PP 8300

Advanced Practicum Seminar

Spring 2008

INSTRUCTOR:

Annemarie Slobig, Psy.D.

PHONE:

(312) 777-7680

EMAIL:


FAX:

ALT PHONE:

RECOMMENDED READINGS

Title / Smart Love: The compassionate alternative to discipline that will make you a better parent and your child a better person
Author(s) / Pieper, M.H. & Pieper, W.J.
Copyright / 1999
Publisher / Harvard Common Press
ISBN / 1-55832-142-9
Edition
Title / Addicted to Unhappiness
Author(s) / Pieper, M.H. & Pieper, W.J.
Copyright / 2003
Publisher / McGraw Hill
ISBN / 0-07-143369-4
Edition

This Course Requires the Purchase of a Course Packet: YES NO

Advanced Practicum Seminar PP 8300 September 2007--June 2008

Mondays 9-11am

Annemarie Slobig, Psy.D. (312) 777-7680

Advanced Practicum Seminar

As in the diagnostic and therapy practicum experiences, the seminar provides an opportunity for students to meet together and reflect on their training experiences throughout the year. The seminar will provide a consultative opportunity to explore both the general issues that arise in clinical practice as well as to extend and refine specific skills in both diagnostic assessment and the conduct of psychotherapy. My hope for us this year, is that we will be able to create a safe, playful, and productive environment in which we can all learn.

Relationship between Practicum Supervision and Practicum Seminar:

The advanced seminar provides a structure within which students receive additional consultation and training as they progress through the practicum year. Your site supervisor remains your sole supervisor, and holds responsibility for your clinical work throughout your practicum experience. At times, students find themselves feeling confused or experiencing conflict because of differences in the perspectives or approach of the seminar group and the site supervisor. Such reactions are very common during training, and it is important to discuss such feelings openly and directly. Remember, you are not at liberty to disregard the direction of your supervisor, because your supervisor takes clinical responsibility for you. You are encouraged to raise these issues in the seminar meetings, or discuss them individually with the seminar leader.

Site supervisors have been informed that they may contact the training department and/or the seminar leader in order to raise any questions or concerns. The practicum site will complete a written evaluation of the student's performance each trimester. Students are strongly encouraged to raise questions, offer alternative perspectives and comment on their understanding of any clinical material presented, as well as any readings we decide to complete together.

Learning Objectives:

As a small seminar, this course provides an opportunity for students to co-create the specific learning objectives, based on your particular interests and needs at this time. My own perspective will lead me to comment on your work from the perspectives of intrapsychic humanism, relational psychoanalysis, and existential psychotherapy. I will expect that when you present your work, you will be able to articulate what ideas (and impulses) led you to respond in the particular way you did, and to non-defensively explore the myriad, complex factors contributing to the process of the session. To this end, come prepared on the days you present, with copies of a verbatim transcript or detailed process notes of the portion of the session we will discuss. It is not required that you use audio or videotapes, but if you do not, you must prepare detailed notes that attempt to recreate what actually transpired in the session, which will appear just like a tape transcription. It will be helpful when presenting tapes to transcribe a brief (5-10 minutes) segment for more careful scrutiny.

The seminar also provides additional opportunities for you to continue to develop supervision and consultation skills. You should raise questions, offer comments, and give feedback to your colleagues.

Presentation Instructions:

A. Describe the setting and conditions that make up the context of the session you present. These include, but are not limited to: the setting, information from the course of treatment if a later hour is to be presented, the fee, clinic or agency policies that affect the relationship, and salient recent interactions that may be directly affecting the session presented.

B. Describe your understanding of the client's problems in your own words, and discuss your goals and how you understand the interventions you make in the context of these goals.

C. Discuss your own feelings and thoughts about the client--particularly thoughts that may have affected any of your responses during this particular hour.

D. Share with the group any specific questions or concerns you may have about the specific client or the specific hour. (This is important, please come prepared with at least one specific question for the group to consider as we listen to the material).

E. Begin the tape or begin to read from process notes and participate in the group discussion.

Each week, all group members should attempt to respond to the specific questions the presenter raised, and should comment on other observations they make regarding the process and/or specific interventions.

Readings:

Throughout the course of the year, I will identify articles and book chapters that we will read and discuss together. In addition, students are encouraged to read as widely as possible, and share articles with the rest of the seminar group when you find them helpful. Each student MUST recommend at least one article, chapter, or book per term to the group. While a course packet will not be required (in part to help keep your book costs manageable), you should be trying to read as much as possible---especially in your particular areas of interest.

Evaluation Procedures:

There are no required written assignments in this seminar. If you would like me to review something you have written, I will be happy to do so. In addition, each student will meet with me individually once each semester to discuss your progress toward your goals, and your overall performance in the seminar. I will be available to meet with you at other times, as well, if you would like to discuss your clinical work, your seminar performance, or other issues. Each semester, I will complete a written evaluation of each student’s progress, both in terms of their own presentations and their overall contribution to the group discussion, according to the specific competency areas important to the practice of clinical psychology.

Program Outcomes: The Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University Chicago Campus is an APA accredited program (APA, 750 First St. NE, Washington, DC 20002, 202-336-5500). This program is designed to educate and train students so that they may eventually be able to function effectively as clinical psychologists. To ensure that students are prepared adequately, the curriculum provides for the meaningful integration of theory, training and practice. The Clinical Psychology program at Argosy University Chicago Campus emphasizes the development of attitudes, knowledge, and skills essential in the formation of professional psychologists who are committed to the ethical provision of quality services. Specific objectives of the program include the following:

·  Goal 1: Prepare professional psychologists to accurately, effectively, and ethically select, administer, score, interpret, and communicate findings of appropriate assessment methods informed by accepted psychometric standards and sensitive to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.

o  Objective 1a: Accurately and ethically administer and score various psychodiagnostic instruments.

o  Objective 1b: Accurately interpret and synthesize assessment data in the context of diversity factors, referral questions, and specific objectives of the assessment, and organize and communicate results in writing and orally.

o  Objective 1c: Examine psychometric properties of psychological assessment instruments, and use that knowledge to evaluate, select, administer, and interpret psychological tests and measures appropriate for the client, the referral question, and the objectives of the assessment.

·  Goal 2: Prepare professional psychologists to select, implement, and evaluate psychological interventions consistent with current ethical, evidence-based, and professional standards, within a theoretical framework, and with sensitivity to the interpersonal processes of the therapeutic relationship and the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.

o  Objective 2a: Synthesize the foundations of clinical psychology, including psychopathology, human development, diagnosis, diversity, ethics, and various therapeutic models in clinical applications.

o  Objective 2b: Select, plan, and implement ethical and evidence-based interventions with sensitivity to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.

o  Objective 2c: Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively implement and participate in psychological consultation and supervision.
Objective 2d: Demonstrate personal development and self-reflective capacity, including growth of interpersonal skills, and therapeutic relationships.

·  Goal 3: Prepare professional psychologists to analyze the complexity and multidimensionality of human diversity, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to understand diverse worldviews and the potential meaning of social, cultural, and individual differences for professional psychological services.

·  Goal 4: Prepare professional psychologists to examine the historical context and the current body of knowledge of biological, cognitive, affective, developmental, and social bases of human functioning.

·  Goal 5: Prepare professional psychologists to critically evaluate the current and evolving body of scholarly literature in psychology to inform professional practice.


Library

All resources in Argosy University’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.

Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at http://library.argosy.edu. Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at http://library.argosy.edu/misc/onlinedblist.html.

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosy.edu/infolit/

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both

the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

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