Program Requirements

The PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program requires the satisfactory completion of 98 semester credit hours, distributed as follows: assessment requirement, 17 credit hours; bases course requirement, 12 credit hours; individual differences requirement, 9 credit hours; interventions requirement, 21 credit hours; methodology requirement, 6 credit hours; professional issues requirement, 5 credit hours; practicum requirement, 12 credit hours; and Clinical Research Project requirement, 4 credit hours; elective requirements, 12 credit hours.

All courses other than electives are considered core courses. Students are required to retake a core course if they receive 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.

Elective Requirement

Students may wish to take elective courses in an area of concentration. Only the elective courses required for a concentration will be offered yearly. Annual electives vary from year to year. Some examples of electives are included in the table below.

Professionalization Group Requirement

The Professionalization Group, which meets on a weekly basis, is designed to provide first-year students with important direction and assistance as they begin their education and training. This group assists 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 have the opportunity to 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 begins in September and continues 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 American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC 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)
• 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 the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC. 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).

Clinical Presentation Evaluation Requirement

The Clinical Presentation Evaluation (CPE) is a series of competency based examinations designed to evaluate doctoral clinical psychology 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 PP 7370 Cognitive Assessment  and PP 7372 Projective Personality Assessment  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 PP 7370 Cognitive Assessment  or PP 7372 Projective Personality Assessment , 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 Projective Personality Assessment).

Successful passage of the Diagnostic Administration and Scoring Presentation Evaluation and passage or transfer of PP 7370 Cognitive Assessment  and PP 7372 Projective Personality Assessment  is a prerequisite for Practicum I.

Section Two

Diagnostic Interpretation The student meets this requirement by passing PP 7373 Integrative Assessment  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  role-played interview of a faculty member or a practicum supervisor.
• 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 PP 7200 Statistics and Research I . 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 PP 7200 Statistics and Research I , 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 PP 7200 Statistics and Research I .

Clinical Competence Comprehensive Examination Requirements

At the conclusion of three years of professional studies and training in psychology, the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC 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.

Eligibility

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: PP 7050 Physiological Psychology , PP 7360 Clinical Psychopharmacology , PP 7040 Cognition and Affective Processes , and PP 7100 Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law . 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 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 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” 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 the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC—Five-Year Curriculum

Student progress through the clinical psychology program offered by the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC 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.

Concentrations in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology Degree Program

In addition to providing depth in elective distributions, the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC offers students the option of concentrating elective courses in one of four specific areas. These correspond to areas of interest and  expertise of the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC faculty.

The four concentrations achieve a specific training focus by the addition of particular elective courses, as listed below, to required courses that already address the specific focus. Additionally, the topic of the student’s Clinical Research Project is required to be within the concentration of interest for the  four concentrations. The availability of any practicum, however, is dependent on both community resources and the student’s competitiveness for a particular practicum site.

Child & Family Psychology Concentration Requirements

The Child & Family Psychology concentration is designed to help students focus their elective choices and Clinical Research project in the areas of child and adolescent psychopathology, assessment, and therapy. Students are also expected to take additional courses in family and couples therapy. This concentration requires the completion of 9 elective credit hours and the Clinical Research Project.

Diversity & Multicultural Psychology Concentration Requirements

The Diversity & Multicultural Psychology concentration is intended for students working with issues of individual differences and cultural issues such as race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic class, and ability. Courses are designed to cover assessment, therapy, and consultation with diverse populations. The Diversity & Multicultural Psychology  concentration requires the completion of 9 elective credit hours and the Clinical Research Project.

Forensic Psychology Concentration Requirements

The Forensic Psychology concentration is designed to help students focus their elective choices and Clinical Research Project in the area of forensic psychology, including knowledge of the legal system; the practice of psychology in the judicial forum; and the relationship between law, psychology, and the mental health system. The completion of 9 elective credit hours and the Clinical Research Project is required for this concentration.

Health & Neuropsychology Concentration Requirements

The Health & Neuropsychology concentration is for students who wish to gain additional academic experience in neuropsychology and/or health psychology. These elective courses are designed to provide students experience with a wide variety of tests used in neuropsychology assessment and treatment. Students can also elect to take courses that focus on health related issues such as medical or pediatric psychology. Nine elective credit hours and the Clinical Research Project are required for the Health & Neuropsychology concentration.

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

Doctoral degree program students in the clinical psychology 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 all of the courses required during the first two years, of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree program, including practicum. In addition, students must also complete one of the following courses:

• PP7000 - History and Systems (3)
• PP7050 - Physiological Psychology (3)
• PP7060 - Social Psychology (3)

Course/Credit Transfer

In addition to the institutional requirements, Argosy University 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

Students requesting to transfer PP 7370 Cognitive Assessment  or PP 7372 Projective Personality Assessment  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 American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC 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 Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology degree program at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Washington DC 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 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.

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