Emphasis Areas
Overview
Spalding’s PsyD in Clinical Psychology program offers general training with the ability to specialize in one of five emphasis areas: forensic psychology, geropsychology, clinical health psychology, neuropsychology or advanced clinical psychology. As a doctoral candidate in our program, you can select five electives or choose to take one elective and four content-specific emphasis area classes.
Advanced Clinical Emphasis Area
The Advanced Clinical Emphasis Area aims to provide students maximum flexibility and choice in deepening their exposure to myriad populations, theories, interventions and specialty areas to best fit their interests and/or career trajectories.
Mission
Building on our strong generalist training across the lifespan, the mission of the Advanced Clinical Emphasis Area of the PsyD Program at Spalding is to allow students the opportunity to create their own area of emphasis (such as Pediatric Neuropsychology, Couples and Families, Underrepresented Populations, etc.) or to sample broadly across other areas of emphasis to expand their foundational knowledge. Imagine being able to take introductory or independent courses in Forensic Psychology, Neuropsychology, and Health Psychology. So many options are available to you in the Advanced Clinical Emphasis Area, including developing your dissertation on the topic or population that most interests you.
Practica and Internships
Practicum placements include, but are not limited to, college counseling centers, community mental health centers, private practices, Veteran’s Administration and other hospitals, including psychiatric hospitals, school and residential systems, and specialty clinics. This emphasis area also aims to develop students’ professional identity through strong supervision, mentoring, and modeling of scholar-practitioner values and practices.
Students will be well prepared for an array of possibilities for internship, depending on courses selected. Trained in a collaborative, integrative manner, students will have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be successful as interns, postdoctoral fellows, and private practitioners.
Courses
Select the five courses you most want to take:
- PSY 888 Couples
- PSY 811 Psychopharmacology
- PSY 770 Teaching of Psychology
- PSY 806 Advanced Interventions: Dialectical Behavior Therapy and other Third-wave approaches
- PSY 702 Family therapy
- PSY 805 Gerontology
*Note: All other EA1 class can be selected; Other EA2-4 classes with instructor permission **Additional electives TBD
Clinical Health Psychology Emphasis Area
The Clinical Health Psychology Emphasis Area aims to further advance students’ knowledge of the mind-body relationship, as well as individually-based and developmentally appropriate intervention strategies for assisting clients across the lifespan in gaining or restoring well-being. Students will achieve the core competencies needed to function and thrive in medical settings and/or with clients/patients who have physical disease processes to manage concurrently with mental health concerns.
Mission
Building on our strong generalist training across the lifespan, the mission of the Clinical Health Psychology Emphasis Area of the PsyD Program at Spalding is to develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to work in medical settings on interdisciplinary teams, and/or to be able to address the psychological aspects of many physical illnesses that either perpetuate or exacerbate symptomatology. Students receive advanced training emphasizing integrated primary care, pediatric interventions, and behavioral medicine (covering such topics as pain, smoking, diabetes, sleep). Students also contribute to the advancement of health psychology with dissertations that are designed by and unique to them, about the aspects of mind-body medicine they find most meaningful to study.
Practica and Internships
Practicum placements include, but are not limited to, community mental health centers, private practices, Veteran’s Administration and other hospitals, including pediatric hospitals, and specialty outpatient clinics. This emphasis area also aims to develop students’ professional identity through strong supervision, mentoring, and modeling of scholar-practitioner values and interdisciplinary practices.
Students will be well prepared for a diverse array of possibilities for internship, including the very competitive adult and pediatric hospital-based sites. Many sites have health psychology rotations, however, so students’ options are not narrowed to medical settings. Students in Clinical Health Psychology will have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be successful as interns, postdoctoral fellows, and private practitioners.
Courses
- 840 Health EA 1: Health Psychology and Behavior Medicine
- 845 Health EA 2: Advanced Clinical Health Psychology
- 607 Health EA 3: Integrated Primary Care
- 846 Health EA 4: Pediatric Psychology
Forensic Psychology Emphasis Area
The Forensic Emphasis Area (FEA) is designed to prepare students for competent and ethical practice in forensic psychology by integrating psychological theory, research, and applied clinical practice within legal and forensic settings. The FEA fosters critical thinking and the application of evidence-based practices for the assessment and treatment of justice-involved youth and adults.
Mission
The Forensic Emphasis Area (FEA) seeks to extend the SOPP’s generalist training model to further develop competencies essential for working within legal contexts. Through specialized coursework, students will develop the knowledge and skills to work in various legal settings, including criminal proceedings, civil proceedings, juvenile justice, correctional facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and community correctional settings.
Practica and Internships
The FEA encourages students to use generalist and specialized training models when working with court-involved or justice-involved populations. Previous and current forensic and correctional practicum sites include state psychiatric hospitals, federal and state prisons, local jails, community correctional settings, and outpatient settings. The FEA also aims to develop students’ professional identity through mentorship, research, consultation, and modeling scholar-practitioner values. FEA students will be well-prepared to continue their professional development through internships, postdoctoral fellowships, and independent practice.
Courses
- PSY 730 (Required): Introduction & Ethical Considerations for Forensic Psychology
- PSY 740 (Required): Criminal Behavior & Risk Assessment
- Pick 2 of the following courses:
- PSY 741: Assessments & Interventions with Court-Involved Families
- PSY 830: Assessments & Interventions with Juveniles
- PSY 850: Assessments & Interventions with Adults
Geropsychology Emphasis Area
People ages 65 and older are the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States. In fact, by the year 2030, over 21% of the US population will be age 65 or older. However, there are not nearly enough psychologists trained in geropsychology to meet the increased demands of this population growth. In 2014, APA released the Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Older Adults, and the philosophy of the Emphasis Area in Geropsychology at Spalding University is devoted to learning and applying these guidelines in the pursuit of serving these often marginalized individuials. The program is based on the local clinical-scientist model which trains doctoral level clinical psychologists to serve as leaders in professional practice and clinical science. The program encourages the pursuit of innovative research, the development, evaluation and use of evidence-based assessment and treatment strategies in understanding and working with older adults, and the integration of practice and science throughout training.
Mission
The mission of the Geropsychology Emphasis Area of the Psy.D. Program at Spalding University is to offer, within the curriculum of a doctoral program in general clinical psychology, training in the competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) essential to working with older adults, including the support of healthy aging, competency assessment, and issues related to death and dying. The School of Professional Psychology is committed to identifying and selecting highly qualified and motivated graduate students and training them in evidence-based theories and techniques to meet the needs of our aging society and to advance the field of Geropsychology.
Practica and Internships
The School of Professional Psychology is committed to developing practicum training relationship with area facilities for older adults, and to ensuring GEA students are competitive for APA accredited geropsychology internships.
Courses
- PSY-805: Geropsychology
- PSY-807 Dementia Presentations and Capacity Evaluation
- PSY-808 The Psychology of Death and Dying and Other Late-Life Issues
- Select One of the Following:
- PSY-811: Psychopharmacology
- PSY-750: Introduction to Neuropsychology
- PSY-840: Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
Neuropsychology Emphasis Area
The philosophy of the Emphasis Area in Clinical Neuropsychology at Spalding University is to further advance understanding of brain-behavior relationships as they relate to neurological and neurocognitive underpinnings. To understand cognitive functioning, this emphasis area focuses on individually minded assessment, diagnoses, and conceptualization of individuals across the lifespan. Additional foci on disease processes, behavioral neurology, and neuroscience promotes a well-rounded and foundational perspective of Neuropsychology. The philosophy of this emphasis area follows the principles set forth in the Houston Conference Guidelines (Houston Conference Guidelines).
Mission
The mission of the Clinical Neuropsychology Emphasis Area of the PsyD Program at Spalding is to extend the program’s strong generalist training to include competencies essential to working with individuals with neurodevelopmental diagnoses, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative disease processes. Students in the Clinical Neuropsychology Emphasis Area, will receive a foundational knowledge base in brain-behavior relationships, functional neuroanatomy, neurological disorders, neuroimaging, neurochemistry, and best practices/evidence-based approaches. Through literature reviews and research, didactic trainings, and journal clubs, the emphasis aims to continue the advancement of the field of clinical neuropsychology.
Practica and Internships
Students will be trained per the Houston Conference Guidelines, which promotes a sound foundation in neuropsychological assessment and then sub-specialty specific training. Practicum placements include, but are not limited to, local neuropsychology outpatient clinics, including the neuropsychology specialty clinic in our own Center for Behavioral Health, large hospital systems, rehabilitation facilities, private practices, and Veteran’s Affairs medical centers. This emphasis area also aims to develop students’ professional identity through case conferences, community didactic trainings, supervision, mentoring, and modeling of scholar-practitioner values and practices.
The Association of Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) website currently lists 90 internships throughout the U.S. that include a specialty track or major rotation in Clinical Neuropsychology. With a competitive curriculum, advanced clinical neuropsychology skills, and focused practicum experiences, students at Spalding will be well prepared to continue their training at the internship level, capable of delivering neuropsychological services to individuals across the lifespan (pediatric to geriatric). Furthermore, we aim to prepare students for post-doctoral fellowships, independent practice, and board certification as well.
For more information regarding Clinical Neuropsychology, please visit these resources:
- American Psychological Association – Division 40 – The Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (SCN)
- Association of Neuropsychology Students & Trainees (ANST)
- Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN)
- American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN)
- Asian Neuropsychological Association (ANA)
- Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS)
- Society for Black Neuropsychology (SBN)
- National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN)
- International Neuropsychological Society (INS)
- Queer Neuropsychological Society (QNS)
- Know Neuropsychology (KN)
- Navigating Neuropsychology
Courses
- 750 Neuro EA 1: Introduction to Neuropsychology
- 751 Neuro EA 2: Neuropsychological Assessment
- 752 Neuro EA 3: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroanatomy
- 753 Neuro EA 4: Advanced Clinical Neuropsychology – Disease and Disorder
Accreditation
Our Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1989. The program most recently received the maximum of 10 years of reaccreditation in 2017. For further information about the accreditation status of this or any other psychology doctoral program, please contact: APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington DC 20002-4242, (202) 336-5979; apaaccred@apa.org; www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/.
