PGSP-Stanford Psy.D Consortium

First Year Courses

Psy101 Learning Psychotherapy: An Integrated Approach I

Provides a foundation for training beginning psychotherapists in the crucial elements of psychotherapy.  The first module focuses on an introduction to pan-theoretical elements, concepts of listening skills, the therapeutic alliance, verbal response modes and therapist intentions, and cultural and ethical issues affecting psychotherapy.

Psy102 Learning Psychotherapy: An Integrated Approach II

Psy102b History and Systems

Introduction to the historical contexts, social influences, and individuals important to the development of movements within psychology with an emphasis placed on the development of psychology as an empirical science. Recognition of the role of women and people of color in the history of psychology are emphasized.

Psy103 Learning Psychotherapy: An Integrated Approach III

In the third module those pan-theoretical elements identified by the APA Division 29 task force are studied at in greater depth. Key issues include empathy, recognizing and repairing ruptures in the therapeutic alliance, recognizing stages of change and attachment styles.

Psy108 Foundations of Psychological Science I: The Human Experience

Professor Zimbardo provides an overview of critical aspects of social psychology and the influence of social processes and context on human behavior.

Psy110 Psychopathology Across the Lifespan: Middle Years and Older Adult

Overview of theory, etiology, base rates and comorbidities of psychopathologies included in DSM-IV-TR. Students learn to use the DSM-IV-TR criteria and multiaxial system to make differential diagnosis and apply diagnostic skills through clinical interviews and diagnostic reports. The benefits and limitations of diagnosis are discussed.

Psy111 Psychopathology Across the Lifespan: Child and Adolescent

Overview of common child and adolescent psychological disorders and developmental psychopathology addressing issues such as ethnicity, SES and gender differences throughout. The course focuses on DSM-IV-TR classifications, adaptive and maladaptive behaviors, risk and protective factors within the child, family and environment and developmental models.

Psy112 Critical Issues in Clinical Psychology

Focuses on practical issues that will face clinical psychologists in 21st century including controversies over empirically supported therapies, practice guidelines, randomized clinical trials, self-evaluation of practices and prescription privileges for clinical psychologists.

Psy113 Biological Bases of Human Behavior

Reviews the fundamentals of neuroscience involved in understanding what is currently known about the neurobiological bases for psychiatric disorders. It includes a review of neurotransmitters, second messenger systems, neurotrophic factors and the effect of pharmacologic agents on these different levels of input to the neuron. Connected networks thought to underlie mood and anxiety disorders, data suggesting structural changes in mood disorders and functional abnormalities in a variety of psychiatric illnesses are considered.

Psy114 Foundations of Ethics and Professional Psychological Practice

Introduction to the ethical and professional guidelines, laws, principles, and practices that shape professional psychology in the 21st century.

Psy121: Psychological Assessment I: Adult Intellectual and Cognitive Assessment

This 5-unit course provides an introduction to assessment of adult intellectual and cognitive functioning in a dual lecture and laboratory format.  The course emphasizes the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV with administration, scoring, and interpretation covered in lecture and implemented in the laboratory.

Psy123: Psychological Assessment II: Personality Assessment

This 5-unit course provides an overview of personality and personality assessment in a dual lecture and laboratory format.  The course emphasizes objective, self-report measures and provides in-depth coverage of the MMPI-2 in the assessment of emotional functioning and psychopathology.  Prerequisite:  Psy121.

Psy124: Psychological Assessment III: Integrated Test Batteries

Psy120: Assessment Practica 1A-1D

This elective course sequence provides students who have completed the assessment sequence and passed the Assessment Comprehensive Examination with an opportunity to conduct supervised psychological assessments using the instruments and model demonstrated throughout the assessment course sequence.  Prerequisite: Psy121-Psy124, successful completion of the Assessment Comprehensive Examination, and Instructor approval

Second Year Courses

Psy201 Advanced Professional Issues: Clinical Emergencies and Crises

Follows the section of clinical emergencies and crises (Section VII) of the APA Division of Clinical Psychology's training guidelines for didactic and clinical training in this essential professional endeavor.

Psy203 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Mood Disorders

Focuses on the treatment of mood disorders, including comorbid Axis I and Axis II disorders, with cognitive behavior therapy. It emphasizes the integration of five crucial ingredients of therapeutic success: Assessment, Technique, Emotion, Alliance, and Motivation.

Psy204 Foundations of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Introduction to brief and long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, with an emphasis on the potential contribution of empirical research to theory validation and to the identification of efficacious treatment elements. Topics covered include: psychodynamic assumptions about the mechanisms of change in treatment, with a focus on the roles of insight and enactments; definitions of transference and counter-transference as affected by the shift in focus from a one-person to two-person psychology; the role of the unconscious and mechanisms of defense; the technical distinction between expressive and supportive techniques and their relations to the mechanisms of change.

Psy206 Psychological Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

Introduction to the theories of substance misuse and the principles and methods of prevention, screening, assessment, and treatment of substance use disorders. The course is structured to meet California licensure requirements for training in alcoholism/chemical dependency detection and treatment.

Psy207 Foundations of Psychological Science II: Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior

Examines the interplay between cognition and affect and their relation to behavior. Particular attention is paid to the neurobehavioral underpinnings of cognition and emotion, particularly with regard to clinical syndromes in anxiety and depression.

Psy208 The Nature and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

Overview of current data regarding prevalence, clinical features, comorbidities, and treatment outcome of anxiety disorders in adults. Etiology and the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders from a biopsychosocial perspective is presented and specific treatment procedures are reviewed for empirically supported treatments for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social and Specific Phobias, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Psy209 Supervision and Group Work

Introduction to the theory and practice of group psychotherapy and includes an historical overview of the development of group psychotherapy, particularly as it pertains to the emergence of the various approaches to group psychotherapy. Basic issues and treatment strategies in conducting group psychotherapy are highlighted. Introduction to the models, methods, and competencies of clinical supervision. Introduction to basic group dynamics, principles of effective task groups, and the theory and practice of group psychotherapies with an emphasis on interactional group therapy.

Psy250 Research Methods and Statistics I

This course covers basic research methodology and statistics in psychology.  Students will be able to describe characteristics of research studies, explain different research methods, and articulate strengths and limitations of various research designs.  The statistical concepts taught include the ability to identify which data analyses procedures to use, compute simple statistical work problems by hand, correctly perform data entry, data management, and statistical analyses covered in lectures using a statistical program. In addition, students will be able to correctly determine if parametric versus nonparametric statistics should be used given the assumptions and distribution of scores.

Psy251 Research Methods and Statistics II

This course builds upon the research methods and statistical approaches taught in PSY250.  More advanced research methodology is covered in addition to learning how to critically evaluate an article published in the research literature.  Students will be able to distinguish the nature of designs that permit causal inferences from those that do not, evaluate the appropriateness of conclusions derived from psychological research as well as articulate strengths and limitations of various research designs. The lectures will cover analysis of variance/covariance, regression, and multiple regression.  Students will learn to execute the models within a statistical program as well as the interpretation and explanation of results in APA format. 

Prerequisite:  Psy250.

Psy252 Research Methods and Statistics III

This course emphasizes the development of the student’s ability to apply analytic and critical thinking to understanding and evaluating empirical journal articles of relevance to psychology. It builds on the knowledge and skills developed in the previous two courses of this series (Psy250 and Psy251), and presents some additional material (qualitative research, reporting on clinical trials, program evaluation, conceptual modeling, sampling procedures, and smoke-and-mirrors reporting.  Prerequisite:  Psy251

Psy280 Culturally Competent Counseling

Overview of issues related to multicultural counseling and psychology. The focus is on the interface of divergent identities and cultural experiences and the development of cross-cultural competency for clinicians.

Third Year Courses

Psy302 The Nature and Treatment of Eating Disorders (elective course)

A clinical overview of Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. Psychosocial and cultural risk factors for the development of eating disorders are reviewed and treatment outcome literature that guides evidence based treatment is presented. The theoretical rationales for both cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy for eating disorders are studied.

Psy303 Family Therapy

Provides students with the basic concepts of systems theory. Initially the major theoretical premises of the family-systems approach to the assessment and treatment of couples and families are reviewed, then the focus shifts to acquiring the tools required for family systems interviewing, assessment, and treatment planning.

Psy304 Medical Illness and Psychological Symptoms

The purpose of this course is to investigate the appearance of psychiatric illness in medical conditions. Central Nervous System diseases, HIV related psychiatric disorders, and disorders related to hormone dysregulation are reviewed. Neuropsychological testing is covered with an emphasis on the diagnosis of psychiatric conditions in neurological disorders. Students also receive an in depth review of somatoform disorders, with particular focus on non-epileptic seizures.

Psy305 Advanced Psychological Case Formulation

This course teaches a comprehensive approach to integrative case formulation, including consideration of bio-psycho-social-cultural factors impacting current presentation and clinical outcomes.  The course hones skills in presenting cases, case formulation and thinking systematically and critically about patient problems.

Psy306 Child/Adolescent I: Developmental Psychopathology

This course explores the new field of developmental psychopathology.  The theoretical underpinnings of developmental psychopathology will be examined.  The contribution of developmental psychopathology to understanding etiology, assessment, and treatment will be reviewed in detail. Patient interviews will be conducted to demonstrate principles of developmental psychopathology as applied to currently hospitalized psychiatric patients.

Psy307 Child/Adolescent II: Child Assessment

Provides students with background and practical experience in diagnostic testing of children. This will include readings, observations, and discussion of diagnostic testing of selected subjects as well as practical testing experience. Human diversity issues in the assessment of children (language differences, ethnicity, SES) are addressed throughout the course.

Psy308 Child/Adolescent III: Child Psychotherapy

This course introduces empirically-supported treatments for child and adolescent mental health disorders. Child and adolescent development is covered as a broad-based guiding principle for implementation of skills and strategies; however, the course focuses on building skills (e.g., CBT with anxiety) and their application to specific disorders.

Psy309 DBT for the Borderline Patient: Clinical Overview (elective option)

A comprehensive overview of DBT, supporting empirical evidence, and applicability to Borderline Personality Disorder in adult and adolescent populations. Applicability to eating disordered and alcoholic populations will also be reviewed. The core theoretical principles are summarized, and treatment targets and strategies are discussed with an emphasis given to the features that differentiate DBT from other cognitive or behavioral treatments.

Psy310 Dissertation Preparation I

Weekly seminar focused on the development and facilitation of the dissertation process. Faculty provide individual assistance and discussion, including literature review, hypotheses development, finding a dissertation chair and other committee members, the Institutional Review Board process, proposal preparation, and the proposal defense.

Psy311 Dissertation Preparation II

See Psy310.

Psy312 Psychopharmacology for Psychologists (elective option)

Overview of psychopharmacology in the treatment of psychopathology, including discussion of various models of disorders and the impact of drug development research.

Psy345 Advanced Statistical and Writing Consultation (elective)

Individualized consultation in writing and statistical analyses for dissertation. 

Psy346 Consultation Psychology

Theory and methods of consultation psychology in child and adult settings.

Psy347 Introduction to Internship Preparation (elective)

Weekly seminar focused on the internship application, interview, and matching process as well as professional development issues.

Psy355 Behavioral Medicine (elective beginning 2011-2012)

Overview of various clinical health psychology techniques for working with patients with a variety of behavioral medicine needs. Presenting issues include psychological factors associated a diagnosis of cancer, diabetes or HIV/AIDS, smoking cessation, weight management or exercise, psychosomatic illness, pain management, women's reproductive health issues and genetic testing.

Fourth Year and Beyond Courses

Psy400 Clinical Practicum

Students are expected to acquire 5-10 weekly hours of unofficial practicum activity in the spring quarter of their first year.

Psy401 Internship Preparation (elective)

Weekly seminar focused on the internship application, interview, and matching process as well as professional development issues.

Psy402 Internship Preparation (elective)

See Psy401

Psy500 Professional Practicum 2A

Students are expected to acquire 15-20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the fall quarter of their second year.

Psy501 Professional Practicum 2B

Students are expected to acquire 15-20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the winter quarter of their second year.

Psy502 Professional Practicum 2C

Students are expected to acquire 15-20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the spring quarter of their second year.

Psy550 Internship

Students are expected to acquire 40 weekly hours of internship experience throughout the year.

Psy600 Professional Practicum 3A

Students are expected to acquire 20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the fall quarter of their third year.

Psy601 Professional Practicum 3B

Students are expected to acquire 20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the winter quarter of their third year.

Psy602 Professional Practicum 3C

Students are expected to acquire 20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the spring quarter of their third year.

Psy700 Professional Practicum 4A

Students have the option of acquiring 15-20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the fall quarter of their fourth year.

Psy701 Professional Practicum 4B

Students have the option of acquiring 15-20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the winter quarter of their fourth year.

Psy702 Professional Practicum 4C

Students have the option of acquiring 15-20 weekly hours of practicum experience in the spring quarter of their fourth year.

Psy750a Clinical Dissertation

Psy750b Clinical Dissertation

Psy750c Clinical Dissertation

Psy800  Dissertation Units – 5^th Year

Psy951  Clinical Practicum