The model of training is framed by three overriding goals:
(1) to foster the development of clinical skills, with an emphasis
on children and families; (2) to foster the development of clinical
research skills; (3) to foster an appreciation of the integration
of research and clinical practice.
The program will prepare graduates to:
Demonstrate clinical skills, with an
emphasis on working with children and families
- Conduct psychodiagnostic interviews and formulate diagnostic
impressions of children and adolescents of different backgrounds
presenting with a range of psychopathology.
- Write formal intake reports based on the interviews,
incorporating this information.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the history, structure, and clinical
use of various psychological tests used in contemporary clinical
practice.
- Demonstrate competency in administration, interpretation, and
report writing of psychological tests and measures.
- Demonstrate competence in intellectual and personality
assessment of children and adolescents.
- Demonstrate knowledge and skills in psychological interventions
in both psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and marital/family
approaches to treatment, with an emphasis on clinical applications
with youth and their families.
- Demonstrate knowledge of psychopathology and ability to apply
that knowledge in clinical practice.
- Demonstrate an understanding of professional issues, including
ethical, legal, and quality assurance principles, especially as
they apply to children, caregivers, and families.
Demonstrate development of clinical
research skills
- Demonstrate competencies in basic and multivariate statistics
and psychological measurement and scaling.
- Demonstrate ability to critique contemporary research in
clinical psychology.
- Develop and carry out original research in psychology as
preparation for future roles as independent investigators.
Demonstrate the integration of theory and
practice
- Demonstrate knowledge of the scientific underpinnings of
clinical practice, including the biological bases of behavior,
cognitive and affective bases of psychology, and social and
developmental bases of behavior.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the scientific underpinnings of
clinical practice with youth and families.
- Demonstrate ability to integrate theory and practice in the
development of independent research proposals.
- Demonstrate ability to integrate issues of diversity into
research and clinical training.
- Demonstrate ability to apply an evidence-based approach to
intervention and assessment practices.
Advance the Vincentian Mission
- Provide services to the poor and underprivileged, as part of
our mission as a Catholic learning institution.
- Complete four years of clinic practicum training in our
community-based psychological services center, supplemented by two
years of formal clinical externship in multiethnic settings in the
surrounding community.
Demonstrate proficiency at the doctoral level
- Produce oral and written presentations of original research
proposals.
- Develop, implement, and defend two original research projects:
a Master’s thesis and a doctoral dissertation.
- Demonstrate competency in conceptualizing and implementing
therapeutic interventions from cognitive behavioral and
psychodynamic therapeutic orientations in clinical practicum
work.
- Complete at least one year of formally supervised clinical
practice in both cognitive behavior therapy and psychodynamic
therapy during the course of clinic practicum training, with an
emphasis on working clinically with children and families.
- Apply psychological concepts and principles to assessment and
intervention during externship and internship training
experiences.
- Develop close working relationships with mentors and
supervisors who represent the scientist-practitioner model of
clinical training.