becomes the student’s dissertation committee chair when preliminary orals have been successfully completed.
Students must pass preliminary orals by June 1 of their third year, in advance of applying to APA internships at the outset of their fourth year.
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: PSY 6109 - Human Development , PSY 6101 - Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior , PSY 6112 - Social Basis of Behavior , PSY 7112 - History and Systems of Psychology , PSY 6523 - Advanced Psychopathology , PSY 6529 - Clinical Interviewing (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 - Principles of Research Design , PSY 6043 - Statistics , PSY 6068 - Research Methods: Multivariate Statistics , and PSY 6105 - Biological Aspects of Behavior .
Curriculum and Degree Requirements
All Los Angeles Clinical Psychology PhD students must complete a minimum of 150 curricular units. Emphasis area abbreviations used below are as follows: Health Emphasis (Health), Family/child and Couple Emphasis (FACE), Multicultural-Community Clinical Psychology Emphasis (MCCP). Students who prefer not to select an emphasis area will follow 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. Forty-five hours of documented individual psychotherapy sessions 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 not more than three years prior to matriculation.
Curriculum Plan
Courses are 3 units, unless otherwise indicated.
First Year - Fall
15.5 units
First Year - Spring
15.5 units
First Year - Summer
6 units
Second Year - Fall
13.5 units
Second Year - Spring
11.5 units
Second Year - Summer
5 units
Third Year - Fall
14 units
Third Year - Spring
15 units
Fourth Year - Fall
12 units
Fourth Year - Spring
12 units
Fifth Year - Fall
11 units
See internship enrollment requirements in notes following the curriculum plans.
Fifth Year - Spring
11 units
See internship enrollment requirements in notes following the curriculum plans.
Fifth Year - Summer
8 units
See internship enrollment requirements in notes following the curriculum plans.
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 Registration 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 (except summer, unless otherwise instructed by the Dissertation Chair) until the dissertation is completed and filed in the library. During any part of the dissertation sequence, students who wish to make progress on their dissertation over the summer and want dissertation supervision and support from their faculty chair during this period may enroll in a one unit summer dissertation supervision course with approval from their faculty chair and program director. During dissertation extension semesters, students concurrently enrolled in an internship must enroll in PSY9955 for 1 unit. Students not enrolled in an internship must enroll in PSY9995 for 3 units. Students must be enrolled in dissertation during the term in which they achieve dissertation clearance (this includes summer).
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 must enroll 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 summer, 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. Students may also achieve aid eligibility while enrolled in the three unit dissertation extension course. 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 the Student Evaluation and Review Committee (SERC). Proactive communication with academic advisors and Academic Affairs Center staff is highly recommended.
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 settings to 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 Intercultural Processes/Human Diversity course required of clinical psychology students in all emphasis areas, 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 are encouraged to develop Doctoral Dissertations that 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.
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 Clinical PhD Program Faculty: Los Angeles
Kristin Conover, PhD, Assistant Professor
Ron Duran, PhD, Associate Professor
Michi Fu, PhD, Associate Professor
James Garbanati, PhD, Professor and Interim Program Director
Molly Gasbarrini, PhD, Assistant Professor
Jennifer Hsia, PhD, Assistant Professor
Nicholas Noviello, PhD, Associate Professor
Susan Regas, PhD, Distinguished Professor
Peter Theodore, PhD, Associate 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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