Doctor of Psychology in School-Clinical Child Psychology

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Academic Requirements

The Combined PsyD in School-Clinical Child Psychology program requires full-time attendance for five years. The course of study includes didactic courses, extensive practica and approximately 3,500 hours of externship and internship experiences. Students develop foundational and functional competencies to be able to work with children, adolescents, and caregivers in medical centers, hospitals, community mental health centers, schooling environments, and other settings.

Students must complete 110 credits (101 Credits Required; 9 Credits Electives*). Students can select to take more than three electives.

Foundation Courses (33 Credits)

• PSS 6801:  Professional and Ethical Issues in Health Service Psychology
• PSS 6199: Integrating Race and Gender in Multiculturalism
• PSS 6250:  Developmental Psychopathology
• PSS 6814:  Adult Psychopathology and Assessment
• PSA 6515:  Life Span Development
• PSA 6939:  Biological Bases of Behavior
• PSA 6071:  Psychopharmacology
• PSA 6472:  Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
• PSS 6400:   Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• PSA 6601:  History and Systems of Psychology
• PSS 6405:  Social Psychology

Assessment Sequence          (15+ Credits)

• PSS 6131:                               Cognitive Assessment
• PSS 6132:                               Psychoeducational Assessment
• PSS 6153:                               Personality Appraisal
• PSS 6191/PSS 6192:             Child Assessment with Practicum I & II
• *PSS 6402:                             Neuropsychological Assessment of Children and Lab
• *PSS 6161:                             Assessment of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Populations

Research Sequence              (12 Credits)

• PSA 6280:                                Statistics
• PSS 6915:                                 Research Methods
• PSS 6915:                                 Research Project I
• PSS 6916:                                 Research Project II  

Conceptual Foundations for Practice (21 credits)

• PSS 6221:                            School Consultation and Supervision
• PSS 6222:                            Consultation-Based Intervention
• PSS 6610:                            Beginning Work with Children, Parents, and Families
• PSS 6449/PSS 6450:          Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy with Youth I & II
• PSS 6115/PSS 6116:          Psychodynamic Theory and Practice with Children and Families I & II

Application to Practice         (20+ credits)

• PSS 6625/PSS 6625:            Practicum Child Therapy: CBT I & II
• PSS 6611/PSS 6612:            Practicum Child Therapy: Psychodynamic I & II
• PSS 8943/PSS 8944:            Externship Seminar I & II
• PSS 8945/PSS 8946:            Externship Seminar III & IV
• PSS 8974/PSS 8948:            Externship Seminar V & VI
• PSS 8941/PSS 8942:            Doctoral Internship Seminar I & II
• *PSS 6198:                            Contemporary Issues in School Psychology
• *PSS 6224:                            Integrating Multiculturism into Psychotherapy Practice

Bilingual Extension to the School Psychology Certificate

Students may apply for NYS Certification as a Bilingual School Psychologist if they meet the following program requirements:

Complete the following courses:

• Integrating Gender and Race/Ethnicity in Multiculturalism
• Contemporary Issues in School Psychology
• Assessment of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Populations
• Consultation and Supervision
• Practice of School Psychology with Bilingual and Multicultural Population - Externship

Externships

Externships Typically, students complete three externship experiences at a variety of sites, including schools, mental health facilities, hospitals, or infancy/early childhood centers. Each externship requires two or three days a week for 10-12 months. Students are is supervised by licensed psychologists at their externship sites and attends an externship seminar on campus for additional supervision. At the end of the fourth year, the student will have accumulated approximately 1,750 hours of supervised externship experiences.

Internships

The culminating training experience is the internship that occurs after all coursework has been completed and the student has completed Research Project I and has successfully proposed their Research Project II. All students are required to complete a full-time internship in either a school, mental health facility, or hospital setting, lasting between 1,500 and 1,750 hours (the equivalent of one full year). Supervision must be conducted by a licensed psychologist and meet State regulations.

More Information About the Learning/Curriculum Elements

Research

Students take courses in Statistics and Research Methods in Professional Psychology during their second and third years in the program. In their first year, students are matched with their faculty research advisor to begin their research. Students are required to complete Research Project I (or RPI) with the mentorship of their research advisor during their second year. RPI is a focused review of the literature that leads to Research Project II (also known as RPII) which is an empirical study, case study, qualitative research or a meta-analysis. Psychometrics are taught through several courses, including Research Methods and the five required courses in the Assessment sequence. This knowledge is applied during the development of the student’s research projects. It usually takes two to three years to complete the research requirements.

Ethical and Legal Standards

Students take Ethical and Professional Issues in Professional Psychology during their first year. These issues are also covered in all assessment and treatment courses and on externship and internship.

Individual and Cultural Diversity

Issues of individual and cultural diversity are embedded throughout the program’s course work, practica, externship and internship.  Training begins in the first semester’s class on Integrating Race and Gender in Multiculturalism and continues through all aspects of the program. 

Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors

The development of professional values, attitudes and behaviors is a primary focus of all aspects of our training program. Faculty mentorship and comportment are critical elements for modeling of appropriate values, attitudes and behaviors. As such students have multiple sources for such mentorships including, peers, faculty advisors, research advisors, externship and internship supervisors and individual therapy supervisors. Many students will co-author papers and presentations with faculty and fellow students. 

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

These competencies are critical elements in all aspects of training; be it, assessment (being able to communicate assessment results to parents, teachers, and other professionals, in both written and oral formats; being able to do so in a respectful and empathic manner); treatment (being able to establish rapport, active listening, empathy, conduct treatment, have social-emotional awareness, stay regulated, be respectful of others, understand the cultural and diversity issues related to treatment process and assessment, etc.); consultation (working with parents, teachers in a collaborative manner); professional presentations (being able to deliver - orally and in written format - scholarly material to multi-disciplinary audiences); student participation in all coursework. 

Assessment

Assessment competencies are developed through a five-course sequence in the first and second years (Cognitive Assessment, Psychoeducational Assessment, Appraisal of Personality, and Practicum in Child Assessment I-II) that involve didactic and practica components that are graded for complexity. A sixth course in Neuropsychological Assessment is available as an elective in the third year. In addition, students in the second, third and fourth year externships work on-site under supervision in school and clinical settings. Finally, students complete a 1500-1750 hour pre-doctoral internship that includes extensive supervision of treatment and assessment activities. 

Treatment

Competencies are developed through a nine-course sequence that is graded for complexity through the second, third and fourth years in the program. Students develop beginning theoretical and practical competencies during the following second year courses: Working with Children and Families, Evidence-based Interventions with Youth I-II. In the third and fourth years, students complete two, year-long clinical practica in Practica in Child Therapy I-II: CBT; and Practica in Child Therapy I-II: Psychodynamic. They also take a year-long theory course entitled “Psychodynamic Theory and Practice with Children and Families.”  In addition, students in the third and fourth year complete 600-750 hour externships in clinical settings that are supervised by licensed psychologists on-site and that use live observation.  Finally, students complete a 1500-1750 hour pre-doctoral internship that includes extensive supervision of treatment and assessment activities. 

Supervision

Foundational competencies are developed during the second-year class on, Consultation and Supervision. Also, second year students are selected to supervise and mentor first year students in the first-year assessment classes. Similarly, third year students supervise second year students and fourth year students supervise third years. In addition, students have other opportunities to supervise students.

Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills

Second-year students take a year-long course in Consultation and Supervision followed by Consultation-Based Interventions. Both courses are taken concurrently with a year-long 500-600 hour externship in the schools. During the third and fourth-year externships and fifth year internship students continue to develop their consultation competencies in clinical and school settings. 

Students receive the Master of Science degree in School Psychology and are eligible for New York State Certification as a School Psychologist after completing a 60-credit course of study within the doctoral program. Students are also eligible for the Bilingual Extension to the School Psychology Certificate that permits them to become Certified Bilingual School Psychologists.

The Max and Celia Parnes Family Psychological and Psychoeducational Services Clinic (PDF) is our primary practicum facility. It provides facilities for assessment, diagnosis, psycho-educational remediation and interventions with children, adolescents and their families by students under faculty supervision. Externship, internship and other field-based experiences sequenced and integrated with the level of training are provided in schools, hospitals, mental health facilities and the facilities.