Catalog 2016-2017 [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).
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Program Goals
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 a minimum of four years to complete, with the fourth year typically 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 and readiness for internship.
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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 complete a 10-12 hour/week (minimum) practicum in Alliant’s Psychological Services Center (PSC) in the second semester of their first year. Second-year clinical PsyD students spend 20 hours per week in a practicum at the PSC on the Fresno campus. Third-year clinical PsyD students spend 20 hours per week in a community practicum. Clinical training coursework is graded on a CR/NC basis. Students receive at least one hour of individual supervision each week in all practicum training settings.
Students in field placement are required to meet at least once a week for an hour of individual supervision and to also meet in a group supervision setting that may or may not include their primary supervisor (depending on requirement). Internships also require weekly face-to-face supervision with the assigned primary supervisor as well as the group supervision requirement.
Assignments to the practica are accomplished with guidance from the Office of Professional Training which screens each placement site for quality and appropriateness to our students’ training needs. 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 (2,000 hours) and are assisted in this process by our faculty and 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, a consortium of local APA-accredited internship sites is administrated from the Alliant - Fresno campus,
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 support a student receives while writing the dissertation.. Students complete a sequence of four courses designed to help them develop the PsyD Dissertation Proposal in the second year and to complete the dissertation in the third year. This four semester intensive structure has proven extremely successful in helping students complete the program on time.
Specialized Admissions Requirements: Credit for Previous Graduate Work
Students applying to the Fresno Clinical PsyD program who were not undergraduate psychology majors must meet the prerequisite coursework requirements for preparation in the discipline. 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 a regionally accredited institution.
Transfer credits reduce the total number of units a student must complete in order to obtain the degree. As practicum training does not transfer, the program takes a minimum of four years to complete regardless of the total number of credits that transfer. Students should consult with the Program Director regarding graduate courses that they believe may be eligible for transfer credit.
Students must submit the course syllabi for each course for which transfer credit is being requested. The program will use this information to make sure the course is comparable to the APA accredited program curriculum.
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. Transfer credit awards can have implications on students’ financial aid eligibility if they become short of registration units for a particular academic semester (including summer). The CSPP-Fresno Clinical PsyD Program is not responsible for ensuring financial aid eligibility for students in all semesters.
Listed below are courses that are NOT eligible for transfer credit.
- PSY 6530A Introduction to Ethical Practice & Law (1 unit)
- PSY 7566 Ethical Foundations of Clinical Practice (2 units)
- PSY 6507 Basic Foundations of Clinical Practice: I (3 units)**
- PSY 6508 Basic Foundations of Clinical Practice: II (3 units)**
- PSY 6570, PSY 6576, PSY 7571, PSY 7572, PSY 7576, PSY 8577, PSY 8578, Practicum
- PSY 9531, PSY 9532, PSY 9533, Internship
The following courses may be eligible for transfer credit but only if the course was taken in an APA-accredited doctoral training program in clinical psychology:
- PSY 6501 Intellectual Assessment (3 units)
- PSY 6505 Personality Assessment I (3 units)
- PSY 6506 Personality Assessment II (2 units)
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. Each student’s progress through the developmental stages of the program is assessed and tracked at the time of admission, prior to beginning the first practicum, prior to internship and before graduation. In addition, students must complete a total 30 hours of personal psychotherapy with a doctoral level licensed clinician.
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 June 1st of the second year; 3) successful completion of both the multiple choice and the essay portions of all five Foundational Science Examinations; 4) a “ready for internship” passing score on the Clinical Proficiency Progress Review (CPPR pre-test) to be taken in May of the second year; 5) successful completion of the Multicultural Assessment of Practice Examination (MAP-R),, 6) endorsement by the faculty 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. 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 who fail a comprehensive exam a fourth time will be dismissed from the program. Students may not apply for internship until they have met all requirements for advancement to candidacy.
Program Grading Policy: Students who achieve grades below B- for any course will be required to retake the course. If the course is an elective that is offered infrequently and not prior to the student going on internship, the student can propose a substitute elective course to the program director.
Curriculum Plan
Courses are 3 units, unless otherwise indicated.
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. 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 ten units of electives, in an online/distributed learning format. All other 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 in at least two different child/adolescent practicum placements 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.
Requirements:
- 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.
- An additional 6 units of electives* complete the emphasis coursework.
- In addition, students must complete at least 1000 hours of practicum training in at least two different health psychology settings. A full-time doctoral internship in a health psychology setting such as a medical office or hospital is strongly recommended.
- 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 must take:
- Introduction to Forensic Psychology (2 units)
Elective offerings may include some of the following:
- 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 1000 hours of clinical training in at least two different forensic practicum placements. 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. This focus on cultural issues ensures students will be prepared for professional practice in a pluralistic society.
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
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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 Clinical PsyD Program Faculty: Fresno
Nicholas Anderson, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor
Mark Barnes, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor
Jason Christopherson, PsyD, Visiting Assistant Professor
Robert N. Harris, PhD, Professor and Program Director
Tamar Kenworthy, PsyD, Assistant Professor
Yu-Sha Liang, PhD, Assistant 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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