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.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810, and one of Psychology 2310A/B or Psychology 2320A/B.
Unless you have either the prerequisites 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.
Antirequisite: 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.
0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Erin Ross, C.Psych.
Email: eross67@uwo.ca
Office Hours: 7440 Social Science Centre; office hours by appointment
Teaching Assistant: tbd
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Lee, C.M. & Hunsley, J. (2018). Introduction to Clinical Psychology: An Evidence-Based Approach (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
The textbook comes in both paperback and e-book versions. It can be ordered from the Western bookstore here: https://bookstore.uwo.ca/product/cebcodeid24878
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 neuropsychology, forensics, paediatric and child psychology
7) Professional issues and training in clinical psychology.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activities |
How Assessed |
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1. Depth & Breadth of Knowledge |
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1.1 Articulate key concepts, principles, and themes in clinical psychology.
1.2 Understand and describe identified areas of debate and current states of knowledge in clinical psychology. |
Readings Online lectures Online discussions Written assignment
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Contribution to online discussion Midterm and final exams Written assignment |
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2. Knowledge and Application of |
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2.1 Identify and access appropriate research in psychology.
2.2 Interpret, critically evaluate, and synthesize research findings and articles relevant to clinical psychology in academic articles and scholarly publications. |
Readings Online Discussion Independent researching of journal articles for written assignment |
Contribution to online discussion Written assignment |
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3. Application of Knowledge |
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3.1 Use evidence to support claims in written work.
3.2 Engage in critical scholarly discussions and debate on clinical psychology topics and utilize course material to critically assess a controversial issue in clinical psychology.
3.3 Critically evaluate the presentation of scientific ideas/ scholarly material. |
Reading Online lectures
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Contribution to online discussion Midterm and final exams Written assignment
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4. Communication Skills |
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4.1 Using written communication to clearly articulate ideas and argue opinions within a scholarly framework.
4.2. Present evidence, express opinions, and articulate logical arguments using the discourse of the sub-discipline of clinical psychology.
4.3 Present and critically discuss scientific findings and their implications. |
Online discussions Written assignment
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Contribution to online discussions Written assignment |
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5. Awareness of Limits of Knowledge |
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5.1 Recognize the limits of one’s own knowledge and knowledge in the clinical psychology and how this might influence the analysis and interpretations of broader issues
5.2 Identify and discuss research issues in need of further investigation.
5.3 Discuss and critically evaluate a current issue in clinical psychology using scholarly sources. |
Online lectures Online discussion Written assignment |
Written assignment Online discussions |
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6. Autonomy and Professional Capacity |
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6.1 Demonstrate initiative, personal responsibility and accountability in all course work.
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Online discussion Written assignment |
Contribution to online discussion Written assignment |
5.0 EVALUATION
5.1) ESSAY
The essay is worth 30% of your final grade. See page 8 for further information. It is due on July 6, 2020.
5.2) EXAMS
The format of the mid-term and final exams will be the same. A combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank and short answer questions will be used. Midterm exam will be 2 hours in length; Final exam is three hours in length. ANY material from the readings or lectures may be selected for the exams. Exams will be open-book and delivered online.
5.2.A) Mid-term Exam (20%)
This exam will cover all material from the textbook (chapters 1-9), and class lectures prior to the mid-term. It will take place on June 13, 2020.
5.2.B) Final Exam (35%)
This exam will be a cumulative examination of all material from the class lectures and assigned readings. It will take place during the Final Exam period, August 2020.
5.3) PARTICIPATION
Weekly participation in online discussions will be expected throughout the course. This participation will be worth 15% of your mark. Specifically, each student is expected to contribute a minimum of two comments per week to the discussion. Instructors will post questions at the start of the week (Monday). You must post at least once during the first half of the week (due by Thursday at 11pm) and again during the second half of the week (due by Sunday at 11pm).
In order to foster academic discussion, the emphasis is on the quality of contributions – the expectation is that comments will be thoughtful, with ideas drawn from lectures and readings as well as the comments of fellow students. Contributions could include questions or points of interest arising from lecture or readings, responses to the comments of others or additional questions their ideas raised, or questions about the application of concepts in clinical settings. The hope is that students will engage with ideas and each other to promote discussion rather than a series of disconnected comments.
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.
PLEASE NOTE: Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
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 Western's 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
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
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Assignment Schedule |
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Assignment |
Deadline |
Grade (%) |
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Participation |
Weekly (ongoing) |
15% |
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Mid-term exam |
June 13, 2020 |
20% |
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Essay |
July 6, 2020 |
30% |
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Final exam |
TBA |
35% |
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
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Session/Date |
Topic |
Chapters |
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1 – May 4
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Course Orientation History of Clinical Psychology |
1 |
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2 – May 11 |
Contemporary Clinical Psychology Research Methods in Clinical Psychology |
2 4 |
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3 – May 18 |
Classification and Diagnosis Assessment: Overview |
3 5 |
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4 – May 25
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Assessment: Interview and Observation Assessment: Intellectual and Cognitive Measures |
6 7 |
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June 1 |
NO CLASSES |
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5 – June 8 |
Assessment: Self-Report and Projectives Assessment: Integration and Decision-Making |
8 9 |
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June 13 |
MID-TERM EXAM |
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6 – June 15 |
Prevention |
10 |
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7 – June 22 |
Intervention: Overview LAST DAY TO HAVE ESSAY TOPICS APPROVED |
11 |
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8 – June 29 |
Intervention: Adults and Couples |
12 |
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9 – July 6 |
Intervention: Children and Adolescents ESSAYS DUE |
13
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10 –July 13 |
Intervention: Elements of Change |
14 |
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11 – July 20 |
Clinical Health Psych, Neuropsych, and Forensic Psych
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15 |
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12 – July 27 |
Grad school and comparing the disciplines Exam review |
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
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
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
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
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
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
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
- 2019-2020 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
11.0 Essay Assignment - Essays are due July 6, 2020
For this assignment, you are to write a paper of 2500-3000 words, which is approximately 10-12 pages (typed, double spaced). The paper should follow the APA style (e.g., format of citations and references). It should include a title page but does not include an abstract. Late papers will be penalized by deduction of one point (out of 30) per day.
Your assignment is to choose a particular topic in clinical psychology and write a review of recent research findings and theoretical developments relating to that topic. Some suggested topics are listed below. Your topic should relate to some aspect of the discipline of Clinical Psychology. Note that the amount of existing research varies widely with domain of interest, so the breadth or specificity of your topic will depend on the particular issue that you choose. Be careful not to choose a topic that is either too broad or too narrow.
If you do not select a topic from the selections below, please get approval for your essay topic from me. Approval must be received by June 22 at the latest.
Your essay should include references to at least 10 empirical journal articles or book chapters. Referencing websites is rarely advisable. 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 3000 words/12 pages long (1-inch margins, double spaced, 12-point font).
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.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT EVALUATION CRITERIA. Papers will be graded based on:
- Accuracy and clear understanding of the research and relevant surrounding issues,
- Critical evaluation and discussion of the empirical research,
- Organization and logic in the presentation of points and discussion
- Quality and relevance of references selected for the paper
- Overall quality and sophistication of ideas
- Overall writing style
Possible Essay Topics
(you are welcome to choose a topic from outside this list but you must have your topic approved by me – deadline for topic approval is June 22)
- Ethical challenges in clinical psychology
- What makes psychotherapy effective?
- Emerging roles for clinical psychologists
- Should clinical psychologists seek prescription privileges?
- How does our increasing understanding of neuropsychology influence therapeutic intervention?
- Technology and therapy – online therapy, teletherapy etc.
- Publication-bias/positive results bias in psychology and its effect on the theory and/or practice of psychology
- Participatory research/activist research and its role in the field of psychology
- Challenges in accessing psychological help in Canada
- Is there a role for projective measures in contemporary assessment?
- The impact of client-report progress monitoring and outcome measures in therapy
- Looking at the efficacy of a given treatment for a particular disorder, population, etc
- Comparing the efficacy of two or more treatments for a particular disorder, population, etc.
