11824_JFKU_Catalog Front Cover.indd - John F. Kennedy University

College of Graduate and Professional StudiesCollege of Graduate andProfessional Studiesreflect the diversity of California’s community including gender,race, physical ability, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.in the curriculum.Students may choose to attend the program under the full-time,intensive, or part-time plan. The full-time plan of study takes fiveyears to complete. Full-time students complete four years of coursework(four quarters per year) including a weekly practicum duringyear one, three, and four of the program, and then a year-longinternship. Students may choose to enroll in an intensive programwhereby all coursework is completed in three years and then go tointernship in their fourth year. Part-time students work with theiradvisor to develop a modified schedule tailored to each individualstudent’s needs. In addition to the coursework, practica and internship,students are also required to complete a clinical dissertationproject. All students must meet the residency requirement, taking aminimum of 36 units in a year (over four quarters) for at least one ofthe years they are in the program. At present, about two-thirds ofour graduates finish the program in five years or less.AccreditationPsychological Association (APA). Interested parties may contactthe APA at:Commission on AccreditationAmerican Psychological Association750 First Street NEWashington DC 20002-4242(202) 336-5979*Accredited – on probationFingerprints and Malpractice InsuranceStudents must have fingerprints registered with the Department ofJustice, and must have student malpractice insurance, obtainablefrom American Psychological Association of Graduate Students(APAGS), before beginning their practicum placements.Integrated Professional SeminarThe Integrated Professional Seminar (IPS) is a key component of theprogram. This composite of courses is designed to integratestudents’ practicum experiences with their coursework throughoutthe program. During each practicum year, small groups of studentsmeet together with a faculty member. Depending on the year, IPSemphasizes different elements of work with diverse populations.These include, for example, examining one’s own belief systems,worldview, and biases through group process and clinical casepresentations. The IPS provides a supportive setting in whichstudents may collaboratively integrate their applied and academicexperiences.Practicum IIn contrast to both Practicum II and Practicum III, which areclinical placements, Practicum I is an ethnographic experience. Thefirst year ethnographic practicum lays the foundation for cultureanddiversity-sensitive training as well as practice in self-reflectionand self-awareness. The ethnographic experience involvesimmersion in environments that provide unique and diversecultural experiences for the trainees. This immersion establishes anunderstanding of diversity and the relationships of power, privilege,and oppression in the practice of psychology.The purpose of the ethnographic practicum (Practicum I) is toprovide first-year doctoral trainees with experience in an unfamiliarculture/setting. For a minimum of eight hours per week, first-yeartrainees engage in a cultural immersion experience in a settingspecifically selected to expose trainees to a population with whomthey have had little or no prior contact.Practicum I trainees are not permitted to engage in clinical work.This placement is, however, integrally related to traineedevelopment as clinical psychologists. It is one of the principalmeans by which trainees establish the foundation necessary to workwith the diversity of clients that they will encounter in theirsubsequent clinical placements as well as their future work asprofessionals.Practicum IIPracticum II is a clinical placement at one of over 60 available sites.The focus of Practicum II is on the supervised integration andapplication of knowledge gained from Practicum I and ongoingdoctoral coursework. In Practicum II, trainees work 16–20 hoursper week to develop skills in assessment, case conceptualization,and treatment of clients using a multicultural perspective.Practicum IIIPracticum III is an advanced clinical placement at one of over 60available sites for 20–24 hours per week. The focus of Practicum IIIis on the supervised integration and application of knowledgegained from previous practica, and ongoing doctoral coursework.At a more complex level than Practicum II, trainees develop skills incomprehensive assessment, conceptualization, and formulation ofclient cases from a multicultural/ diversity perspective. However,the focus in Practicum III is extended to include advanced skills inthe development of systematic and evidence-based plans forintervention with individuals, groups, or communities.Pre-Doctoral InternshipTrainees apply for pre-doctoral internship when they are in thefourth year of the full-time curriculum. Trainees need to beregistered for the relevant number of internship units for eachquarter in which they are accruing internship hours. JFK UniversityPsyD trainees may apply for full-time or part-time internshipprograms that are accredited by APA or approved by CAPIC and/orAPPIC. To be considered full time, trainees must work a minimumof 35 hours per week. A full-time internship is completed in fourquarters at nine units per quarter for a total of 36 units.Comprehensive Written Examination (Comps)This examination, typically given in the summer of Year 3 of the fulltimecurriculum, is similar to the Examination for ProfessionalPractice in Psychology (EPPP), which is one of the requirements forCalifornia licensure. The exam consists of 200 multiple-choicequestions and is taken after successful completion of required first-,second-, and third year courses. Passing this exam is a requirementfor advancement in both the academic and clinical portions of theprogram.There is a $100 fee paid at the time of this exam that covers thisexam and the Clinical Proficiency Exam.78 College of Graduate and Professional Studies JOHN F. KENNEDY UNIVERSITY