Gallaudet University Cross Learning Community Poster Session
Faculty Learning Community (FLC): Closing the Loop
Course for Project: COU 714-01 Adult Psychopathology
Mary C. Hufnell, Psy. D. (Department of Counseling)
Definition of Learning Concern:
COU 714 Adult Psychopathology, offered in the graduate program in mental health counseling, covers various adult
emotional and behavioral diagnoses
as addressed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-Fourth Edition TR (DSM-IV-TR). The course uses additional texts in addition to the DSM-IV-TR manual to cover
the diagnostic categories (e.g. anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance disorders), including one required text that provides case material with specific descriptions of
individuals who have been diagnosed with a particular disorder. One of the challenges with teaching this course is that it is difficult to imagine how the diagnoses truly
manifest and what a diagnosis looks like for the person with the disorder. It is also often difficult to differentiate between some diagnoses that have some similar presenting
symptoms.
The assessment data for the Department of Counseling from the 2009-2010
Annual Learning Assessment Planning (LAP) Update indicated that
*diagnostic assessment and case conceptualization were areas of weakness as assessed through site supervisor evaluations at the Internship I (See chart
below).
Recurring Weaknesses
Class and number
in class
Knowledge
Skills
Dispositions
Recurring Strengths
Class of 2010
N=6
3.8
4
3.8
Building rapport in counselor-client
*
relationships; flexibility and
adaptability; receptivity to feedback
Class of 2009
N=5
3.6
3.5
4.0
Rapport building in counselor-client
*
relationship
Diagnostic assessment,
case conceptualization
Treatment planning, case
conceptualization,
diagnostic assessment
Proposed Strategy to Improve Teaching and Learning in the Course:
A pre-test will be used to gauge current familiaritywith clinical diagnoses and to determine which categories might need emphasis based on how the students do on the
pre-test. I will assess the individuals’ performance on the pre-test but also assess the overall results for the class.
To supplement case study materials, some visual presentation in the form of film or video (from American Counseling Association and American Psychological
Association) and/or a movie or film clip will be used to illustrate each of the major identified diagnoses. Mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and
personality disorders are the planned diagnostic categories but this is subject to change based on pre-test data. Films may also be used as recommended in Movies and
Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology, 2nd Ed (Wedding et al., 2005) or through the CESNET listserv ( information (e.g. A Beautiful Mind (2001) for
schizophrenia, The Hours (2002) for depression, etc.).
Assessment of Learning as relates to Teaching Strategy:
Specific questions on the final exam will be used to assess a specific learning area identified above, that is, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders and
personality disorders. To the extent that the pre-test indicates particular shortcomings or deficiencies in other diagnostic categories, these may also be included or
substituted. Some questions will require students to describe symptoms of the specific identified categories, differentiate diagnoses in the categories, and demonstrate
preliminary case conceptualization skill. I will perform a quantitative analysis of scores and percentage correct for the class and a qualitative analysis, where applicable, to
assess complexity and detail of student responses. This will provide some data with regard to the effectiveness of using visual materials to improve student learning in the
the Adult Psychopathology course in the Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling program.