Psychological Bases Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7000 - History and Systems (3)
• PP 7040 - Cognition and Affective Processes (3)
• PP 7050 - Physiological Psychology (3)
• PP 7060 - Social Psychology (3)

Applied Psychology Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7010 -  Lifespan Development (3)
• PP 7311 - Diagnostic Psychopathology (3)
• PP 7360 - Clinical Psychopharmacology (3)

Research Methodology Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7200 - Statistics and Research I (3)
• PP 7201 - Statistics and Research II (3)

Core Assessment Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7365 - Clinical Interviewing (3)
• PP 7370 - Cognitive Assessment (3)
• PP 7371 - Objective Personality Assessment (3)

Intervention Requirements-Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 8010 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8020 - Person-Centered and Experiential Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8030 - Psychodynamic Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8050 - Family and Couples Therapy (3)
• PP 8060 - Group Psychotherapy (3)
• PP 7350 - Consultation and Supervision (3)

Professional Development Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7110 - Professionalization Group I (1)
• PP 7111 - Professionalization Group II (1)
• PP 7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (3)
• PP 7340 - Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations (3)

Elective Requirements

Students must successfully complete 18 credit hours of elective courses. Elective requirements may be fulfilled in part by the completing one of the following concentrations: Child and Adolescent Psychology, General Adult Clinical Concentration, Health Psychology, or Neuropsychology/Geropsychology. See “Concentrations in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program” for details regarding course requirements.

Additionally, 3 credit hours of Advanced Practicum or an empirical research elective course may be counted towards the electives requirements. Students who wish to take elective courses that do not comprise one of the aforementioned concentrations must do so in consultation with their advisor.

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements—Students Are Required to Complete the Following

• PP 8201 - Practicum I (3)
• PP 8202 - Practicum II (3)
• PP 8203 - Practicum III (3)
• PP 8204 - Practicum IV (3) *

Clinical Research Project Requirements—Students Are Required to Complete the Following

• PP 8501 - Clinical Research Project (1)
• PP 8502 - Clinical Research Project II (1)
• PP 8503 - Clinical Research Project III (1)

Enrollment Requirements

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program follows a highly-structured curriculum that prescribes a sequence of coursework, clinical practicum, and research training. In order to complete program requirements in a timely manner, we expect students to maintain full-time enrollment as outlined below. Also, students in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program are required to maintain continuous enrollment each semester throughout their course of study, until all program requirements have been met.

Students in their first through third years are required to enroll for a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester (or the equivalent) during the fall and spring semesters. Fourth- year students are required to enroll for a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester (or the equivalent) during the fall and spring semesters. Students may enroll in fewer credit hours during summer semesters. Students who have fewer than 6 credit hours of required coursework prior to internship will be permitted to take less than the equivalent of 6 credit hours per semester. Otherwise, doctoral degree program students wishing to be enrolled less than the required number of credit hours must petition their faculty advisor and the program chair for permission each semester.

Following successful completion of the Clinical Competence Examination, students must be continuously registered for Clinical Research Project (CRP) credits during each fall, spring and summer I semester, until their CRP has been successfully completed.

Additional Requirements for Academic Progress

Students achieve satisfactory academic progress toward the PsyD degree by maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0). A grade of “B-” is the minimum grade for successfully completing courses in the PsyD Clinical Psychology degree program. Students who receive a grade lower than “B-” in any course must retake the course within the next 12 months and receive a grade of “B-” or higher. If the course is an elective, the same elective or another elective of equal credit must be retaken and successfully completed. Students who receive a grade lower than “B-” in a course required for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program while enrolled in the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program must retake and successfully complete that course no later than 12 months after beginning the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program.

If a student receives a grade of “Incomplete” in a course that is a prerequisite for a course in the next semester, he or she must rectify the incomplete grade within two weeks in order to take the subsequent course. If the course in which a grade of “Incomplete” was assigned is not a prerequisite for a subsequent course in the following semester, the student must rectify the incomplete grade by the end of the next semester. Any grade of “Incomplete” that is not rectified by the end of the following semester will be changed to a grade of “F.”

Students whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 (on a 4.0 point scale) will be placed on academic probation. If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) for two consecutive semesters, he or she will be academically dismissed from the program. In addition to these criteria, students enrolled in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program will be academically dismissed if any of the following conditions are met:

• Receipt of two grades below “B-” during the same semester
• Receipt of a third grade below “B-”
• Receipt of a second grade of “F”

Students are expected to successfully complete all requirements for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program within seven years after matriculation. Any student who fails to do so must request an extension of this deadline in writing from the program chair. The program chair may refer a student who has failed to program requirements within seven years to the Student Professional Development Committee (SPDC) to be considered for a formal remediation plan or a recommendation of dismissal. For a student who has taken a temporary withdrawal (i.e., leave of absence) from Argosy University, the length of time withdrawn from the program is not counted in the calculation of his or her time to program completion. A student cannot be temporarily withdrawn from the University for an accumulated period of more than one year. Please note that temporary withdrawal from the program must be formally approved by the program faculty and administration.

Certain requirements for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program must be completed within specified time frames. All prerequisites for Practicum and Seminar I must be completed by the end of the third year after matriculation. All coursework and practicum training requirements, as well as the Clinical Competence Examination (CCE), must be successfully completed by the end of the fifth year after matriculation. Any periods of temporary withdrawal from the program are excluded when determining whether a student has met these requirements. Students who fail to complete program requirements within these specified time frames will be referred to the program’s Student Professional Development Committee (SPDC) for review.

Clinical Training Overview

Students’ clinical training in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program involves progressively challenging levels of supervised field experience through which students work directly with clients in a mental healthcare setting. There are three required levels of field training in the clinical psychology doctoral degree program: diagnostic practicum, therapy practicum, and internship. Students may also choose to complete an advanced practicum, when available, prior to their internship training. During practicum training and internship, students apply their theoretical and empirical knowledge, implement clinical techniques based on this knowledge, and develop the professional and personal attitudes important to the identity of a professional psychologist. Specific requirements for progressing through each level of clinical training are outlined in the Argosy University, Atlanta Student Training Manual for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology.

The program faculty closely monitors academic performance and accomplishment in clinical training during all stages of progress throughout a student’s graduate career. This monitoring, by both academic faculty and site supervisors, addresses both the issue of students’ suitability for clinical practice and their academic achievement in completing the program’s curriculum. Aspects of students’ personal adjustment, interpersonal relationships, and behavior in all settings are relevant to their progress through the program. Our goal is to assure that, by the end of their clinical training, students will have developed effective assessment and intervention skills needed to practice in a competent and ethical manner.

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements

The primary goal of our practicum training is the development of competent clinicians who are able to deliver basic and effective assessment and therapeutic interventions, by means of supervised direct client contact. The foundation of our students’ training in clinical psychology is the accurate assessment and understanding of mental health problems. This assessment and understanding serves as the basis for recommending and/or implementing effective techniques for the alleviation or resolution of these problems, within a climate of respect for the client.

The Clinical Psychology program at Argosy University, Atlanta places students in a wide variety of clinical field sites. Doctoral students in the clinical psychology program complete a diagnostic practicum in their second year of study and a therapy practicum in their third year of study. Practicum placements are generally for nine months, from September to June.

Students spend 16 to 20 hours per week in an agency, program, or professional practice that is formally affiliated with the clinical psychology program. Students provide 6 to 10 hours of “direct service” per week – i.e., face-to-face provision of psychological services to individuals designated as clients by the agency, program, or professional practice. The remaining time may involve receiving supervision, completing documentation and other paperwork, indirect service activities, and other training activities. Students accrue a minimum of 500 hours in each practicum over the course of their clinical training experience. Prior to entering the internship year, PsyD degree program students will have accumulated a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.

Doctoral degree program students receive a minimum of one hour of primary supervision per week from a licensed doctoral-level psychologist at the diagnostic and therapy practicum sites. An additional hour of secondary supervision may be delivered by another licensed professional or postdoctoral fellow, and may consist of group supervision, case conferences, clinical observation, or in-service training. All students must also enroll in a weekly practicum seminar led by a faculty member on-campus. The faculty member does not provide direct supervision, but offers didactic training emphasizing diagnostic and intervention skills applicable to a variety of clinical populations, as well as an opportunity for consultation. The specific content and emphasis of practicum seminar varies according to the practicum setting and expertise of the faculty member.

Practicum Restrictions

Students may not complete practicum training in settings in which they are employed. Argosy University, Atlanta cannot provide compensation to the agency for the supervision and/or training of students. Each practicum training placement takes place in a single agency. Students cannot complete diagnostic practicum and therapy practicum at the same site, nor can students who have completed a Master’s practicum complete diagnostic or therapy practicum at the same site. Also, students cannot receive a course waiver in diagnostic, therapy, or advanced practicum for clinical training completed at another institution.

Professional Liability Insurance

All students enrolled in practicum at Argosy University, Atlanta must be covered by Professional Liability Insurance. Students purchase this insurance through the school. This coverage is mandatory even if the student is otherwise insured. Payment for insurance is included in the practicum tuition fees. This liability insurance is designed or activities resulting from students’ participation in the graduate curriculum, such as practicum and internship, but will not cover students who are providing clinical services as an employee of an agency or practice.

Student Qualifications for Practicum

The program’s training director, in conjunction with the Training Committee, has the authority to determine a student’s readiness for practicum training.

In order for students to apply for practicum, they must be in good standing (GPA of 3.0) and able to successfully complete all the practicum prerequisite courses prior to the beginning of practicum training. Students must not be on probation from the time of application to practicum (Spring semester) to the time the practicum begins. Students must remain in good academic standing (and not on probation) while on practicum.

Students must demonstrate a readiness to assume a professional role and to interact appropriately with clients. Personal adjustment issues, interpersonal difficulties, poor communication skills, or other behavioral problems may reflect upon a student’s ability to interact with clients in a competent and ethical manner.

Students must also have been in attendance in the Clinical Psychology program at Argosy University, Atlanta for a minimum of two semesters before beginning practicum. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the program chair.

Diagnostic Practicum Prerequisites

Students must complete the following courses, with a grade of B- or higher, before beginning the diagnostic practicum – i.e., Practicum and Seminar I (PP8201 ) and Practicum and Seminar II (PP8202 ).

Therapy Practicum Prerequisites

In addition to all prerequisites for diagnostic practicum, students must successfully complete the following courses, with a grade of B- or higher (or a grade of “Credit”), prior to beginning therapy practicum – i.e., Practicum and Seminar III (PP8203 ) and Practicum and Seminar IV (PP8204 ).

On-Site Supervision

Trainees receive a minimum of one hour of primary supervision and one hour of secondary supervision or training per week on-site. For PsyD degree program students in Practicum I, II, III, IV, V and VI at least one hour must be spent in primary individual supervision with a licensed doctoral-level psychologist. Primary supervision is offered at a regular, preset, uninterrupted time each week. Additional or secondary supervision may be provided by masters-level clinicians or postdoctoral fellows. Supervisors are expected to communicate clear expectations to students at the beginning of practicum and to provide clear feedback regarding clinical competence and progress throughout the year. Students are required to audio- or video-record some of their clinical work to be played in individual supervision and in their practicum seminar on campus. The student’s practicum seminar leader should be informed immediately of any difficulties encountered at the practicum, or of any substantive changes in the practicum experience (e.g., change of supervision).

Practicum Seminar

The practicum seminar serves as an auxiliary training component in student’s clinical training. The seminar leader works as a “partner in training” with the student’s on-site supervisor to oversee his or her field training experience. Although the seminar leader may provide general feedback about a student’s work with particular clients and progress toward treatment goals, supervision of individual cases remains the responsibility of the on-site supervisor, who has direct contact with the practicum setting and with the clients. In the seminar, students receive didactic training, present their clinical work, and consult with peers and the seminar leader regarding challenging assessment and treatment issues. The major objectives of practicum seminar include:

• Introducing, via didactic and experiential training, fundamental skills in conceptualization and clinical service.
• Providing exposure to a variety of clinical issues in different settings and with diverse populations.
• Enhancing students’ capacity to generalize their clinical experiences across domains and groups.
• Fostering students’ development in specific technical interventions and global clinical competencies.
• Evaluating students’ progress in professional development and growth in the major areas of competence.

In practicum seminar, students also prepare formal case presentations, both through written documents and oral presentations in the seminar. These case presentations demonstrate not only the student’s skills and competence in working with clients, but also provide a means to assess his or her ability to integrate knowledge and skills obtained by progressing through the program curriculum into one’s practicum experience. As such, the practicum seminar provides an additional level of clinical training and evaluation of students’ competencies beyond that provided by on-site supervision alone.

Practicum Student Evaluation and Final Grades

Site supervisors and practicum seminar leaders formally evaluate students each semester, and a grade is assigned by the practicum seminar leader. Depending on a student’s progress in practicum, a grade of Progress, Credit, No Credit, or Incomplete may be issued for each term that the student is enrolled (Fall, Spring, Summer I). A student receiving a grade of No Credit for Practicum I, II, III, IV, V, or VI must repeat that entire practicum experience for a minimum of nine months. The student must also meet with the program’s Student Professional Development Committee to develop a plan for addressing his or her training needs. A final grade of “No Credit” in a practicum constitutes a failing grade (e.g., equivalent to an “F”) for purposes of determining whether a student is demonstrating satisfactory academic progress.

The current Student Training Manual for the Doctoral Degree Program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta provides a more detailed description of practicum requirements and guidelines. This manual is updated on a regular basis. All students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the information contained in the student training manual.

Clinical Competence Examination Requirements

Students are required to take and successfully pass a Clinical Competence Examination (CCE) during the summer I semester of the year in which they complete therapy practicum (Practicum III and IV), typically in the third year of the program. The CCE involves a thorough, structured case presentation of a client for whom the student provided treatment services during therapy practicum. The written case presentation addresses the student’s knowledge and understanding of assessment and diagnosis, conceptualization and treatment planning, ethical and legal considerations, and diversity issues. Students must also provide a synopsis of their treatment with the client, a self-assessment of their work with the client, a recorded session and transcript, and a self-critique of that session. Students are also required to successfully complete an oral defense of their case presentation with a faculty committee, covering the areas noted above and responding to specific questions about the case itself and pertinent areas of knowledge within clinical psychology. The content and structure of the CCE is designed to assess students’ knowledge base, their clinical reasoning within a conceptual model, their technical assessment and intervention skills, their relationship skills, and their ability to communicate as a practitioner in both written and oral formats.

Students who fail the CCE are allowed to retake the examination one time, following an additional practicum training experience. A student is not eligible to apply for predoctoral internship until he or she has successfully completed the CCE.

Clinical Competence Examination Prerequisites

Students are eligible to take the CCE if they (1) are in good academic standing in the doctoral program with a GPA of 3.00, (2) have completed all required prerequisite courses noted below, (3) have completed 115 direct service hours in Practicum IV by the last day of the Spring semester, and (4) have successfully passed the Practicum IV Final Project by May 1 of the year in which the CCE is taken.

In addition to the prerequisite courses required for both diagnostic and therapy practicum (PP8201–PP8204), students are also required to successfully complete the following courses before attempting the Clinical Competence Examination (CCE):

• PP 7201 - Statistics and Research II  (3)
• PP 7360 - Clinical Psychopharmacology  (3)
• PP 8050 - Family and Couples Therapy  (3)
• PP 8060 - Group Psychotherapy  (3)
• PP 8203 - Practicum III  (3)
• PP 8204 - Practicum IV  (3) *

* The Clinical Competence Examination may be taken concurrently with Practicum and Seminar IV (PP 8204 ).

Specific information about the content, administration and scoring of the Clinical Competence Examination is outlined in the Student Training Manual for the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta. All students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the information contained in the student training manual.

Predoctoral Internship Requirements

All doctoral degree program students must complete a predoctoral internship, which is an integral component of the doctoral degree program and the final experience in the clinical training sequence. Most internships are full-time positions for 12 months, but half-time internships may be completed in 24 months. The internship must be successfully completed in order for students to obtain the PsyD degree. During internship training, students are expected to assume significant responsibilities and to perform major professional functions under the supervision of licensed psychologists. The internship experience should provide students with a variety of intensive and diverse opportunities that allow them to function in various roles expected of a clinical psychologist. Typically, full-time students begin the internship during their fifth year of enrollment.

Prerequisites for Internship

Students’ readiness for internship will be formally reviewed by their academic advisor and the program’s Training Office. In order to be eligible to begin the internship, the student must have completed the following requirements:

• Successful completion of the Clinical Competence Examination (CCE)
• Successful completion of all coursework with no outstanding grades of Incomplete
• A cumulative GPA of at least 3.0
• Submission of the completed and signed Internship Readiness Form to the Training Office

Because predoctoral interns assume a great deal of professional responsibility, the clinical psychology program faculty and administration ultimately determine students’ readiness for internship training. In addition to the prerequisites noted above, students applying for internship must demonstrate an appropriate level of professional competence and maturity in order to begin the internship year. Students with ongoing issues regarding their professional conduct may be prohibited from applying for internship until these concerns are sufficiently resolved.

The Internship Application Process

The application process for internship begins approximately one year prior to the start date of the internship. This process is highly-structured and involves specific requirements, administrative tasks, and deadlines. Most internship placements in professional psychology begin in September, but a few begin as early as July 1st or as late as October 1st. The Director of Training will hold meetings beginning during the Spring semester prior to the internship application process. Students who are planning to apply for internship during the Fall semester must attend all of these scheduled meetings. Further, they must demonstrate that they are, or will be, ready and eligible to attend internship the next year.

Students are expected to abide by all policies and procedures outlined by Argosy University, Atlanta and APPIC regarding the internship application and selection process. The Director of Training and program faculty will work diligently to assist students with the internship application process. The Training Office will send email messages and hold meetings periodically, in order to keep students as informed as possible throughout this process. However, each student applying for internship should bear in mind that he or she is responsible for completing and submitting application materials. As such, it is important to stay abreast of all information that is distributed regarding the internship application process and to adhere closely to application processes and deadlines.

Basic Requirements for Internship Sites

There is a minimum requirement of 2000 hours for the internship. This requirement should be completed through full-time experience for one calendar year, or through two consecutive years of half-time experience. Students are strongly encouraged to seek internships that are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA). Students may not seek internships that are not active members of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) without prior approval from the training director. The list of all APA accredited internships can be found in the most recent December issue of the American Psychologist or at www.apa.org. Copies of the current APPIC Directory are available online at www.appic.org, in the campus library, and in the office of the training director. The internship must be a paid position.

Students should bear in mind that some states may have internship requirements that must be met for licensure and/or certification. Students should be familiar with the specific regulations of the state or states in which they wish to practice, so that their internship experience conforms to the guidelines of those states.

Evaluation of Interns

Students’ performance on internship is evaluated two times per year. The Student Evaluation Form is completed by internship supervisors and assesses the student’s progress, competence, and performance on internship. The Director of Training reviews the evaluation forms in order to monitor each student’s progress during internship training and to identify any areas of difficulty. At the completion of the internship year, the Director of Training makes the final determination whether the student has successfully met the internship requirements of the PsyD degree program. In addition, the student is asked to complete a formal evaluation of his or her internship experience.

Please refer to the Student Training Manual for the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology for more detailed information regarding the predoctoral internship process, requirements, and guidelines. All students are responsible for being familiar with the information contained in the student training manual.

Clinical Research Project Requirements

The Clinical Research Project (CRP) is a training experience designed to provide students with a guided opportunity to integrate and apply findings from empirical research in order to address a specific issue in professional psychology. Working closely with faculty members, students identify an issue within applied psychology and conduct a scholarly review and synthesis of the empirical literature designed to address this issue. The primary training goal of the Clinical Research Project is to help students develop the skills needed to become critical consumers of the empirical literature in psychology.

Registration

Registration for Clinical Research Project credit begins in the Fall term after the student has successfully completed the CCE. From this point forward, students must be continuously registered for CRP credit during the Fall, Spring and Summer I Semesters until the project is successfully defended. If the CRP is not completed prior to finishing internship, the student must register for an extended CRP credit each semester until the project is completed. Students who have finished all coursework and have not started internship must also register for CRP credits until the project is completed.

Scope of the Clinical Research Project

Students are expected to focus upon a psychological issue that is grounded in theory and that is addressed by current research. The appropriateness of the project is determined by the CRP chair and committee member(s), and should represent a potentially publishable review or a synthesis of findings that could be presented to professional psychologists in a conference or workshop setting. Students are not limited to research on clinical populations. All students, however, are required to provide a clinical rationale for proposed reviews. The final Clinical Research Project document should demonstrate the following:

• Mastery of theoretical, clinical, and empirical literature relevant to the topic studied.
• Methodological and statistical knowledge relevant to the area of inquiry.
• The ability to integrate specific research findings across studies and to synthesize information into a clear conclusion.
• The ability to write clearly and concisely in the style adopted by the profession.

In other words, the Clinical Research Project should be a sophisticated piece of written scholarship that demonstrates the ability to frame and address a psychological issue through an exacting review of published literature.

The Clinical Research Project Proposal

The Clinical Research Project proposal is a brief, but important, document. The proposal is typically 5-10 pages in length. The CRP proposal summarizes the student’s planned review of the professional literature, including: a brief introduction that supports the central issue guiding the review; the primary organizing principle(s) of the review; a general outline of the review; the clinical rationale for reviewing this particular CRP topic; and a preliminary bibliography. The CRP proposal is regarded as a contract that is binding both to the student and the program. Specific content and structure of the CRP proposal are developed jointly with the CRP chair. Given that it is not possible to know in advance everything about a given area of empirical literature, the student should expect some changes in the structure or focus of the CRP review. However, these changes should be minor and consistent with the scope of the review outlined in the proposal.

Proposal Defense

The formal defense of the Clinical Research Project proposal is designed to ensure that the student has a workable plan for his or her review that meets the standards of scholarship and scientific sophistication appropriate to earning a doctoral degree. The student may be questioned about any aspect of his or her CRP proposal. Students should be prepared to explain their topic, specific issues, clinical rationale, the proposed structure, and the scope and quality of published literature. The formal defense also allows the CRP committee to reach clear agreement about the structure and scope of the proposed review.

Final Clinical Research Project Document

The Clinical Research Project document should present a critical review and synthesis of the literature that ends with clear conclusions about, and implications for, the issue addressed by the review. As a significant piece of scholarship, the final CRP document should be well-organized, well-written, and professionally presented. More detailed information about the content and structure of the final CRP document is provided in the program’s student training manual.

Final CRP Defense

The final CRP defense is an examination of the scholarship and the quality of both the research and the written document. The student must be prepared to discuss all aspects of his or her project, including specific studies and their findings, theoretical and clinical implications of their evaluation of the research, and methodological strengths and weaknesses of the studies reviewed. Even though the student may have successfully defended the CRP, committee members may ask him or her to make specific revisions to the CRP document. These revisions must be completed, with the CRP chair’s approval, before the document is submitted for binding.

Please refer to the Student Training Manual for the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta for a more detailed description of CRP requirements, procedures, and guidelines. All students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the information contained in the student training manual.

Recommended Course Sequence for the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

Students’ progress through the program’s coursework and clinical training is intended to be sequential and graded in complexity. Certain courses are offered earlier in the curriculum in order to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for courses and practicum training experiences that follow in subsequent years. In addition, certain advanced courses require the student to have the background provided by more basic courses in order to benefit fully from the course experience.

Before a student can register for a course, he or she must satisfy all stated prerequisites for that course. Failure to meet all stated prerequisites before taking a course could result in administrative withdrawal from that course at any point prior to or during the semester.

Students in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program are expected to adhere to a recommended program of study that specifies which courses should be taken in each term and year of enrollment in the program. Any student who transfers course credits into the program or who falls behind in the curriculum sequence should meet with his or her academic advisor to develop an alternate program of study that accommodates that student’s particular circumstances. The recommended program of study for students in the PsyD Clinical Psychology degree program is outlined below:

Concentrations in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program does not require the selection of a concentration. The basic curriculum offered by the school contains a thorough grounding in the knowledge and skills required by a fully functioning clinical psychologist. However, in order to ensure that each student receives thorough training in the integration and synthesis of diagnostic testing data, all students must take at least one of three advanced testing courses: Integrative Assessment (PP7373 ), Child and Adolescent Assessment (PP7331 ), or Neuropsychological Assessment I (PP8720 ).

For students who desire to follow a particular interest, the following optional concentrations are offered by Argosy University, Atlanta.

• Child & Family Psychology
• General Adult Clinical
• Health Psychology
• Neuropsychology/Geropsychology

Course/Credit Transfer

A maximum of 10 graduate level courses (30 semester credit hours) from other academic institutions may be transferred into the PsyD Clinical Psychology degree program at the Argosy University, Atlanta.

For any course that a student wishes to transfer, a Course Waiver Form with a corresponding transcript, syllabus, and other supporting material must be submitted for review. Decisions on course waivers are made following faculty review of all materials submitted with the waiver request. Transfer credit is granted if there is an 80 percent overlap in course content and objectives between the course submitted for transfer credit and the course offered at Argosy University, Atlanta. Students may obtain the procedures to be observed in submitting transfer requests from the program’s administrative coordinator. All requests to transfer courses into the PsyD degree program at Argosy University, Atlanta must be submitted during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment.

Requests for transfer of credit are not granted until an applicant has been accepted into the program. A grade of “B” or better must have been obtained for any course submitted for transfer credit from another graduate institution. Of the allowed 30 credit hours, only 3 credit hours of general elective courses from a doctoral program in psychology may be transferred. The elective course submitted for transfer must correspond to an elective course that is offered in the PsyD degree program at Argosy University, Atlanta. Courses from another Argosy University campus with the same course name and number at both campuses will automatically transfer if an acceptable grade (based on program requirements at Argosy University, Atlanta) was received.

The following courses may not be transferred to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at Argosy University, Atlanta unless they are transferred from another Argosy University campus.

• PP 7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law  (3)
• PP 7110 - Professionalization Group I  (1)
• PP 7111 - Professionalization Group II  (1)
• PP 7365 - Clinical Interviewing  (3)
• PP 8201 - Practicum I  (3)
• PP 8202 - Practicum II  (3)
• PP 8203 - Practicum III  (3)
• PP 8204 - Practicum IV  (3)

Transfer credit for diagnostic practicum and therapy practicum (PP8201-8204) will not be approved if the student’s practicum training requirements at another Argosy University campus differed substantially from practicum requirements for the PsyD degree program at Argosy University, Atlanta.

Qualifying for the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree as a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Program Student

Many students decide to pursue the MA in Clinical Psychology degree while earning the PsyD in Psychology in Clinical Psychology degree. Students can apply for the MA in Clinical Psychology degree after they have successfully completed all courses required in the first two years of the PsyD degree program curriculum, including all requirements for Practicum and Seminar II (PP 8202 ).

The Final Project in Practicum and Seminar II is designed to integrate didactic knowledge and clinical skills that students have the opportunity to gain in the first two years of the program, and requires a work sample, written case report, and self-critique of evaluation skills. Essentially, this project serves as a written, comprehensive examination of students’ knowledge of clinical assessment and theory.

Once students have successfully completed all required coursework and Practicum and Seminar II (PP 8202 ), they may petition to the Student Services Department to receive the MA in Clinical Psychology degree. The director of Student Services publishes deadlines for petitioning for the MA in Clinical Psychology degree each year.

Core Course Requirements — Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7000 - History and Systems (3)
• PP 7020 - Child and Adolescent Development (3)
• PP 7040 - Cognition and Affective Processes (3)
• PP 7051 - Biological Bases of Behavior (3)
• PP 7080 - Personal and Professional Development Group (2)
• PP 7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (3)
• PP 7202 - Statistics (3)
• PP 7203 - Research Methods (3)
• PP 7320 - Health and Dysfunction I (3)
• PP 7321 - Health and Dysfunction II (3)
• PP 7341 - Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations (3)
• PP 7352 - Clinical Supervision (1.5)
• PP 7359 - Introduction to Clinical Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse (3)
• PP 7365 - Clinical Interviewing (3)
• PP 7370 - Cognitive Assessment (3)
• PP 7371 - Objective Personality Assessment (3)
• PP 7372 - Projective Personality Assessment (3)
• PP 7373 - Integrative Assessment (2)
• PP 7550 - Consultation in Diverse Settings (1.5)
• PP 8185 - Social Psychology and Difference (3)
• PP 8470 - Adult Development and Aging (3)

Advanced Intervention and Supervision Elective Requirements— Students Choose One or More of the Following

• PP 7374 - Assessment: Advanced Rorschach (3)
• PP 7400 - Advanced Group Leadership and Supervision (3)
• PP 7600 - The Countertransference Experience (1.5)
• PP 7615 - Health Psychology: Prevention, Stress and Serious Illness (1.5)
• PP 8011 - Advanced Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy (3)
• PP 8032 - Advanced Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and Supervision (3)
• PP 8066 - Advanced Diversity Group Leadership (3)
• PP 8102 - Advanced Family and Couples Therapy (3)
• PP 8625 - Child and Family Forensics (3)
• PP 8333 - Treatment and Diagnosis of ADHD (3)
• PP 8653 - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (3)
• PP 8661 - Eating Disorders (1.5)
• PP 8662 -  Addictive Disorders (1.5)
• PP 8671 - Clinical Use of Dreams (1.5)
• PP 8677 - Mourning and Loss (3)
• PP 8645 - Introduction to Neuropsychology (3)
• PP 8683 - Existential Psychotherapy (3)
• PP 8731 - Couples and Marital Therapy (3)
• PP 8118 - Advanced Interventions with Diverse Populations (3)

Diversity Elective Requirement — Students Choose One of the Following

• PP 7330 - Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (3)
• PP 7322 - Community Mental Health (3)
• PP 7611 - Health Psychology: Pain, Neurological Conditions and Rehabilitation (3)
• PP 7615 - Health Psychology: Prevention, Stress and Serious Illness (3)
• PP 8022 - Exploring Diversity I (1.5)
• PP 8024 - Exploring Diversity II (1.5)
• PP 8025 - Diversity Psychology: Past, Present & Future (3)
• PP 8043 -  Psychoanalysis and Diversity (3) *
• PP 8116 - Psychology of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Development (3)
• PP 8117 - Indigenous Healing Models and Modern Psychotherapy (3)
• PP 8624 - Criminal Psychology (3)
• PP 8450 - Advanced Child Neuropsychology (3)
• PP 8682 -  Psychotherapy and Spirituality (3)
• PP 8701 - Geriatric Assessment/Introduction to Neuropsychological Screening (3)
• PP 8711 - Child Maltreatment (3)
• PP 8717 - Psychology of Gender (3)

Intervention I, II, and III Elective Requirements — Students Choose Three of the Following

• PP 8010 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8020 - Person-Centered and Experiential Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8040 - Psychoanalytic Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8050 - Family and Couples Therapy (3)
• PP 8060 - Group Psychotherapy (3)
• PP 8401 - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy (3)
• PP 8690 - Brief Therapy (3)

Professional Practice Elective Requirement — Students Choose a Combination of the Following for a Total of 3 Credit Hours

• PP 7120 - Psychology and Management (1.5)
• PP 7610 - Extended Empathic Responding I (1.5)
• PP 7611 - Health Psychology: Pain, Neurological Conditions and Rehabilitation (1.5)
• PP 7612 - Extended Empathic Responding II (1.5)
• PP 7615 - Health Psychology: Prevention, Stress and Serious Illness (1.5)
• PP 7640 - Supervision in Family and Couples Therapy (3)
• PP 7900 -  Intervention and Prevention Program Development (3)
• PP 8043 -  Psychoanalysis and Diversity (3) *
• PP 8155 -  Practice Development and Marketing for Psychologists (1.5)
• PP 8334 - Attention Deficit Disorder and Nonverbal Learning Disability (3)
• PP 8625 - Child and Family Forensics (3)
• PP 8626 - Civil Psychology and Law (3)
• PP 8651 - Skills Laboratory in Health Psychology: Meditation (1.5)
• PP 8653 - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (3)
• PP 8661 - Eating Disorders (1.5)
• PP 8662 -  Addictive Disorders (1.5)
• PP 8671 - Clinical Use of Dreams (1.5)
• PP 8677 - Mourning and Loss (3) *
• PP 8751 - Family Systems and Health (1.5)
• PP 8752 - Antepartum and Postpartum Mood Disorders (1.5)

Professionalization Group Requirements — Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7110 - Professionalization Group I (1)
• PP 7111 - Professionalization Group II (1)

Practicum Requirements — Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 8201 - Practicum I (3)
• PP 8202 - Practicum II (3)
• PP 8203 - Practicum III (3)
• PP 8204 - Practicum IV (3)
• PP 8300 - Advanced Practicum (3)

Clinical Research Project Requirement — Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 8501 - Clinical Research Project (2)
• PP 8499 - CRP Proposal Development (3)

Notes

* Courses listed in multiple distribution elective categories may only be used to fulfill one of the elective category requirements. A course may not be taken to fulfill both requirements..

General Elective Requirement

Students in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program are required to complete 3 credit hours of a general elective.

Students may choose any course in the PsyD degree  program that is not part of the required curriculum to fulfill this requirement.

Professionalization Group Requirements

All students are required to enroll in a Professionalization Group, which meets for one hour per week for two semesters. Students must register for two consecutive semesters of Professionalization Group beginning with their first semester of matriculation.

The Professionalization Group leader is the student’s advisor for his or her first year of matriculation.

Practicum and Practicum Seminar Requirements

All students who enter the practicum application process must be in good academic standing, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) and have completed the academic planning, which will allow for all the practicum prerequisite courses to be completed prior to the beginning of the practicum. The ASPP at Argosy University, Chicago faculty review all practicum applicants to determine their academic and clinical suitability. Student readiness is determined by the director of Clinical Training, in consultation with the ASPP at Argosy University, Chicago faculty. No student may begin a practicum without being in attendance at the ASPP at Argosy University, Chicago for a minimum of two semesters.

The director of Clinical Training has the discretion to make decisions on any probationary student. This would include both looking for practicum and participating in practicum.

If a first-year student is placed on probation based on fall semester grades, the student may not look for a practicum during the spring semester. If the student has achieved a GPA of 3.0 or above when the spring grades are available, the student may, at the discretion of the director of Clinical Training, look for a practicum at that time.

If a first-year student who has accepted a practicum is placed on probation after spring grades are received, he/she may not attend the practicum if the GPA is below 3.0. The Clinical Training Committee may make exceptions only after a thorough review of the student’s academic and clinical suitability. If the GPA is at or above 3.0 after the summer grades are received, the student may, at the discretion of the director of Clinical Training, begin the practicum.

Please refer to the Argosy University, Chicago Clinical Training Manual for a more detailed description of practicum training requirements and guidelines. All students are responsible for being familiar with the information contained in the clinical training manual.

Comprehensive Examination Requirements

All doctorate degree program students are required to successfully complete a Comprehensive Examination. The successful passage of this examination marks the official acceptance of the matriculated student as a doctoral candidate. The material covered in the Comprehensive Examination covers the courses and material required of students during the first two to three years of study at Argosy University, Chicago. The examination requires students to be able to integrate the material from those years into a form demonstrating both mastery of the material and ability to organize what they have learned in a coherent and logical manner.

All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to taking the Comprehensive Exam. This exam is a two-week take-home exam offered once a year in August, and it is usually taken at the beginning of the third or fourth year. Failure to fully pass the Comprehensive Exam after two attempts will result in dismissal from the program. All doctorate degree program students must pass this exam by the end of the fifth year and before they may begin to apply for internships.

Students who are unable to pass the Comprehensive Examination will receive information concerning their performance on the examination and assistance in constructing additional experiences and instruction aimed at enabling them to pass this program requirement.

Clinical Evaluation Conference Requirements

The Clinical Evaluation Conference (CEC) is a series of competency-based examinations, which are designed to evaluate students’ mastery of major clinical assessment and therapeutic skills.

Students should be prepared to demonstrate clinical competence both conceptually and in application. It is also expected that students, having learned theoretical and applied bases in classroom courses, will have made use of out-of-class clinical contacts (e.g., practicum, seminar groups, supplementary supervision, visiting lecturers) to refine and extend the skills to be evaluated by the CEC. Therefore, successful completion of coursework and practicum do not guarantee passing the CEC. The CEC has five components:

• Diagnostic Scoring
• Diagnostic Interpretation
• Diagnostic Interviewing
• Therapy
• Ethics

Clinical Research Project Requirements

Argosy University, Chicago requires each doctoral degree program student to develop a Clinical Research Project as a requirement for graduation. The Clinical Research Project requires students to articulate a particular clinical question or set of questions that they then attempt to address in their paper.

The Clinical Research Project is intended to be a demonstration of scholarship and critical thinking in approaching a relevant and meaningful clinical question or issue.

The Clinical Research Project usually requires at least 12 months to complete with a steady commitment of time. During this period, the student works closely with their Clinical Research Project chairperson, to develop an acceptable proposal. In the proposal, the student addresses a particular clinical question or set of questions within an established format. The format requires the student to review the theoretical, clinical and research literature relevant to the problem addressed, to present appropriate data, and to analyze the data in the light of the questions and concepts found in the literature. The Clinical Research Project requires that the written paper contain a new integration of theory based upon the data presented and the review of the literature.

All students must register for PP 8499  CRP Proposal Development no later than the Fall semester of the academic year prior to the application for internship. Starting in the following Spring semester, students will register for PP 8501  Clilnical Research Project and remian registered  until they complete the project.

For further information and details concerning the Clinical Research Project, please refer to the Handbook for the Clinical Research Project, which can be obtained from the Student Services Department.

Internship Requirements

All students are required to complete a one-year (12 month) internship as a condition for graduation. This intensive and supervised contact with clients is essential for giving greater breadth and depth to the student’s overall academic experience. Typically, full-time students will begin the internship during their fifth year of enrollment.

Please refer to the ASPP at Argosy University, Chicago Clinical Training Manual for a more detailed des cription of training requirements and guidelines. All students are responsible for being familiar with the information contained in the clinical training manual.
 

Recommended Course Sequence for the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program at Argosy University, Chicago — Five-Year Curriculum

This course sequence provides a recommendation for which years students should complete coursework. In most cases, the particular semester the student completes the course is not important. Student progress through the program is intended to be sequential. Certain courses are offered to first-year students that are designed to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for courses that will follow in subsequent years. In addition, certain advanced courses require the student to have the background of more basic courses in order to benefit fully from the course experience. Students must satisfy all stated prerequisites for a course before a registration for that course can be considered official. A listing of the prerequisites for courses in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program is printed in each Registration Bulletin.

Completing the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program in Four Years

First-year students may be eligible for a four-year curriculum that will require three years of coursework followed by an internship rather than four years of coursework and an internship. Typically, this accelerated program is only recommended for students who either already have a master’s degree in clinical psychology (or a related field) or for students who have considerable clinical experience prior to starting the program. Curriculum guidelines for the four-year program are available from the Student Services Department. Generally, no additional approval is necessary prior to beginning the four-year program. Students will need to gain the consent of their advisors prior to applying for a fourth-year internship.

Concentrations in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

Argosy University, Chicago does not require the selection of a particular concentration within PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program. The basic curriculum contains a thorough grounding in the knowledge and skills required by a fully-functioning clinical psychologist. However, for those students who desire to follow a particular interest, Argosy University, Chicago offers ten optional concentrations in the following areas:

• Child & Adolescent Psychology
• Client-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies
• Diversity & Multicultural Psychology
• Family Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Organizational Consulting
• Psychoanalytic Psychology
• Psychology & Spirituality

Students graduating from these concentrations will be eligible for licensure as clinical psychologists. Therefore, the ASPP at Argosy University, Chicago has retained the elements of the curriculum that are essential to educating and training future psychologists.

Students use the electives requirements portion of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology general  degree program to satisfy the concentration course }requirements. The internship, Clinical Research Project, practicum and practicum seminar time and semester credit hour requirements of the general program remain in effect, the student simply focuses his or her direction of placement and research on his or her concentration area.

Child & Adolescent Concentration

The Child & Adolescent Psychology concentration is designed to prepare doctoral degree program students to work with a broad spectrum of emotional, developmental and cognitive functioning presented in pediatric through adolescent populations. The concentration is designed to develop clinical competency in the areas of diagnostic assessment, therapeutic intervention, program development, and prevention strategies.

Considerations

• The concentration emphasizes the value of integrating cultural, racial, gender and sexual orientation factors into understanding optimal adaptation and dysfunction.
• Students are encouraged to develop expertise in their particular areas of interest, and will be involved with coursework in prevention, pediatric, and early childhood development as well as intervention with adolescents. Additional coursework includes maltreatment, family systems, forensics, and treatment of diverse populations.
   

Client-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies Concentration

The Client-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies concentration focuses on coursework and training, as well as a community of support for students who want to develop themselves as client-centered or experiential psychotherapists.

Considerations

• Graduates will be prepared to work effectively in client-centered and/or experiential frameworks. Students will be encouraged to clarify and develop their own more specific orientation within the range of person-centered psychotherapies.
• Graduates will have training and experiences that encourage development of the relational qualities central to person-centered work: empathic understanding, personal authenticity and non-judgmental prizing.

Training in the concentration will emphasize development of the ability to maintain client-centered relationship conditions with persons coming from a broad range of life experiences — including diversity of culture, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and levels of psychological functioning.

Coursework and practicum experience in the Client-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies concentration can be used toward gaining certificates in Client-Centered and/or Experiential Psychotherapy.
 

Diversity & Multicultural Psychology Concentration

The Diversity concentration is designed to meet the educational and training needs of students interested in racial/ethnic issues, culture, gender, sexuality, international psychology, and disabilities. Defining diversity in the broad sense is designed to prepare students for service provision to diverse populations in multiple settings. The concentration will facilitate students’ understanding of relevant aspects of human services and healthcare delivery to people of color, immigrants, persons with varying sexual orientation, gender, and disabilities, and other under-served populations. Many of the courses for the Diversity concentration will not only help meet the job demands of the current psychology market, but also foster leadership development in relevant diversity issues within clinical psychology.

Considerations

• Graduates must have sufficient knowledge about current theories and practice that relate to various diverse populations
• Graduates must undergo a process of continued awareness of their own cultural context while respecting differences
• Graduates must become knowledgeable about social and political systems (e.g., discrimination and oppression) and the impact this has on various diverse populations
• Graduates must recognize that each person has multifaceted identities, and appreciate how these identities interact in dynamic and often complex ways with personality, experience, and context
   

Family Psychology Concentration

The Family Psychology concentration is designed to meet the need for education and training in assessment, intervention, and supervision in working with families, couples and individuals.

Considerations

• Graduates will be educated and trained in the fundamentals of family and couples clinical paradigms.
• Graduates will be prepared to pursue postdoctoral training and focused clinical activities with an advanced system’s conceptual and clinical foundation.

The concentration emphasizes the significance and value of integrating cultural, racial, gender, religious, and sexual orientation factors into understanding families, couples, and individuals.
 

Forensic Psychology Concentration

The Forensic Psychology concentration focuses on areas where clinical psychology and law interact. The goal of the concentration is to familiarize students with the application of child and adult assessment techniques to both criminal and civil cases, as well as to the emerging area of testing for the hiring of police and governmental law enforcement personnel.

Considerations

• Graduates will understand selected fundamental principles in assessment of individuals involved in both criminal justice and civil legal proceedings.
• Graduates will become familiar with topics of emerging significance in the areas of suitability assessments of police and governmental personnel.
• Graduates will be conversant with the role of diverse background factors in the assessment of forensic related populations.
   

Health Psychology Concentration

The Health Psychology concentration is designed to prepare students to work with health psychology populations in addition to their general training in clinical psychology. Health Psychology refers to the educational, scientific and professional contributions of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of physical health; the prevention and treatment of illness; the identification of the factors that contribute to illness and health; and the analysis and improvement of the healthcare system and health policy.

Considerations

• Graduates will be educated and trained in coursework and practicum training relating to the theory and practice of health psychology.
• Graduates will be prepared to pursue postdoctoral training and focused clinical activities with an advanced theoretical and clinical foundation.

The concentration emphasizes the significance and value of integrating cultural, racial, gender, and sexual orientation factors into understanding and working with health psychology populations.
 

Neuropsychology Concentration

The Neuropsychology concentration is structured to meet the Division 40 guidelines for doctoral training in Clinical Neuropsychology. This concentration prepares the student for internship and postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology in accordance with the Houston Conference Guidelines.

Considerations

•  Graduates will have an understanding of Brain-Behavior relationships that will allow them to practice effective in neuropsychological settings.
• Students will receive coursework and training in Clinical Neuropsychology that is structured to meet the Division 40 guidelines for doctoral training in Clinical Neuropsychology.
• This concentration prepares the student for internship and postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology in accordance with the Houston Conference Guidelines.
•  Graduates will have both scholarly and clinical experience with populations that may utilize or benefit from Neuropsychological interventions. Further, they will develop skills to incorporate neuropsychological concepts with traditional psychology.
• Students will gain familiarity with cutting edge, empirically supported research in the etiology and practice of the treatment ofcognitive and mental health disorders.

The Neuropsychology concentration requires the satisfactory completion of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program semester credit hour, Professionalization Group, Comprehensive Examination, five Clinical Competency tasks, and internship requirements listed under “Program Requirements.”

Students in this concentration are required to fulfill the electives requirements portion of the program as follows:

Brain-Behavior Relationship

PP 7530 Neuroanatomy and Pathology 
PP 8702 Neuropsychological Assessment I  
PP 8704 Neuropsychological Assessment II  

Foundations for the Practice of Neuropsychology

PP 8220 Adult Neuropsychological Assessment  
PP 8333 Treatment and Diagnosis of ADHD  
PP 8450 Advanced Child Neuropsychology 
PP 8645 Introduction to Neuropsychology 
PP 8701 Geriatric Assessment/Introduction to Neuropsychological Screening  
 

Students who wish to obtain a specialization in Neuropsychology will need to

•  Satisfy enrollment requirements and be in good standing
• Officially declare neuropsychology as an area of concentration in writing to the Neuropsychology Concentration Chairperson
• Receive official approval from the Neuropsychology Concentration Chairperson 
• Complete the concentration curriculum requirements established at Argosy University, Chicago

Organizational Consulting Concentration

The Organizational Consulting concentration is designed to serve as a primer toward professional specialization in working with and consulting to groups, systems, and organizations.

It is designed to provide students with a foundation in Organizational theory, research and application in order to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to assess and consult to systems, groups and organizations.

Considerations

• Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of organizational psychology that integrates the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, applications, historical trends and key figures in the field.
• Given an organizational psychology issue, graduates will be able to evaluate potential problems, diagnose possible causes and develop and defend appropriate courses of action utilizing the theoretical foundations and current research in the organizational psychology field.
• Given an organizational objective, graduates will be able evaluate the need for and impact of change on the organization and organizational members, and apply appropriate models, theories and principles to facilitate healthy change and development.
   

Psychoanalytic Psychology Concentration

The Psychoanalytic Psychology concentration is designed to meet the need for education and training in assessment, intervention, and supervision within a broad psychoanalytic model. The curriculum is designed to provide a firm grounding in major theoretical paradigms with special attention to those which are current and emerging.

Considerations

Graduates of the Psychoanalytic Psychology concentration will be prepared to work effectively within a psychoanalytic framework and begin postdoctoral training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy or psychoanalysis.  Issues of difference and diversity (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, social class) will be addressed throughout the concentration’s curriculum.
 

Psychology & Spirituality Concentration

The Psychology & Spirituality concentration has the following goal:

• To prepare students to assess and treat clients who consider their problems as having a spiritual core, along with integration of this preparation for working with all clients.
• To provide students an opportunity to focus on the integration of psychological theory and practice with the student’s own spiritual understanding and growth.
• To prepare students to know how to develop a practice that will engage this population of clients with spiritually-based problems.
• To use this spiritually-based understanding in practice with all populations.

Considerations

• The concentration emphasizes the significance and value of integrating cultural, racial, gender, and sexual orientation in understanding spiritually committed clients.
• Graduates will be educated and trained in areas related to the understanding and treatment of clients aware of, and struggling with, spiritual issues.
• The concentration supports membership in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, a certification organization for practitioners integrating psychology and spirituality.
   

Course/Credit Transfer

Transfer of Courses/Credit to the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program from Other Institutions

Students may seek transfer credit for graduate coursework taken at other insitutions only after enrolling at ASPP at Argosy University, Chicago and only during the first year of enrollment.  Students must complete a Transfer Request Form and supply the syllabus, transcript, and any other relevant material for faculty review. Courses that overlap 80 percent with ASPP at Argosy University, Chicago courses will be accepted for transfer credit. Please refer to the Course Transfer Guidelines for additional information about transfer coursework and courses that are non-transferable.
 

Qualifying for the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree as a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program Student

Students in the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology degree program who wish to earn the Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology degree while working toward the doctorate degree must petition for the degree, and complete courses and clinical training consistent with the requirements of the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program. In order to qualify for the degree, doctorate students must complete an advanced practicum and the following MA in Clinical Psychology courses above and beyond their regular curriculum requirements:

Program Requirements

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program requires the successful completion of 98 credit hours, distributed as follows: assessment requirement, 12 credit hours; psychology foundations requirement, 15 credit hours; individual differences requirement 9 credit hours; diversity requirement, 6 credit hours; clinical interventions and psychotherapy requirement, 24 credit hours; methodology requirement, 6 credit hours; ethics and professional conduct requirement, 5 credit hours; practicum requirement, 12 credit hours; elective requirement, 6 credit hours; and Clinical Research Project requirement, 3 credit hours. Students must also complete a full-time internship or its equivalent.

Professionalization Group Requirements

The Professionalization Group, which meets on a weekly basis, will provide first-year students with important direction and assistance as they begin their education and training. Through readings and discussions led by a faculty member, students begin to develop professional identities and become familiar with current issues in clinical psychology. The groups provide a comfortable environment in which students can freely exchange concerns, questions, and issues relevant to their studies and future training and development as a clinical psychologist.

Practicum Requirements

The practicum is the first opportunity provided to students for clinical field training. During practicum training, students are given the opportunity of working under supervision with a clinical population within a mental health delivery system. Students can learn to apply their theoretical knowledge, implement and assess the efficacy of clinical techniques, and also can develop the professional attitudes important for the identity of a professional psychologist. The practicum is an essential part of clinical training, and all students are required to participate in the  practicum experience. Full-time doctoral degree program students are normally placed in practicum during their second and third years of study. Students must begin practicum when they meet the eligibility requirements.

For registration purposes, the practicum and seminar are treated as a course. The practicum/seminar carries 3 credit hours per semester and 6 credit hours per academic year. Each two semester practicum sequence (Practicum I and II; Practicum III and IV) requires a minimum of 650 hours (approximately 20 hours per week) of clinical training with a minimum of 200 hours of direct client service per semester. Students should be aware that while this is the minimum required to graduate, students are encouraged to complete more practicum hours in order to be competitive for many internship sites that may require more than the 1300 minimum hours required for graduation. Practicum usually begins in September and continues through mid-June.

Some sites require a 12-month versus an academic year commitment. A practicum may not take place in a student’s place of employment, nor is any student exempt from the practicum requirements. Students with extensive clinical backgrounds are placed in practicum sites where they have an interest and do not have previous experience. Students may not register for two practicums simultaneously nor may students repeat any practicum site for a second year, except as advanced practicum.

All students placed on practicum must be covered by professional liability insurance that is purchased through the school. This coverage in mandatory even if the student is otherwise insured. Payment for insurance coverage is made through the Student Services Department at the time of practicum registration. Doctoral  degree program students complete two training sequences focusing on assessment or psychotherapy skills, or an integration of the two. Psychological assessment should cover the comprehensive evaluation of clients, including initial intake work, diagnostic interviewing of collateral informants as indicated, appropriate psychological testing, and the development of specific clinical treatment recommendations that evolve from a case formulation of the client’s problems.

Psychotherapy skills include development of an appropriate therapeutic relationship, problem resolution, and implementation and evaluation of a treatment plan. In keeping with the broad based approach of Argosy University, Dallas program, it is expected that during the course of the year students will experience diversity in the kinds of clients seen, in the clinical interventions used, and in exposure to multidisciplinary input in the delivery of mental health services.

Practicum Seminar Requirement

All students enrolled in practicum must also be concurrently enrolled in a practicum seminar. The seminar meets weekly through the fall and spring semester. Students enrolled in a summer session practicum must also register for a practicum seminar. The seminar allows time for the student to reflect on various practicum experiences and to acquire additional skills and attitudes useful in field training and in preparation for the clinical presentation evaluation and the clinical competency examination. The specific content and emphasis of the seminar varies according to the practicum setting, the focus of the enrolled students, and the professional expertise of the faculty member.

Practicum Prerequisites

All students who enter the practicum application process must be in good academic standing, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, and have completed the academic  planning which will allow for all the practicum prerequisite courses to be completed prior to the beginning of the practicum. No student may begin a practicum without being in attendance at an Argosy University campus for a minimum of two semesters. Academic warning status will not render the student ineligible for participation in the practicum experience.

Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination Requirements

At the conclusion of three years of professional studies and training in psychology, Argosy University and the clinical psychology faculty expect that students should be prepared and able to integrate the material they have learned into a cohesive and demonstrable form, characterized by breadth, depth, refined organization, and differentiated thinking required for successful completion of the Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination. This examination is given to:

• Assist students with conceptual development, assimilation, and application of theory, clinical experience, and research learned from a curriculum in professional studies in psychology,  into an organized, diverse, yet integrated body of knowledge.
• Identify and affirm those students who have developed this knowledge base and can apply it successfully.
• Identify students who have neither mastered nor developed this body of knowledge, and therefore cannot successfully apply it, and to assist these students with remediation in order to facilitate successful mastery.
• Evaluate the success of the teaching and curriculum of the program

Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination Prerequisites

Students are required to complete the courses listed below before attempting the Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination.

Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination Requirements

All doctoral degree program students are required to complete a Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination (COMPS). The successful passage of this examination marks the official acceptance of the matriculated student as a doctoral candidate. The examination must be passed prior to applying for internship. Intention to sit for the exam must be declared in the spring semester prior to the August testing date or summer semester prior to the January testing date. Students who do not pass the COMPS will receive information concerning their performance, as well as assistance in constructing additional experiences and instruction to help them improve on areas of deficiency. The COMPS may be retaken twice for a total of three attempts.

If a student does not pass COMPS after three attempts, the student will be dismissed from the program of study.

The Comprehensive Examination is administered over two days. On the first day, students will be provided case material including a videotape of a clinical interview. Students will be expected to accurately diagnose the case and provide a detailed case formulation from two theoretical perspectives and to determine a Treatment Plan based on one of the formulations. The formulation and questions related to the formulation allow the student an opportunity to demonstrate understanding of the theory and ability to integrate the theory with the clinical material for cogent understanding of the case. At the end of the first day, students will be provided a working diagnosis for the case.

The second day of the examination will be scheduled typically within one week of the first day. During the second day, students will have to answer questions relevant to the case they reviewed on Day One. The questions will be designed to assess students’ understanding and knowledge of the required courses, as well as their ability to apply this knowledge to case materials. The questions on the second day will encompass the areas of assessment, diversity, professional ethics, scientific inquiry, treatment efficacy, the scientific bases of psychology, psychopharmacology, lifespan development, cognitive and affective processes, and physiological psychology. The questions will be designed to assess students’ understanding and knowledge of the required courses as well as their ability to apply this knowledge to case materials.

The COMPS is graded “Pass or Fail”. Students have three opportunities to receive a passing grade on each portion of the exam. After the first failure, students will receive an informal remediation plan developed by the faculty involved in the COMPS. After two failures, students will be referred to the Student Professional Development Committee (SPDC) for a formal remediation plan. After the third failure students will be dismissed from the program.

Eligibility

Students must submit a Comprehensive Examination Request form to the Program Chair during the spring semester prior to the August testing date or summer semester prior to the January testing date semester at a date designated by the Program Chair. Students must take their comprehensive examination at their earliest eligibility and must successfully complete the exam by their fifth year of matriculation.

Clinical Research Project Requirements

The Clinical Research Project (CRP) is the final step in the more formal research training sequence. The primary training objective of the CRP process is to help students develop the skills needed to become critical consumers of the literature in psychology and understand how to apply their knowledge to their experiences in clinical practice and other roles they will assume as professional. The CRP, which students work on during their last year prior to internship, provides them with the opportunity to do an independent piece of scholarship. This scholarly project demonstrates students’ ability to:

• Articulate a clearly operationalized clinical question or set of questions.
• Critically evaluate and synthesize the relevant theoretical, clinical, and empirical (qualitative and quantitative) literature across a range of studies.
• Analyze collected data in the light of the organizing question(s) and the prevailing knowledge in the area chosen for study.
• Write a scholarly and professional evaluation informed by the literature or investigation.

By becoming competent users of the psychological literature and critical thinkers about professional issues, students ground their work in the current scientific foundations of clinical  psychology. In addition, they acquire the requisite tools to keep abreast of the evolving body of scientific and professional knowledge and thereby keep their work up to date throughout their professional careers.

Students select the type of CRP with the approval of the chairperson and the CRP committee. It should be noted students may need to seek additional training (e.g. advanced statistics or computer applications) or resources external to the school (e.g. statistical consultation, research subjects) to complete other CRP options such as an empirical project. Students will be required to develop a plan identifying training and resource needs as part of their CRP proposal.

Grading the Clinical Research Project

Registering for a CRP is like registering for a course. Student’s progress is evaluated using ratings of “Progressing” or “No Credit” (“PR” or “NC”) by the chairperson based on the work the student has completed that semester. “Credit” (“CR”) is given only when the CRP is complete.

CRPs are not graded; they are either accepted or not accepted by the CRP committee as a sufficient demonstration of scholarly prerequisite. Students must have an accepted CRP in order to fulfill the requirements for the degree and are reminded that all requirements must be fulfilled within seven years of entry into the program.

Internship Requirement

All doctoral degree program students are required to complete an Argosy University, Dallas-approved, one-year (12-month) internship as a condition for graduation. The student must complete at least  2000 hours of internship training. This intensive and supervised contact with clients is essential for giving greater breadth and depth to the student’s overall academic experience, and is required for licensure in the state of Texas. Typically, full-time students will begin the internship during their fifth year of enrollment, depending on the student’s progress through the curriculum. Meetings held each spring provide a comprehensive overview of the policies, procedures, and requirements of the internship. The internship must be completed by the end of the seventh year after entrance to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program.

Internship Prerequisites

Students must complete the following requirements to be eligible to apply for internship:

• The student must be in good academic standing (3.0 on a scale of 4.0 with no more than two grades below “B-“and not on or eligible for probation).
• The student must have successfully completed both sections of the Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination.
• The student must have a Clinical Research Project proposal defense.
• The student must have completed both required practicum or be enrolled in the Second Year Practicum sequence.
• The Clinical Training Department must approve the proposed internship sites. All students are encouraged to obtain an APA-approved internship. Internships not APA-approved but affiliated with the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (AAPIC) are acceptable to Argosy University, Dallas. Any other internship program must be approved by the Clinical Training Committee upon submission of documentation of the site’s internship program and a rationale for the site’s inclusion on the student’s application list.

The following additional requirements must be met before a student may begin an internship:

• The student must have successfully completed all coursework and practicum with no grades of “Incomplete”.
• The student must have completed four semesters of CRP enrollment.
• The student must be in good academic standing (3.0 on a scale of 4.0 with no more that two grades below “B-“ and not on or eligible for probation).

Course/Credit Transfer

In addition to the institutional requirements, Argosy University, Dallas requires that all graduate work submitted for transfer is completed within the last five years. If coursework was  completed more than five years prior to admission, then the student mustprovide evidence that they have remained current with the course’s subject area (e.g. attendance of continuing education workshops, supervision). Students may only transfer a total of 30 semester credit hours into the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program.

Non-Transferable Courses

Students requesting to transfer Cognitive Assessment (PP 7370 ), Objective Personality Assessment (PP 7371 ) or Projective Personality Assessment (PP 7372 ) must have both an approved course that meets the course transfer requirements and must pass a competency examination.

Two or more courses may be combined to transfer one Argosy University, Dallas course if all other conditions are met. The total number of hours of the courses submitted for transfer must meet or exceed the total number of hours for the courses being transferred.

Students wanting to transfer credit should complete a Course Transfer form for each course and submit them to the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar will do an initial review and forward the request to appropriate faculty for decision. Students will be notified of faculty decisions and approvals will be recorded on transcripts. If a request is denied, all material will be returned to the student. Students may resubmit with additional information.

Transfer of Electives

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at Argosy University, Dallas requires 9 credit hours of electives. One elective course (3 credit hours maximum) may be transferred from a non-Argosy University program. The course must meet all of the other transfer requirements and must have been taken in a program that is explicitly labeled as psychology. Consistent with the practitioner-scholar orientation of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program, the course must include appropriate theoretical, empirical, and practical knowledge and skills. According to Argosy University policy, transfer requests must be submitted during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment.  Transfer courses from other Argosy University campuses will follow the usual transfer policy.

Writing Program

The Writing program is designed to help students master the skills of writing psychological and research reports in an accurate, informative, and professional manner. All new students have an opportunity to complete a writing assessment at the time of orientation to evaluate their writing skills and needs in the areas of organization, clarity,  and  professional writing style. Based on the results of the writing assessment, or upon faculty referral, students may be required to enroll in a tutorial in the Academic Resource Center (ARC), where they work one-on-one with an advanced student in developing their skills.

Recommended Course Sequence for the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program at Argosy University, Dallas

Student progress through the clinical psychology program at Argosy University, Dallas is intended to be sequential and cumulative. Certain courses are offered to first-year  students that provide a theoretical and practical foundation for courses that will follow in subsequent years. In addition, certain advanced courses require the student to have  the background of more basic courses in order to benefit fully from the course experience. Students must satisfy all stated prerequisites for a course before a registration for that course can be considered official. This catalog and registration material contains the prerequisites for any given course.

Program Requirements

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program requires the satisfactory completion of 98 semester credit hours, distributed as follows: assessment  requirement, 14 credit hours; bases course requirement, 12 credit hours; individual differences requirement, 9 credit hours; interventions  requirement, 21 credit hours; methodology requirement, 9 credit hours; elective requirement, 12 credit hours; professional issues requirement, 5 credit hours; practicum requirement, 12 credit hours; and Clinical Research Project requirement, 4 credit hours.

All courses other than electives are considered core courses. A student is required to retake a core course if he or she receives a grade below “B-.” The course must be retaken no later than the end of the next calendar year with an earned grade of “B-”or better.

* Indicates core courses.

Elective Requirement

Students may wish to take elective courses in areas of interest. Electives vary from year to year, but will provide opportunities for advanced study in assessment, intervention, applications to special populations, and/or research/evaluation/consultation.

Professionalization Group Requirement

The Professionalization Group, which meets on a weekly basis will provide first-year students with important direction and assistance as they begin their education and training. This group is designed to assist students with an orientation to the field as well as an introduction to key issues in the training and development of a clinical psychologist.

Practicum Requirement

The practicum is the first opportunity provided to students for clinical field training. During practicum training, students are given the opportunity of working under supervision with a clinical population within a mental health delivery system. Students can learn to apply their theoretical knowledge, implement, develop, and assess the efficacy of clinical techniques, and develop the professional attitudes important for the identity of a professional psychologist. The practicum is, thus, an essential part of clinical training and all students are required to participate in the practicum experience.

Full-time students are normally placed in practicum during their second and third years of study. Students must begin practicum when they meet the eligibility requirements. For registration purposes, the practicum and seminar are treated like a course. The practicum/seminar carries 3 credit hours per semester and 6 credit hours per academic year. Practicum usually begin in September and continue through mid-June. Some sites require a 12-month versus an academic year commitment. Students are required to complete a minimum of 600 hours each academic year they are enrolled in a required practicum.

A practicum may not take place in a student’s place of employment, nor is any student exempt from the practicum requirements. Students with extensive clinical backgrounds are placed in practicum sites where they have an interest and do not have previous experience.

Doctoral degree program students complete two training sequences focusing on assessment or psychotherapy skills, or an integration of the two. Psychological assessment should cover the comprehensive evaluation of clients, including initial intake work, diagnostic interviewing of collateral informants as indicated, appropriate psychological testing, and the development of specific clinical treatment recommendations that evolve from a case formulation of the client’s problems. Psychotherapy skills include development of an appropriate therapeutic relationship, problem resolution, and implementation and evaluation of a treatment plan. Work in maintenance of therapeutic gains and prevention is strongly encouraged. In keeping with the broad based approach of the Argosy University, Denver program, it is expected that students experience diversity during the course of the year: in the kinds of clients seen, in the clinical interventions used, and in exposure to multidisciplinary input in the delivery of mental health services. Students are also expected to gain understanding of the impact of individual as well as larger systems’ issues in the lives of their clients.

Psychological Tests Policy

The use of psychological assessment instruments continues to be one skill area that distinguishes psychologists from other mental health professionals. Competence in the use of these tests remains important to the identity of the clinical psychologist.

Accordingly, doctoral degree program students are expected to refine their skills in this area by completing a minimum of eight psychological test batteries. This testing experience allows for the integration of prior coursework in the principles of testing, the administration, scoring, and interpretation of objective and projective personality instruments, and major tests of cognitive ability. A qualifying test battery should include techniques designed to assess cognitive functioning as well as structured or unstructured instruments that tap personality or social adaptability, and are age appropriate and fitting to the referral question. Some sites administer instruments specific to a given treatment population. Students are encouraged to learn these test instruments as well as the more “traditional” techniques.

Practicum Seminar Requirement

All students enrolled in a practicum must also be concurrently enrolled in a practicum seminar. The seminar meets weekly through the fall and spring semester. Students enrolled in a summer session II practicum must also register for a practicum seminar. The seminar allows time for the student to reflect on various practicum experiences and to acquire additional skills and attitudes useful in field training and in preparation for the clinical presentation evaluation and the clinical competency examination. The specific content and emphasis of the seminar varies according to the practicum setting, the focus of the enrolled students, and the professional expertise of the faculty member.

Practicum Prerequisite

All students who enter the practicum application process must be in good academic standing, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, and have completed the academic planning which will allow for all the practicum prerequisite courses to be completed prior to the beginning of the practicum. No student may begin a practicum without being in attendance at an Argosy University campus for a minimum of two semesters. Academic warning status will not render the student ineligible for participation in the practicum experience. To be eligible for the Practicum I sequence, a student must have successfully completed or transferred the following:

Internship Requirement

All doctoral degree program students are required to complete a one-year (12-month) internship as a condition for graduation. The student must complete at least 2000 hours of internship training. This intensive and supervised contact with clients is essential for giving greater breadth and depth to the student’s overall academic experience. Typically, students will begin the internship during their fourth or fifth year, depending on the student’s progress through the curriculum. The internship must be completed by the end of the seventh year after entrance to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program.

Internship Prerequisites

Students must complete the following requirements to be eligible to apply for internship:

• The student must be in good academic standing (3.0 on a scale of 4.0 with no more than two grades below “B-” and not on or eligible for probation).
• The student must have successfully completed all sections of the Clinical Competence Examination.
• The student must have an approved Clinical Research Project proposal.
• The student must have completed both required practicum or be enrolled in the Practicum II sequence.
•  The Clinical Training Department must approve the proposed internship sites. All students are encouraged to obtain an APA-approved Internship. Internships not APA-approved but affiliated with the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) are acceptable to Argosy University, Denver. Any other internship program must be approved by the Clinical Training Committee upon submission of documentation of the site’s internship program and a rationale for the site’s inclusion on the student’s application list.

The following additional requirements must be met before a student may begin an internship:

• The student must have successfully completed all coursework and practicum with no grades of “Incomplete.”
• The student must have completed four semesters of CRP enrollment.
• The student must be in good academic standing (3.0 on a scale of 4.0 with no more than two grades below “B-” and not on or eligible for probation).

Clinical Presentation Evaluation Requirement

The Clinical Presentation Evaluation (CPE) is a series of competency-based examinations designed to evaluate doctoral clinical psychology degree program students’ mastery of major clinical assessment and therapeutic skills. Students prepare to demonstrate competency by integrating theoretical work and applied bases from the classroom with clinical experience acquired during the practicum. Students are expected to demonstrate competence both conceptually and in application. Thus, successfully completing coursework and practicum, alone, does not guarantee passing a given CPE task. Description of Clinical Presentation Evaluation There are a total of four Clinical Presentation Evaluations (CPE). They are described in the four sections listed below. Sections One and Two must be completed prior to beginning the Practicum I sequence. All sections must be completed prior to applying for internship.

Section One

Diagnostic Administration and Scoring The student meets this requirement by successfully completing Cognitive Assessment (PP 7370 ) and Personality Assessment (PP 7520 ) with a grade of “B-” or better and passing a Presentation Evaluation in each course. The Presentation Evaluation is comprised of:

• A video taped administration (WISC-IV or WAIS-IV for Cognitive Assessment, Rorschach for Personality Assessment)
• Scoring
• Interpretation, analysis of a protocol, and a submitted written report. The CPE must be passed in order for the student to receive a passing grade in the course, regardless of the grades received on other assignments for the course. Students will have two opportunities to pass the CPE during the offering of the course. A core faculty member will review a second CPE.
  
  The faculty member evaluators will reach a consensus regarding the pass or failure of the examination. If the CPE is failed, the highest grade a student can receive for the course is a  “C+.” Once it is determined that a“B-” or better has been achieved on the CPE, the grade on the examination may be weighed with other assignments to calculate the final grade, as  specified on the course syllabus.

If requesting to transfer either Cognitive Assessment (PP 7370 ) or Personality Assessment (PP 7520 ) a comparable course that meets all the transfer requirements must be approved and the CPE as described above must be passed. The student will have one opportunity to pass the CPE for transfer, and should consult with the program chair prior to beginning the examination. Failure to pass the CPE requires the student to enroll in the appropriate course (Cognitive Assessment or Personality Assessment).

Successful passage of the Diagnostic Administration and Scoring Presentation Evaluation and passage or transfer of Cognitive Assessment (PP 7370 ) and Personality Assessment (PP 7520 ) is a prerequisite for Practicum I.

Section Two

Diagnostic Interpretation The student meets this requirement by passing Integrative Assessment (PP 7373 ) with a grade of “B-” or better. This course includes a presentation evaluation  that must be passed in order to pass the course.

Section Three

Diagnostic Interview and Case Formulation Competency This competency is demonstrated during the spring semester of practicum sequence I. The student demonstrates this competency by successfully completing three related tasks.

• Observation component The practicum seminar leader observes the student performing a diagnostic interview and judges whether the student is demonstrating competency in interviewing. The seminar leader may directly observe the student interviewing a client or the student may submit a video or audiotape of an interview. With the approval of the seminar leader, a student may substitute a role-played interview of a faculty member.
• Written component The seminar leader reviews the student’s diagnostic report of the observed case, as well as the student’s self-critique of the interview with the client and judges whether the report demonstrates competency in case formulation.
• Oral presentation component The student presents the case in the practicum seminar and fields questions from the seminar members. The seminar leader judges whether the student can present a case in a cogent, organized manner.

Although the student may be supervised on the case presented, she or he must not be supervised on the particular interview presented for the CPE. The interview and case formulation should offer a view of the student’s independent clinical work. The interview should last no more than 60 minutes. This CPE must be passed in order for the student to receive credit for the final semester of practicum seminar and the overall practicum experience. Students will have two opportunities to pass the CPE during the spring semester. This includes one re-write if the written report of a satisfactory interview is deemed unsatisfactory, or a second CPE with a new client if the initial interview is deemed unacceptable. A second presentation evaluation failure will be reviewed independently by another program faculty member.

The faculty evaluators will reach a final consensus regarding the passage or failure of the evaluation. Failure on either of these second attempts means failure of the practicum seminar for the semester and no credit for the practicum experience. This failure will be considered a course failure for purposes of determining the student’s standing in the program. A student that has failed the CPE but otherwise is in good standing, will be referred to the Clinical Training Committee to develop recommendations for a remediation plan for the SPDC.

Section Four

Scientific Inquiry The student meets this requirement in Statistics and Research I (PP 7200 ). The CPE is integrated in the course and students are required to pass the CPE in order to successfully pass the course. If requesting to transfer Statistics and Research I (PP 7200 ), a comparable course that meets all the transfer requirements must be approved and the CPE as described above must be passed. The student will have one opportunity to pass the CPE for transfer, and should consult with the program chair prior to beginning the examination. Failure  to pass the CPE requires the student to enroll in Statistics and Research I (PP 7200 ).

Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination Requirements

At the conclusion of three years of professional studies and training in psychology, Argosy University and the clinical psychology faculty expect that students should be prepared and able to integrate the material they have learned into a cohesive and demonstrable form, characterized by breadth, depth, refined organization, and differentiated thinking required for successful completion of the Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination. The examination is given to:

• Assist students with conceptual development, assimilation, and application of theory, clinical experience, and research learned from a curriculum in professional studies in psychology, into an organized, diverse, yet integrated body of knowledge;
• Identify and affirm those students who have developed this knowledge base and who can apply it successfully;
• Identify students who have neither mastered nor developed this body of knowledge, and therefore cannot successfully apply it; and to assist these students with remediation in order to facilitate successful mastery;
• Evaluate the success of the teaching and curriculum of the program.

All doctoral degree program students are required to successfully complete the Comprehensive Examination. The successful passage of this examination marks the official acceptance of the matriculated student as a doctoral degree candidate. The examination must be passed prior to applying for internship.

The Comprehensive Examination is administered during the late summer on two separate days. During the first day, students will be provided case material including a videotape of a clinical interview. Students will be expected to accurately diagnose the case and provide a detailed case formulation from two theoretical perspectives and Treatment Plan based on one of the formulations. The formulation, and questions related to the formulation, allows the student an opportunity to demonstrate his or her understanding of the theory and ability to integrate the theory with the clinical material to provide cogent understanding of the case. At the end of the first day, students will be provided a working diagnosis for the case. The second day of  the examination will be scheduled approximately one week after the first day. During the second day, students will have to answer questions relevant to the case they reviewed on Day  One. The questions will be designed to assess students’ understanding and knowledge of the required courses as well as their ability to apply this knowledge to case materials. The questions on the second day will encompass the areas of assessment, diversity, professional ethics, scientific inquiry, treatment efficacy, and the scientific bases of psychology, psychopharmacology, lifespan development, cognitive and affective processes, and physiological psychology.

Eligibility

Five-Year Track

Students will normally schedule to take their Comprehensive Examination at the end of their third year. To be eligible to take the exam, students must have successfully completed all of the courses in the first two years of the program and the following third-year courses prior to the examination: Physiological Psychology (PP 7050 ), Clinical Psychopharmacology (PP 7360 ), Cognition and Affect (PP 7040 ), and Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (PP 7100 ). Students must submit a Comprehensive Examination Request Form to the program chair during the spring semester at a date designated by the program chair. Students must take their comprehensive examination at their earliest eligibility and must successfully complete the exam by their fifth year of matriculation.

Four-Year Track

Students on the Four-Year Track of the program will schedule to take their Comprehensive Examination at the end of their second year. To be eligible to take the exam, students must have  successfully completed all of the courses in the first two years of courses outlined in the recommended course sequence for the Four-Year Track. These students must pass the Diagnostic Interview and Case Formulation CPE to be eligible to take the Comprehensive Exam. This option is recommended primarily to students entering the doctoral degree program with a master’s degree in psychology that included supervised clinical experience. Students requesting to take the examination within the Four-Year Track timetable must submit a request form to the program chair during the spring semester at a date designated by the program chair.

In the event that a student fails the Comprehensive Examination, it is the responsibility of the student to seek remediation and he/she must retake the exam the following year. The remediation plan needs to be approved by the student’s advisor by the end of October and registered with the program chair by the end of the fall semester following the failure. A student failing the Comprehensive Examination twice is automatically dismissed from the program.

Clinical Research Project Requirement

The Clinical Research Project (CRP) is the final step in the more formal research training sequence. The primary training objective of the CRP process is to help students demonstrate the skills needed to become critical consumers of the literature in psychology and understand how to apply their knowledge to their experiences in clinical practice, and other roles they will assume as professionals. The CRP, which students work on during their last year prior to internship, provides them with the opportunity to do an independent piece of scholarship. This scholarly project demonstrates students’ ability to:

• Articulate a clearly operationalized clinical question or set of questions.
• Critically evaluate and synthesize the relevant theoretical, clinical, and empirical (qualitative and quantitative) literature across a range of studies.
• Analyze collected data in light of the organizing question(s) and the prevailing knowledge in the area chosen for study.
• Write a scholarly and professional viewpoint informed by the literature or investigation.

By becoming competent users of the psychological literature and critical thinkers about professional issues, students ground their work in the current scientific foundations of clinical psychology.

In addition, they acquire the requisite tools to keep abreast of the evolving body of scientific and professional knowledge and, thereby, keep their work up to date throughout their professional careers.

Students select the type of CRP with the approval of the chairperson and the CRP Committee. It should be noted that students may need to seek additional training (e.g., advanced statistics courses or computer applications) or resources external to the school (e.g., statistical consultation, research subjects) to complete other CRP options such as an empirical project. Students will be required to develop a plan identifying training and resource needs as part of their CRP proposal.

Grading the Clinical Research Project

Registering for a CRP is like registering for a course. Students will be graded “Progressing” or “No Credit” (“PR,” “NC”) by the chairperson based on the work the student has completed that semester. “Credit” (“CR”) is given only when the CRP is complete.

CRPs are not graded; they are either accepted or not accepted by the CRP committee. Students must have an accepted CRP in order to fulfill the requirements for the degree and are reminded that all requirements must be fulfilled within seven years of entry into the program.

Recommended Course Sequence for the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program at Argosy University, Denver — Five-Year Curriculum

Student progress through the clinical psychology program at Argosy University, Denver is intended to be sequential. Certain courses are offered to first-year students that provide a theoretical and practical foundation for courses that will follow in subsequent years. In addition, certain  advanced courses require the student to have the background of more basic courses in order to benefit fully from the course experience. Students must satisfy all stated prerequisites for a course before a registration for that course can be considered official. This catalog and registration  materials contain the prerequisites for any given course.

Completing the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program in Four Years

First-year students may be eligible for a four-year curriculum that will require three years of coursework followed by an internship rather than four years of coursework and an internship. Approval from the program chair is necessary prior to beginning the four-year program. Students will need to gain the consent of their advisors prior to applying for a fourth-year internship.

Recommended Course Sequence for the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program — Four-Year Curriculum

Qualifying for the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree as a PsyD in Clinical Psychology Degree Program Student

Doctoral students in the clinical psychology degree program who wish to earn the master’s degree in clinical psychology while working toward the doctorate degree must petition for the degree and complete an Integrative Paper (IP) and all of the coursework for the first two years of the Five-Year Track.

Course/Credit Transfer

In addition to the institutional requirements, Argosy University, Denver requires that all graduate work submitted for transfer be completed within the last five years. If coursework was completed more than five years prior to admission, then the student must provide evidence that they have remained current with the course’s subject area (e.g., attendance of continuing education workshops, supervision). Students may only transfer a total of 30 semester credit hours into the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program.

Non-Transferable Courses

The following is a list of other courses that may not be transferred to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program at Argosy University, Denver unless the courses were taken within the Argosy University system and the course numbers are identical.

Students requesting to transfer Cognitive Assessment (PP7370) or Personality Assessment (PP7520)must have both an approved course that meets the course transfer requirements and must pass a competency examination.

Two or more courses may be combined to transfer one Argosy University, Denver course if all other conditions are met. The total number of hours of the courses submitted for transfer must meet or exceed the total number of hours for the courses being transferred.

Students wanting to transfer credit should complete a Course Transfer Form for each course and submit them to the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar will do an initial review and forward the request to appropriate faculty for decision. Students will be notified of faculty decisions and approvals will be recorded on transcripts. If a request is denied, all material will be returned to the student. Students may resubmit with additional information.

• PP 7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (3)
• PP 7110 - Professionalization Group I (0)
• PP 7111 - Professionalization Group II (0)
• PP 7330 - Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (3)
• PP 7373 - Integrative Assessment (3)
• PP 7501 - Adult Psychopathology (3)
• PP 8201 - Practicum I (3)
• PP 8202 - Practicum II (3)
• PP 8203 - Practicum III (3)
• PP 8204 - Practicum IV (3)

Transfer of Electives

The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology degree program at Argosy University, Denver requires 12 credit hours of electives. One elective course (3 credit hours maximum) may be transferred from a non-Argosy University program. The course must meet all of the other transfer requirements and must have been taken in a program that is explicitly labeled as psychology. Consistent with the practitioner-scholar orientation of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree rogram, the course must include appropriate theoretical, empirical, and practical knowledge and skills.According to Argosy University policy, transfer requests must be submitted during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment. Transfer courses from other Argosy University campuses will follow the usual transfer policy.

Transfer of Courses/Credit to the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree Program from the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

Course transfers into the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program are evaluated on an individual bases. All course transfers must be approved by the program chair.

Program Requirements

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology degree program requires the satisfactory completion of 98 semester credit hours distributed as follows: clinical knowledge requirements, 9 credit hours; elective requirements, 12 credit hours; professional issues and roles requirements, 11 credit hours; psychological assessment requirements, 15 credit hours; psychological intervention requirements, 15 credit hours; psychology foundation requirements, 15 credit hours; science and scholarship requirements, 9 credit hours; and clinical practicum requirements, 12 credit hours.

Elective Requirements

Students must complete 12 credit hours of elective courses.

Optional Concentration Requirements

Students may choose an area of concentration as part of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program. Students may declare a concentration in the fall of their second year of study. If a student chooses a concentration the courses are substitutes for the student’s elective courses. Students are required to take three of the courses in the chosen concentration listed below, and one “free”elective, for a total of 12 credit hours.

Professionalization Group Requirements

During the first year, students participate in weekly Professionalization Groups that focus on topics related to professional psychology. Through readings and discussions led by a faculty member, students can begin to develop a professional identity and become familiar with current issues in clinical psychology. The groups are designed to provide a comfortable environment in which students can freely exchange concerns, questions, and issues relevant to their studies and their future careers. The faculty member who leads the student’s Professionalization Group also serves as his/her academic advisor.

Practicum Requirements

Full-time students will normally be placed in a Diagnostic Practicum and Seminar during their second year of study and in an Intervention Practicum and Seminar during the third year. For registration purposes, the practicum and seminar are treated like one course. The practicum/seminar carries a total of 3 credit hours per semester (2 credit hours per practicum/one credit hour per seminar) and 6 credit hours per academic year. Practicum usually begin in September and conclude in June. Throughout the year, the student will be required to spend 20 – 24 hours per week or a minimum of 720 hours in the practicum training experience (not including the seminar). All students enrolled in practicum must be concurrently enrolled in a practicum seminar class, which meets weekly throughout the academic year (fall, spring, and summer I). Concurrent enrollment in practicum seminars is mandatory.

Note: students who are placed in a 12 month practicum must enroll in practicum seminar class during the summer II term.

Further discussion of the practicum is found in the Argosy University, Hawai‘i Doctoral Degree Program Clinical Training Manual.

Diagnostic and Intervention Practicum

The Diagnostic Practicum is designed to emphasize the observation and diagnostic interviewing of clients and provides exposure to psychological evaluation and other assessment procedures. The Intervention Practicum usually emphasizes some aspect of therapeutic intervention. Time is proportionately allocated to direct client contact, seminars and meetings, and supervision.

All students enrolled in a practicum must also concurrently enroll in a practicum seminar. The seminar meets weekly throughout the academic year and allows the student to reflect on various practicum experiences and to acquire additional skills and attitudes useful in field training. The specific content and emphasis of the seminar is geared to the nature of the practicum setting, the needs of the enrolled students, and the professional expertise of the faculty member. The seminar also assists students to prepare for the Diagnostic (second year) and Intervention (third year) Clinical Evaluation Conferences.

All students who enter the practicum application process must be in good academic standing, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and have completed the academic planning that will allow for all the practicum prerequisite courses to be completed prior to the beginning of the practicum.

If a student who has accepted a practicum is placed on probation prior to the beginning of practicum, the student may not attend practicum. If the student is placed on academic probation during practicum, the student may be removed from practicum and referred to the evaluation committee to develop a remediation plan.

In cases of non-academic training difficulties, the student may be referred to the Clinical Training Committee for development of a remediation plan. The student may be withdrawn from practicum.

The goal of the practicum is to foster the training of competent clinicians capable of providing basic and effective assessment and therapeutic intervention. Evaluation of student progress in clinical field training focuses on three areas: theoretical knowledge bases, clinical skills, and professional attitudes. A thorough review of site and seminar evaluations is conducted by the Training Department, and an overall grade of “Credit” or “No Credit” is included in the student’s academic record. All students should be familiar with the Argosy University, Hawai‘i Doctoral Degree Program Clinical Training Manual. The manual provides a comprehensive overview of the practicum and its requirements.

Comprehensive Examination Requirements

All doctoral degree program students are required to successfully complete a comprehensive examination. The successful passage of this examination marks the official acceptance of the matriculated  student as a doctoral degree candidate. The material covered in the Comprehensive Examination includes required courses outlined in the Study Plan, excluding electives. The examination requires students to be able to integrate the material into a form demonstrating both mastery of the materialand ability to organize and to apply what they  have learned in a coherent and logical manner.

Students should demonstrate the ability to think critically, integrate ideas thoughtfully, and be self-reflective. They should further demonstrate an understanding and competency with issues of diversity.

Students who are unable to pass the Comprehensive Examination will receive information concerning their performance on the examination and assistance in constructing additional experiences and instruction aimed at enabling them to pass this program requirement. Students may take this exam up to three times. Three failures of this exam will result in dismissal from the program.

To be able to sit for the Comprehensive Examination, students must have successfully completed all required courses outlined in the Study Plan, excluding electives. Courses that are transferred are considered successfully completed. Students taking the Comprehensive Examination must be in good standing and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Students are required to take the Comprehensive Examination no later than the beginning of the fifth year after matriculation in order to meet the seven-year maximum time frame for completion of degree requirements. This examination is offered once each year in late August or early September. Students interested in taking the Comprehensive Examination should fill out the request form to do so during the preceding spring semester. A description of the exam, sample questions, and/or study packet will be provided to the students by the chair of the comprehensive examination committee.

Clinical Evaluation Conference (CEC)

The Clinical Evaluation Conference (CEC) is a competency-based examination that is designed to evaluate doctoral degree program students’ mastery of major clinical assessment and therapeutic skills.

Students are expected to demonstrate clinical competence both conceptually and in application. It is also expected that students, having learned theoretical and applied bases in classroom courses, will have made use of out-of-class clinical contacts (i.e., practicum, seminar groups, supplementary supervision, visiting lecturers) to refine and extend the skills to be evaluated by the CEC. Successful completion of the CEC is a requirement for passing the Clinical Interviewing course and the Diagnostic and Therapy Practicum Seminars.

There are three sections to the CEC:

• The First Year Clinical Interviewing CEC: This CEC takes place at the end of the Clinical Interviewing course during the fall semester of the first year.
• The Diagnostic CEC: This CEC takes place in conjunction with the Diagnostic Practicum Seminar during the summer I semester of the year in which the student is enrolled in the Diagnostic Practicum.
• The PsyD Intervention CEC: This CEC takes place in conjunction with the Intervention Practicum Seminar during the summer I semester of the year in which the student is enrolled in the Intervention Practicum.

The CEC is graded “Pass, Conditional Pass, Fail.” Students have three opportunities to receive a passing grade on each CEC. After the first failure, students will receive an informal remediation plan developed by the faculty involved in the CEC. After two failures, students will be referred to the Student Professional Development Committee (SPDC) for a formal remediation plan. After the third failure students will be dismissed from the program.

Further information about the CEC is found in the Argosy University, Hawai‘i Doctoral Degree Program Clinical Training Manual.

Clinical Research Project (CRP) Requirements

Argosy University, Hawai‘i requires each doctoral degree program student to develop a Clinical Research Project (CRP) as a requirement for graduation. The CRP is a scholarly work that provides students with an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and thought about a particular clinical area, to demonstrate the ability to critically analyze methodological issues, and to produce an original and potentially publishable piece of research and/or scholarly work in the field of clinical psychology. Please refer to the CRP Handbook for detailed information.

Students must register for the Clinical Research Project during each semester in which they either consult with or use their CRP advisor or committee. This registration guideline applies to  Pre-Interns as well as to Interns. Students must register for a minimum of two semesters of CRP in order to graduate. It is recommended that students successfully defend their CRP proposal by the end of the spring semester preceding their internship year. Students who are unable to do so will be required to register for CRP credit until the proposal defense is completed. Students who have successfully defended their proposal are not required to be enrolled for the CRP unless they are in contact with their committee. Students must register for CRP during the semester that they defend.

Advanced Practicum Requirements

A number of students opt to complete a practicum beyond the required two years of practicum. Advanced practicum students train in an agency or program, which is formally approved by the director of Practicum Training. Students are expected to provide services consistent with those provided by professional psychologists in clinical settings, including assessment, interventions, consultations, research, program development and evaluation, and outreach/educational services.

To be eligible for Advanced Practicum, students must be in good academic standing, have completed two years of required practicum, and successfully completed the CEC.

Clinical Practice Requirements

Argosy University, Hawai‘i recognizes the responsibility of institutions preparing clinical psychologists to provide training experiences of the highest quality for their students and to ensure that this training protects the best interest of the public. It is entirely consistent with training goals for the institution to require that students not engage in professional activities that may infringe upon a primary commitment to training, have a negative impact on quality of mental health services, or are inconsistent with ethical and legal standards. The participation of students in outside work activities should be secondary to training and should also uphold and be consistent with the ethical and legal standards of the profession.

While matriculating at Argosy University, Hawai‘i, students are specifically prohibited from being involved in private practice unless the following standards are met:

• Any student who has appropriate state registration, certification, credentialing, or licensure relevant to the practice and delivery of mental health services is entitled to practice independently in that particular area of registration or certification.
• It is the responsibility of any student engaged in private practice to notify the program chair of this private practice and to provide evidence of appropriate current registration, certification or licensure by the state in which the practice occurs.

Failure to comply with these policies may result in dismissal from the program.

Training in the Place of Employment

Clinical training may not be done in the student’s place of current employment. This restriction recognizes that training most optimally occurs in settings uncomplicated by dual relationships, employment pressures, and financial demands. Students also profit from training in diverse organizational “cultures” or structures.

Occasionally, the interpretation of what constitutes “place of employment” is unclear. For example, a large corporation may own several smaller corporations that operate at different sites, managed by different supervisors, serving different populations. A student may request the opportunity to train at a subsidiary of the parent organization in which the student works. In order to identify what constitutes a student’s “place of employment”, the school has developed the following guidelines:

Dual Relationships The field training supervisor periodically evaluates the student’s progress in training and submits reports to the school. These reports must be objective, fair, and candid. Therefore, the student should not be evaluated by someone who is a co-worker, work supervisor, or employer. The director of Practicum Training or the Clinical Training Committee will evaluate the student’s training request to ensure that no dual relationship exists.

Multiple Identities A student should enter a training site with a single identity: a professional-in-training. Students attempting to train in their place of employment continue to be identified as an employee. This identity can place competing demands on a student and thus compromise the training that a student receives.

Financial Relationships Students enter a clinical field placement as a student, not as an employee, private practitioner, or independent contractor. Ideally, financial matters do not impinge upon clinical training education; however, a minority of advanced Argosy University, Hawai‘i practicum sites will offer paid practicum. Practicum trainees at such sites may be required to assume “employee status” in accordance with Hawai‘i State Labor Law and the U.S. Department of Labor. These paid practicum sites will be carefully selected by the practicum training  director to ensure that the educative and training mission of the clinical practicum are not compromised by financial considerations such as compensation based on “productivity” or “collections.”

Geographical Relationships Occasionally, health organizations, like other corporations, merge with or acquire, other companies that are at some geographical distance from one another. In these circumstances, the corporations continue to operate independently of one another and are united “in name only.” Under these circumstances, a student may train at the separate corporation, so long as the other criteria are met.

Power in Relationships Students enter training programs to be the recipients of educative, professional training experiences. This arrangement places the student in a role in which the student depends upon the supervisor and the agency for a successful training experience. Students may not hire their supervisors, nor pay the agency for their training experience. Such arrangements remove the professional-in-training from the student role and elevate the student to the status of business partner in the training process.

No student will be waived from the practicum requirements. Whenever possible, students who come to Argosy University, Hawai‘i with extensive clinical backgrounds are placed in practicum sites offering experience in areas where they have an interest and do not have previous experience.

Internship Requirements

All doctoral degree program students are required to complete a one-year, 2,000 hour, full-time 12 month, or a two-year, half-time APA or APPIC pre-doctoral internship as a condition for graduation. This intensive and supervised contact with clients is essential for providing breadth and depth to the student’s overall training experience. Typically, full-time students will begin the internship during fifth year of enrollment.

In order to be eligible to begin the internship application process, the student must have completed the following requirements:

• Students must make an initial application for approval by the director of Internship Training who will evaluate students for internship eligibility and readiness. If all requirements are met, the student will receive written approval from the director of Internship Training for application to internship sites.
• The student must have successfully completed the Comprehensive Examination prior to the fall internship application process.
• While Argosy University, Hawai‘i encourages its students to obtain an APA-approved internship, the school is aware that there are several reasons why this may not be possible. For example, currently there are a very limited number of APA-approved internships within the state of Hawai‘i. Argosy University, Hawai‘i recognizes that relocation to the mainland to attend an APA-approved internship may be a hardship due to economic, social, and/or cultural factors, and many students are dedicated to deepening their knowledge and experience in the  provision of services to the under served populations within the state of Hawai‘i.
• The student reviews the approved and active internship sites and discusses these possible sites with the director of Internship Training and their academic advisor. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain further information and application materials from the sites.
• Argosy University, Hawai‘i students are to submit a list of internship preferences to the director of Internship Training. After gaining approval for site applications, students submit  application forms directly to the internship site and request that the School provide sealed copies of transcripts. Requests for transcripts and reference letters must be made in advance and in writing by the student.
• It is the student’s responsibility to request letters of recommendation. The director of Internship Training will assist the student by providing letters of eligibility for internship when appropriate.

Students may petition the program director of Internship Training for local-only application in cases where there are extenuating circumstances. Petitions must be made in writing.

In order to be eligible to begin the internship, the student must have completed the following requirements:

• The student must have successfully completed all sections of the Clinical Evaluation Conference.
• The student must have successfully completed all course work and all practicum with no “Incompletes” and good academic standing.
• The student must have a GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0.
• The student must have completed at least one Clinical Research Project seminar credit.
• The student must have an approved CRP proposal prior to going out on internship.
  Failure to do so will require registration for CRP credit while on internship until the proposal is approved.

Further elaboration of the internship application process is found in the Argosy University, Hawai‘i Internship Applicant Handbook.

Recommended Course Sequence for the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program at Argosy University, Hawai’i—Five-Year Curriculum

Student progress through the program is intended to be sequential. Certain courses are offered to first-year students that are designed to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for  courses that will follow in subsequent years. In addition, certain advanced courses require the student to have the background of more basic courses in order to benefit fully  from the course experience. Students must satisfy all stated prerequisites for a course before a registration for that course can be considered official. A listing of the  prerequisites for courses in the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program is printed in each Registration Bulletin.

Qualifying for the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree as a Student in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

Students in the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology degree program, who wish to earn the Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Psychology degree while working toward the doctorate, must petition for the degree and complete the courses and clinical training consistent with the requirements of the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program, which includes the completion of one year of a doctoral practicum and the Master’s Integrative Project.

Students write the Integrative Project within the context of a two-semester Master’s Project Seminar that is a requirement for all master’s program students. Doctoral degree program students in the Clinical Psychology program must register for the 1-credit hour course of Integrative Project (PP6011) in the fall and spring semesters of their second year. This course is graded on a “Credit” “Progressing” or “No Credit” basis. Credit is granted upon approval of the paper by the instructor. In addition, students are required to register for two consecutive semesters of formal seminar meetings. Students who do not meet requirements in the seminar by the stated deadline, during either of the first two semesters, will not receive credit for that semester.

Because the curriculum requires two Master’s Project credit hours for graduation with the MA in Clinical Psychology, students who do not receive credit must register for one or more additional Master’s Project credits to be eligible for graduation. Students who do not complete and receive approval of the Master’s Project by the end of the second semester must continue to register for Master’s Project and register for one credit hour of project credit each semester until the project is completed and accepted.

Doctoral degree program students who have taken the option of working toward their MA in Clinical Psychology and have not completed their Integrative Projects will not be eligible to sit for their doctoral comprehensive exams until Master’s Integrative Project is completed with the approval of the instructor.

Course/Credit Transfer

Transfer of Courses/Credit from Other Institutions
Argosy University, Hawai‘i does not automatically transfer credit from graduate coursework taken at other institutions. Students who have taken graduate courses elsewhere may petition to have these courses apply toward transfer credit for courses in the curriculum. Course transfers are not reviewed or granted until the student has been accepted and paid the initial deposit following admission to the program.

For a course to be considered eligible for transfer credit, the following conditions must be met:

• The course must have been taken no more than five years before the student’s entry into Argosy University, Hawai‘i.
• The course must have been a graduate-level course, taken for graduate-level credit from a regionally accredited college or university. In the case of institutions outside the U.S., the appropriate state or national accreditation is required.
• Any course submitted towards a transfer of a3 credit course must have itself carried 3 or more graduate credit hours.
• A student must have earned a grade of “B” or better in any course submitted for transfer credit.
• A maximum of five courses (15 credit hours) may be transferred towards the master’s program in psychology.

 Argosy University does not accept any credit earned as military credit, credit by examination, credit by correspondence, credit for life experience, or graduate credit from non-accredited schools. A student who desires to submit a course for transfer review should notify the Student Services Department and obtain the appropriate Transfer Request Form. This form should be completed and returned to the Student Services Department. Only requests made in writing are reviewed.

Course/Credit Transfer Procedures

All credit transfer requests must be submitted during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment. Students petitioning for transfers may be requested to provide course descriptions, syllabi, exams, diagnostic test protocols and write-ups. Transfers are granted by a faculty member if there is an 80 percent overlap in course content and objectives between the course submitted for transfer credit and the course as it is offered at Argosy University, Hawai‘i. Students may obtain the procedures to be observed in submitting transfer requests from the Student Services Department.

Students who wish to submit a course for transfer credit:

• Must complete a separate form for each transfer request
• May submit the request anytime before the end of the first academic year
• Will provide a transcript and other supporting documentation, such as course descriptions, syllabi, exams, diagnostic test protocols and write-ups
• Must submit the appropriate forms to the Student Services Department

Transfer of Credits to the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program from Other Programs

Students who wish to transfer Cognitive Assessment (PP 7370 ), Objective Personality Assessment (PP 7371 ), and Projective Personality Assessment (PP 7372 ) will complete the  above review process, and, if they are determined to be eligible, may be required to pass a practical competency exam in order to be granted a course transfer. The  Student Services Department may answer general questions about the transfer examination procedure and will direct specific questions to the faculty members who administer the examination.

Transfer of Courses/Credit from Another Argosy University Campus

If students internally transfer within the Argosy University system, approved transfers are transferred if the course is identical to the one offered at the campus to which the student is transferring. If the course is similar but not identical, Argosy University, Hawai‘i will review for approval or denial. Credit transfers are only accepted if the course being transferred is a requirement of the degree program at Argosy University, Hawai‘i.

All transfer requests must be submitted during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment. Students petitioning for transfers may be required to provide course descriptions, syllabi,  exams, diagnostic test protocols and write-ups.

Assessment Requirements–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7365 - Clinical Interviewing (3)
• PP 7370 - Cognitive Assessment (3)
• PP 7373 - Integrative Assessment (3)
• PP 7520 - Personality Assessment (4)

Bases of Behavior Course Requirements–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7000 - History and Systems (3)
• PP 7040 - Cognition and Affective Processes (3)
• PP 7050 - Physiological Psychology (3)
• PP 7060 - Social Psychology (3)

Interventions Requirements*–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7010 -  Lifespan Development (3)
• PP 7330 - Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (3)
• PP 7501 - Adult Psychopathology (3)

Interventions Requirements*–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7340 - Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations (3)
• PP 7350 - Consultation and Supervision (3)
• PP 7360 - Clinical Psychopharmacology (3)
• PP 8010 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8030 - Psychodynamic Theory and Therapy
• PP 8037 - Principles and Practice of Psychotherapy (2)
• PP 8041 - Integrative Approaches to Therapy (3)
• PP 8050 - Family and Couples Therapy (3)

Methodology Requirements*–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7200 - Statistics and Research I (3)
• PP 7201 - Statistics and Research II (3)
• PP 7206 - Statistics, Research, and Psychometrics (3)

Professional Issues* Requirements–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (3)
• PP 7110 - Professionalization Group I  (1)
• PP 7111 - Professionalization Group II (1)

Practicum Requirements–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 8201 - Practicum I (3)
• PP 8202 - Practicum II (3)
• PP 8203 - Practicum III
• PP 8204 - Practicum IV (3)

Clinical Research Project Requirements–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 8501 - Clinical Research Project (1)
• PP 8502 - Clinical Research Project II (1)
• PP 8503 - Clinical Research Project III (1)

Elective Requirements

Students are required to take four elective courses. These courses are typically taken at the end of the third year and during the fourth year and allow students to concentrate on particular areas of study or gain specialized skills beyond the required courses. Students are required to consult with their advisor before choosing electives.

Internship Requirements–Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 8900 -  Internship (0)

Professionalization Group Requirement

The Professionalization Group, which meets on a weekly basis, will provide first year students with important direction and assistance as they begin their education and training. This group is designed to assist students with an orientation to the field, as well as an introduction to key issues in the training and development of a clinical psychologist.

Practicum Requirement

The practicum is the first opportunity provided to students for clinical field training. During practicum training, students are given the opportunity of working under supervision with a clinical population within a mental health delivery system. Students can learn to apply their theoretical knowledge, implement, develop, and assess the efficacy of clinical techniques, and can develop the professional attitudes important for the identity of a professional psychologist. The practicum is, thus, an essential part of clinical training and all students are required to participate in the practicum experience.

Full-time students are normally placed in practicum during their second and third years of study. Students must begin practicum when they meet the eligibility requirements. For registration purposes, the practicum and seminar are treated like a course. The practicum/seminar carries 3 credit hours per semester and 6 credit hours per academic year. Practicum usually begin in September and continue through mid-June. Some sites require a 12 month versus an academic year commitment. Students are required to complete a minimum of 500 hours each academic year they are enrolled in a required practicum.

A practicum may not take place in a student’s place of employment, nor is any student exempt from the practicum requirements. Students with extensive clinical backgrounds are placed in practicum sites where they have an interest and do not have previous experience.

Doctoral degree program students complete two training sequences focusing on assessment or psychotherapy skills, or an integration of the two. Psychological assessment should cover the comprehensive evaluation of clients, including initial intake work, diagnostic interviewing of collateral informants as indicated, appropriate psychological testing, and the development of specific clinical treatment recommendations that evolve from a case formulation of the client’s problems. Psychotherapy skills include development of an appropriate therapeutic relationship, problem resolution, and implementation and evaluation of a treatment plan. Work in maintenance of therapeutic gains and prevention is strongly encouraged. In keeping with the broad based approach of the Argosy University, Nashville program, it is expected that students experience diversity during the course of the year in the kinds of clients seen, in the clinical interventions used, and in exposure to multidisciplinary input in the delivery of mental health services. Students are also expected to gain understanding of the impact of individual as well as larger systems’ issues in the lives of their clients.
 

Internship Requirement

All doctoral degree program students are required to complete a one year (12 month) internship as a condition for graduation after completing their core and elective courses. The student must complete at least 2,000 hours of internship training. This intensive and supervised contact with clients is essential for giving greater breadth and depth to the student’s overall academic experience. Typically, students will begin the internship during their fifth year, depending on the student’s progress through the curriculum. The internship must be completed by the end of the seventh year after entrance to the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program.

Clinical Presentation Evaluation Requirement

The Clinical Presentation Evaluation (CPE) is a series of competency-based examinations designed to evaluate doctoral clinical psychology degree program students’ mastery of major clinical assessment and therapeutic skills.

Students prepare to demonstrate competency by integrating theoretical work and applied bases from the classroom with clinical experience acquired during the practicum. Students are expected to demonstrate competence both conceptually and in application. Thus, successfully completing coursework and practicum, alone, does not guarantee passing a given CPE task. 

Description of Clinical Presentation Evaluation

There are a total of four Clinical Presentation Evaluations (CPE). They are described in the four sections listed below. Sections One and Two must be completed prior to beginning the Practicum I sequence. All sections must be completed prior to applying for internship.

Section One

Diagnostic Administration and Scoring The student meets this requirement by successfully completing Cognitive Assessment (PP 7370 ) and Personality Assessment (PP 7520 ) with a grade of “B-” or better and passing a Presentation Evaluation in each course. The Presentation Evaluation is comprised of:

• A videotaped administration (WISC-IV or WAIS-IV for Cognitive Assessment, Rorshach for Projective Assessment)
• Scoring
• Interpretation, analysis of a protocol, and a submitted written report. The CPE must be passed in order for the student to receive a passing grade in the course, regardless of the grades received on other assignments for the course. Students will have two opportunities to pass the CPE during the offering of the course. If the first attempt at the CPE is failed and has to be repeated, a core faculty member will review the second CPE. The faculty member evaluators will reach a consensus regard¬ing the pass or failure of the examination. If the CPE is failed, the highest grade a student can receive for the course is a “C+.” Once it is determined that a passing grade has been achieved on the CPE, the grade on the examination may be weighed with other assignments to calculate the final grade, as specified on the course syllabus.

If requesting to transfer either Cognitive Assessment (PP 7370 ) or Personality Assessment (PP 7520 ) a comparable course that meets all the transfer requirements must be approved and the CPE as described above must be passed. The student will have one opportunity to pass the CPE for transfer, and should consult with the program chair prior to beginning the examination. Failure to pass the CPE requires the student to enroll in the appropriate course (Cognitive Assessment or Personality Assessment).
Successful passage of the Diagnostic Administration and Scoring Presentation Evaluation and passage or transfer of Cognitive Assessment (PP 7370 ) and Personality Assessment (PP 7520 ) is a prerequisite for Practicum I.

Section Two

Diagnostic Interpretation The student meets this requirement by passing Integrative Assessment (PP 7373 ) with a grade of “B-” or better. This course includes a presentation evaluation that must be passed in order to pass the course.

Section Three

Diagnostic Interview and Case Formulation Competency This competency is demonstrated during the spring semester of practicum II . The student demonstrates this competency by successfully completing three related tasks.

• Observation component The practicum seminar leader observes the student performing a diagnostic interview and judges whether the student is demonstrating competency in interviewing. The seminar leader may directly observe the stu¬dent interviewing a client or the student may submit a video or audiotape of an interview. With the approval of the seminar leader, a student may substitute a role-¬played interview of a faculty member.
• Written component The seminar leader reviews the student’s diagnostic report of the observed case, as well as the student’s self-critique of the interview with the client and judges whether the report demonstrates competency in case formulation.
• Oral presentation component The student presents the case in the practicum seminar and fields questions from the seminar members. The seminar leader judges whether the student can present a case in a cogent, organized manner.

Although the student may be supervised on the case presented, she or he must not be supervised on the particular interview presented for the CPE. The interview and case formulation should offer a view of the student’s independent clinical work. The interview should last no more than 60 minutes.

This CPE must be passed in order for the student to receive credit for the final semester of practicum seminar and the overall practicum experience. Students will have two opportunities to pass the CPE during the spring semester. This includes one re¬write if the written report of a satisfactory interview is deemed unsatisfactory, or a second CPE with a new client if the initial interview is deemed unacceptable. A second presentation evaluation failure will be reviewed independently by another program faculty member.
The faculty evaluators will reach a final consensus regarding the passage or failure of the evaluation. Failure on either of these second attempts means failure of the practicum seminar for the semester and no credit for the practicum experience. This failure will be considered a course failure for purposes of determining the student’s standing in the program. A student that has failed the CPE but otherwise is in good standing, will be referred to the Clinical Training Committee to develop recommendations for a remediation plan for the SPDC.

Section Four

Scientific Inquiry The student meets this requirement in Statistics and Research I (PP 7200 ), Statistics and Research II (PP 7201 ) and Statistics, Research, and Psychometrics (PP 7206 ). The CPE is integrated in the courses and students are required to pass the CPE in order to successfully pass the course. If requesting to transfer of any of the Statistics and Research courses, a comparable course that meets all the transfer requirements must be approved and the CPE as described above must be passed. The student will have one opportunity to pass the CPE for transfer, and should consult with the program chair prior to beginning the examination. Failure to pass the CPE requires the student to enroll in the corresponding Statistics and Research class.
 

Comprehensive Examination Requirements: Clinical Competence Examination (CCE)

At the conclusion of three years of professional studies and training in psychology, Argosy University and the clinical psychology faculty expect that students should be prepared and able to integrate the material they have learned into a cohesive and demonstrable form, characterized by breadth, depth, refined organization, and differentiated thinking required for successful completion of the Clinical Competence Examination (CCE). The examination is given to:

• Assist students with conceptual development, assimilation, and application of theory, clinical experience, and research learned from a curriculum in professional studies in psychology, into an organized, diverse, yet integrated body of knowledge;
• Identify and affirm those students who have developed this knowledge base and who can apply it successfully;
• Identify students who have neither mastered nor developed this body of knowledge, and therefore cannot successfully apply it; and to assist these students with remediation in order to facilitate successful mastery;
• Evaluate the success of the teaching and curriculum of the program.

All doctoral degree program students are required to successfully complete the CCE. The successful passage of this examination marks the official acceptance of the matriculated student as a doctoral candidate. The examination must be passed prior to applying for internship.

The CCE is administered during the early summer. The CCE is a two-part examination that includes a written case presentation of a client treated during the student’s therapy practicum and an oral defense of that document. The CCE is designed to assess students’ knowledge, clinical reasoning within a conceptual model, technical skills, relationship skills, and ability to communicate professionally in both written and oral formats. A student is not eligible to apply for internship until he or she has passed the CCE. The written portion of the exam is a case presentation which includes a diagnostic assessment, a formal case formulation, and a description of the entire course of therapy, either in progress or completed. As a part of the written document, students must submit an audio- or video-recorded session that includes a demonstration of the treatment modality used in therapy and a self-critique of their interventions with the client during that session. Second, students are required to successfully complete an oral defense of their written case presentation in order to pass the CCE. This oral examination is attended by the student and members of his or her CCE Committee. Prior to the oral examination meeting, faculty members on the students’ CCE committee review the written case presentation, the recorded session and transcript, and the self-critique document.

Eligibility

Students will normally schedule to take their CCE at the end of their third year. To be eligible to take the examination, students must have successfully completed all of the courses in the first two years of the program and the following third ¬year courses prior to the examination: Physiological Psychology (PP 7050 ), Clinical Psychopharmacology (PP 7360 ), and Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (PP 7100 ). Students must submit a Comprehensive Examination Request Form to the program chair during the spring semester at a date designated by the program chair. Students must take their comprehensive examination at their earliest eligibility and must successfully complete the exam by their fifth year of matriculation.

In the event that a student fails the CCE, it is the responsibility of the student to seek remediation and he or she must retake the exam the following year. The remediation plan needs to be approved by the student’s advisor by the end of October and registered with the program chair by the end of the fall semester following the failure. A student failing the CCE twice is automatically dismissed from the program.
 

Clinical Research Project Requirement

The Clinical Research Project (CRP) is the final step in the more formal research training sequence. The primary training objective of the CRP process is to help students develop the skills needed to become critical consumers of the literature in psychology and understand how to apply their knowledge to their experiences in clinical practice, and other roles they will assume as professionals. The CRP, which students work on during their last year prior to internship, provides them with the opportunity to do an independent piece of scholarship. This scholarly project demonstrates students’ ability to:

• Articulate a clearly operationalized clinical question or set of questions.
• Critically evaluate and synthesize the relevant theoretical, clinical, and empirical (qualitative and quantitative) literature across a range of studies.
• Analyze collected data in light of the organizing question(s) and the prevailing knowledge in the area chosen for study.
• Write a scholarly and professional viewpoint informed by the literature or investigation.

By becoming competent users of the psychological literature and critical thinkers about professional issues, students ground their work in the current scientific foundations of clinical psychology. In addition, they acquire the requisite tools to keep abreast of the evolving body of scientific and professional knowledge and, thereby, keep their work up to date throughout their professional careers.

Students select the type of CRP with the approval of the chairperson and the CRP Committee. It should be noted that students may need to seek additional training (e.g., advanced statistics courses or computer applications) or resources external to the school (e.g., statistical consultation, research subjects) to complete other CRP options such as an empirical project. Students will be required to develop a plan identifying training and resource needs as part of their CRP proposal.

Grading the Clinical Research Project

Registering for a CRP is like registering for a course. Students will be graded “Progressing” (PR) or “No Credit” (NC) by the chairperson based on the work the student has completed that semester.“Credit” (“CR”) is given only when the CRP is complete.
CRPs are not graded; they are either accepted or not accepted by the CRP committee. Students must have an accepted CRP in order to fulfill the requirements for the degree and are reminded that all requirements must be fulfilled within seven years of entry into the program.
 

Recommended Course Sequence for the the Doctor of Clinical Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program–Five Year Curriculum

Student progress through the clinical psychology program at Argosy University, Nashville is intended to be sequential. Certain courses are offered to first-year students that are designed to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for courses that will follow in subsequent years. In addition, certain advanced courses require the student to have the background of more basic courses in order to benefit fully from the course experience. Students must satisfy all stated prerequisites for a course before a registration for that course can be considered official. This catalog and registration materials contain the prerequisites for any given course.

Note

*Students are required to consult with their advisor before choosing electives.

Course/Credit Transfer

In addition to the institutional requirements, Argosy University, Nashville requires that all graduate work submitted for transfer be completed within the last five years. If coursework was completed more than five years prior to admission, then the student must provide evidence that they have remained current with the course’s subject area (e.g., attendance of continuing education workshops, supervision). Students may only transfer a total of 30 semester credit hours into the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program.

General Course Requirements — Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP 7000 - History and Systems (3)
• PP 7020 - Child and Adolescent Development (3)
• PP 7040 - Cognition and Affective Processes (3)
• PP 7050 - Physiological Psychology (3)
• PP 7060 - Social Psychology (3)
• PP 7100 - Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law (3)
• PP 7110 - Professionalization Group I (1)
• PP 7111 - Professionalization Group II (1)
• PP 7200 - Statistics and Research I (3)
• PP 7201 - Statistics and Research II (3)
• PP 7300 - Psychopathology I (3)
• PP 7301 - Psychopathology II (3)
• PP 7340 - Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations (3)
• PP 7350 - Consultation and Supervision (3)
• PP 7360 - Clinical Psychopharmacology (3)
• PP 7365 - Clinical Interviewing (3)
• PP 7370 - Cognitive Assessment (3)
• PP 7371 - Objective Personality Assessment (3)
• PP 7372 - Projective Personality Assessment (3)
• PP 7373 - Integrative Assessment (3)
• PP 8010 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8039 - Interventions II (3)
• PP 8040 - Psychoanalytic Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP 8050 - Family and Couples Therapy (3)
• PP 8201 - Practicum I (3)
• PP 8202 - Practicum II (3)
• PP 8203 - Practicum III (3)
• PP 8204 - Practicum IV (3)
• PP 8470 - Adult Development and Aging (3)
• PP 8501 - Clinical Research Project (3)
• Elective (3)
• Elective (3)
• Elective (3)
• Elective (3)