Elective courses are offered each semester according to the interests of students and faculty. Students are required to take elective courses during their program; some may choose to take additional courses of interest beyond the unit requirement of the program.
PPSY 798 Psychotherapy and Personality Disorders (2)
This course considers the developmental etiology of personality disorders, surveys various models of the disorders of personality (e.g., Millon, factor models), addresses the place of personality disorders in a systemic model of psychology, and introduces therapeutic treatment models for personality disordered individuals.
PPSY 798 Psychology of Women (2)
This course explores developmental, cultural, and clinical models of understanding and working with women's experience in the process of psychotherapy. Attention is focused upon particular issues presented by female clients and treatment approaches for dealing with these issues.
PPSY 798 Interpersonal Approaches to Psychotherapy (2)
This course considers the theory and practice of interpersonal psychotherapy, beginning with the foundational work of Harry Stack Sullivan, the founder of interpersonal psychiatry. In addition to the theory and work of Horney and Benjamin, Klerman's interpersonal psychotherapy of depression is examined.
PPSY 798 Value Formation within the Family (2)
This course explores the development of values within the family system. Special attention is paid to intergenerational perspectives, the role of family members in value formation, and the moral identity of the family.
This course covers the administration, scoring, and interpretation of the major projective tests for both children and adults. Emphasis is on the Rorschach and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), with additional focus on projective techniques, such as the House-Tree-Person, Kinetic Family Drawings, and Incomplete Sentences.
PPSY 798 Brief Therapy and the Managed Care Environment (2)
This course provides an introduction to the theories and techniques of brief therapy and information on the practice of psychotherapy within the managed care environment.
PPSY 798 Family and Community Violence (2)
This course focuses on the perpetration of violence such as child abuse and neglect, rape, incest, battering, and gang and other violence in the community. The course addresses treatment issues for victims of violence, including crisis intervention in schools and the community. This course partially meets the requirements for state-authorized reimbursement to therapists treating victims of violence.
PPSY 798 Neuropsychology (2)
This course considers the neurological basis of behavior. The emphasis is on understanding the relationship of neurological disorders and psychopathology and an introduction to neuropsychological assessment. Screening, referral, and treatment issues are covered. The role of family/social network issues in treatment are also emphasized.