COURSE SYLLABUS
Psychology (PSY) 637
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Practicum in Psychological Assessment and Intervention
(Advanced Psychotherapy Supervision)
Instructor:
Time:
Location:
Office:
Ofc Hours:
David T. Susman, Ph.D.
Thursdays 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.
PSC Conference Room
Harris Center (PSC)
By appointment
e-mail:
susman@uky.edu
Office Phone: 859-257-6853 (PSC)
Course Description and Objectives:
The purpose of the course is to provide evidence-based supervision of students’
psychotherapy with clients at the Jesse G. Harris, Jr. Psychological Services Center. Students will be
expected to apply empirically derived treatment interventions from the psychological literature in
their clinical casework. An emphasis will be placed on integrating evidence-based psychotherapy
interventions and techniques into actual clinical practice with clients. Students will also discuss
foundational concepts and issues related to various clinical issues such as competency in providing
clinical supervision and the underlying principles of effective psychotherapy. Another goal is to add
to the “practitioner’s toolkit” by discussing and reviewing various treatment interventions and
practice-related materials.
Course Activities, Assignments and Attendance:
Class meetings will be devoted to discussion of students’ psychotherapy clients, including
application of relevant empirical findings to the development of therapy goals and interventions.
Videotapes of therapy sessions will be reviewed. Discussion of assigned readings will also occur.
In the latter half of the semester, each student will present a 10-15 minute overview of an
evidence-based therapy relevant to the treatment of problems presented by PSC clients,
accompanied by a handout summarizing the information presented. The focus of the presentation
should be on specific applied, pragmatic, techniques, with lesser emphasis on theory. The
handout/summary should include: 1) Intervention overview; 2) Evidence for intervention
effectiveness; 3) Brief summary of intervention sessions/format; 4) Strengths and weaknesses of
intervention; 5) Selected references.
Maintaining complete, accurate, and up-to-date clinical records is critical. It is expected
that progress notes will be turned in within one week from the date of service and 4-week
assessments, 6-month review notes, and transfer/termination summaries within two weeks after
the due date. Extensions may be allowed for academic breaks, cancelled classes, inclement
weather, and other extenuating circumstances, if approved by the instructor. Please be familiar
with all PSC record-keeping policies in the PSC Manual.
All class members are expected to actively participate in discussions of all clients, assigned
readings and treatment approaches. Class attendance is extremely important. Excused absences
are defined using University guidelines. If you must be absent for class, leave a message at the PSC,
or a voice message at my ESH office or cell phone. E-mail notification of an absence is acceptable
only if it is more than 24 hours in advance of class.
Grading:
Grades will be based on attendance (20%), discussion (20%), class presentation (20%),
timely completion of required documentation of client records (20%) and progress toward the
integration of evidence-based interventions into clinical practice (20%).
Accommodations:
If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, let me know
as soon as possible. In order to receive accommodations for this course, you must provide a Letter
of Accommodation from the Disability Resource Center (Room 2, Alumni gym, 257-2754) for
coordination of campus disability services available to students with disabilities.
Academic and Professional Integrity:
All work presented in this course must be your own original work, with proper citations
when needed. Any plagiarism will likely result in failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and
even further academic sanctions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The most effective therapists skillfully and seamlessly integrate three crucial ingredients of
therapeutic success:
 technique
 motivation
 the therapeutic alliance
Highly skilled therapists know how to create a therapeutic climate of warmth, emotion, trust, and
hope while they are assessing each client’s motivation and selecting the best techniques for the
client’s specific problems.
Overly technical therapy without a warm therapeutic alliance is ineffective and usually falls flat.
Overly supportive therapy that lacks effective technology may feel good but fails to change the
client’s life.
Therapists with good technique and warmth can still fail if they do not know how to motivate clients.
-David D. Burns, MD, Psychiatrist/Author