PSYC 4001 C: Clinical Assessment
| Instructor | Adam Kingsbury |
| Term | Fall 2015 |
| Email Address | Adam.Kingsbury@carleton.ca |
| Office Location | LA A508 |
| Office Hours | Tuesdays by Appointment |
Course Description:
Classification of human phenomena requires a systematic way of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data that can often times be quite complex. Psychological assessment in a clinical setting is a vital tool that is used to make many important decisions. The following course is designed to serve as an introduction to psychological clinical assessment–not only for those who have an interest in working in the field as clinical psychologist, but also for those who want a general overview. The course will highlight a number of specialty areas where psychologists commonly conduct clinical assessments including: axis I/axis II mental disorders, intelligence testing, executive functioning, ADHD, memory, achievement, neuropsychology. Students will also be exposed to the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) code of ethics that serve as the pillar to all work conducted by registered psychologists in Canada. Clinical psychologists are regularly tasked with difficult assessment questions that may have a significant impact on a person’s life such as determining a child’s learning abilities and educational placement, the suitability of an elderly individual to maintain their driver’s license, the consequences of a head injury in sport, etc. As such, clinical decision making has large ethical component that must be at the forefront of their work. Students will be exposed to basic clinical skills such as interviewing, conducting psychological tests (e.g., WAIS-IV, MMPI, etc.), report-writing, and structured clinical decision-making. As evidence-based practice requires a clinician to first collect data about a person before providing psychological services, a systematic method to collect such data needs to be used. The final section of the course will briefly discuss the components of intervention and how a thorough assessment can inform and guide appropriate treatment.
Evaluation
Group Presentation (30%)
Formal Research Paper or Case Report (40%)
Brief Writing Assignments (20% – 5% each))
Participation (10%)
Required Text:
Readings throughout the course to be assigned.