UMUC-EUROPE GRADUATE PROGRAMS
BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY

PSYC714 Syllabus

Course Title Clinical Assessment in Counseling and Psychotherapy
Term TERM 1, 2007/2008
Education Center LAKENHEATH-GRAD
Faculty Member Mark Johnson - mjohnson@faculty.ed.umuc.edu

Faculty Contact Information:

Mark A. Johnson Ph.D.
Work: DSN 226-8604

Consultation:

After class and via E-mail.

Required Texts and Readings:

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR. Washington, DC: Author.

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Seligman, L. (1998). Selecting Effective Treatments:  A Comprehensive, Systematic Guide to Treating Mental Disorders.  New York: Jossey-Bass.

Sperry, L., Carlson, J., and Kjos, D. (2002). Becoming an Effective Therapist. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. [Chs. 4-6 of this text, which is also used in PSYC 502, PSYC 734 and GUCO 610, will be covered in this class.]

Zimmerman,M. (1994). Interview Guide for Evaluating DSM-IV Psychiatric Disorders & the Mental Status Examination. East Greenwich, RI: Psych Products Press.

Supplementary Readings:

All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students’ research and writing skills.

Recommended Journals:

A variety of full-text, online, free-of-charge and pay-per-view academic journals are listed at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/library/.

Course Description:

Prerequisite: PSYC 502.  This courses integrates various assessment methodologies for a comprehensive process of assessment. The purposes, techniques, and process of clinical assessment will be explored. Techniques for understanding of non-verbal, verbal, and interpersonal transactions, including the recapitulation of the family structure and dynamics, are examined. Students are introduced to situational assessment, psychological inference, and report writing. As this course replaces PSYC 514, students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: PSYC 714, PSYC 514 or EDCP 614.

Course Goals:

This course is designed to enable students to become familiar with the DSM-IV diagnostic system as it applies to persons of diverse cultures and abilities. It will assist students in preparing for the comprehensive exam and will prepare them for professional practice.

Course Objectives:

At the conclusion of the course, the student will be able to:

1. Understand and discuss information regarding psychopathology and mental disorders.
2. Discuss issues of diversity as they relate to mental disorders.
3. Demonstrate ability to use the DSM-IV-TR classification system of mental disorders.
4. Successfully diagnose cases using the case vignette method for individuals and families.
5. Conduct initial clinical interviews, formulate diagnoses, develop treatment plans as well as write process and progress notes from intake through termination.
6. Demonstrate an enhanced self-awareness of personal strengths, interests, and abilities.

Grading Information:

Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:

   A    90 - 100%
   B    80 – 89%
   C    70 – 79%
   F    69% and Below


Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade "F" is used to designate academic failure. "FN" is used to designate failure for non-completion.  Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog, available in your local Education Center or online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs.

Course Requirements:

Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:

Participate in classroom discussions................10%
Write graduate level papers or case studies.........30%
Orally/visually present prepared material...........20%
Complete one or more written examination(s).........40%

Description of Course Requirements:

Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the onsite classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an eight-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most ten-week graduate distance education courses require at least ten hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.

Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.Write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of coursework from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. APA style is mandatory for all graduate counseling course work.  Plan on committing approximately 150 hours over the duration of this course to producing professional level work.

Orally/visually present prepared material: You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In an onsite course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In an online class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.

Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary for successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used in this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.

Course Schedule:

This schedule presents 8 days of instruction in a weekend format.

Initial meeting: August 25, 2007
Introductions
Review of syllabus
Clarification of goals, objectives and requirements
Orientation to subject
Readings: Seligman, Chapter 1:Introduction to Effective Treatment Planning.
Chapter 2: Mental Disorders in Infants, Children and Adolescents.
Zimmerman 70-83
DSM-IV TR. Pages 1-134

Second meeting: August 26, 2007
Readings Seligman: Chapter 3: Situationally-Precipitated Conditions and Disorders.
Sperry: Review.
Zimmerman: 120-124 The Mental Status Examination
DSM-IV TR 679-683

Third meeting: September 15, 2007.
Written and oral Presentation on DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic Category
Readings: Seligman Chapter 4: Mood Disorders.
Chapter 5 Anxiety Disorders.
Zimmerman: 30-68.
DSM-IV TR pages 345-428 and 429-511.

Fourth meeting: 16 September 2007.
Written and oral presentation on DSM-IV TR Continued.
Readings: DSM-IV TR pages 191-295 and 535-677,
Seligman: Chapter 6 Disorders of Behavior and Impulse Control.
Zimmerman:Pages 8-16.

Fifth meeting: 29 September 2007
Readings: DSM IV TR Pages 135-190. Pages 485-517 and 685-729.
Seligman:Chapter 7: Disorders in Which Physical and Psychological Factors Combine.
Chapter 8 Personality Disorders.
Zimmerman: Pages 61-66. 87-118.

Sixth meeting: 30 September 2007
Readings: DSM IV TR. Pages 297-342 519-531.
Seligman: Chapter 9, Disorders Involving Impairment in Awareness of Reality: Psychotic and Dissociative Disorders.
Zimmerman:Pages 22-26

Seventh meeting October 13, 2007.
Readings: Seligman:Chapter 10, The Future of Diagnosis and Treatment Planning.
Final Oral/written Presentations. Assignment: Research the back ground and Critically Describe and Review one of the Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study in Appendix B of the DSM-IV TR.

8th meeting: October 14, 2007.
Final oral and written presentations.
Final Written examination.
Course evaluations.

Academic Policies:

Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.

The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."

Course Withdrawal: The last day to withdraw from a DE course is Friday before the last full week of the course. The last day to withdraw from an on-site course is the last business day before the last class meeting.

Students with disabilities should contct:

Director of Student Services
UMUC-Europe, UNIT 29216
APO AE 09102
Or:  Im Bosseldorn 30, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany
Phone: +49-6221-378-299
Email: edstudent_svc@ed.umuc.edu

Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:

Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities

Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center.

Faculty Bio:

Dr. Johnson is a Clinical Psychologist working at RAF Lakenheath.His undergraduate work was taken at the University of Minnesota,Duluth. His M.A. in Community Counseling was completed at the University of Wisconsin, Superior. Dr.Johnson completed his Ph.D at the Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara California in 1991. He is a Licensed Psychologist in the State of Minnesota.
He and his wife Nancy have four grown sons. They enjoy walking, gardening and archaeology.


Last updated by Mark Johnson: August 3, 2007, 10:38 am
Find this syllabus linked from the schedule at: http://www.ed.umuc.edu/schedule