PSY 254: CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Fall 2006
Time:
Location:
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday 9 to 10:20 a.m.
McConnell B05
Patricia M. DiBartolo, Ph.D.
Bass 303
x3913
pdibarto@email.smith.edu
Mondays 1:30-2:30; Wednesdays 9:30-10:30; or by appointment
Purpose
This class provides you an overview of clinical psychology focusing on the
settings, clients, and activities of the clinical psychologist. In particular, we cover the
ethical, conceptual, and methodological issues facing psychologists in the field that relate
to methods of assessment, forms of psychotherapy, and evaluation of the success of
psychological interventions.
The primary purpose of this class is to teach students to appreciate fully the
scientific bases of the discipline of clinical psychology. Given that the ultimate goal of
clinical psychology is to improve the quality of life of clients, it is essential that we
empirically evaluate our efficacy rather than relying on intuition or uncontrolled
observations to determine if we have helped. Thus, you learn to evaluate available
clinical research critically and, consequently, to develop a clear conceptual understanding
of the existing data in the area.
Required Reading
Course packet available from Paradise Copies at 30 Crafts Ave., Northampton
(585-0414)
Course Requirements (see Course Outline for due dates)
Please note that important materials and assignments for this class are posted on
Moodle (http://moodon.smith.edu). If you are a Smith or Five-College student and preregistered for this class, you have access to Moodle. If you are a Smith student who did
not pre-register for the class, be sure to see me so that I can add your name to the class
roster and you can gain access to the Moodle site for the class. If you are a Five-College
student and are not preregistered, you will need to go to the Registrar’s office (College
Hall) to request a 99# that will allow you access to Moodle. During your first visit to
Moodle, please confirm that your e-mail address is correct.
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Exams
A total of two exams will be administered. All exams involve essay and short
answer questions based upon both the readings and lectures.
Review Paper
Over the course of the semester, you work towards writing an 8 to 10 page term
paper describing an empirically-based treatment plan for a hypothetical client. The focus
of this paper is to choose and intervention supported by the scientific literature.
Consistent with the goals mentioned earlier, the principal purpose of this paper is to
develop the intellectual habit of questioning the scientific justification for clinical
psychologists’ professional conduct.
All work submitted must by typed and written in APA-format. The term
paper is constructed through a series of stages that are as follows:
Stage 1:
Stage 2:
Stage 3:
Paper outline and References (10% of total grade)
Submit a paper outline with a list of empirical references relevant
to your topic.
Optional First Draft (not counted in final grade)
If you choose, you can submit a first draft of your paper for my
feedback. This is strongly recommended but not required. If you
do decide to do so, your draft is expected to be your best effort.
Final Draft (30% of total grade)
If you have submitted a first draft, you are expected to make
appropriate revisions based upon suggestions from it. You must
hand in your first draft as well if you have completed one.
I will distribute separate handouts with more explicit details of each stage of the
assignment during the course of the semester.
On-line Discussion (2% of total grade)
You are required to post four discussion commentaries related to our assigned
readings on Moodle over the course of the semester (each worth .50 points toward the
final grade). Two must be posted prior to the first exam and the other two must be posted
in the second half of the semester. Each posting must occur prior to the class meeting at
which the reading is covered and must be substantive in content.
In-Class Commentaries (3% of total grade)
At seven random points throughout the semester, I will suspend class a few
minutes early so that you can write a brief commentary about your reactions to the class
material discussed that day. Each commentary is worth .5 points and students can earn up
to 3 total points toward their final grade by completing these commentaries. Thus, each
student is allowed to miss one class in which commentary is completed. If any further
classes are missed in which a commentary is completed, you lose the opportunity to earn
those commentary points.
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Class Discussion
Although this class largely centers upon a lecture format, I expect that the class
members will participate in class discussion in a number of ways. First, you are strongly
encouraged to ask questions regarding the lecture or reading materials at any time. In
addition, you are expected to have covered the required readings prior to their class
presentation. At times, I call upon the class to summarize or critique the concepts
presented in lecture or in the readings. Although your participation in class is not
included formally in your total grade, your willingness to offer your thoughts in class
may be considered for final grades that fall in a borderline area.
Calculation of the Final Grade
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Paper Outline
Final Paper
On-line Discussion
In-Class Commentaries
25%
30%
10%
30%
2%
3%
Grade Equivalents
100.0-95.0
90.0-94.9
87.0-89.9
83.0-86.9
80.0-82.9
A
AB+
B
B-
77.0-79.9
73.0-76.9
70.0-72.9
67.0-69.9
63.0-66.9
60.0-62.9
Below 60.0
C+
C
CD+
D
DE
Honor Code
You are required to abide by the Honor Code established by the college. You
must be sure not to plagiarize and to provide appropriate citations for the sources you
consult. Any infractions will be reported to the Academic Honor Board.
Extensions
Only on extremely rare occasions will extensions be granted. You must make me
aware of your inability to meet your requirement deadlines prior to the date that the
work is due. If you miss a course requirement without permission, you will earn non of
the total points allocated to that requirement. On occasion with my permission students
may be able to submit written work for the final paper late with an appropriate penalty
awarded (deduction of one grade, e.g., from a B to a B-, for each day late). You are
encouraged to submit written work for the paper even if it is late and you have earned
none of the allocated points so that you are not disadvantaged at later stages of the
writing process.
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Course Outline
**Please complete the class readings in the order in which they are assigned.**
WEEKS 1-6: ETHICS, COMPETENCIES, AND
THE SCIENTIST-PRACTITIONER MODEL
Weeks 1-2: The Dangers of Pseudoscience in the Helping Professions
Singer, M. T., & Lalich, J. (1996). What’s wrong with this picture? In “Crazy”
therapies: What are they? Do they work? (pp. 1-21). San Francisco, Jossey-Bass
Publishers.
Groopman, J. (2004, January 26). The grief industry. The New Yorker, 30-38.
Weeks 2-3: The Importance of Training in the Scientist-Practitioner Model
Readings
Hayes, S.C., Barlow, D.H., & Nelson, R.O. (1999). The scientist-practitioner. In
The scientist-practitioner: Research and accountability in the age of managed care (2nd
ed.) (pp. 1-28). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Stanovich, K.E. (1998). Testimonials and case study evidence: Placebo effects
and the Amazing Randi. In How to think straight about psychology (5th ed.) (pp. 53-72).
New York: Addison Wesley Longman Inc.
Weeks 3-4: An Overview of Psychotherapy Schools
Readings
Steinem, G. (1994, March/April). Womb envy, testyria, and breast castration
anxiety. Ms., 49-56.
Hays, P.A. (1995). Multicultural applications of cognitive-behavior therapy.
Professional psychology: Research and Practice, 26, 309-315.
Weeks 5-6: Ethical Issues and Essential Competencies
Note: There is no class on October 10th due to Autumn Recess
Requirement
Paper outline/references due in class on Thursday, October 5th
Readings (continued on next page)
Pope, K.S. & Vetter, V.A. (1999). Ethical dilemmas encountered by members of
the American Psychological Association: A national survey (pp. 68-90). In D.N. Bersoff
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(Ed.) Ethical conflicts in psychology (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
Hansen, N.D., Pepitone-Arreola-Rockwell, F.& Greene, A.F. (2000).
Multicultural competence: Criteria and case examples. Professional Psychology:
Research and Practice, 31, 652-660.
Eubanks-Carter, C., Burckell, L.A., & Goldfried, M.R. (2005). Enhancing
therapeutic effectiveness with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Clinical Psychology:
Science and Practice, 12, 1-18.
WEEKS 7-8: PSEUDOSCIENCE VERSUS BEST PRACTICES ASSESSMENT
Week 7: Difficulties in Defining Normality
Readings
Rosenhan, D.L. (1973). On being sane in insane places. Science, 179, 250-258.
Week 8: Errors in Clinical Judgment & the Rorschach
Readings
Garb, H.N., & Boyle, P.A. (2003). Understanding why some clinicians use
pseudoscientific methods: Findings from research on clinical judgment. In S.O.
Lilienfeld, S.J. Lynn, & J.M. Lohr (Eds.), Science and pseudoscience in clinical
psychology (pp. 17-38). New York: Guilford Press.
Wood, J.M., Nezworski, M.T., Lilienfeld, S.O., & Garb, H.N. (2003). The
Rorschach inkblot test, fortune tellers, and cold reading. Skeptical Inquirer, 27(4). Go to
www.csicop.org/si/2003-07/rorschach.html.
WEEKS 9-15: PSEUDOSCIENCE VERSUS BEST PRACTICES PSYCHOTHERAPY
Week 9: Conversion Therapy
Requirements
1) First two weekly discussion commentaries posted on Moodle by Tuesday,
October 31st
2) Exam One on Tuesday, October 31st
Readings (continued on next page)
Beckstead, A.L. (2001). Cures versus choices: Agendas in sexual reorientation
therapy. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy, 5, 87-115.
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Schroeder, M., & Shidlo, A. (2001). Ethical issues in sexual orientation
conversion therapies: An empirical study of consumers. Journal of Gay and Lesbian
Psychotherapy, 5, 131-166.
Weeks 10-11: Derepression Therapy/EMDR and the “Power” Therapies
NOTE: There is no class on November 16th.
Requirement
Optional draft of paper due in class on November 14th
Readings
Poole, D.A., Lindsay, D.S, Memon, A., & Bull, R. (1995). Psychotherapy and
the recovery of memories of childhood sexual abuse: U.S. and British practitioners’
opinions, practices, and experiences. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63,
426-437.
Rosa, L., Rosa, E., Sarner, L., & Barrett, S. (1998). A close look at therapeutic
touch. Journal of the American Medical Association, 279, 1005-1010.
Weeks 12-13: Psychotherapy Evaluation
NOTE: There is no class on November 23rd due to Thanksgiving Recess.
Readings
Persons, J.B., & Silberschatz, G. (1998). Are results of randomized controlled
trials useful to psychotherapists? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66,
126-135.
Messer, S.B. (2004). Evidence-based practice: Beyond empirically supported
treatments. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 35, 580-588.
Nagayama Hall, G.C. (2001). Psychotherapy research with ethnic minorities:
Empirical, ethical, and conceptual issues. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,
69, 502-510.
Weeks 13-14: Disseminating Effective Treatments
Readings
Addis, M.E. (2002). Methods for disseminating research products and increasing
evidence-based practice: Promises, obstacles, and future directions. Clinical Psychology:
Science and Practice, 9, 367-378.
Wilson, G.T. (1996). Manual-based treatments: The clinical application of
research findings. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 34, 295-314.
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Week 14: Prescription Privileges
Requirements
Last two weekly discussion commentaries posted on Moodle by Thursday,
December 14th
Exam Two in class on Thursday, December 14th
Final paper due to my office by 12 noon on Monday, December 18th
Readings
Robiner, W.N., Bearman, D.L., Berman, M., Grove, W.M., Colon, E., Armstrong,
J., & Mareck, S. (2002). Prescriptive authority for psychologists: A looming health
hazard? Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 231-248.
DeLeon, P.H., Dunivin, D.L., & Newman, R. (2002). The tide rises. Clinical
Psychology: Science and Practice, 9, 249-255.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
DATE
Thursday, October 5th
BY Tuesday, October 31st
Tuesday, October 31st
Tuesday, November 14th
BY Thursday, December 14th
Thursday, December 14th
Monday, December 18th
REQUIREMENT
Paper Outline/References due
First two weekly on-line
discussion comments posted
Exam One
Optional Draft of Paper due
Final two weekly on-line
discussion comments posted
Exam Two
Final Paper due by 12 noon
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