DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Clinical Psychology - Areas of Specialization

Adult Track

Students can emphasize work with adults by taking the appropriate assessment courses, several year-long adult psychotherapy practica, and pre-internship placements which focus on adult populations. The in-house adult therapy practica involve a weekly seminar with student case presentations, plus weekly individual supervision. The cognitive-behavioral therapy practicum typically involves intervention with adults, although work with adolescents and children is possible. These practica and the two-year pre-internship placements offer students extensive clinical experience with adults.

Students may also elect a subspecialty in adult aging where they gain research and clinical experience related to both the physical and psychological change associated with aging. In addition to the general clinical requirements, the student may take courses and seminars offered by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the School of Nursing, which examine the current research and theories in specific areas of aging. The program's goal is to prepare students for a career in geropsychology that integrates research and clinical practice in the assessment and treatment of elderly adults.

Illustrative Program

A typical schedule for an Adult Track Student follows.

Child Clinical Psychology

Students may choose a sub-specialty in clinical child/family psychology. There is a developmental focus, with a goal of integrating research, theory, and practice. In addition to general clinical requirements, trainees also take child development and developmental psychopathology classes. A year-long didactic seminar focuses on intervention approaches with children, families, parents, and couples from a variety of theoretical perspectives. Students participate in and develop child-related research projects. In their third year, they take a year-long seminar where they present child and family cases. There are two child-oriented, pre-internship placements where students acquire experience with a variety of assessment and intervention approaches and different populations such as abused, severely disturbed, and disabled children. Specialized clinical experiences relevant to a student's particular interest also may be arranged.

Pediatric Psychology

Under the new direction H. Gerry Taylor and Norah Feeny, the pediatric psychology training program will be taking applications for the 2008 academic year.

Students in this program will be trained to conduct descriptive, outcome evaluation, and applied research with a wide range of pediatric populations as well as to conduct and evaluate cutting edge clinical interventions. The program is designed to equip graduates with the skills necessary to become leaders in the field of pediatric psychology: to work with physicians and members of other professions in collaborative research and to make original research and clinical contributions to the field of pediatric psychology. Students in pediatric psychology must meet the general requirements of the graduate program. Beyond the general requirements, our program includes a range of opportunities including:

• Specialized courses in pediatric psychology (see Seminar in Pediatric Psychology ) and related elective and enrichment courses in the Department of Pediatrics.
  
• Training in the skills necessary to conduct pediatric psychology research including research grant and program evaluation proposals, presentations of papers to scientific meetings, and publishable manuscripts.


• Opportunity to receive mentorship from psychologists and pediatricians who are engaged in research and clinical care in pediatric settings and participate in interdisciplinary research and clinical care teams ( Click here for curently funded research projects, and here for new research and clinical opportunities ) .

Our program also recognizes and supports the value of clinical training, especially as it enhances understanding of pediatric populations and practical obstacles involved in implementing applied research, as well as collaboration with other professional disciplines, especially pediatricians. Expectations for clinical training are comparable to the students in the general clinical program. However, students in pediatric psychology will gain the opportunity to obtain practicum experiences in pediatric settings and to select pediatric populations of primary interest for gaining direct clinical and research skills. Our students are expected to be on campus during summers to concentrate on their research and to attend relevant seminars.

Student funding through either the National Institute of Mental Health and the Dean at Case includes a stipend of approximately $20,000 per year and full course tuition. The stipend is for all the years students are enrolled in the program, and there is often a yearly raise. Students also receive funds for travel to present their research at scientific meetings as well as funds to support memberships in professional societies and research assistants to facilitate data collections and analysis.

Click here to go to the Pediatric Psychology Homepage.

Illustrative Programs

A typical schedule for a Pediatric Psychology Student follows.

The above illustrative curricula are based on a four-year program prior to internship. However, most students elect to complete the program over a five year period before going on internship. This permits additional electives, research experience, and greater progress on the dissertation prior to internship. The program strongly encourages completion of the dissertation prior to internship.

There is also some year-to-year variation in course offerings. Students in the Pediatric Psychology Training Program also register for a Pediatric Psychology Seminar each semester of residence.