Current clinical psyc students - what do you think of your clinical/therapy skills training?

[emsmith]

Hi all! 

I'm wondering if any current clinical psych PhD students (PsyD students also welcome to answer!) would mind sharing what their clinical skills classes are like? I have a masters in a different psych subject so I'm familiar with research methods courses, but I'm wondering practically what it's like to attend the clinical classes and what types of skills you learn, what the lectures/classes practically look like, what assignments are like, etc?

I know most programs have adult / child psychopathology and assessment courses, and some practicums, etc. What does it look like like when you attend these classes/practicums? E.g. how many times/week do you attend these courses, do you attend lectures/read textbooks only, or are there other aspects to the in-class learning like roleplays etc? In what classes do you learn specific therapies (e.g. CBT or DBT etc) and which symptoms/disorders each therapy is best for? Do you feel that your classes prepared you for your placements etc?

It's hard to get an idea of what this aspect of the course looks like from the website/course listing alone, so I would appreciate any feedback of what your program looks like and how you feel about it (I'm applying in Canada, but I think a lot of the PhD programs are structured similarly, so I'm interested in hearing from people in US programs as well!) Thanks all! 

 

[PsyDuck90]

I am in a US-based program FYI. This may vary program to program, but my experience with the clinical courses has been a combination of readings/discussions regarding the theory and practice. For instance, we would do role plays or present cases we see (de-identified) on practicum, discussing how we conceptualize the case and what the treatment plan was. In my program we had a specific course on CBT, one on Psychodynamic, and another on third wave treatments, which went into DBT, MBSR, and ACT. We've also had to submit written reports of our conceptualization of cases. If your program has a clinic, you are also likely video taped in your sessions and given specific feedback during supervision. 

Overall, I feel like my classes prepared me for practicum, which is also where the bulk of my clinical training has taken place, especially with my population of interest. 

[emsmith]

On 12/27/2021 at 11:58 AM, PsyDuck90 said:

I am in a US-based program FYI. This may vary program to program, but my experience with the clinical courses has been a combination of readings/discussions regarding the theory and practice. For instance, we would do role plays or present cases we see (de-identified) on practicum, discussing how we conceptualize the case and what the treatment plan was. In my program we had a specific course on CBT, one on Psychodynamic, and another on third wave treatments, which went into DBT, MBSR, and ACT. We've also had to submit written reports of our conceptualization of cases. If your program has a clinic, you are also likely video taped in your sessions and given specific feedback during supervision. 

Overall, I feel like my classes prepared me for practicum, which is also where the bulk of my clinical training has taken place, especially with my population of interest. 

Thank you! It's really helpful to hear from current students. Is there anything you wish you had known or prepared for before starting the clinical training?