Sample Classes
Assessment: Personality Inventories
This course introduces widely used instruments of self-reporting personality
assessment, predominately pencil-and-paper personality tests. Students examine
rationale, administration, scoring and interpretation of these measures.
They also study information on the use of automated procedures, the appropriate
application of these tests and the ethical considerations in their use in
both clinical and non-clinical settings. Students are encouraged to make
a critical assessment of personality inventories in light of reliability
and validation studies. They determine their usefulness and explore how appropriate
these instruments are in terms of language, gender and cultural bias.
Historical and Social Perspectives in Psychology
Students examine the larger socio-cultural context of psychology,
exploring its historical roots and development, its place in the contemporary
world and its potential future in response to the needs of the 21st century.
This course is intended to foster in students an ability to think creatively
about the possibilities and to act as informed change agents in the world.
Multicultural Perspectives
Students utilize principles and concepts of social psychology to
acquire an increased understanding of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination
directed toward various target groups. The course emphasizes understanding
racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism and ageism. It utilizes multicultural
and social constructionist perspectives to learn how to perform effective
clinical work with individuals of different cultures, ethnicities, genders,
sexual orientations, socioeconomic status, ages and abilities. This course
is the second in a two-quarter sequence. Prerequisite: Family of Origin.
Research II: Quantitative Methods
This course offers an overview of research perspectives and quantitative
methods employed in the social sciences, as well as an introduction to
fundamental strategies of inquiry in psychology. The course covers quantitative
methods, descriptive and inferential statistics, the logic of hypothesis
development and testing, and the fields of quantitative methodology.
Art Therapy Concentration
Advanced Art Therapy Assessment
This course offers an overview of art therapy and other pertinent
assessment tools in the art therapy field. The class studies existing
assessment tools and students either utilize a pre-existing assessment
tool or develop their own. Several art therapy assessments are explored
and students write a review from the viewpoint of the observer, clinician
or client. Lastly, students complete a paper related to art therapy assessment
with a specific population. Prerequisite: Art Therapy in Diverse Settings:
Individual and Group Therapy.
Advanced Art Therapy Concentration
Theories: Advanced Art therapy
Studies
This course is the first part of a three-quarter sequence. The
course explores advanced art therapy theory and creativity studies. Several
theories intrinsic to art therapy are explored. Additionally, students
create their own art therapy theories based on their work with clients.
Family Systems Concentration
Theories and Practice of Family Therapy I
This course is the first in a two-quarter sequence. Major theories
of child, couple and family therapy and the different therapeutic practices
associated with them are introduced. Students are encouraged to explore
and experiment with these different approaches. The history and development
of the field of child, couple and family therapy is discussed. Prerequisites:
Family of Origin Systems and Systems Perspectives in Family Therapy.
Humanistic-Existential Psychology Concentration
Existential Theory I
This two-quarter sequence explores the emergence of existential psychology
from its
roots in existential philosophy. Embracing the search for homeostasis between
the somatic, emotional, cognitive and spiritual domains, this class focuses
on how a philosophical approach to “being-in-the-world” can be
translated to both the therapeutic environment and to studying the human experience
phenomenologically. Students explore how subjective focus can embrace cultural
and other diverse experiences. In Existential Theory I, students focus on learning
and understanding the philosophical roots with emphasis on the concepts introduced
by Kierkegaard, Nietzche, Heidegger and Sartre. They also study the phenomenological
and heuristic research processes that inform an existential understanding of
the human experience. Students are introduced to contextual existential theory.
Forensic Psychology Concentration
Forensic I: Integration of Law and Psychology
In this course, students are prepared to practice in either the civil
or criminal forensic psychology arenas. During this first quarter, they
learn about the details of: 1) conducting custody evaluations or co-parent
therapy with high conflict litigants in the family law cases; and 2)
pre-trial evaluations to determine competency to stand trial or forensic
mental health outpatient treatment. In subsequent quarters, students
are closely supervised while conducting evaluations or treatment services
in either of these two areas of practice.
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