General Catalog - John F. Kennedy University

Graduate School of Professional PsychologyDoctor of Psychology (PSD) CoursesGraduate School ofProfessional PsychologyPSD 7003 History and Systemsof _____________________________________________________________________Professional Psychology 3Studies the evolution of modern psychology with regard to varioustheories, systems, and practices. There is an examination ofthe philosophical, cultural, and sociopolitical contexts and consequencesof the major systems in the development of contemporarypsychology. A critical understanding of the weakness, biases, andlimitations of the given systems will be emphasized.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7007 Clinical Interviewing Skills I 3Students learn skills required to initiate and maintain a therapeuticrelationship. They learn the importance of culturalsensitivity, confidentiality, the therapeutic alliance, empathy,listening, reflecting, focusing, and gentle confrontation.Emphasis is placed on students’ awareness of and ability tomanage their own feelings as they arise in the therapeuticcontext.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7008 Clinical Interviewing Skills II 3Students will continue to learn and practice skills required toinitiate and maintain therapeutic relationships. Additionally,students will learn clinical strategies with individuals presentingwith various diagnostic issues. Issues of termination, frame maintenance,and clinical empathy will continue to be emphasized. Thecultural implications of assessment and diagnoses will be discussedas well as the clinical implications of working with clients who areculturally different from the clinician. Prerequisite: PSD 7007.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7015 Adult Psychopathology I 3An introduction to the symptoms, classification, and diagnosisof adult mental disorders. Students will learn the mental statusexamination and other approaches to the clinical evaluationof adult psychopathology. In this course, disorders classified anddescribed in the DSM-IV-TR will be reviewed. Students will learnto assess mental disorders and to render a multi-axial (DSM-IV-TR) diagnosis. Explanations regarding the etiology of these disorderswill be discussed from various theoretical perspectivesand approaches to treatment will be examined. The limitationsand qualifications of the current DSM-IV-TR system with regardto people of non-dominant cultural background are considered.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7016 Adult Psychopathology II 3This course continues the exploration of the symptoms, classification,and diagnosis of adult mental disorders and introduces theformulation of treatment plans to the assessment process. It alsoincludes a critical evaluation of the DSM-IV-TR system. Multiculturaland feminist critiques will be explored as well as the use ofempirical research in the construction of the DSM-IV-TR. Alternativediagnoses will also be introduced. Prerequisite: PSD 7015.PSD 7025 Child and Adolescent Issues:Psychopathology _____________________________________________________________________and Treatment 3This course includes an exploration of the symptoms, diagnosis,and treatment of child and adolescent psychopathology. Childand adolescent development are considered from a range oftheoretical perspectives. The strengths and limitations ofexisting theoretical and clinical approaches to pathology withregard to cultural and related variables are examined. Studentswill learn assessment and evaluation, treatment interventions,specific therapeutic techniques, and parent and collateral contactskills. Prerequisites: PSD 7016 and PSD 7225.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7035 Practicum I 2Students are placed for eight hours per week in settings, generallyschools or community mental health agencies, that allow themto engage in an ethnographic observation/participation ofindividuals and groups that are culturally different from thestudents in significant ways. The goal is to enhance culturalcompetence by broadening the student’s exposure and appreciationof “others,” while gaining an in-depth understanding of his orher own assumptions, stereotypes, and biases.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7046 Group Process 1Students function as a group during the three-quarter IPS. Theyreflect upon the group dynamics of their practicum placement,their own collective experience within the IPS and the range ofperspectives encountered in their assigned academic reading, andan exploration of cultural differences in a group context.PSD 7047 Multicultural Awarenessin _____________________________________________________________________Professional Psychology 2This part of the IPS curriculum focuses on theories of diversityand the history of racism and other “isms.” Students examine theeffects of power and privilege—or lack thereof—on psychologicalfunctioning. Students will be encouraged to develop self-awarenessand a heightened sensitivity to their own values, cultural identity,and biases to understand how these serve as both resourcesand barriers to the effective delivery of mental health services todiverse populations.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7052 Writing Like a Psychologist 1.5This course is designed to ground first-year doctoral psychologystudents in the principles of effective, appropriate, professionalcommunication. Topics addressed will include ethics in writing,issues of cultural diversity relevant to the process of professionalwriting, an introduction to the dissertation process, and researchwriting skill acquisition. Students are expected to participate inclass discussions and to turn in weekly writing assignments.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7104 Social and Cultural Bases of Behavior 3This course provides students with an overview of social psychologyand related domains of psychological research addressingthe influence of culture and other collective structures on humanbehavior. The course focuses strongly on social justice–orientedsocial-psychology work, theories of prejudice and racism, and theethical issues common to social psychology methods.PSD _____________________________________________________________________7107 Biological Bases of Behavior 3Offers a practical, clinical description of the functional anatomyand physiology of the human nervous system. Information is184 Graduate School of Professional PsychologyJohn F. Kennedy University