Psychology 3301F-650

Clinical Psychology

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

1.0    CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

This course offers a survey of major topics in clinical psychology, including assessment and intervention approaches; experimental psychopathology; ethical, professional and theoretical issues; and emerging trends.

Antirequisites: Psychology 2301A/B, the former 3300A/B

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.

Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810

3 lecture/seminar hours, 0.5 course

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

INSTRUCTOR 1:

Catalina Sarmiento, B.Sc., Lecturer

Office:

Westminster Hall, Rm 235E

Office Hours:

By Appointment Only

Email:

csarmie2@uwo.ca

 

 

INSTRUCTOR 2:

Adam Newton, B.A., Lecturer

Office:

Westminster Hall, Rm 235E

Office Hours:

By Appointment Only

Email:

anewton9@uwo.ca

 

 

INSTRUCTOR 3:               

Graham J. Reid, Ph.D., Associate Professor

Office & Phone Number:

Westminster Hall, Room 319E

519-661-2111 (x84677)

Email:

greid@uwo.ca

Ms. Sarmiento and Mr. Newton will hold office hours in person (in Westminster Hall 235E) or via Skype (video or voice call). Appointments are to be arranged via email.

If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you.  Please visit:  http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you.  You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.

3.0  TEXTBOOK

Hunsley, J. and Lee, C.M.  (2014) Clinical Psychology: An Evidence-Based Approach (3rd Ed.). Mississauga, ON: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.  eBook or print

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course will provide an overview of the field of clinical psychology covering:

1)       Definitions and history of clinical psychology

2)       Clinical psychology research methods

3)       Psychopathology and abnormal behaviour

4)       Clinical assessment including clinical diagnosis and the assessment of intelligence, personality and behaviour

5)       Intervention methods used by clinical psychologists

6)       A review of subspecialties within clinical psychology including health, neuropsychology, forensic, paediatric and child psychology

7)       Professional issues and training in clinical psychology.

Lectures, online discussions, and a written assignment will complement material presented in the textbook. During the online discussion, the instructors will post questions to facilitate understanding of aspects related to the week’s topic. The written assignment will include a grade for peer evaluation and for the final submission (see Written Assignment).

5.0     EVALUATION


Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:


70%    1000-level and 2000-level courses
72%     2190-2990 level courses
75%     3000-level courses
80%     4000-level courses
   
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):

A+  90-100    One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A    80-89        Superior work that is clearly above average
B    70-79        Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C    60-69        Competent work, meeting requirements
D    50-59        Fair work, minimally acceptable
F    below 50    Fail

ASSIGNMENTS

DEADLINES

GRADE

Participation

General discussion with the entire class

Monday through Sunday

12%

Written Assignment Draft

Monday, June 13, 11:00 pm (submitted online)

Must be submitted or final assignment will not be graded

Peer feedback

Monday, June 27, 11:00 pm (submitted online)

6%

Written Assignment

Friday, July 29, 11:00 pm (submitted online)

26%

Mid-term exam 1

Saturday, June 4 – time to be determined

12%

Mid-term exam 2

Saturday, July 9 – time to be determined

16%

Final exam

As scheduled during final exam period
(Aug 2-5)

28%

5.1 ASSIGNMENTS

5.1 A) PARTICIPATION

Participation is an essential element of an online course. You will be expected to participate in discussion within your tutorial section. In the online forum, the instructors will post questions for the group to discuss; the instructors will moderate this discussion.

A grade for participation will be based on an assessment of the quality of your participation. You have to post something, but what you say is more important than how much or how often you post. Good quality participation reflects of your mastery of required readings, and includes thoughtful questioning and raising points/issues you encounter in the reading, and involvement in discussions. We are striving for an on-line discussion, rather than just a series of individual responses to the week’s question. In other words, your posts could reflect a response to the question and/or a response to your classmates’ post(s).

As participation is a key element in this course, it is important that we foster and maintain an atmosphere of respect and civility. All class members have a role in creating this atmosphere by responding to comments with interest, and allowing all students to participate. When a student’s behaviour is not consistent with the above, one of the instructors will contact the student privately. If a student’s behaviour continues to be disrespectful, s/he will be removed from the discussion.

Evaluation: At least two posts are expected each week. You must post at least once during the first half of the week (due by 11pm on Wednesday) and post again during the second half of the week (due by 11pm on Sunday). A mark for class participation will be assigned weekly with 1% of the grade allocated based on general discussion with the entire class for each week for a total of 12% of the final grade.

5.1 B) WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

You will be required to submit a paper that reviews a topic in clinical psychology of your choice. You will review empirical research and theory related to your chosen topic.  You must cite at least 10 empirical journal articles or book chapters in your paper. Many psychology journals can be accessed online through Western Libraries, and your course textbook has a list of major journals relevant to clinical psychology that you may find useful. Format your references and citations according to APA style (6th ed): these guidelines are available online through Western Libraries under “Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.”  The overall format of your paper should follow the APA style guidelines, but you do not need to include an abstract.  

The paper should follow an essay format, which means it should contain an introduction with a thesis statement, a main body detailing the research and references to support the statement, and a summarizing conclusion. Your paper can be a maximum of 10 pages long (1 inch margins, double spaced, 12-point font).

Some suggested journal sources:

American Psychologist

Annual Review of Clinical Psychology

Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine

British Journal of Clinical Psychology

British Medical Journal

Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

Clinical Psychology Review

Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice

Development and Psychopathology

Journal of Abnormal Psychology

Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Journal of Child Clinical Psychology

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

Journal of Clinical Psychology

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Journal of Pediatric Psychology

Journal of the American Medical Association: Psychiatry

Journal of Pediatrics

Psychological Assessment

Psychological Bulletin

A good paper demonstrates evidence of critical thinking and discussion. Therefore, a good paper is not only a summary of the findings and opinions of others. Critical thinking involves comparison and contrast of related points from different sources, or discussion of the strengths and weakness of arguments, evidence, and theory.  In order to incorporate critical discussion in your paper, you may wish to choose a topic in clinical psychology where there is conflicting evidence, different theories, or different expert opinions. You should also choose a topic that you can cover in sufficient detail in 10 pages. If you find that your topic of interest is too broad, you may choose a narrower or more specific issue within this topic for your paper. Conversely, if you can find almost nothing in the empirical literature on clinical psychology to address your topic of interest, you should choose a different area or expand your focus.

A draft of your paper will be due midway through the course.  You will receive feedback on this draft from another student in the class chosen at random (see Peer Feedback below). You will not be graded on this draft of your paper, but IF YOU DO NOT HAND IN A DRAFT OF YOUR PAPER, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO SUBMIT THE FINAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT.  In other words, you will receive a mark of zero (“0”) on your written assignment if you do not submit a draft by the deadline.

Your draft should be submitted with your student number and without your name. This will allow for an anonymous review by your peer (see 5.1.C: PEER FEEDBACK).

A 1-page summary of the key changes you made to your paper based on the peer feedback you received should be included in your final submission. (Note: This 1 page is not included in the 10-page total for this assignment.) The summary should briefly state/summarize the suggestions made in the peer feedback followed by how you responded to each suggestion. In some cases, these may be very short descriptions but proper sentences should be used.

Note: you must upload your written assignments in a format that can be read by others. A *.docx (Microsoft Word format), *.rtf (rich text format) or *.PDF (portable document format) is recommended.

 

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT EVALUATION CRITERIA. Papers will be graded based on:

1)     Accuracy and clear understanding of the research and relevant surrounding issues,

2)     Critical evaluation and discussion of the empirical research,

3)     Organization and logic in the presentation of points and discussion, and overall writing style

4)     Quality and relevance of references selected for the paper,

5)     Overall quality and sophistication of ideas,

6)     Documentation of your use of peer feedback.

5.1 C) PEER FEEDBACK

After submitting a draft of the written assignment by the deadline of June 13, each student will receive a draft submitted by another randomly-chosen student in the course by the middle of the week (i.e., by Wednesday, June 15). The goal of the peer feedback assignment is to provide feedback on the writing of another student in the course in order to help him/her improve his/her written assignment for the final submission. In doing so, you will gain skills related to evaluation of others writing. Reading another student’s paper will also broaden your knowledge in the area of clinical psychology.

Your peer feedback should be in sentence format. Use of subheadings to structure your feedback is strongly encouraged. The feedback should be a minimum of 1 ½ pages and a maximum of 3 pages long (1 inch margins, double spaced, 12-point font).

Please ensure that the file name of your peer feedback document includes your peer’s student number and your name, such as:

“Peer Feedback for 250123456_ANewton.pdf”

You will read the draft that you have been assigned and provide comments on what was effective and what the student could improve. A structured feedback and evaluation sheet will be uploaded to the course website to assist students with giving feedback. Peer feedback will be marked as 6% of the course grade. Students will be marked on the quality of feedback they give, not the feedback they receive. Feedback should be constructive and given with the aim of improving the written assignment: as with online discussion participation, students are expected to maintain an attitude of respect and civility towards others in the course.

5.2 EXAMS

The format of the mid-term and final exams will be the same. A combination of multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions will be used. All exams will be 2 hours in length. ANY material from the textbook or lectures may be selected for the exams. No "aids" are allowed in exams.

5.2  A) MID-TERM EXAM 1 (12%)

The first - Mid-term Exam 1 (12%) - will cover all material from lectures 1-4 and chapters 1-6.

5.2  B) Mid-term Exam 2 (16%)

The second - Mid-term 2 (16%) - will cover all material from lectures 5-8 and chapters 7-11. Lecture 9 and Chapter 12 will not be covered on this mid-term exam, but will be covered on the final exam.

5.2 C) FINAL EXAM (28%)

This exam is cumulative and will cover all lecture and chapter material covered in the course. Approximately 75% of the exam will cover material not previously tested in the midterms (i.e., lectures 9-12 and assigned chapters). The remainder, approximately 25% of the exam, will cover previously tested material (i.e., lectures 1-8 and assigned chapters).


6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Exam

Date

Time  & Location

Mid-term Exam 1

June 4

TBD

Mid-term Exam 2

July 9

TBD

Final Exam

Aug 2-5th Exam period

TBD

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Week

Date

Topics

Text chapters

1

May 9

Course Overview, Organization & Greetings

2

May 16

Overview and History of Clinical Psychology

1 & 2 (pp. 45-73)

3

May 23

Research Methods in Clinical Psychology

4

Classification and Diagnosis

3

4

May 30

Assessment: Overview

5

Assessment: Interviewing & Observation

6

 

June 4

MID-TERM EXAM 1

Lectures 1-4, chapters 1-6

5

June 6

Assessment: Intellectual and Cognitive Measures

7

Assessment: Self-Report and Projective Measures

8

6

June 13

Assessment: Integration and Clinical Decision-Making

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT DRAFT DUE

9

7

June 20

Prevention

10

8

June 27

Intervention: Overview

PEER FEEDBACK DUE

11

9

July 4

Intervention: Adults and Couples

12

 

July 9

MID-TERM EXAM 2

Lectures 5-8, chapters 7-11

10

July 11

Intervention: Children and Adolescents & Pediatric Psychology

13 & pp. 546-552

11

July 18

Intervention: Identifying Key Elements of Change

14

Health, Neuropsychology & Forensic Psychology

15

12

July 25

Becoming a Clinical Psychologist

2 (pp. 73-84) Appendix 2

July 29

FINAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT DUE

Aug 2 – 5

FINAL EXAM AS SCHEDULED

Cumulative


8.0     STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link:  http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com

Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

9.0    POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS

The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html


10.0        OTHER INFORMATION

Office of the Registrar web site:  http://registrar.uwo.ca

Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca

Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:

    http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html

- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences

- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.

11.0 UNDERSTANDING AND APPEALING MARKS

Students are welcome to discuss with the instructors any aspects of their evaluation that are not clear. Students may appeal any mark given in the course. To ensure that concerns are fairly reviewed, students wishing to have a grade reviewed must submit a brief note outlining the specific concerns regarding the grade and justification for grade revision. An appeal must include: (a) the original material submitted (if material was returned) and (b) a written statement by the student of the issue(s) with the grading. The statement should include the specific aspect of the grading in question and his/her rationale for why a grade should be altered. The original material will be re-graded and reviewed along with the rationale for the appeal. The mark as re-graded by the instructor will be the final mark. This mark may be higher or lower than the original grade.