Clinical students are required to take course in basic experimental psychology, assessment and therapy, and practica. The first year of the program is fairly structured and is intended to provide students with the basic skills and knowledge required of behavioral therapists. The second year of the program is much more flexible and allows the students to individually tailor their training through the selection of practicum placements, elective courses and thesis topics. Core courses in psychology, taken during the first year, are intending to ensue that our graduates have a strong background in general psychology including, learning, memory, psychobiology, perception, personality, social and developmental psychology. The orientation of the department is distinctly behavioral and empirical.
All students also take a one-hour seminar each term.
As a part of this course, we bring in nationally-known speakers to present their research and stimulate thinking on current topics. Clinical courses consist of a sequence of behavior therapy and behavioral assessment courses, Applied Research Methods, Advanced Psychological Assessment, Advanced Psychpathology, and Child Psychpathology and Therapy. Practicum training begins immediately in the first term and increases in time, complexity and responsibility over the two years of study. Early training, supervised primarily be North Dakota State University faculty, includes didactic and experiential training in general clinical and interviewing skills and basic behavioral assessment and treatment techniques. Later practica involves expanding and practicing these basic skills in service settings primarily under the supervision of adjunct faculty and other mental health professionals working in those settings.