Ph.D in Clinical Psychology

The Diversity and Community Mental Health (DCMH) proficiency track at PAU provides students the opportunity to develop competency in the provision of psychological services within the public mental health sector through a combination of coursework, research, and clinical training. Community mental health involves a perspective of care that addresses challenges on both an individual and systemic level, and revolves around philosophies of wellness, recovery and consultation. CMH services are often atypical of traditional clinical psychology training; community mental health care involves the consumer and family members, and is integrated with the community in collaborative interdisciplinary teams.

Not only is CMH work embedded within unique approaches to care, but it is devoted to the service of clients dealing with a unique combination of mental health problems (e.g., co-occurring disorders, chronic and serious mental illness) from diverse underserved and unserved communities (e.g., homeless, disability, LGBT, racial and linguistic ethnic minorities, indigent, elderly, rural). In addition, issues of crisis and risk management are particularly important. The DCMH track provides students with the specialized skills and knowledge to assume a variety of roles – not only as CMH clinicians, but also consultants, researchers, policy advocates, community organizers, and administrators.

Philosophy

Training in community mental health is typically learned piecemeal and on-the-job; it is the aim of this proficiency track to provide a systematic program of education. Curriculum will focus on the following competency areas:

• Theories and practice models of community mental health
• Vulnerable populations and special diagnoses (e.g., substance abuse, co-occurring disorders, chronic and serious mental illness, homelessness, monolingual clients)
• Cultural competence as related to mental health disparities and underserved communities. Discrimination and stigma reduction.
• Risk management: suicidality, homicidality, child and elder abuse
• Organizational, economic, advocacy, and policy issues in the public mental health system
• Program evaluation and organizational research

Not only do we aim to prepare students to be public sector professionals, but we also recognize that many of our students will become leaders in the field. As such, DCMH students will be exposed to the skills and mentorship necessary for these leadership roles. The DCMH program prepares students for early career options that qualify for application to the National Health Service Corps Scholarship or Loan Repayment Program ( http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/ ).

Objectives

Overall objectives of the DCMH track include the following:

• Recruit, train, and mentor psychologists proficient in the unique theoretical bases, models of practice, and organizational and policy issues of community mental health.
• Prepare students to become competent clinicians, researchers, and future leaders in the public mental health sector.
• Prepare a cohort of psychologists to serve the diverse needs of unserved and underserved communities.
• Prepare culturally competent public and community mental health-focused clinical psychologists able to meet the needs of the diverse communities in the public mental health sector.

DCMH Scholarship Program: California Department of Mental Health

The DCMH proficiency track is partnered with a scholarship program sponsored by the California Department of Mental Health through the Workforce, Education and Training (WET) efforts of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prop 63. Each student who applies to the DCMH proficiency track should strongly consider a simultaneous application to the scholarship program.

The aim of the scholarship program is to support emerging clinical psychologists committed to working in the public mental health system. Recipients of the scholarship receive an educational tuition stipend of up to $20,772. The stipend amount awarded will depend on number of selected recipients during that year. Please see the document below “PAU / California Department of Mental Health Diversity and Community Mental Health (DCMH) Scholarship Program” for details about eligibility, requirements, and application procedures.

Students who wish to complete the DCMH track without participating in the California Department of Mental Health scholarship program may do so. Such students may include those who applied but were not accepted as a scholarship recipient, or those who do not wish to complete the postdoctoral year of work in community mental health that is required by the scholarship. The DCMH track is a required component of the scholarship – scholarship recipients must complete the DCMH track.

Curriculum

DCMH Seminar

All students are required to attend a quarterly DCMH proficiency track seminar. Possible topics include but are not limited to Rural Mental Health, Leadership and Management in CMH, Insurance and Managed Care in the Public Sector, and Program Evaluation and Organizational Research. Seminars also provide an opportunity to receive individualized mentorship and professional development in community mental health.

NAMI Family to Family Education course

NAMI’s Family To Family Education course teaches professionals and families about living with mental illness, treatment successes and failures, community resources, and the experience of the family member supporting an individual living with a mental illness. The course is consumer and family driven; attendees benefit from this consumer and family perspective sharing and learn about the challenges, stigmas and successes of living with a mental illness. All DCMH students will be required to attend this course once during the 2-year tenure of the DMCH curriculum. The course will be arranged to take place during the evening, weekend, or summer.

Coursework

Following are courses already required by the Ph.D. Program that are also requirements of the DCMH curriculum.

The DCMH proficiency track is comprised of 18 units of coursework completed over the course of two years (the 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th years of the Ph.D. program). These 18 units encompass all elective coursework required of students in the Ph.D. program. The coursework sequence is designed to supplement the Ph.D. program’s general clinical psychology training with a specialization in diversity and community mental health. Brief descriptions of core courses are provided below.

One Elective Course chosen from the following (3 units). Please note that this list is not final and may be changed before Winter 2009.

• The Suicidal Patient
• Applied Gerontology
• Health Psychology
• LGBTQ
• Forensic Psychology I
• Traumatic Stress: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Family Therapy I: Family Systems Theory
• Group Therapy

Research Training

DCMH coursework will be paired with both research and clinical training. Students will be required to complete dissertation work with one of PGSP’s numerous research groups that support an emphasis in community mental health topics. Research focused on cultural diversity issues, serious mentally illness, substance abuse, systems-based interventions, or other special populations are only a small example of acceptable research topics. Program evaluation or organizational research is typically needed in community mental health leadership, and is particularly encouraged in the DCMH proficiency track. Qualifying dissertation research projects will be approved by the DCMH Director.

Clinical Training: Practicum requirements

All DCMH students, like other Ph.D. students, will participate in their 2nd year practicum at the Gronoswki Clinic. During their 3rd or 4th year, students must participate in at least one community mental health practicum training site.

Eligibility

1st, 2nd, or 3rd year Ph.D. students at PAU may apply for admission into the DCMH proficiency track.

Applications

For students applying to both the Scholarship and Proficiency Track:

DCMH Proficiency Track and Scholarship recipients will be selected for their qualifications, interests, and fit with the objectives of the program. Interested students should submit the following to Dr. Joyce Chu (jchu@paloaltou.edu), Director of the DCMH Proficiency Track/Scholarship Program. Applicants should submit 6 copies of the following to Dr. Joyce Chu’s Redwood City faculty mail box by 5pm the first day of winter quarter classes each year.

• Application cover sheet (see below)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Names and contact information for two references (listed on cover sheet)
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts – one official copy and 5 additional photocopies.
• Maximum 1000-word essay discussing your past experience with the area of Diversity and Community Mental Health. Please share your specific clinical and research interests in DCMH. The essay should include a statement of career objectives as they fit with DCMH goals.

Final round Scholarship Program applicants will be interviewed. A scholarship selection committee comprised of PAU faculty, mental health family and community consumers, and California county leadership (e.g., from Santa Clara and El Dorado counties) will evaluate applications and select scholarship recipients. Applicants will be notified by the end of January of each year.

For students applying to the DCMH Proficiency Track only

Students interested in the DCMH Proficiency Track but not the DCMH Scholarship may also apply later in the year, by the last day of spring quarter classes; these students should contact Dr. Joyce Chu to state their interest in the track before submitting an application. The same application materials outlined above are required for applicants to the Proficiency Track only.

Core Course Descriptions

Community Mental Health I (3 units)

This course is the first of a two-course sequence covering the history, theory, and practice of community mental health. Students will learn about the historical emergence and future directions of community mental health in the mental health field. Theoretical and clinical foundations central to working in community mental health will be covered, including integrated systems, wellness and recovery approaches involving community and consumer and family collaboration, cultural competence, case management, consultation, the wraparound process, strength-based work, idiographic and holistic approaches to individual, self-help, psychoeducation, and clubhouse models of rehabilitation. Legal and Ethical issues related to practice in community mental health will be also addressed.

Community Mental Health II, Special Issues (3 units)

This course is the second of a two-course sequence covering the history, theory, and practice of community mental health. Students will explore organizational, economic, and policy issues salient in community mental health system, with a focus on CMH Administration and compliance. We will also examine special issues unique to vulnerable populations in community mental health practice. Such topics include medical comorbidities, criminal offenders, disability, delirium, chronic stress and adversity (whether due to poverty, discrimination, or minority stress), cultural competence, caregiver support, death and dying, and trauma. Practical and theoretical knowledge will be addressed simultaneously with clinical considerations, with the aim of preparing students with a foundation for practicum training experiences in a community mental health setting. Prerequisite: Community Mental Health I.

Mental Health Disparities in Underserved and Unserved Communities (3 units)

This course will engage students with the literature of mental health disparities in underserved and unserved communities, including ethnic and racial minorities, recent immigrants and refugees, sexual minorities, elderly, and individuals with disability, limited English proficiency, or low socioeconomic status. Students will learn extant knowledge about emic versus etic symptom expression, diagnosis, and treatment. We will attend to special issues in culturally diverse individuals, including the influence of stigma, acculturation, identity, and other culturally specific values and practices. The course will also cover common practices and models of working with and engaging underserved communities, with the aim of effectively serving the needs of these individuals, often within the context of community mental health.

Substance Abuse (3 units)

This course covers the foundations of prevention, assessment, and treatment of substance abuse, dependence, and co-occurring disorders. Students will be exposed to knowledge about prevalence, assessment, and clinical presentation of substance abuse, dependence and co-occurring disorders. Students will understand basic theories, models, and common practices in substance abuse treatment, including not only abstinence and harm reduction programs, but also techniques of Motivational Interviewing. Special considerations of co-occurring disorders and the criminal justice system will also be covered.

Serious Mental Illness and Risk Management (3 units)

This course follows the foundational Psychopathology and Psychodiagnosis courses to provide more in-depth coverage of serious mental illness (SMI) with a focus on psychotic and affective disorders. We will examine literature on diagnosis, symptom presentation, and best treatment practices in working with clients with chronic and serious mental illness. Of highlighted importance will be the assessment and management of high risk situations including suicidality and homicidality. We will also examine legal issues of involuntary commitment, conservatorship, and capacity when working with SMI clients. Focus will also include the stabilization, maintenance, and recovery process from SMI.Prerequisites: Psychopathology and Psychodiagnosis I and II.