Allegheny College Joshua Searle-White, Ph.D.

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What is a clinical psychologist? A  psychotherapist in private practice, spending days hearing about the intimacies of people’s lives and getting well paid for her time?  A police psychologist saving the day by talking a despondent father out of jumping off a building?  Richard Dreyfuss in “What about Bob,” demonstrating that he is crazier than his patient?  Sometimes it is hard to separate the social images of psychology from the reality.  And how does clinical psychology work?  In the abstract, it may sound like psychologists simply take their hard-earned knowledge of psychological principles and apply it to help people.   However, like most things in life, clinical work is not so simple.  Whether in hospitals, clinics, private practices, industry or academia, clinical psychologists do not work in a vacuum.  Psychologists are still people, with the strengths and imperfections that come from being human, and they work in institutions which are just as imperfect.  Thus the interpersonal, political, economic, legal and social contexts enter into and even shape the day-to-day clinical work.

If we want to understand clinical psychology, we need to have a realistic idea of what psychologists actually do; what constraints, pressures, and criticisms they work under; and what their work means in the broader social context.  This course is designed to explore such issues.  It is divided into three sections.  In the first, we will familiarize ourselves with the many kinds of work that psychologists do in various settings.  In the second, we will examine some of the ways in which clinical psychology and psychiatry interact with society, and along the way, we will encounter some severe criticism of clinical work.  And in the third section, we will examine one of clinical psychologists’ central activities, psychotherapy, and ask whether or not it works, whether or not it should be continued, and whether or not it should be covered, and in what form, by health insurance.

This course is designed for anyone who would like to understand what clinical psychology is and how it functions in the real world. By the end of the course I hope that you will be able to 1) describe the many roles clinical psychologists play, 2) understand and respond appropriately to the criticism that is frequently leveled at clinical psychology and psychiatry, and 3) evaluate intelligently the place that psychotherapy plays in our society.   Please note that Psychology 170 or 172 is a prerequisite for this course.  If you have not completed this prerequisite, please see me immediately.

This is an upper-level, seminar-style course. This means that while I will often give brief introductions to the various readings which we will examine over the semester, most of the class time will be devoted to discussion and other activities, with you taking the lead. It also means that you will have a significant voice in how the class goes and in how we examine the issues. Make your voice heard!

There are two required books for this course.  You will notice that the readings in the first book are relatively straightforward, though very long, while those in the second book are shorter, but more difficult.  Plan to spend a lot of time reading, or don’t plan to take this class.  I will help you with some strategies for working through them.  The books are:

Nietzel, M.T.,  Bernstein, D. A., & Milich, R.  Introduction to clinical psychology (5th ed.).  NJ: Prentice Hall.

Holmes, J., & Lindley, R. (1998).  The values of psychotherapy (Revised edition).  New York: Karnac Publishers.

In the course outline below, the readings from Nietzel, Bernstein, and Milich are identified by “NBM” and the chapter numbers, and the Holmes and Lindley chapters are identified by “H&L.”
 

There are also several additional readings which will be available on reserve in the library and on electronic reserve, and they are listed below:

     Anonymous.  (2000).  “Stalking Joan Baez.”  Available at: “http://webpub.allegheny.edu/
employee/j/jsearle/courses/abnweb/stalking.html”.

    Critser, G.  (1996, June). Oh, how happy we will be: Pills, paradise, and the profits of drug companies.  Harper's Magazine, 292, 39-49.  [Available via “Expanded Academic ASAP Backfile”]

     Gottlieb, A.  (1997, January-February).  Crisis of consciousness. Utne Reader, 45-48.

    Jacobs, D. H.  (1995).  Psychiatric drugging: Forty years of pseudo-science, self interest, and indifference to harm. Journal of Mind and Behavior, 16, 421-470.

     Kessler, D. A., Rose, J. T., Temple, R. J., Schapiro, R., & Griffin, J. D. (1994, Nov. 17).  Therapeutic-class wars -- drug promotion in a competitive marketplace.  The New England Journal of Medicine, 331, 1350-1353.

     Nugent, C. D.  (1994).  Blaming the victims: Silencing women sexually exploited by psychotherapists. The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 11, 113-138.

     Pope, K. S., & Bouhoutsos, J. C. (1986). Sexual intimacy between therapists and patients.  New York: Praeger.  [Read Chapter 1: “Varieties of sexual intimacy and how they occur.”]

     Scull, A.  (1990).  Deinstitutionalization: Cycles of despair.  The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 11, 301-312.

     Stahl, E., & West, M. (2001).  Growing population of mentally ill offenders redefines correctional facility design. Corrections Today, 63, 72-78.  [Available via “Expanded Academic ASAP”]

    Stoil, M. J. (1999).  The last hurrah for state hospitals?  Behavioral Health Management, 19, 6-8. [Available via “Expanded Academic ASAP”]
 

Other reserve readings may be added later in the semester.

In advance of each class meeting, I will assign two students to work together to lead the next class discussion.  When the class next convenes, one student will be chosen at random from the group to begin the discussion by analyzing the assigned readings, evaluating the main points, asking questions which still remain in his or her mind, and giving any other comments he or she would like to make.  The two student leaders will then lead the group in discussion.  I will work with you throughout the course to help you develop the skills necessary to examine the readings critically and to lead discussions effectively (and I will give you some notes on reading and discussing which will help you to do so).  Because this is a discussion-oriented course, attendance by all students at each class session is essential.

Your grade will be based on six elements.  First, you will participate in a group project.  In this project, you will work in a group and make a  presentation to the class.  The group will be evaluated as a whole, on the accuracy, thoroughness, and creativity with which they address the topic.  All group members will receive the same grade.  Second and third, over the course of the semester, you will write one 12-15 page paper, on a topic to be determined early on in the semester (I will give you a separate handout listing the possibilities).  You will turn in a first draft, which I will grade and comment on, and then you will turn in a final draft, taking into account the suggestions I have made.  I will not give extensions on these papers except in the most extraordinary circumstances -- don’t plan on it!  Fourth and fifth, you will have mid-term and final exams, which will be in essay format.  I will give you guidelines later in the semester as to how to take those exams.  The only justification for re-scheduling an exam is a medical or family emergency, attested to by the Dean’s Office or Health Center.  And last, I will evaluate your class participation, which includes your attendance, the quality (not quantity) of your contributions to the discussion, your preparation (as demonstrated by the times you are chosen to analyze the reading), your performance on ungraded assignments, and your performance in leading the discussion.  My standards for your performance are high; I expect you to attend all the class sessions, read and think about the readings, and participate actively in the discussions.

The assignments will be graded as follows:

Final grades will then be assigned according to the total number of points accumulated (90%-100% = A, 80%-89% = B, etc.).

I will do the best I can to keep you up to date on your performance in the class and not to let the grading get in the way of your interest in the course material!

Of course, I expect you to abide by the provisions of the Honor Code in all of your assignments and exams in this class. Your grade, your success, and your conscience depend on it.

I want this course to be as interesting and dynamic as possible. Let's work together to make it that way!

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