Wayne State University

The Wayne State University doctoral training program in Clinical Psychology has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since August 1, 1960 and is currently accredited through 2011*.  Our program is designed to develop highly skilled psychologists who provide a broad range of professional services, teach effectively, conduct research, and contribute to the scientific development of the profession. Our graduates are trained for positions of leadership and innovation in dealing with clinical problems within the context of the individual, the family, and the community.

Wayne State University students are prepared for the diverse and ever-changing professional roles of clinical psychologists through extensive training in general psychology, psychopathology, personality, psychological assessment and therapeutic interventions. Students are expected to develop a specialized area of interest for service and research built upon this basic curriculum. Our urban setting has fostered the development of practicum and research facilities in a large number of different clinical settings, providing our students with exposure to a wide variety of health problems across a broad spectrum of socioeconomic and cultural populations.

In addition to general training in clinical psychology, our program currently offers clinical, research and didactic training in specialty areas including neuropsychology, child clinical psychology, health psychology, community psychology, and psychopathology. Our extensive network of adjunct faculty and facilities provide research and clinical training in many other areas, including community and cross-cultural mental health, early intervention, gerontology, substance abuse, rehabilitation, and neurosciences.

Curriculum

In addition to the department's general requirements for the Ph.D. degree (see Core Curriculum), students in the clinical program must satisfy additional criteria established by the American Psychological Association for accredited programs in clinical training. Clinical area students are required to take History and Systems and at least one course in each of four content areas to satisfy American Psychological Association requirements (biological aspects of behavior, cognitive and affective aspects of behavior, social aspects of behavior, and individual differences). Several courses, including those listed as departmental Core Curriculum Courses, will satisfy the required coverage of these content areas.

Clinical students also complete the following series of courses:

· Psychological Assessment I and II
· Practicum in Psychological Assessment (3 semesters)
· Ethical Issues in Clinical Psychology
· Psychopathology
· Therapeutic Interventions I and II
· Practicum in Therapeutic Interventions (3 semesters)

Research Training

All clinical psychology graduate students are expected to complete a formal master's thesis and a dissertation project. The Wayne State University Clinical Psychology Program is based strongly on the scientist-practitioner model of training. Therefore, we encourage and support students' efforts to enhance their skills by participating in research-oriented activities in addition to those required by the degree program. The Clinical Psychology training program has extensive links to the many research institutes, hospitals, schools, and community organizations surrounding Wayne State. These affiliations and the ongoing research conducted by our core faculty provide students with a broad array of opportunities in research.

Specializations Within Clinical Psychology

Health Psychology
Students who wish to pursue careers in medically-oriented settings or to deal with health-related problems may wish to specialize in health psychology. These students typically elect Health Psychology I and II. Depending upon the student's special interests, a course from the clinical neuropsychology sequence and other courses in the department may be elected. Direct clinical experience in health psychology and behavioral medicine may be obtained from a number of placements that range from hospital medical wards to outpatient ambulatory care centers. Students also are expected to focus their research endeavors in the field of health psychology.

Child Clinical Psychology
Students who wish to pursue a career working with children or adolescents typically will complete advanced courses in Child Psychopathology and courses in Developmental Psychology. These students ordinarily seek placements in clinical settings that specialize in work with children, and they take an internship at a children's facility. Students are expected to conduct research on issues related to childhood, developmental problems, and/or interventions with children.

Clinical Neuropsychology
Students who wish to specialize in the area of brain-behavior relationships are expected to complete Biological Basis of Behavior, Clinical Neuropsychology, and Neuropsychological Assessment. Students specializing in Clinical Neuropsychology frequently take courses offered in other University departments, including Neuroscience and Neuroanatomy. These students also receive experience at various clinical placements in the Detroit area, where they work in conjunction with neuropsychologists associated with Wayne State. It is expected that their research interests will focus on neuropsychology.

Community Psychology
Students focusing on this specialty will complete Community Psychology, Theories and Methods of Program Evaluation, and at least one other relevant course, such as Multicultural Perspectives in Psychology, Prevention of Maladjustment, Child Psychopathology, or a course outside of the Department (e.g., anthropology, law, political science, community medicine). Students choosing this specialty conduct research and gain clinical and other applied experiences in community settings.

Core Clinical Psychology Research and Teaching Faculty

Douglas Barnett, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Director of Psychology Clinic
Doctorate: University of Rochester, 1993
Interests: Child clinical, development of human attachment relationships, child abuse and neglect, urban families, child and family intervention

Annmarie Cano, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Doctorate: State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1998
Interests: Social context of chronic illness, chronic pain, couples, and health psychology

Rita J. Casey, Ph.D. Associate Professor 
Doctorate: University of Texas at Austin, 1988
Interests: Developmental psychopathology, emotion, social development

Emily R. Grekin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Doctorate:  Emory University, 2003
Interests:  Temperamental bases of substance pathology; developmental issues in substance abuse, psychotropic drug use, and person-environment interactions

Mark A. Lumley, Ph.D. Professor, Director of Clinical Training
Doctorate: University of Florida, Gainesville, 1990
Interests: Health psychology; emotional processes in chronic pain; development and testing of emotional regulation interventions for health problems

Lisa J. Rapport, Ph.D. Professor
Doctorate: University of California, Los Angeles, 1992
Interests: Clinical neuropsychology, assessment, and psychometrics

Sarah Raz, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Doctorate: University of Texas (Austin), 1988
Interests: Developmental neurospychology and developmental psychopathology

Valerie Simon, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Doctorate: University of Denver, 2001
Interests:  Development of adolescents’ peer relationships and sexuality from a developmental psychopathology framework

Christopher Trentacosta Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Doctorate:  University of Delaware, 2006
Interests: Emotional development, prevention of early childhood behavior problems, family contextual risk

Paul Toro, Ph.D. Professor
Doctorate:  University of Rochester, 1983
Interests: Community psychology, homelessness, poverty, prevention, program evaluation, cross-cultural research

R. Douglas Whitman, Ph.D. Professor, Department Chair
Doctorate:  Brandeis University, 1973
Interests: Neuropsychology, creativity, schizophrenia 

John L. Woodard, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Doctorate:  Wayne State University, 1991
Interests: Neuropsychology, cognitive aging, neuroimaging and neurobehavioral studies in aging and Alzheimer's Disease, and evaluation of sports-related concussion

Clinical Training Faculty

Marla Bartoi, Ph.D. Clinical Assistant Professor
Doctorate: University of South Florida, 1999
Interests: Cognitive-behavioral therapy treatment and research, substance abuse treatment and research, and human sexuality research.

Jeffrey Kuentzel, Ph.D. Clinical Assistant Professor
Associate Director of the Psychology Clinic
Doctorate: Wayne State University, 2000
Interests: Brief motivational interventions for problem gambling and medical nonadherence, the therapeutic alliance, assessment of adult ADHD

Affiliated Research Faculty

Peter Lichtenberg, Ph.D., ABPP Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience & Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Director, Institute of Gerontology
Doctorate: Purdue University, 1986
Interests: Geriatric neuropsychology and rehabilitation, clinical geropsychology, depression, mental health in long term care, minority aging

Steven, Ondersma, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and Obstetics and Gynecology
Doctorate:  Wayne State University, 1996
Interests: Motivational Enhancement, substance use in pregnant and post-partum women, child maltreatment, computer-delivered behavioral interventions

Arthur L. Robin, Ph.D. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences and Pediatrics, Chief of Psychology and Director of Psychology Training, Children's Hopsital of Michigan
Doctorate: State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1975
Interests: Assessment of parent-adolescent conflict and itneractions, ADHD in adolescents and adults, eating disorders in adolescents

Sylvie Naar-King, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry
Doctorate: University of Colorado, 1995
Interests: Pediatric health disparities, illness management interventions, HIV

Deborah A. Ellis, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Pediatric Prevention Research Center, Department of Pediatrics
Doctorate: Michigan State University, 1993
Interests: Adherence to medical regimen, family therapy, multisystemic therapy, childhood chronic illness

Angulique Y. Outlaw, Ph.D.  Assistant Professor, Pediatric Prevention Research Center, Department of Pediatrics
Doctorate:  Wayne State University, 2002
Interests: Outreach, prevention, and care of African American youth, particularly young men who have sex with men (YMSM), and HIV+ and high-risk African American youth


Supervised Clinical Training

The required field training work consists of practicum training and courses, and an approved internship. The practicum courses in assessment and psychotherapy operate as part of the student's training experience in the Department Psychology Clinic through the training program.

The on-campus department Psychology Clinic is used for training purposes throughout the student's graduate years. Clinical graduate students conduct psychological assessments and psychotherapeutic interventions in this facility while receiving supervision from the core clinical faculty. Many different theoretical orientations to both assessment and psychotherapy are represented among the faculty, and different types of psychotherapy (adult, child, family, marital, group) are conducted. The Psychology Clinic is equipped with observation windows and video equipment to facilitate supervision and the student's training.

Students' clinical training also is strengthened by the availability of external practicum experiences or field placements. Students are encouraged to take advantage of these training opportunities for two years of the student's program, often starting in the second year. These field placements involve about 20 hours per week of paid employment in any of various clinical agencies approved by the Clinical Training Program.

The following agencies have served as field placements for WSU clinical students: University Health Center, Wayne County Clinic for Child Study, Children's Center of Wayne County, Harper Hospital, Children's Hospital, Sinai Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Veterans Administration Hospitals in Detroit and Ann Arbor, and Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry.

The required predoctoral internship consists of one year of full-time work and training in an APA-approved institution. Some students may elect to meet their internship requirement after completion of the doctoral dissertation; however, successful completion of an APA-accredited internship is required for conferral of the doctoral degree.

Admission Information, Requirements,and Procedures.