Welcome to Bachelor’s Capstone Class in Psychology-Seminar #1 With Dr. Goldstein

Capstone This first seminar provides an overview of the course structure as well as Capstone Course and project expectations. You will have a chance to ask any questions that you may have about the content for this week.

Capstone We will also discuss common traits of people who seek treatment for various types of disorders or problems. This information should help you to strengthen your fictitious client’s personality.

Capstone Purpose of Capstone Courses In this first unit, we will discuss the nature, purpose, and goal of this Capstone Course and how you will meet all of the course/program outcomes through the creation of your final project. Prior to choosing a fictitious client, you will complete an exercise in the discussion area of class. This exercise will help you to build your fictitious client who will be treated throughout this class.

Capstone Make sure you review the course syllabus thoroughly (it is found on the Course Home Page), so that you understand the basic requirements and outcomes of the course. Success in this class depends on your understanding of and adherence to the policies and timelines contained in this document. In the syllabus, you will find instructor contact information, grading policies, and specifics on what is expected throughout the term.

Capstone If you have any questions along the way, make sure you contact me. Remember it is your responsibility to stay current with coursework. The best way to do that is to spend regular periods of time studying the course content. Complete all projects, discussion board responses, and seminar responses as they are due in order to gain the most that you can from this learning opportunity.

Capstone What is a Capstone Course? A Capstone Course is the final course in a degree program where students demonstrate their proficiency in program outcomes through participation in projects that lead to the completion of a comprehensive final project. As students work through the projects, they are challenged to use all skills and theories studied and developed throughout their entire course of study.

Capstone Upon completion of this course, students should have demonstrated proficiency in all competencies listed in the course and program outcomes. Further, students will understand the job skills for most jobs in their preferred field of study as demonstrated in their final project. Students utilize higher order thinking skills to identify, plan, create, and evaluate treatment options for their clients.

Capstone Course Structure. This course is divided into ten separate units, each of which contains specific assignments. In Unit 1, you will read about the purposes, goals, and outcomes of this Capstone Course. The final project information is included so that you can begin planning your timeline for your work. We begin work on the final project by completing an activity designed to aid you in developing a fictitious client.

Capstone In Unit 2, you will conduct a simulated intake activity designed to provide you with the experience of completing intake paperwork, asking guiding questions to learn as much as you can about your client, and reviewing HIPAA regulations. As a class, you will hold your first virtual staffing on the discussion board as you offer suggestions to strengthen each others’ intake questions. This information will be used in your final project.

Capstone In Unit 3, you will assess your client’s needs using the information gathered during your intake session. This activity will challenge you to use your knowledge of assessment, referral, problem identification, and prioritizing needs. The information gathered during this activity will be used to write the treatment plan and final project.

Capstone In Unit 4, you will identify potential obstacles that might prevent your client from completing his or her treatment. You will use knowledge gained from past study, research, and the information collected during intake to assess the client’s risk for dropping out of treatment. In your discussion board activity, you will create a plan to prevent or work through obstacles when they surface. The plan that is created during this unit will be used to complete your final project.

Capstone In Unit 5, you will demonstrate your ability to treat clients while adhering to the ethical standards and confidentiality laws of your discipline (substance abuse, child development, or behavioral analysis). You will research federal and state laws to ensure that your work so far adheres to all standards of confidentiality. In your discussion board work, you will solve some ethical/confidentiality issues that are common to most therapeutic settings.

Capstone In Unit 6, you will write a treatment plan for your client which includes information from the past five units. During seminar, we will hold a hypothetical staffing where each student presents his or her client, basic issues, and proposed level of treatment. This information will be used to complete the final project.

Capstone In Unit 7, you will conduct hypothetical prevention/intervention/treatment sessions with your client. You will present your case notes during the discussion board work to receive suggestions from your classmates. During these discussions, we will explore the best treatment setting and techniques for each of the clients. You, your classmates, and your instructor will discuss different approaches to helping clients to meet their treatment goals. This information will be included in the final project.

Capstone In Unit 8, we will discuss effective methods of assessing client progress in treatment. Constant evaluation is necessary to monitoring client success since obstacles to treatment. Learning to assess treatment effectiveness is vital to you and your client’s progress as a treatment team. All information from this week will be included in your final project. During our discussion board activity, you will create a small PowerPoint presentation of your client’s basic problem, needs, obstacles to treatment, treatment placement, and progress. You and your classmates will evaluate the case presentation to offer suggestions for improving treatment.

Capstone In Unit 9, final projects are due and we will discuss continuing education and certification strategies. To earn and then maintain required certifications in your field, you are expected to continue your learning. You will create a continuing education plan during your discussion board activity this week. This will include courses needed for certification (for example, most states require that all psychologists attend an ethics training session annually).

Capstone In Unit 10, we will reflect upon your learning in this course, and more importantly, over the course of your study of psychology.

Capstone What are Course and Program Outcomes? Course outcomes are expectations of what a student should be able to understand, do, or know as a result of completing the work in a course. For instance, you will notice on the course home page there is a list of seven course outcomes for this class:

Capstone Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: PS499-1 Demonstrate knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, enduring conflicts, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology. PS499-2 Apply basic methodology in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and the interpretation and evaluation of findings. PS499-3 Use analytical thinking, skeptical inquiry, and the scientific approach in solving problems related to behavior and mental processes.

Capstone PS499-4 Apply the appropriate psychological principles, theories, and concepts to personal, social, and organizational issues and problems. PS499-5 Demonstrate an understanding of the underlying ethical standards, values, and considerations in theory and practice in the disciplines of psychology. PS499-6 Use contemporary tools and technologies to communicate psychological principles and concepts effectively in diverse social and professional settings. PS499-7 Demonstrate an understanding of how academic and applied psychology can improve interpersonal relationships across cultural and national boundaries.

Capstone At the end of this course, you are expected to demonstrate competence in each of these areas in order to pass the class. That level of competence is reflected in the rubrics associated with each assignment.

Capstone Program outcomes are the same as course outcomes except they are related to knowledge and skills students should have when they complete an entire program and they are the focus of your work.

Capstone If you notice, the course outcomes in this Capstone Course are all related to the psychology program outcomes, which are given below: BSP-1 Knowledge Base: Demonstrate knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, enduring conflicts, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology BSP-2 Research Methods: Apply basic methodology in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and the interpretation and evaluation of findings

Capstone BSP-3 Critical Thinking Skills: Use analytical thinking, skeptical inquiry, and the scientific approach in solving problems related to behavior and mental processes BSP-4 Application: Apply the appropriate psychological principles, theories, and concepts to personal, social, and organizational issues and problems BSP-5 Values in Psychology: Demonstrate an understanding of the underlying ethical standards, values, and considerations in theory and practice in the disciplines of psychology

Capstone BSP-6 Information and Technological Skills: Use contemporary tools and technologies to communicate psychological principles and concepts effectively in diverse social and professional settings BSP-7 Global Awareness: Demonstrate an understanding of how academic and applied psychology can improve interpersonal relationships across cultural and national boundaries

Capstone These outcomes were addressed in the other courses you took as part of the psychology program. Not all outcomes are present in every course, however, through your completion of the sequence of courses in the psychology program, you were given opportunities to learn and be evaluated on each of these outcomes numerous times.

Capstone Now, you will be evaluated on all of them through the Capstone Project for this class. That is the nature and purpose of a Capstone Course. As a resource a reference guide of all the Program Outcomes will be provided that connects with specific courses and learning outcomes throughout the psychology program.

Capstone What are the expectations of students in a Capstone Course? Students in a Capstone Course are expected to demonstrate understanding or performance of Program Outcomes at an acceptable level. Since this course represents a transition between your academic study and application of this knowledge in your work with clients, all work should demonstrate your knowledge of professional standards, laws, ethics, and workplace composure. Treat this course as a simulation of job tasks that will be present in any career that you choose in any of the psychology disciplines.

Capstone In this course more than any other, you are expected to take responsibility for and be an active participant in your own learning and performance. In other words, much of the work will depend on you taking an active role in identifying and planning your final project. You are also expected to initiate conversations with your instructor and peers about your final project, asking for guidance, suggestions, and sharing your experiences. All of this communication is expected to be professional in every aspect: tone, language, conventions, and level of detail.

Capstone You are also part of a larger community in this classroom, just as you will be in the workplace. No one works in a vacuum; therefore, you are expected to be an active participant with regard to peers. When peers post questions, or share their experiences, you are expected to provide helpful and appropriate comments. This should not be viewed as a course “requirement,” but instead as a time for you to widen your perspective about what it means to be part of a team or contributor to a group of people and respond to others accordingly. Treat all work on the discussion board as a professional collaboration between you and your colleagues as this is exactly how psychologists treat clients.

Capstone You are expected to keep track of all of the work due in this course and submit it on time in a professional manner. As issues mentioned above, timeliness and professional quality are expectations of the workplace, and so they are also in a Capstone Course.

Capstone What are the series of assignments in this course? The assignments, aside from regular unit discussions, are outlined below: Problem Analysis (Unit 2) Needs Assessment (Unit 3) Prevention, Intervention, or Treatment plan (Unit 6) Outline of Treatment Plan (Unit 6) Power Point Presentation (Unit 8) Final project (Unit 9)

Capstone What are the requirements for the Capstone Project? The final project in this course will be chosen by a thorough assessment plan and treatment document that simulates a full course of treatment with a fictitious client. In each unit, you will complete one part of the project so that you will have a finished project by the time that you complete Unit 9 work.

Capstone A Capstone Project, as mentioned above, is a significant and comprehensive project that allows a student to demonstrate their ability in working with clients in any emphasis area of psychology.

Capstone In Unit One, you will create your fictitious client and using this client, you will work with him or her through the course of the term to identify his or her problems, assess needs, and treat him or her. You will add information from each project to your “client folder” so that by the end of the course you will have a full folder of documents that simulate those found in most prevention, intervention, or treatment facility.

Capstone Each week, you will add new documents to this virtual folder such that you have: *Unit Two: intake paperwork with the client’s basic information and identified problems *Unit Three: needs assessment paperwork including a case management plan to meet the needs *Unit Four: strengths based assessment including potential obstacles that might interfere with the client’s ability to complete treatment successfully as well as a plan to prevent or cope with those obstacles

Capstone *Unit Five: plan for keeping client information confidential *Unit Six: outline of a treatment plan *Unit Seven: two hypothetical case notes from sessions held with the client *Unit Eight: evaluation of the client’s treatment progress *Unit Nine: final project includes all of the above documents as well as a continuing education plan to meet all federal/state/ and agency mandated training

Capstone Final projects will be assessed for completeness, documentation, accuracy to psychological theories and practice, adherence to all federal confidentiality procedures, and detail in describing problems, needs, treatment sessions, and evaluation.

Questions?

Capstone Ok, let’s discuss some common traits of people who seek treatment for various types of disorders or problems. Remember, the key idea here is that these people are SEEKING treatment. It is different when people are court ordered or committed.

Capstone What types of disorders do you want to discuss?

Questions?

Thank you! Have a wonderful week! Don’t forget to post in BOTH discussions, answer my follow up questions, and interact with one another!