University of the Cumberlands offers a variety of graduate programs and online graduate programs.

This course is an overview and examination of the mental health professions. The course will examine historical, philosophical, and social/political influences on contemporary mental health practices, as well as equip the student with an introduction to the practical aspects of a clinical practice (treatment planning, developing the helping relationship, collaboration/referral, etc.). An in-depth examination will be made into the professional rights and responsibilities of professional counselors and clinical psychologists as well as their credentialing and licensing.

*Course requirement shall be waived for students who have been admitted with advanced standing.

Legal and ethical issues and practices are integral to professional counseling and clinical psychology. This course will examine topics such as confidentiality, ethical competence, professional relationships, and what constitutes malpractice. Emphasis will be placed upon rights, duties, and professional responsibilities under the law. Exercises are used to develop critical thinking and skill in evaluating and resolving ethical dilemmas encountered in a mental health practice.

*Course requirement shall be waived for students who have been admitted with advanced standing.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the various theories of counseling and psychotherapy. This course is designed to critically examine the historical/theoretical frameworks that the major forms of counseling utilize. Some of the theoretical perspectives will include: (but are not limited to) Psychodynamic, Person-Centered (Humanistic), Existential, Adlerian, Behavioral, Cognitive-Behavioral, Gestalt, Multimodal, and Systems theory.

This course will allow the student to review current research and treatments in the field of drug addiction and dependency. This will include developments in the psychopharmacological treatments of addictions, the influence of managed care on treatment, ethics, and the changing roles of the counselor. Intervention strategies will be explored. This is the same course content as PSYC 632 but the material is covered at a faster pace for students who already have some familiarity with alcohol and drug dependency issues. Prerequisite: Permission of the Program Director.

**Course requirement may be waived for students who hold an alcohol and drug abuse counseling license.

This course will allow the student to review current research and treatments in the field of drug addiction and dependency. This will include developments in the psychopharmacological treatments of addictions, the influence of managed care on treatment, ethics, and the changing roles of the counselor. Intervention strategies will be explored.

**Course requirement may be waived for students who hold an alcohol and drug abuse counseling license.

This course examines issues related to the mental health treatment for children and adolescents. Focus is on the application of clinical principles and theories to this specific population. Techniques for interviewing children and their families, methods for designing and evaluating treatment plans, age-appropriate assessment procedures, and ethical standards and legal requirements are also addressed.

The course covers the basic biology of the nerves, including synthesis and movement of proteins in the nerve, membrane potential and membrane properties, ion channels, and generation and conduction of an action potential. The course also covers the fundamental biophysical mechanisms of cellular neurotransmission, including synapses, membrane potentials, ion pumps, ion channels, transmitter secretion, nerve-muscle transmission and receptors. The most important neurotransmitters such as acetycholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, glycine, GABA and peptides are discussed in detail.

This course provides a description of the functional anatomy of the autonomic nervous system, including pre- and post-ganglionic neurons, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, visceral afferent fibers, autonomic ganglia, and central autonomic pathways. The gross anatomy of the peripheral nervous system, and central nervous system, including the brain, brainstem, cerebellum, cranial nerves are covered from the perspective of clinical and medical psychology.

This course explores the biological basis of behavior, including sensation and perception, the regulation of hunger and thirst, physiological psychology, comparative psychology; learning, memory, and the role of hormones, pheromones and neurotransmitters in regulating human behavior and emotion.

This course explores the basic pharmacology of the agents that act as agonists or antagonists to neurotransmitter receptors, axonal blockers, ganglion blockers, or affect the neuromuscular junction.

This course explores the basic pharmacology that is pertinent to the treatment of mental disorders and diseases. Special attention is given to clinically-significant antipsychotic antianxiety and antidepressant drugs.

This course studies the clinical aspects of pharmacology including drug interactions, pharmacokinetics, biotransformation of drugs, new drug development, prescription writing, protocol for controlled substances, special considerations during pregnancy, special considerations for geriatric populations, advanced topics.

This course attempts to characterize the psycho-pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders and depression in terms of neurotransmitters and receptors. Modern psychopharmacological theories based upon neurological receptors and neurotransmitters are examined.

This course attempts to characterize psycho-pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of personality disorders, eating disorders, sleep disorders, sexual disorders and developmental disorders in terms of neurotransmitters and receptors. Modern psychopharmacological theories based upon neurological receptors and neurotransmitters and are examined. The rational basis of modern psycho-pharmacological treatment is examined critically and compared with traditional psychotherapy methods based on psychoanalytical theory.

This course attempts to characterize psycho-pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia. Modern psychopharmacological theories based upon neurological receptors and neurotransmitters are examined.

This course will focus on human development from conception through adulthood. This course will provide an overview of development in the following areas: physical, cognitive, psychological, social-emotional, and moral. The five areas of development will be examined through various developmental theories with applications to therapeutic settings. Students will examine developmental crises that may be the source of problems that become the focus in a counseling or clinical setting.

This class will cover an in-depth examination into historical and current psychological theories of personality. These will include psychoanalytic, humanistic, behavioral, cognitive and trait theories. The student will be given the opportunity to interpret the strengths and weaknesses of each of these models, and integrate learning toward creating tools for effective counseling.

This course will provide an exploration of the structure, administration, interpretation and uses of various psychological tests typically utilized in a counseling practice. Specific assessment procedures will include (but are not limited to) testing: cognitive ability, personality dynamics, achievement, aptitude, adaptive behavior, and emotional characteristics. Special attention will be paid to helping students develop awareness of the process of conducting a comprehensive assessment, interpreting assessment results and how to communicate those results to clients.

This course will provide an introduction to research methods and statistical procedures that are necessary to the design, application, and evaluation of current research in the field of counseling and psychotherapy. Generating independent research proposals and analyzing published empirical findings will be emphasized in the course. Topics will include descriptive and inferential statistics, quasi-experimental designs, correlational research methods, nonparametric statistics, APA writing style, and independent research proposal development.

One of the primary roles of clinicians in community settings is to recognize the diagnostic criteria for abnormal behavior, understand its possible causes, and begin to develop appropriate treatment or referral plans for addressing the problems associated with psychopathology. This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive study of the etiology of abnormal behavior. In addition, students will learn how to facilitate the diagnostic process. This will include intimate familiarity with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and other tools for facilitating accurate mental health diagnoses.

This course is an introduction to major therapeutic similarities and differences between counseling, psychotherapy, and consultation. Theories of personality and the causes and severity of abnormal behavior will serve as frameworks for therapeutic intervention strategies. Particular emphasis will be placed on applying theory to professional practice in each of the three disciplines, as well as exploring the diverse responsibilities the counselor or psychologist must demonstrate in each of these roles.

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive study of the skills, techniques, and information necessary to facilitate a counseling process in a cross-cultural counseling relationship. Students will be encouraged to develop self-awareness of their own cultural biases as well as awareness of many other cultures. Special attention will be given to dimensions of culture, ethnicity, lifestyle, religion, socioeconomic status, and gender issues and how those factors affect the counseling relationship and the choice of treatment processes. The focus is on racial and ethnic basis of behavior with special emphasis on people of color, particularly in regards to cross-cultural psychology, psychology and social oppression, racism and psychology.

This course explores the theoretical underpinnings of modern psychoanalytic theory as it was originally formulated by Sigmund Freud at the end of the 19th Century and further developed by Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung in the early part of the 20th Century. The emphasis of this course is on the study of authentic, historically important writings on theories of the unconscious mind, defense mechanisms of repression, sexual desire as the primary motivational energy of human life, archetypes and symbols, and the interpretation of dreams as sources of insight into unconscious desires. Included, is a discussion of therapeutic techniques, including the use of dream interpretation and free association.

This course explores the social basis of behavior: social psychology, group processes, organizational and systems theory.

This course explores the study of the cognitive-affective bases of behavior including learning, thinking, motivation, and emotion.

This course offers an introduction to statistical methodology for the mental health professions. Topics covered include presentation of data, descriptive statistics, basic concepts of probability, estimation of parameters, hypothesis testing, simple linear regression, correlation, and the analysis of attribute data. The course provides a solid foundation in statistical inference, statistical significance, and hypothesis testing.

This course explores the relationship between childhood trauma, child abuse and the assessment of children who have been caught in a web of abuse, neglect and/or maltreatment. This course aims to provide fundamental tools and concepts necessary for the identification, assessment and treatment of childhood abuse, including statutory child abuse assessment and reporting requirements under the law.

This course covers spousal or partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention strategies and reporting requirements under the law. Special issues encountered during the child custody evaluation process, including maximizing safety for clients, evaluators, and court personnel; maintaining objectivity; providing and gathering balanced information from both parties and controlling for bias; providing for separate sessions at separate times; and considering the impact of the evaluation report and recommendations with particular attention to the dynamics of domestic violence. This course covers a broad range of issues encountered in family and psychological assessment in domestic violence cases.

This course entails the study of physiological-psychological and social-cultural variables associated with sexual identity, sexual behavior or sexual disorders.

Aging is not a disease, but rather a natural process. This course discusses the process of aging and long-term care including the biological, social, and psychological aspects of aging.

This course covers a special topic concerning the diagnosis and/or treatment of a mental health issue.

This course covers a special topic concerning the diagnosis and/or treatment of a mental health issue.

A 300-hour clinical practicum in clinical psychology is required, comprising: (i) a minimum of 150 hours of supervised experience shall be in service-related activities, defined as treatment/intervention, assessment, interviews, report-writing, case presentations, and consultations, including at least 50 hours of face-to-face supervision (of which 10 hours may be in a group setting); and (ii) a minimum of 100 hours of supervised professional experience shall be devoted to face-to-face patient/client contact, including at least 50 hours of scheduled individual, face-to-face supervision. The practicum may be located in a private practice setting, a community clinic, or mental health hospital. All clinical clerkships are administered in strict accordance with the “Guidelines for Defining a Doctoral Degree in Psychology” by the ASPPB/National Register. The clinical practicum is designed to provide students with intensive one-on-one training and professional training in clinical psychology in a supervised setting. Each student will receive 100 hours of scheduled face-to-face supervision with a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst or licensed clinical psychologist (of which 10 hours may be in a group setting). Each student receives significant clinical training and works with actual patients/clients under direct supervision. During the clinical clerkship, the student is expected to increase his or her competence in the areas of basic interviewing, assessment, and diagnostic and therapeutic skills. In addition to tuition, students pay a clinical supervision fee. Students must show proof of malpractice liability insurance.

Students who have completed all other program requirements but are still in need of academic credits to fulfill the 90-hour graduation requirement for the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology degree, may submit a written case report (8-14 pages in length) documenting previous patient contact during the student’s clinical practicum. Thus, the case report is based on the student’s previous counseling, or experience gained through the clinical practicum, with an actual patient/client.

Students who have completed all other program requirements but are still in need of academic credits to fulfill the 90-hour graduation requirement for the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology degree, may undertake independent study in the field of clinical psychology under the direction of the clinical or research faculty.

**May be repeated for academic credit.

Students who have completed all other program requirements but are still in need of academic credits to fulfill the 90-hour graduation requirement for the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology degree, may undertake independent research in clinical psychology under the direction of the clinical or research faculty.

**May be repeated for academic credit.

The doctoral dissertation (80-120 pages in length) is an original written report that (i) represents significant scholarship on the part of the student; (ii) presents the results of the student’s own clinical, theoretical or applied research; (iii) and either demonstrates the student’s novel application of existing knowledge to some aspect of clinical psychology; or represents, in and of itself, significant new knowledge.