LAW-PSYCHOLOGY (J.D./Psy.D.) GRADUATE PROGRAM STUDENT MANUAL FOR

Transcription

1 INSTITUTE FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL OF LAW CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY LAW-PSYCHOLOGY (J.D./Psy.D.) GRADUATE PROGRAM STUDENT MANUAL FOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Amiram Elwork, Ph.D. Barbara L. Ayars, J.D. Ann H. Britton, J.D. Susan L. Goldberg, J.D. Sanjay Nath, Ph.D. Director of Law-Psychology Program, Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology Dean of Admissions, School of Law Professor of Law, School of Law Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs, School of Law Associate Dean of Graduate Studies & Director of Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology Hal S. Shorey, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Inst. for Graduate Clinical Psychology Version 1.1 8/2/2012

2 RESERVATION OF RIGHTS STATEMENT This document contains information, policies, procedures, and requirements that were correct at the time of publication. It supplements other documents distributed by Widener University and does not contain a full description of the provisions, regulations and requirements that are applicable to all graduate psychology and law students. In keeping with the educational mission of Widener University, the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology, and the School of Law, the information, contained herein is continually reviewed, changed, and updated. More specifically, Widener University reserves the right and authority to alter at any time and without notice any or all of the statements contained herein, to modify the requirements for admission and graduation, to change or discontinue programs of study and curricula, to amend any regulation or policy affecting the student body, to increase tuition and fees, to deny admission, to revoke an offer of admission, and to dismiss from the University any student at any time, if it is deemed by the University to be in the best interest of the University, the University community, or the student to do so. Thus, nothing in this document may be considered as setting forth terms of a contract between a student or a prospective student and Widener University. Consequently, this document cannot be considered binding and must be used solely as an informational guide. Students are responsible for keeping informed of official policy updates and for meeting all relevant requirements. 2

3 Table of Contents OVERVIEW Goals And Benefits General Requirements CURRICULUM Introduction Summer Courses Option Maximum Credits Rules Summary Table Law -Psychology Curriculum In Detail Checklist Of Required Courses Law-Psychology Curriculum Worksheet Required Law-Psychology Courses Graduation Alternatives PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP Practicum Internship Practicum And Internship Progress Checklist QUALIFYING EXAMINATION Sections of Comprehensive Examination & Related Courses LAW-PSYCHOLOGY DISSERTATION Objectives Contents Sample Dissertation Titles Dissertation Committee Timelines CLINICAL ORAL EXAMINATION FACULTY AND ADVISERS TUITION FINANCIAL AID CURRENT ADDRESSES APPLICATION PROCESS ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology School of Law

4 OVERVIEW Widener University's Law-Psychology Graduate Program leads to the awarding of the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree by the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree by the School of Law. The Psy.D. portion of the program and its captive internship are fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. The J.D. portion of the program is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. Goals And Benefits This program is based on the idea that many legal issues involve underlying psychological questions. Typically, lawyers and psychologists are trained to examine "psycholegal" issues from separate perspectives. This program trains lawyer-clinical psychologists to combine their knowledge of both fields. By integrating the two fields, our graduates are trained to bring fresh insights to the process of understanding, evaluating and correcting important societal problems. Students develop special expertise on a wide range of issues at the interface of law and psychology. The topics of study include: civil and criminal mental health law issues involving adults and children, disability, divorce and child custody, health insurance, education and special education, personal injury, professional licensing, malpractice, etc. Graduates are prepared to play such diverse roles in society as administrator, consultant, forensic psychologist, judge, lawyer, legislator, policy maker, professor, etc. They are trained to add new dimensions to these traditional roles by using their joint areas of expertise in an integrated fashion, bringing to bear their knowledge of the most advanced types of specialized psycholegal assessments, treatments, research findings and social interventions. The program offers several benefits. First and foremost, our interdisciplinary training helps graduates integrate the two fields conceptually and apply their special expertise to real-world problems. In addition, this program offers graduates a significant way to distinguish themselves in the job market and to expand their career choices. When compared to the option of seeking both degrees separately, the program is shorter and saves students the equivalent of two years of tuition and time. General Requirements During the six years that it takes students to graduate from this program, they complete a minimum of 96 credits towards the Psy.D. degree and 76 credits towards the J.D. degree. A large portion of the curriculum is similar to that required of all students in the Psy.D. and J.D. degree programs. That is, students complete almost of all of the required courses in each degree program, but have fewer elective courses. In addition, they complete several courses that are designed to help students integrate the fields of psychology and law and develop specialized knowledge and skills. They are also provided with opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills through field placements. The training culminates in an integrated law-psychology dissertation. 4

5 During the 1 st year, students take a preselected set of courses at the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology. In the 2 nd year, students take a preselected set of courses at the School of Law and 2-3 courses at the Institute for Clinical Psychology. Starting in the 3 rd year, the curriculum is more evenly divided between law courses and psychology courses, and students have more freedom in scheduling their own coursework in such a way as to complete all requirements. During the 1 st and 3 rd years of the program, students take part in a two-day per week clinical psychology field practicum. They are expected to get a part-time job in the field of law during the 4 th year, and they are placed in three-day per week psychology internship rotations during their 5 th and 6 th years. Students start working on their law-psychology dissertations in the second half of their 4 th year and are expected to complete them by the end of their 5 th year or in the second half of their 6 th (final) year. At the beginning of the 4 th summer of the program, there is a qualifying comprehensive examination that covers many of the courses taken up to that point in the psychology curriculum. Having successfully completed the comprehensive examination in psychology, students earn a Masters degree in psychology. In the first half of their 6 th year, students take a Final Clinical (Psychology) Oral Examination in which they present and defend two work samples, one for an intervention case and the other for an assessment case. The majority of students graduate in May of their 6 th year. 5

6 CURRICULUM Introduction The prescribed curriculum is detailed in the following pages. Because the psychology and law curriculums are updated annually, as some courses are dropped and new ones are added, the following tables may not reflect such changes until the next edition of this document. Students are responsible for keeping informed of curriculum changes outlined in other documents and for meeting all relevant requirements published by the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and School of Law. The tables and charts provided below are designed to help students distribute their credits between the Institute and the School of Law in a manner that best assures graduation from both disciplines at the end of the 6 th year. Where the schedule allows, students are encouraged to take advantage of elective course offerings at both the School of Law and the Institute, through which they can obtain further specialization (e.g., health law, school psychology). However, Widener University does not guarantee that such specialty elective courses will be scheduled in such a way as to allow for J.D.- Psy.D. students to be able to fit them within the Law-Psychology Program s credit requirements. Most of the courses shown below are required, but the order in which many of them are taken can be determined by students. Some required courses may be replaced by other courses to meet individual needs. Because of the complexities involved in completing all requirements, proposed deviations from the prescribed curriculum must be approved by the Director of the Law-Psychology Program, and they must conform to the policies of the Institute and the School of Law, as well as various accreditation criteria. Summer Courses Option Although the curriculum shown below can be completed without taking summer courses, doing so is highly recommended to assure a more manageable course load during the 5 th and 6 th years of the program, when students are expected to devote a significant amount of time and energy to their dissertations and internship rotations. For example, it is suggested that students take up to a total of 8 law credits between the 2 nd and 4 th summer sessions of the program. In addition, it is possible to take dissertation credits during the summers of the last two years of the program. One summer dissertation course (up to 3 credits ), either at the end of the 4 th or 5 th year of the program is offered free of tuition for all Psy.D. students; this gives students free access to dissertation committee members during one summer and helps them complete their dissertations on time. Registration for these special credits must be done through the central office of the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology. Please note, however, that these free dissertation credits do not count toward the minimum number of psychology credits (96) required of J.D.-Psy.D. students. Maximum Credits Rules The maximum number of credits that can be taken during any Fall or Spring semester is 16, and during any Summer is 6 (2-4 credits is recommended). Up to a total of 8 summer law credits are allowed, but they need to be taken in a way that does not run afoul of the following: (1) Summer credits cannot be taken in place of taking any credits during a regular academic year. That is, at least 3 credits must be taken on each campus during each academic semester of years II through VI; 6

7 (2) Students need to conform to current total minimal credit requirements during each regular academic semester to qualify for financial aid. Falling below a minimum number of credits during a regular academic semester may make a student ineligible for financial aid or may trigger the necessity to make loan payments. For more details on these requirements, check with the Financial Aid Office at the School of Law. Summary Table Approximate Breakdown of Credits Institute of Graduate School of Law Combined Clinical Psychology YR. Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring Totals I II III IV V VI Total Minimum 96 (PSYD) 76 (LAW) 172 (Total) Credits Required NOTE: Also see section on Summer Courses Option on the preceding page. Additional Requirements Year I - Psychology Practicum Year II No Additional Requirements Year III - Psychology Practicum Year IV - Law Job, Qualifying Comprehensive Examination Year V - Psychology Internship, Complete Dissertation Year VI - Psychology Internship, Final Clinical Oral Examination Advanced Writing Requirement (Law School requirement, generally met by the Dissertation) NOTE: See other sections of this Manual for details on these requirements. 7

8 Law -Psychology Curriculum In Detail Fall 1 st Year Spring Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law DPSY 500 Intro Professional Psychology 0 DPSY502 Child/Adolescent Psychopathology Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Clinical Personality Assessment Psychodynamic Theory Individual Dynamic Psychotherapy Intellectual Functioning & Evaluation Basic Psychopathology Essentials of Psychotherapy Organizational Psychology Intro. Law-Psychology Practicum Practicum 0 Total Credits 15 Total Credits 15 Fall 2nd Year Spring Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law DPSY 501 Human Development 3 DPSY 509 Diversity 3 LAW 500 Intro. to Law Legal Rights Patients & Clients Civil Procedure 4 LAW 508 Contracts Legal Methods I Legal Methods II Torts Property I 4 Total Credits 3 11 Total Credits 6 10 Fall 3 rd Year Spring Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law DPSY 513 Rorschach Scoring 3 DPSY 512 Behavioral Research Learning & Motivation Personality Assessment Statistics or 740 Psycholegal Testimony/ Intervention Clinical Practicum Clinical Practicum 0 LAW 702 Professional Responsibility 3 LAW 512 Legal Methods III Evidence Administrative Law 3 Total Credits 9 7 Total Credits 9 5 Fall 4 th Year* Spring Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law DPSY 538 Neuropsychology 3 DPSY566 Physiological Foundations Social Psychology or 740 Psycholegal Testimony/ Intervention History Intro. Dissertation** Assessment Data Clinic 0 LAW 601 Constitutional Law I 4 LAW 602 Constitutional Law II*** Property II Business Organizations*** Law Job Law Job 0 Total Credits 9 6 Total Credits 9 6 * Qualifying Examination for the Psy.D. degree is taken in June of the 4 th academic year. ** Free dissertation credits are offered either in the 4 th or 5 th summer (only once), as a way of helping students maintain the continuity of their work and complete their dissertations on time. To register, inquire at central office of the Institute. Please note, however, that these free dissertation credits do not count toward the minimum number of psychology credits (96) required of J.D.-Psy.D. students. ***See note with 5 asterisks on the next page regarding these and several other law courses. 8

9 Fall 5 th Year Spring Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law DPSY ### Case Conference Orals Prep II or III 3 DPSY ### Case Conference Orals Prep II or III 3 999* Dissertation Research* Internship Seminar Internship 0 999* Dissertation* Internship 0 LAW 505 Criminal Law 3 LAW 506 Criminal Procedure***** 3 ### Law Elective Sales and Leases***** 3 ### Law Elective 3 ### Law Elective 2 Total Credits 6 9 Total Credits 6 8 Fall 6 th Year** Spring Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law DPSY 875*** Final Clinical Oral Examination 1-3 DPSY ### Elective 3 Preparation*** 533 Professional Issues & Ethics Internship Internship 0 LAW 798** Directed Research**** 2 LAW 610 Federal Income Tax***** 3 ### Law Electives 4 ### Law Electives 5 Total Credits 6 6 Total Credits 3 8 * For DPSY999 (Dissertation Research), students have the option of taking 1, 2, or 3 credits. If they register for fewer credits, students can then take an additional elective or two in order to meet the 96 minimum credit requirement in psychology. Students have the option of completing and defending their dissertations either in the Spring of their 5 th year or in the Spring of their 6 th year. (The Fall of their 6 th year is reserved for taking the Final Clinical Oral Examination.) Also note that free dissertation credits are offered either in the 4 th or 5 th summer (only once), as a way of helping students maintain the continuity of their work and complete their dissertations on time. To register for such free dissertation credits, inquire at central office of the Institute. Please note, however, that these free dissertation credits do not count toward the minimum number of psychology credits (96) required of J.D.-Psy.D. students. ** Law-Psychology students are excused from having to take the following courses, which are required of regular PsyD students: DPSY 850 Advanced Differential Diagnosis & DPSY 833 Professional Supervision. ***For DPSY875 (Final Clinical Oral Examination Preparation), students have the option of taking 1, 2, or 3 credits. If they register for fewer credits, students can then take an additional elective or two in order to meet the 96 minimum credit requirement in psychology. ****The Law-Psychology Dissertation or a portion of it may be used to fulfill the Writing Requirement at the School of Law, and taken for credit at the School of Law as Directed Research LAW798. Under this option, the law professor responsible for this course is also on the student s dissertation committee. ***** Students who maintain a 2.8 or above cumulative grade point average at the School of Law are NOT required to take the following courses: Constitutional Law II, Business Organizations, Criminal Procedure, Sales and Leases, Federal Income Tax. They may take additional electives instead. Two of the electives taken at the School of Law must be listed as a course that fulfills the Advanced Skill Requirement. For more details, see a current copy of the Student Handbook, published by the School of Law. 9

10 Checklist Of Required Courses PSYCHOLOGY* Course # Title Credits LAW Course # Title Credits 500 Intro. Professional Psychology Intro. to Law Human Development Civil Procedure Child/Adolescent Psychopathology Criminal Law Intro. to Cognitive/Behavioral Psychology Criminal Procedure I Psychodynamic Theory Contracts Intellectual Functioning & Eval Legal Methods I Clinical Personality Assessment Legal Methods II Ind. Dynamic Psychotherapy Legal Methods III Basic Psychopathology Property I Diversity Property II Legal Rights of Patients & Clients Torts Intro. to Behavioral Research Administrative Law Rorschach Scoring Constitutional Law I Learning & Motivation Constitutional Law II Intro. to Statistics Federal Income Tax Personality Assessment Case Conference Business Organizations Professional Issues & Ethics Sales & Leases Intro. to Neuropsychology Professional Responsibility Social Psychology Directed Research (Writing Requirement) Physiological Foundations Evidence Historical & Philosophical Fndtns. of Psych. 3 ### Law Electives Organizational Psychology Essentials of Psychotherapy Assessment Data Clinic Intro. to Law-Psychology Psycholegal Assess., Diagnosis, Testimony Psycholegal Intervention & Treatment Internship Seminar Final Clinical Examination Preparation Practicum (4 semesters) Internship (4 semesters) Intro. Dissertation Dissertation Research (2 semesters) 2-6 ### Two Case Conferences II & III - Orals Prep 6 ### Electives 3-9 Total Minimum Required = 96 Total Minimum Required = 76 *A number of the required courses need to be taken in years 1-4 in preparation for the qualifying comprehensive examination. See section on qualifying comprehensive examination for more information. 10

11 Law-Psychology Curriculum Worksheet FALL 1 st YEAR SPRING Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Total Credits Total Credits FALL 2 nd YEAR SPRING Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Total Credits Total Credits FALL 3 rd YEAR SPRING Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Total Credits Total Credits FALL 4 th YEAR SPRING Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Total Credits Total Credits FALL 5 th YEAR SPRING Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Total Credits Total Credits FALL 6 th YEAR SPRING Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Course # Title Credits DPsy/Law Total Credits Total Credits 11

12 Required Law-Psychology Courses The following is a description of courses taught at the Institute that help students integrate law and psychology and develop specialized skills: 735: Introduction to Law-Psychology (3cr) - This seminar presents a survey of the literature within the law-psychology interface. Its purpose is to give students an overview of the wide variety of legal issues to which various subfields of psychology (e.g., experimental, social, clinical) have been applied. Students are taught to understand how the two disciplines can be integrated into a specialized field of study and practice. 511: Legal Rights of Patients and Clients (3cr) - This course is designed to examine the laws that apply to various types of patients and clients that psychologists are likely to have. Emphasis is placed on how psychological knowledge can be used to evaluate the goals, behavioral assumptions and efficacy of existing laws. The course is intended to help students improve their delivery of services and become informed advocates for progressive change. 533: Professional Issues and Ethics (3cr) - This course is designed to introduce the student to the laws and professional standards that regulate the practice of psychology. Discussion topics include: licensing and certification, ethical and professional standards, health insurance, malpractice liability. 736: Psycholegal Assessment, Diagnosis and Testimony (3cr) -The purpose of this seminar is to provide training in the special skills and knowledge clinical psychologists must have when delivering diagnostic services in legal or legally-mandated contexts. Topics relate to a variety of populations (e.g., prisoners, divorced couples, children) and settings (e.g., courtrooms, prisons, hospitals, schools). This course is offered once every two years in the Spring. 740: Psycholegal Intervention and Treatment (3cr) - The purpose of this seminar is to provide training in the special skills and knowledge clinical psychologists must have when delivering various forms of treatments in legal or legally-mandated contexts. In addition, it covers the knowledge and skills required to deliver other types of interventions in the legal context, such as consulting services to legal entities involved in improving a wide range of public policies. Topics relate to a variety of populations, including: prisoners, civil litigants, families, patients, students, retirees, the disabled, etc. This course is offered once every two years in the Spring. 12

13 Graduation Alternatives The majority of students graduate from both the School of Law and the Institute of Graduate Clinical Psychology in May of their 6 th year in the program. A significant minority of students, however, graduate in August of their 6 th year. A small proportion of students take longer to graduate from both programs, and in a very small number of instances students drop out of the joint degree program to pursue just the law or psychology degree. May Graduation of 6 th Year - The curriculum for the Law-Psychology Program as described above is based on the expectation that students will graduate in May of their 6 th year in the program. Students are not permitted to earn their joint degrees in less than 6 years. After their 1 st year in the program, students are expected to take credits in both law and in psychology during every semester of every academic year. Summer credits can be used to lessen the load during the regular academic year, but not to eliminate the need to take any courses in either discipline during the regular Fall and Spring semesters, or to graduate any earlier than in May of the 6 th year. August Graduation of 6 th Year - A significant minority of students complete all of their coursework in law and in psychology by the end of the Spring semester of their 6 th year, but are scheduled to take their Final Clinical Oral Examinations or to defend their Dissertations during the following summer months. Under these conditions (completed all but either the Dissertation or the Final Clinical Oral Examination and expected to complete the one remaining requirement during the upcoming summer), students are permitted to participate in the May Graduation Ceremonies of the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and the School of Law (not the larger ceremony of Widener University). Such students are NOT granted either degree until all requirements are completed. Most often, their official graduation date becomes August of their 6 th year. Graduation Date Beyond the 6 th Year - A small number of students take more than 6 years to complete the Law-Psychology Program, but they are required to take no more than two additional years. Those who wish to take more than eight years to complete the program must file a petition for permission to do so. Each case is reviewed individually and the Law-Psychology Program is under no obligation to grant such requests. Requests to Pursue Separate Degrees - It occurs infrequently, but a very few students either drop out of the joint-degree program altogether or ask to pursue just one degree separately. Students wishing to complete their training in either law or psychology may petition either the School of Law or the Institute for permission. Each case will be reviewed individually. The minimum number of credits required under the guidelines of the Law-Psychology Program will no longer apply. The School of Law may allow up to 6 credits in psychology to be applied toward the 88 required of all law students. The Institute may allow up to 9 credits in law to be applied toward the 120 required of all psychology students. However, the exact number of credits in one discipline that are applied toward the other discipline will be decided on a case-by-case basis. 13

14 PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP For more details on the Practicum and Internship requirements, please read Guidelines For Internship and Practicum Training. This document is available at main office of Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and online. What follows is a brief summary of the requirements, as they apply to J.D.-Psy.D. students. Practicum Law-psychology students must complete the equivalent of two years of clinical psychology practicum training. Half of this requirement is completed by attending a two-day-per-week practicum during the 1 st year of training. The second half of this requirement is met by attending a two-day-per-week practicum during the 3 rd year. Like all Psy.D. students, J.D./Psy.D. students must complete the following minimum goals prior to entering an internship rotation: 1. Six (6) psychological batteries with written reports. 2. Two (2) long-term therapy cases of at least six months duration. Because J.D./Psy.D. students complete only two years of practicum training, instead of the usual three for Psy.D. students, meeting these requirements takes good time management. Note that J.D./Psy.D. students are required to meet these goals before their 5 th year, and not necessarily at the end of their 5 th year. Thus, if their practica do not provide ample opportunity, students may complete their requirements by picking up a limited number of cases during their 4 th year through Widener s own Psychological Services Center. Internship During their 5 th and 6 th years, students in the law-psychology program attend two rotations of the APA approved, part-time, captive internship required of all Psy.D. students at the Institute. Students are encouraged to expose themselves to a breadth of experiences, including several that allow them to practice their special skills as lawyers and psychologists. They receive a stipend for their services. 14

15 Practicum And Internship Progress Checklist Student Name: Student #: Date of Meeting: Current Year Level: Current Year Level: Current Year Level: Current Year Level: Current Year Level: Clinical Rotations: Practicum Year 1 Internship Year 1 Practicum Year 2 Internship Year 2 Program Requirements: Please list the site where each requirement was met: (Please note that one site can meet multiple requirements.) Child Adult Inpatient Outpatient Therapy Site Testing Site Special Needs Practicum Requirements: Internship Requirements: 6 psychological batteries 2 long-term therapy cases, ie treatment for at least 6 months 4 assessments with full psychological report 6 therapy cases, 2 of which must be planned brief psychotherapy 1 supervised supervision of a junior-level student 1 presentation of clinical case material or research material in their clinical setting or in an interdisciplinary setting 1 supervised clinical consultation - e.g., consultation to schools, businesses or treatment teams 15

16 QUALIFYING EXAMINATION This section describes important guidelines for law-psychology students regarding the qualifying examination in psychology. However, these only supplement and do not replace the guidelines that apply to all Psy.D. students. Thus, please also read the Guidelines For The Qualifying Examination, which is available at the main office of the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and online. The qualifying examination is administered to 4 th year J.D./Psy.D. students (and 3 rd year Psy.D. students) by the Institute of Graduate Clinical Psychology in early June of each year. As illustrated on the next page, 5 areas of psychological content are covered by the examination and each area is based on a specific set of required courses. The examination consists of essay questions that test the student's knowledge of facts learned through coursework, as well as his or her ability to integrate those facts and communicate them in written form. Since the curriculum at the Institute changes from time to time, the table on the next page should be used only as a general planning guide, as it may not be totally up-to-date and accurate. Memoranda are posted at the beginning of the Spring semester of each year, giving students guidelines on the contents of each upcoming examination. Thus, law-psychology students who are about to take the comprehensive examination (usually in their 4 th year of study) must check the memoranda that are published in the Spring of each year, to confirm the exact courses on which their examination is to be based. Generally, the examinations that J.D./Psy.D. students receive will be identical in content to the ones given to all Psy.D. students. Occasionally, some J.D.-Psy.D. students may find that they have not taken all of the courses on which the examination will be based. Such discrepancies can occur when law-psychology students are not able to fit in a required course into their schedules until their 5 th or 6 th years. Once a lawpsychology student identifies any such discrepancies, he or she must alert the Director of the Law- Psychology Program of them in writing by April 1, so that appropriate adjustments can be made. By May 1, students will be sent a notice regarding the adjustments and how they should affect preparations. Generally speaking, questions based on courses that students have not taken will be replaced with substitutes that are based on other courses that students have taken (e.g., lawpsychology courses). 16

17 Sections of Comprehensive Examination & Related Courses Section Title Courses On Which Each Section Is Based 1. Biological Bases of Behavior DPSY 538 Introduction to Neuropsychology 566 Physiological Foundations of Behavior 2. Cognitive And Affective Bases of Behavior 514 Learning and Motivation 568 Historical & Philosophical Foundations of Psychology 3. Social and Multicultural Bases of Behavior 509 Diversity 559 Social Psychology 4. Research Methods 515 Introduction to Statistics 512 Introduction to Behavioral Research 5. Growth and Lifespan Development 501 Human Development 502 Child Psychopathology 17

18 LAW-PSYCHOLOGY DISSERTATION This section describes important guidelines that apply specifically to dissertations required of lawpsychology students. However, it only supplements and does not replace the guidelines that apply to all Psy.D. dissertations. Thus, please also read the Manual for the Clinical Dissertation for the Doctor of Psychology Degree, which is available at the main office of the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and online. Objectives The law-psychology dissertation is a means by which a student learns and demonstrates an ability to carry out original, independent, and scholarly work that integrates the fields of clinical psychology and law. The process of working on a dissertation is an educational one in which a student develops his or her skills under the guidance of experienced faculty. This means that a student is not expected at the outset to be capable of independent scholarly work that integrates law and psychology. The dissertation process begins by helping the student learn to do such work and ends with the student's demonstration of being able to do the work independently. Contents The dissertation must demonstrate the student's ability to integrate law and psychology and make use of both bases of knowledge. In addition to integrating the two fields, the dissertation must represent original work and contribute new ideas to the topic under discussion. It should include a statement of the problem and of the hypotheses being proposed, a review of the relevant legal and psychological literature, and a section with conclusions and implications. Dissertations that rely on original empirical research must also present their method and empirical findings, whereas those that rely on archival research must comprehensively synthesize and analyze their literature reviews. Topics related to either the legal regulation of clinical psychology or the application of clinical psychology to legal issues are appropriate. The first category includes projects that attempt to understand, evaluate or improve how licensing, malpractice, health insurance, etc., affect the practice of clinical psychology (see Table 1). The second category includes projects that attempt to apply knowledge of psychological testing, intervention techniques, abnormal psychology, personality theory, human development, etc., to understand, evaluate or improve any aspect of the law, legal systems or legal processes (see Table 2). 18

19 Sample Dissertation Titles TABLE 1 Legal Regulation of Clinical Psychology Areas of Legal Regulation Licensing Malpractice Health Insurance Informed Consent Confidentiality Sample Topics Effectiveness of grievance procedures in psychology licensing laws. Professional standards not followed by mental health providers: implications for malpractice law. Health insurance co-payment provisions and their impact on the efficacy of psychotherapy. Children's competence to consent to treatment without parental permission: is the current law valid? The impact of Tarasoff exception warnings on patients' openness. TABLE 2 Clinical Psychology Applied To Law & Public Policy Areas of Psychological Knowledge Assessment & Diagnosis Intervention Techniques Abnormal Psychology Personality Human Development Sample Topics Criterion validity of an instrument to assess competence to stand trial. Incorporating effective divorce mediation procedures into law. Mental health risk factors to which judges are exposed. Personality attributes associated with effective foster parenting: implications for law. Should criminal law attempt to punish children like adults? 19

20 Law-psychology dissertations must meet the standards of scholarship to which student authors within psychology or law are generally held. Ideally, the dissertation should be of high enough quality to be published in a psychological journal or law review. In fact, the central objective of having a student complete a dissertation is to teach him or her how to conduct and write independent scholarly work of publishable quality. The dissertation is expected to require approximately 8 hours per week spread over three semesters and possibly one summer (usually in the 4-5th years). The length of the dissertation should be dictated by the topic, rather than an arbitrary minimum number of pages. Note that the literature review itself cannot be the principal contribution of a dissertation. Thus, although the literature review must be comprehensive, it should be used as a clearly relevant introduction to the new ideas that are at the core of the dissertation's contribution. Occasionally, a student engaged in an empirical research dissertation may propose to use existing data that do not have to be collected first hand (e.g., government statistics, meta-analyses of other studies). The acceptability of such a proposal will depend on the originality of the hypotheses to be tested and the extent to which the data are reliable and valid and are to be analyzed in new ways. Dissertation Committee A Law-Psychology Dissertation Committee is composed of three full-time faculty members, two from within the Institute and one from the School of Law. A fourth person, the Reader, has the responsibility of reading the dissertation only upon its completion, attending the oral defense and judging the student s performance. The Reader may be either a regular or an adjunct faculty member of either the Institute or the Law School. Note that the Law-Psychology Dissertation, or a portion of it, may be used to fulfill the Writing Requirement at the School of Law and taken for credit at the School of Law as Directed Research (Law #798; see Directed Research requirements outlined in the Student Handbook of the School of Law). The student s Dissertation Committee member representing the School of Law may act as the instructor who oversees the Directed Research. While it is common for law-psychology students to choose the Director of their program as the chair of their dissertation committees, that is not automatic or necessary. Students have the option to choose someone else to chair their dissertations, with no questions asked. Similarly, the Director has the right to decline to chair a specific dissertation committee. Students and potential dissertation committee members reach agreement on who will serve through face-to-face discussions. Timelines To help ensure timely graduation, the student is required to begin registering for dissertation credits in the Spring semester of the 4th year of the program and is advised to complete the dissertation in the Spring semester of the 5th year. As an alternative, the student may complete the dissertation in the Spring semester of the 6 th year. The Fall semester of the 6 th year is usually reserved for preparing and taking the Final Clinical Oral Examination. Please see a current Manual for the Clinical Dissertation for the Doctor of Psychology Degree, to determine the latest deadlines for when various drafts of the dissertation are due. Students who do not meet the various deadlines established for on-time graduation will need to develop individualized deadlines with their dissertation committees, with an eye toward graduating either in August of the 6 th year or during their 7 th or 8 th years. 20

21 CLINICAL ORAL EXAMINATION Like all psychology students, JD-PsyD students are expected to take a Final Clinical Oral Examination in the Fall semester of their final (6 th ) year. In preparation for this examination, students prepare and defend two work samples, one for an intervention case and the other for an assessment case. The requirements for JD-PsyD students are the same as for all PsyD students. Thus, please refer to the Procedural Guidelines for the Final Clinical Oral Examination, which is available at the main office of the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology or online. FACULTY AND ADVISERS The Law-Psychology Program is administered by a committee of faculty members of the School of Law and the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology, and is led by a Director. Several faculty members have extensive experience and knowledge in psycholegal matters and are principally responsible for the specialized training of the law-psychology students. They are backed by a group of faculty in the traditional areas of psychology and law. Each law-psychology student is assigned two primary advisers, one at the Institute and the other at the School of Law, to oversee official academic and administrative matters. The Institute's primary adviser to all law-psychology students is the Director of the Law-Psychology Program. The primary adviser to all law-psychology students at the School of Law is the Associate Dean for Students Academic Affairs. Official matters related to the law-psychology program in general or the psychology portion are handled by the adviser at the Institute. Official matters related to the lawonly portion of the program are handled by the adviser at the School of Law. A student does have the option of requesting different primary advisers than those who are assigned, without any explanation. Similarly, the pre-assigned advisers have the right to decline from serving in that role with specific students. In addition to dealing with official matters, students usually benefit from mentoring relationships with faculty. Mentors may include their primary advisers, a faculty member who is on the Executive Committee of the Law-Psychology Program (see cover page), or any other faculty member at the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology or School of Law. While most faculty members are predisposed to serve as mentors, it is the responsibility of students to seek such relationships. The primary responsibility of the advisers is to guide and monitor students' academic progress within the program and approve registration issues. In addition, advisers inform their advisees of important notices and help them with difficult administrative problems. Mentors offer advice in academic and career related matters, provide a human link between faculty and students, and encourage open and productive communication between them. 21

22 TUITION Students in the Law-Psychology Program will take and pay for a minimum of 96 credits at the Institute and 76 credits at the School of Law. Billings will be calculated on a per-credit basis, using the current per-credit rate used at the Institute and the School of Law. Thus, the actual tuition from semester to semester will vary both as a function of the total number of credits taken as well as the type of courses taken (psychology or law). The total tuition paid will be the approximate equivalent of six years of full time tuition, three at the rate of the School of Law and three at the rate of the Institute. The per credit rates are generally set by multiplying the current annual full time tuition by the total number of years of study in a program, and then dividing this figure by the total average number of credits taken by students. FINANCIAL AID A select number of students whose academic achievements merit special recognition receive scholarships and awards. Career-related fieldwork is also available to all students. For example, stipends are paid for the internship during the 5 th and 6 th years of the program. In addition, part time jobs in law firms and legal agencies are available. Most students are eligible for various types of educational loans. All financial aid processing for law-psychology students is done through the Financial Aid Office of the School of Law -- not the Financial Aid Office of the Graduate School. Loan repayments typically begin six to nine months after graduation or after a student ceases to attend school on at least a half-time basis. CURRENT ADDRESSES By September 15 of each year, EVERY law-psychology student should make sure that the Institute and the School of Law has his/her current address, telephone number, and address regardless of whether there has been a change. When there is a change of address, this should be reported immediately to the Director, the Institute, the Graduate School, the School of Law, and the Registrar's Office. Students whose addresses or telephone numbers are not kept current may fail to receive important notices. Such students will still be held responsible for requests contained in missed notices. 22

23 APPLICATION PROCESS Online applications & other further information regarding the Law-Psychology Program is available at: For additional information by phone, call: (610) Completed materials must be received by February 1 for fall admission. Spring or summer admission is not possible. Application files are reviewed by a committee of faculty members from the School of Law and the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology. The top candidates are invited for interviews and an orientation. Acceptance letters are usually mailed by April 1. In evaluating applicants for admission, the following information is considered: grades, GRE and LSAT scores, letters of recommendation, relevant experiences, and other indicators of excellence and suitability for the law-psychology program. An undergraduate major in psychology is not required, but desirable. Past experience has shown that applicants who were accepted possessed a grade point average of 3.5 or above, and scored at or above the 70 th percentiles in their GRE subtests and in the LSAT. 23

24 ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology IGCP Manual for Clinical Psychology Student IGCP Student Forum Handbook Guidelines For The Clinical Oral Examination Guidelines For Internship and Practicum Training Manual for the Clinical Dissertation for the Doctor of Psychology Degree School of Law School of Law Student Handbook School of Law Registration Materials The Law Student s Complete Guide to the Job Search Process Widener University School of Law Debt Management Guide 24