CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM FACULTY AND INTEREST AREAS
The goal of the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program is to provide broad clinical training. Students thus receive training in a wide range of areas during their four years on campus prior to the 12-month internship in the fifth year. The program does, however, have several interest areas in which students can receive in-depth research and clinical training. These interest areas center on the research and clinical interests of the faculty. These areas are noted below.
The Clinical Psychology Graduate Program utilizes a mentorship model in which students have an identified research mentor. The degree of fit between the applicant’s research interests and the research interests of their potential faculty mentor(s) is an important consideration in admissions. Therefore it is to your advantage to articulate clearly how your research interests coincide with the research interests of your potential mentor(s). The Full Disclosure Section provides more specific information on the characteristics of students admitted to the program and their progress through the program.
IMPORTANT
It is important for applicants to understand that the curriculum for the Clinical Psychology Program is located on the Pullman campus. While the Clinical Psychology Program is located on the Pullman campus, faculty on the regional campus (WSU-Spokane, a 1 ½ hour drive; and WSU-Tri-Cities, a 3 hour drive) also serve as research mentors for clinical psychology graduate students at times (i.e., approximately one student of six in each entering class may have a research mentor at one of the regional campuses. A student’s research mentor serves as the chair of the student’s thesis and dissertation research.
Clinical students are required to spend a minimum of three years on the Pullman campus in order to complete the clinical curriculum. If the student has a mentor on the WSU-Tri-Cities campus, the student may then move to the WSU-Tri-Cities campus in his or her fourth year to work more directly with the mentor on research. Prior to the move in the fourth year, the Psychology Department’s videoconference facilities allow students to have weekly meetings with their mentor on the regional campus.
Students with research mentors on the WSU-Spokane campus—because this is only a 90-minute drive—are able to work with their mentors face-to-face starting in the first year.
The Clinical Psychology Graduate Program utilizes a mentorship model in the selection and training of students. The degree of fit between the applicant’s research interests and the research interests of their potential faculty mentor(s) is an important consideration in admissions. Therefore it is to your advantage to articulate clearly how your research interests coincide with the research interests of your potential mentor(s). It is important to contact the individual or individuals on the clinical faculty that most match your research interests to find out more about their research program as well as if the faculty member plans to sponsor any new students.
Adult Psychopathology Interest Area
This area provides students with research training in the general area of adult psychopathology. In addition to research opportunities in this area, clinical opportunities exist in the Psychology Clinic for working with a variety of clients from the community, including opportunities to work with forensic populations. Clinical training is provided under a theoretically integrative perspective, incorporating cognitive, psychodynamic, and experiential theory and procedures.
Pullman clinical faculty associated with this area:
William T. Dougherty, Ph.D.
Assessment and treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Group Therapy.
Paul Kwon, Ph.D.
Etiology of depression, integration of cognitive and psychodynamic perspectives, cross-cultural issues
David Marcus, Ph.D.
Psychopathy, health anxiety, taxometrics, applying social psychology to clinical issues.
Regional campus clinical faculty associated with this area:
Dennis Dyck, Ph.D. (Spokane campus)
Clinical psychology; health psychology; serious and persistent mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia)
John M. Roll, Ph.D. (Spokane campus)
Developing, evaluating and disseminating evidence-based treatment of substance abuse disorders. Developing protocols for implementing evidence based treatment for substance use disorders and mental health concerns in rural areas
Sarah Tragesser, Ph.D. (Tri-Cities campus)
Dimensional perspective on personality disorders; Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) Features of affective instability and impulsivity; personality and substance abuse (e.g., alcohol, non-medical use of prescription drugs)
Health Psychology Interest Area
This area provides students with training opportunities in health psychology. Primary clinical training in health psychology occurs at the Behavioral Medicine Service at the University's Health and Wellness Services. The Behavioral Medicine Service responds to referrals from University physicians. Typical referrals include headache, gastrointestinal disorders, sleep disorders, and pain syndromes. Additional opportunities for clinical work exist at Palouse Medical, a large local medical care clinic and the Benewah Medical Center, a medical clinic located on the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Reservation.
Clinical training in health psychology is also available in Spokane, Washington. In addition to clinical training experiences, students may be involved in research in behavioral medicine and health psychology with the faculty as well as conducting their master’s project/dissertation research in this area.
Pullman clinical faculty associated with this area:
Bruce Wright, M.D.
General psychiatry; behavioral medicine; psychosocial factors in cardiovascular disease; psychopharmacology
Regional campus clinical faculty associated with this area:
Dennis Dyck, Ph.D. (Spokane campus)
Clinical psychology; health psychology; serious and persistent mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia)
John M. Roll, Ph.D. (Spokane campus)
Developing, evaluating and disseminating evidence-based treatment of substance abuse disorders. Developing protocols for implementing evidence based treatment for substance use disorders and mental health concerns in rural areas
Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Interest Area
This area provides students with research opportunities in the areas of clinical child, adolescent and family psychology as well as pediatric psychology. Students also have the opportunity for clinical work with children and families in the Psychology Clinic as well as the University of Idaho Child and Adolescent Student Center.
Pullman clinical faculty associated with this area:
Theodore Beauchaine, Ph.D.
Biological and Environmental Substrates of Psychopathology and Comorbidity in Children
G. Leonard Burns, Ph.D.
Construct validity of the ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder within and across cultures
Maria (Masha) Gartstein, Ph.D.
Developmental psychopathology and early social-emotional development in a cultural context
Regional campus clinical faculty associated with this area:
Christopher Blodgett, Ph.D. (Spokane campus)
Director, Area Health Education Center of Eastern Washington
Early behavioral risk intervention programs in community settings; persistent psychological trauma in children; community development research to support prevention and early intervention services quality
Paul Strand, Ph.D. (Tri-Cities campus)
Childhood conduct problems; parent-child coordination; development and communication within families
Neuropsychology Interest Area
This area provides students with training opportunities in primarily adult neuropsychology. Students receive course training in the foundations of neuropsychological assessment, neurobehavioral syndromes, neuroanatomy, cognitive psychology, and the neurosciences. Primary clinical training in neuropsychological assessment and remediation occurs through the assessment services at the WSU Psychology Clinic and through externship placements at sites such as St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute and Spokane VA Medical Center. Through these experiences, students are provided with a breadth of training in diagnostic, assessment, and rehabilitation issues in neuropsychology. These sites also provide students with the opportunity for exposure to neuroimaging, forensic issues and case conferences. Referrals range from childhood neurodevelopmental disorders to dementia, and involve inpatient and outpatient settings. Additional in-depth knowledge of clinical and research practices are gained through involvement in research projects, including master’s project/dissertation work, in the area of neuropsychology.
Pullman clinical faculty associated with this area:
Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe, Ph.D.
Adult clinical and cognitive neuropsychology; memory and executive abilities; everyday functional skills; cognitive rehabilitation issues and use of “smart environment” technologies with older adults and neurologically impaired populations (e.g., MCI, dementia, TBI)
Regional campus clinical faculty associated with this area:
Dennis Dyck, Ph.D. (Spokane campus)
Behavioral family management, interventions for brain injury and dementia.
Diversity Interest Area
Drs. Burns, Gartstein, Kwon, and Strand have research and clinical interests in the area of the psychology of diversity. Please see the Diversity and Clinical Psychology link for a description of their interests and the training opportunities.
Advanced Quantitative Methods in Psychology Interest Area
The curriculum in the Department of Psychology at Washington State University provides students with the opportunity to acquire skills in advanced quantitative methods. In addition to the two courses that all clinical psychology graduate students are required to take in their first year (i.e., Analysis of Variance and Experimental Design; and Correlation, Regression, and Quasi-Experimental Design), clinical students also have the opportunity to take three additional courses. These courses are: (1) Psychometrics (i.e., measurement theory and applied confirmatory factor analysis); (2) Applied Structural Equation Modeling (i.e., path analysis, structural regression analysis; latent growth curve analysis; multilevel analysis; and mixture analysis); and (3) Multilevel and Synthesized Data (e.g., meta-analysis). Students apply the skills learned in this sequence of five courses to their particular research interests. The goal of this training is to prepare students for research careers. Applicants should contact Dr. Burns (clinical psychology) or Dr. Parks (experimental psychology) if they have questions about this area of training.
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