1. Clinical Psychology Spring 2015 Kyle Stephenson

2. Overview – Day 1 Course goals Assignments ▫Exams ▫Readings ▫Project Concepts ▫What is a clinical psychologist?

3. Course Goals What do you want from this class? Why did you sign up? What are you worried about regarding this class?

4. Course Goals Knowledge about clinical psychology ▫Understanding (not memorization) ▫Your own interest is central End goals ▫Understand what a “psychological disorder” is ▫Basic understanding of how psychological disorders are treated ▫How do we know if treatments work? How do we improve treatments?

5. Potential Benefits Basic knowledge is important given how common mental health concerns are Be a good representative of psychological knowledge Decide if you’re interested in becoming a clinical psychologist Gain experience applying scientific findings to real-world problems

6. Overview – Day 1 Course goals Assignments ▫Exams ▫Readings ▫Project Concepts ▫What is a clinical psychologist?

7. Assignments Exams ▫Check understanding of necessary concepts ▫Not easy, but structured for you to succeed Reading assignments ▫Build ability to understand & summarize past research ▫Chance to improve scientific writing skills Project ▫Application of concepts and skills ▫Select your own interest ▫High-quality product that you can feel proud of

8. Structure Front-loaded ▫Get the heavy reading/studying out of the way up front ▫Need to have foundational knowledge before you can apply ▫Allows time for review Personalized ▫You’ll care more and get more out of the course if it’s something you’re interested in

9. Course Protocol Absences Missed Exams Deadlines Office Hours

10. Overview – Day 1 Course goals Assignments ▫Exams ▫Readings ▫Project Concepts ▫What is a clinical psychologist?

11. Clinical Psychology What is clinical psychology? History of clinical psych Current activities of clinical psychologists Future of the field Research in clinical psychology Research methods Prevalence research Theoretical models Efficacy & effectiveness research Assessment Interviewing Intelligence assessment Personality assessment Behavioral assessment Neuropsychological assessment Treatment Psychodynamic Humanistic Cognitive-behavioral Acceptance-based Couples/family Ethics

12. What is Clinical Psychology? Definition ▫Increase our understanding as to why psychological disorders exist and how they are maintained ▫Use this knowledge to alleviate suffering ▫Increase subjective well-being and improve functioning Clinical psychology vs. related fields

13. PsychiatristSocial WorkerCounseling Psychologist Clinical Psychologist Type of degreeMDMA / MSWMA or PhDPhD Prescribe medication? YesNo Underlying causes of psychological problems focused on BiologicalSocialPsycho-SocialBio-Psycho-Social Defining professional activities Diagnose disorders, prescribe medication Aid in “practical” problems & provide counseling Provide counseling for “problems of living” and more serious disorders Assessment, treatment, and research of more serious psychological disorders ProsHigh income, High status Shorter training, lower bar for admission Flexibility, lower bar for admission High status, relatively high income, flexibility, cheaper degree ConsLonger training, relative inflexibility, high bar for admission, high cost of degree Low pay, lower status, relatively high cost of degree Longer trainingLonger training, high bar for admission

14. Differences Between Clinical and Counseling Doctoral (PhD) Programs Clinical Lower percentage accepted Average GRE scores of accepted students slightly higher Research focusing on psychological disorders, clinical health psychology, and clinical child and adolescent psychology is more common Counseling Higher percentage of ethnic minority students and those with master’s degrees Research focusing on minority/cross-cultural issues and vocational testing more common

17. What Makes it Science? 1.Systematic Empiricism -- rely on systematically-obtained observations to draw conclusions about the world 2.Public Verification -- findings must be observed, replicated, and verified by other researchers 3.Solvable Problems -- must study questions that are potentially answerable through systematic empiricism

18. What Would Stop it From Being Science? 1.Nonsystematic and Nonempirical Evidence ▫Evidence based on myths, untested beliefs, anecdotes, opinions, or poorly designed studies that do not measure up to scientific standards 2.No Public Verification 3.Unsolvable Questions and Irrefutable Hypotheses

19. Take-Home Clinical psychologists… ▫Are only a small subset of professionals who work in mental health ▫Don’t just provide therapy in private practice ▫Are scientists ▫Have a pretty awesome job