Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Clinical Practicum (Face-to-Face)

PSY 6520-07

Course: PSY 6520-07
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSY
CRN: 30827

Course Description

The clinical practicum consists of both individual and group supervision of clinical activities in the SUU Program Training Clinic (e.g., psychotherapy, assessment) and CAPS, as well as providing students with opportunities to begin their own supervision efforts with junior students in Doctoral Program. Specifically, in their second year of the Program, students will begin seeing clients in the SUU Program Training Clinic and will participate in this course as they build a foundation of their clinical skill set.  In the third year of the Program, students will see clients at SUU CAPS to continue to build clinical skills. The main goals of this course are to (a) help students continue conceptualizing the delivery of basic clinical services, (b) continue building the foundation they are using in their work with clients, and (c) to help students accept constructive feedback related to their own clinical efforts, and (d) begin providing supervision to junior members of the Vertical Team. 

Required Texts

  1. Kazdin, A. E. (2017). Parent Management Training: Treatment for Oppositional, Aggressive, and Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
  2. Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (can be downloaded here)
  3. ASPPB Code of Conduct (can be downloaded here) 
  4. Utah Administrative Code (can be accessed here)

Other assigned readings will be posted in shared Google Drive folder.

Learning Outcomes

This course is designed to introduce and practice the following Profession Wide Competencies (PWCs) in
Health Services Psychology as outlined by the American Psychological Association.

PWC II (Ethical & Legal Standards)
  • Be knowledgeable of and act in accordance with each of the following:
    • The current version of the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct;
    • Relevant laws, regulations, rules, and policies governing health service psychology at the
      organizational, local, state, regional, and federal levels; and
    • Relevant professional standards and guidelines.
  • Recognize ethical dilemmas as they arise, and apply ethical decision-making processes in order to resolve the dilemmas.
  • Conduct self in an ethical manner in all professional activities.

PWC III (Individual & Cultural Diversity)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of how their own personal/cultural history, attitudes, and biases may affect how they understand and interact with people different from themselves;
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the current theoretical and empirical knowledge base as it relates to addressing diversity in all professional activities including research, training, supervision/consultation, and service; and
  • Demonstrate the ability to integrate awareness and knowledge of individual and cultural
  • differences, including intersectionality, in articulating an approach to working effectively with diverse individuals and groups. 
  • Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with individuals whose group membership,demographic characteristics, or worldviews differ with their own.

PWC IV (Professional, Values, Attitudes, & Behavior)
  • Behave in ways that reflect the values and attitudes of psychology, including integrity, deportment, the integration of science and practice, professional identity, accountability, and concern for the welfare of others.
  • Engage in self-reflection regarding one’s personal and professional functioning; engage in activities to maintain and improve performance, well-being, and professional effectiveness.
  • Actively seek and demonstrate openness and responsiveness to feedback and supervision.

PWC V (Communication & Interpersonal Skills)
  • Develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of individuals, including colleagues, communities, organizations, supervisors, supervisees, and those receiving professional services.
  • Produce and comprehend oral, nonverbal, and written communications that are informative and well-integrated; demonstrate a thorough grasp of professional language and concepts.
  • Manage difficult communication well.

PWC VI (Assessment)
  • Demonstrate current knowledge and application of knowledge of diagnostic classification systems, functional and dysfunctional behaviors, including consideration of client strengths and psychopathology.
  • Select and apply assessment methods that draw from the best available empirical literature and that reflect the science of measurement and psychometrics; collect relevant data using multiple sources and methods appropriate to the identified goals and questions of the assessment as well as relevant diversity considerations and contextual influences (e.g., family, social, societal, and cultural) of the service recipient.
  • Interpret assessment results, following current research and professional standards and guidelines,to inform case conceptualization, classification, and recommendations, while guarding against decision-making biases, distinguishing the aspects of assessment that are subjective from those that are objective.
  • Communicate orally and in written documents the findings and implications of the assessment in an accurate and effective manner sensitive to a range of audiences.

PWC VII (Intervention)
  • Establish and maintain effective relationships with the recipients of psychological services.Develop and implement evidence-based intervention plans specific to the service delivery goals informed by the current scientific literature, assessment findings, diversity considerations, and contextual variables. This includes the ability to modify and adapt evidence-based approaches effectively when a clear evidence-base is lacking.
  • Evaluate intervention effectiveness and adapt intervention goals and methods consistent with ongoing progress evaluation.

Course Requirements

Students in this vertical team will carry variable caseloads depending on their level of training.

Caseload Requirement
In general, second- and third-year students are expected to complete a minimum of one assessment per semester and to maintain three to five regularly scheduled therapy cases, unless otherwise discussed with the faculty supervisor. Fourth-year students will typically carry a lighter direct client load (one assessment per semester and one to three independent therapy clients). All students are responsible for monitoring their caseloads and requesting new cases as needed in order to meet training goals and maintain an appropriate clinical load.

Students are responsible for all their case scheduling, assignment, and management through the CCAC. They are responsible for completing assigned assessments and seeing their therapy cases outside supervision hours through the CCAC. Of note, this will require significant time blocks on Thurs or Fridays for assessment as well as late afternoon/evening hours in the clinic.

Supervision Requirement
Attendance at both scheduled group supervision (all years) and individual supervision (second-, third-, and fourth-year students) is required. If a student is unable to attend supervision, they must notify the supervisor immediately. Because of the experiential nature of in-person supervision, absences are expected only in cases of program-related responsibilities or emergencies. Students who miss supervision will be expected to complete alternative tasks, as assigned, in order to meet training requirements. Consistent with program policy, more than two absences in a semester from either group or individual supervision will result in a failing grade, as attendance at a minimum of 80% of activities is necessary to demonstrate competence in the course.

Fourth-year students are also expected to provide vertical supervision to second- and/or third-year students on at least two to four specific cases. This supervision should include a minimum of thirty minutes per week of face-to-face supervision, as well as at least thirty minutes of tape review or session observation (co-therapy or direct supervision are encouraged).

Self-Assessment and Training Goals
Students enrolled in this Clinic Practicum are  expected to identify individual training goals each semester, which will be reviewed as part of supervision. A training checklist with due dates will be available in the Google Shared Drive. Students must complete tasks on time and initial as they are completed.

Weekly Expectations (Prior to Supervision)
Students in years 2-4 are expected to complete the following each week before attending individual supervision:
  • All case notes completed
  • All assessment measures scored
  • Session recordings reviewed and tagged
  • Supervision questions identified and written
  • At least 30 minutes of research documented in the shared document
  • Other assignments as assigned in supervision (e.g., initial training sequences, case conceptualizations)

Structure of Clinical Practicum

Group Supervision
Students meet as a practicum team with the faculty supervisor each Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:30 AM. In the unusual circumstances group supervision has to be canceled or rescheduled due to a scheduling conflict, the instructor will set up alternative supervision from another licensed faculty member or assign other activities that will support student development towards PWC competencies. The structure of group supervision will generally include:
  • Review of group members’ literature reviews and application to cases
  • Follow-up on any supervision assignments
  • Identification, review, and discussion of any ethical dilemmas or clinical questions related to multicultural competence
  • Review of technique, role-play, and case conceptualization

Individual Supervision
Students will meet with the instructor once a week for individual supervision. Meeting times will be established the first week of the semester. If the instructor has to cancel or reschedule individual meetings, other times for individual supervision that week or alternative supervision modalities will be offered unless absolutely infeasible due to circumstances, in which case times will be offered as soon as reasonably possible.

Roles and Responsibilities

Supervisor
  • Operates within practicum expectations outlined in the graduate and CCAC handbooks.
  • Oversees and monitors client case (assessment, conceptualization, treatment planning and intervention) within ethical/regulatory standards.
  • Reviews and signs off on all reports, case notes, and communications in a timely manner.
  • Develops and maintains a respectful and collaborative supervisory relationship that includes describing supervisor’s theoretical orientations for supervision and therapy, and maintaining a distinction between supervision and psychotherapy.
  • Assists the supervisee in setting and attaining goals and provides feedback that is anchored to these goals, objectives and competencies.
  • Provides formative and summative evaluation using benchmark rating forms.
  • Informs supervisee when competence criteria are not met and implements remediation plan.
  • Reschedules missed supervision session(s).
  • Maintains documentation of the clinical supervision and services provided.

Student-Therapist
  • Operates within practicum expectations outlined in the graduate and practicum handbooks.
  • Implements supervisor directives and discloses clinical issues, concerns and errors as they arise.
  • Seeks out and receives immediate supervision on emergent situations.
  • Identifies to clients his/her training status of supervisee, name of clinical supervisor, supervisory
    structure, and obtains client’s informed consent for this structure.
  • Attends supervision sessions on-time and prepared to discuss client cases.
  • Takes advantage of training opportunities and supervision, records all sessions, follows through on supervision assignments, and keeps documentation up-to-date.
  • The student-therapist is expected to adhere to ethical/regulatory and professionalism standards including those established by APA and the training program. These include (but are not limited to) timeliness in all aspects of clinical work, professional dress, and respectful interactions with clients, supervisors, and colleagues.

Confidentiality within Supervision

Supervisor and student-therapist understand that limits of confidentiality exist for supervisee disclosures in supervision. While the supervisor is there to help promote development of broad professional identity, they also serve in an evaluative role. In our program, faculty supervisors regularly meet and review students’ progress in clinical practicum. In addition to these normative disclosures, supervisors may share information regarding student-therapist functioning or performance (including student disclosures to the supervisor) if it is determined to be significantly impacting their functioning within clinical practicum and/or the program more broadly.

Course Outline

Recurring Schedule
Mondays: Individual Supervision
Wednesdays: Group Supervision
Monday-Friday: Clinical Cases
TBD: Peer Supervision (4th years)

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

In the event of a University-approved absence or a significant medical problem, you must contact the instructor prior to the due date to discuss arrangements for making up a missed exam, presentation, or other graded requirement. Written documentation (e.g., official university notice, note from a licensed physician) will be required for any make-up work. Because this is a clinical practicum course, punctuality, reliability, and accountability are essential components of your professional responsibilities. In the clinical environment, meeting deadlines, being present, and fulfilling commitments are not only academic expectations but also ethical obligations to your clients, colleagues, and the profession. Missing assignments, assessments, or clinical duties without valid justification undermines the standards of practice and professional conduct expected in healthcare settings.

Personal events such as vacations, weddings, or oversleeping are not considered valid reasons for missing assignments or exams, and no exceptions to this policy will be made. Just as in professional practice, repeated or unexcused lapses in meeting obligations may have serious consequences, including loss of trust, missed opportunities, or impact on your ability to practice. The standards you uphold here reflect the standards you will be expected to maintain in your career.

Attendance Policy

Attendance and participation are critical components of this practicum. Students must attend at least 80% of all scheduled activities in order to pass the course. This includes both group and individual supervision meetings, which are required. If a student is unable to attend supervision for any reason, they must notify the instructor immediately.
Because supervision involves experiential learning that cannot be fully replicated, absences are expected to occur only in cases of program-related responsibilities or true emergencies. When an absence does occur, the student will be expected to complete alternative tasks as assigned in order to meet training requirements. Consistent with the program manual, more than two absences in a semester - whether from group or individual supervision - will result in a failing grade, as competence cannot be demonstrated without consistent participation in at least 80% of course activities.
Students are further expected to arrive at supervision sessions on time and prepared to engage, which includes being ready to discuss client cases, review materials, and contribute thoughtfully to the training process.

Use of Generative A.I.

Students are welcome to experiment with generative A.I. interfaces in generating ideas and examples for hypothetical treatment notes and plans. However, students must never enter any sensitive or potentially identifying information into any AI generator. Students are not permitted to use generative A.I. to write actual treatment notes or assessment reports, as the main objective of Clinical Practicum is for students to practice generating this content independently in order to understand the process of doing so and how to evaluate the content. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss any questions about appropriate generative A.I. use with their supervisor.

Course Fees

Course fees information will be provided by the instructor.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.