Clinical Psychology

Curriculum guideline

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Course
PSYC 4375
Discontinued
No
Course code
PSYC 4375
Descriptive
Clinical Psychology
Department
Psychology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
201930
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Contact hours
Lecture 4 hrs. per week/semester
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

The primary method of instruction will be lecture. The course may also involve group activities, presentations, audiovisual media, and guest lectures.

Course description
This course examines both professional issues and selected topics in clinical psychology. Selected topics include, but are not limited to, educational and training requirements, history, professional ethics, research designs and issues, controversies in clinical assessment and therapy, and how to become a clinical psychologist. The focus will be on the practice of clinical psychology in Canada but occasionally comparisons with other counties will be made.
Course content
  1. History of Clinical Psychology.
  2. Contemporary Clinical Psychology – Science and Ethics.
  3. Controversies in Classification And Diagnosis.
  4. Research Methods in Clinical Psychology.
  5. Clinical Assessment Techniques.
  6. Controversies in Clinical Assessment.
  7. Psychotherapy Techniques.
  8. Controversies in Psychotherapy.
  9. Prevention.
  10. Clinical Psychology’s Relationship to Health Psychology.
  11. Clinical Psychology’s Relationship to Clinical Neuropsychology.                    
  12. Clinical Psychology’s Relationship to Forensic Psychology.
  13. Application to Graduate School.
Learning outcomes

Students will acquire and be able to demonstrate understanding of:

  1. The history of clinical psychology and how clinical psychology has evolved.
  2. Contemporary clinical psychology.
  3. Research methods in clinical psychology.
  4. Ethics in clinical psychology
  5. Clinical assessment, diagnosis, and testing.
  6. Select schools of psychotherapy.
  7. Controversies in clinical assessment.
  8. Controversies in psychotherapy.
  9. The differences between clinical, counseling, and school psychologists, as well as other mental health professionals.
  10. The relationship of clinical psychology to health, forensic and clinical neuropsychology.
  11. How to apply to graduate school.
Means of assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. Evaluation will be based on course

objectives and include some of the following:

  1. multiple choice, short answer, or essay exams
  2. term paper, research project, or written assignments
  3. oral presentation or teaching demonstration

 

The instructor will provide a written course outline with evaluation criteria at the beginning of semester.

 

An example of a possible evaluation scheme is as follows:

Research paper                                    20%

Three exams at 20% each                     60%

Presentation                                         20%

Total                                                  100%

Textbook materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

 

Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:

Hunsley, J., and Lee, C. (2010). Introduction to clinical psychology: An evidence-based approach (2nd ed.).

         Mississauga, Canada: John Wiley & Sons.

Prerequisites

PSYC 1100 and PSYC 1200 and PSYC 2341