Core Course Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP6010 - Lifespan Development (3)
• PP6021 - Person Centered/Experiential Theory and Therapy (3)
• PP6100 - Ethics and Professional Issues (3)
• PP6101 - Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Therapy: Theory and Skills (3)
• PP6160 - Working with Diverse Populations (3)
• PP6200 - Statistical Procedures and Design (3)
• PP6310 - Psychopathology I (3)
• PP6311 - Psychopathology II (3)
• PP6450 -  Foundations of Clinical Interventions (3)
• PP6650 - Working With Substance Use Disorders (3)

Elective Requirements—Students Are Required to Choose from the Following

• PP6001 - Individual Assessment (3)
• PP6015 - Narrative Psychotherapy (3)
• PP6045 - Psychopathology (3)
• PP6051 - Introduction to Physiological Psychology (3)
• PP6060 - Group Therapy (3)
• PP6161 - Working with LGBTQI Issues in Psychotherapy (3)
• PP6175 - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapies (3)
• PP6359 - Introduction to Psychopharmacology (3)
• PP6452 - Motivational Interviewing (3)
• PP6612 - Attachment Theory (2) or (3)
• PP6753 - Medical Terminology (2) or (3)
• PP6950 - Special Topics (3)

Professionalization Group Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following

• PP6401 - Professionalization Group I (1)
• PP6402 - Professionalization Group II (1)

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

• PP6201 - Master’s Practicum I (3)
• PP6202 - Master’s Practicum II (3)

Psychotherapy Competency Exam Requirements

The Psychotherapy Competency Exam (PCE) is the integrating final project for the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program and is generally completed near the end of practicum. The exam involves an evaluation of the student’s competency in the areas of psychological case formulation, clinical reasoning, and psychotherapy skills. Information regarding the PCE is distributed to students during practicum seminar, is available in the commons, or may be requested from the director of Clinical Training.

Disability Accommodations for the Psychotherapy Competency Exam

Argosy University, Seattle, in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, provides accommodations to qualified students with disabilities on major exams, such as the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program Psychotherapy Competency Exams (PCE). The Disability Services Coordinator assists qualified students with disabilities in acquiring reasonable and appropriate accommodations and in supporting their success at Argosy University, Seattle, such that:

1. Students with disabilities who are preparing to take the PCE are notified of the process for requesting and obtaining academic adjustments or auxiliary aids for their PCE;
2. Students who request disability-related academic adjustments or auxiliary aids for the PCE receive clear and timely notice that the academic adjustment or auxiliary aids were approved or disapproved; and
3. If students request the approved academic adjustment or auxiliary aids from the PCE examiners, then those approved academic adjustments or auxiliary aids are implemented during the exam.

Providing Notice of Accommodations

The Disability Services Coordinator, after working with the Program Chair to determine appropriate accommodations for the exam, will provide clear and timely notification to students who request disability-related academic adjustments or auxiliary aids for the PCE that the academic adjustment or auxiliary aids were approved or disapproved for the PCE as follows:

1. The Disability Services Coordinator will notify the student in writing of approved or disapproved academic adjustment or auxiliary aids using the Confirmation of Accommodation Form within three weeks of receiving the request.
2. If the student has requested academic adjustment or auxiliary aids only for the PCE that were not included in earlier requests, the Disability Services Coordinator will notify the student in writing of approved or disapproved academic adjustment or auxiliary aids using the PCE Confirmation of Accommodation Form within three weeks of receiving the request.
3. If the disabled student requests things that are allowed by all students and are not an accommodation per se, for example the use of class notes during the exam, the Disability Services Coordinator will include them on the PCE Confirmation of Accommodation Form as allowed while noting they are not an accommodation per se within two weeks of receiving the request.
4. If the student declines to sign the PCE Confirmation of Accommodation Form, the Disability Services Coordinator will note that on the form and will send a copy of the completed form to the student by certified mail within three weeks of the student declining to sign.
5. After approving any adjustments or auxiliary aids for the PCE, the Disability Services Coordinator will provide the student with a Letter of Accommodation within three weeks of receiving the request, who must present it to the PCE examiners to obtain the approved academic adjustments or auxiliary aids on the PCE.

Implementing Approved Accommodations

If a student requests approved academic adjustment or auxiliary aids from the PCE examiners the Disability Services Coordinator will ensure those approved academic adjustments or auxiliary aids are implemented during the exam, including:

1. When the Disability Services Coordinator provides the student with a Letter of Accommodation to present to PCE examiners to obtain the accommodation, the Disability Services Coordinator will strongly encourage the student to request the adjustments from the PCE examiners at least two weeks in advance of the examination and report back to the Disability Services Coordinator that the student has made the request.
2. If the student requests the Disability Services Coordinator help him/her in making their request for accommodations to the PCE examiners, the Disability Services Coordinator will help coordinate the meeting.
3. If the student does not confirm the request has been made, the Disability Services Coordinator will contact the student via telephone and email to confirm the request has been made. If the Disability Services Coordinator is still unable to gain confirmation from the student, they will contact the student by certified mail.
4. If the student confirms to the Disability Services Coordinator that she/he has requested approved academic adjustments or auxiliary aids from the PCE examiners, the Disability Services Coordinator will contact the PCE examiners to review and answer questions regarding the approved academic adjustments or auxiliary aids and help make any needed arrangements for their execution.
5. Following the examination, the Disability Services Coordinator will contact the PCE examiners to determine if the approved academic adjustments or auxiliary aids were executed.
    

Practicum and Practicum Seminars Requirements

The goal of the practicum at the master’s level is to train students in the application of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed by their academic experience. This experience includes the direct observation, interviewing, and treatment of clients. Certain sites also afford some students with the opportunity of limited exposure to psychological testing procedures.

The MA in Clinical Psychology degree program practicum stresses therapeutic intervention. Because there is such a wide range of therapy experience available, students should not expect to experience the total spectrum of therapies during the practicum.

The practicum is the first opportunity provided to students for clinical field training. Practicum is designed to provide students with opportunities to work under supervision with a clinical population within a mental health delivery system and is a non-paid position. The practicum is designed to provide an essential part of clinical training and all students are required to participate in the practicum experience. Liability insurance is included in the cost of the practicum.
A practicum may not be done in a student’s place of employment, nor can practicum credit hours be waived or transferred. Students who come to the Washington School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Seattle with extensive clinical backgrounds are encouraged to pursue placement in practicum sites in areas where they have an interest and do not have previous experience.

Additional information about practicum may be found in the Practicum Handbook, available in the commons or from the director of Clinical Training.

Practicum Information

It should be noted that any or all educational information in the custody of Argosy University, Seattle, its faculty or staff, which is relevant to a student’s performance or enrollment status at Argosy University, Seattle, may be shared by the director of Clinical Training, practicum instructors; head, the Washington School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Seattle; or campus president, Argosy University, Seattle with a practicum site supervisor prior to, during, or after the completion of a practicum.
 

Recommended Course Sequence for the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree Program at the Washington School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Seattle

Student progress through the program 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 addition, certain advanced courses require the student to have the background of more basic courses or practicum experience 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.
 

Course/Credit Transfer

Transfer of Courses/Credit to the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology Degree Program from other Institutions

Similar to other institutions offering graduate degrees, Argosy University, Seattle does not automatically transfer credit from graduate courses taken at other institutions. Students seeking transfer credits or waiver of graduate courses taken elsewhere may petition to have these courses apply toward the master’s degree program.

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

• The course must have been taken no more than five years before the student’s entry into the Washington School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Seattle.
• The course must have been a graduate-level course, taken for graduate-level credit at a regionally accredited college or university. In the case of institutions outside the United States, the appropriate state or national accreditation is required.
• Any course submitted towards a transfer of a 3-semester credit hour course must have itself carried 3 or more graduate semester credit hours.
• A student must have earned a grade of “B” or better on any course submitted for a transfer.
• A maximum of five courses (15 credit hours) may be transferred towards the MA in Clinical Psychology degree program.
• The school 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. Any 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. Requests must be made in writing. Transfer requests may be submitted any time during the admission process until the end of the first year of matriculation. Transfers are not officially granted until a student is officially accepted.

Students petitioning for transfer are requested to provide course descriptions, syllabi, exams, diagnostic test protocols and write-ups. Transfers are granted by the faculty if there is substantive evidence of equivalence between the course submitted for transfer and the course as it is offered at the Washington School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Seattle.