Practicum Training

A Developmental Approach to Clinical Training

Year One: Building a Foundation of Clinical Skills

• Socialization to professional psychology: Crafting a professional development plan; exposure to various functions/roles of a clinical psychologist; understanding licensure issues and professional trajectory of the doctoral program.
• Orientation to integration: Students are oriented to the major current perspectives and players in the integration of faith and psychology.
• Clinical interviewing skills: Demonstrating basic understanding and skills in empathy, active listening, confrontation, reflection, initial intake interview, and mental status assessment.
• Assessment skills: Demonstrating basic understanding and skills in identifying appropriate assessment tools for intellectual and personality assessments, administering and scoring standard tools utilized in the field, diagnosis, and clear and integrated report writing skills.
• Intervention foundations (theory and praxis): Demonstrating the foundational understanding of various theoretical orientations (cognitive-behavioral theory, psychodynamic theory), which is continued into the second year.　

Year Two: Integrating Conceptualization and Assessment Skills

• Intervention foundations (theory and praxis): Demonstrating the foundational understanding of conceptualizing case material according to various theoretical orientations (community psychology, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, systems) and the ability to apply theory to practice in practica settings. This integration includes assessment, diagnostic skills, conceptualization, and intervention.
• Conceptual integration of psychology and faith: Continued development of thought regarding the core and current issues relevant to integrating psychology and faith.

Year Three: Consolidating Professional, Academic, and Clinical Skills

• Contextual awareness and competency: Demonstrating the ability to identify contextual variables that influence clinical practice, research, and professional practice.
• Integration of theory and practice: Demonstrating a more complex understanding of how theory influences practice; case conceptualization skills more highly developed.
• Conceptual integration of psychology and faith: Continued development of thought regarding the core and current issues relevant to integrating psychology and faith.
• Self- and Other-Awareness: Demonstrating a deeper level of insight into self and interpersonal relations; understanding the impact of others on self as well as self with others.

Year Four and beyond: Transitioning in to a Professional Leadership Role

• Development of leadership skills/competencies: Demonstrating leadership skills through dissertation research process, clerkship (advanced practicum) responsibilities increasing and broadening (e.g., supervision, program development/ evaluation).
• Supervision and mentoring skills.
• Personal calling (values, vision, mission): Articulating values, vision, and mission related to student’s professional identity.
• Professional identity consolidation.