Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

External Clinical Practicum (Face-to-Face)

PSY 6990-02

Course: PSY 6990-02
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSY
CRN: 33923

Course Description

The clinical practicum consists of supervision of clinical activities at external practicum placement sites (e.g., psychotherapy, assessment). Specifically, starting in the Summer after Year 2 of the Program, students will begin seeing clients at various clinical sites in the surrounding communities (e.g., Cedar City, St. George, Salt Lake City). Students will also be assigned external placements each subsequent semester during Year 3 and Year 4 (i.e., Fall, Spring, Summer). 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) and to help students accept constructive feedback related to their own clinical efforts. It is important to note that students will receive individual supervision on site if the practicum placement includes a licensed Doctoral-level Psychologist on staff. In instances where there are no licensed Doctoral-level Psychologists on site, individual supervision will be done by a core Faculty member from the SUU PsyD Program (e.g., DCT).  (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Pass/Fail)] Repeatable for Add’l Credit? Yes - Total Credits: 12 - Registration Restriction(s): PsyD Students only.

Required Texts

Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct-American Psychological Association
 ASPPB code of Conduct 
 Utah Administrative Code 
 Keep Breathing: A Psychologist’s Intimate Journey Through Loss,
 Trauma, and Rediscovering Life, 2024 by Dr. Kate Truit

Learning Outcomes

1) PWC ii (Ethical & Legal Standards)
2) PWC iii (Individual & Cultural Diversity)
3) PWC iv (Professional, Values, Attitudes, & Behavior)
4) PWC v (Communication & Interpersonal Skills)
5) PWC vi (Assessment)
6) PWC vii (Intervention)

Course Requirements

• Each student will be expected to complete one psychological assessment each semester. 
• Each student will be expected to maintain a weekly caseload of 5-7 therapy hours after completing all training activities, unless otherwise discussed with the faculty supervisor. 
• All activities and deadlines should be in adherence with CCAC policy manual. 
• Students are expected to have identified training goals each semester, to be reviewed as part of supervision. 
• Students are required to attend scheduled group and individual supervision meetings. 
• A training checklist with accompanying due dates will be in the Google Shared drive; students are expected to complete tasks on-time and initial as they complete the tasks. 
• Weekly expectations PRIOR to attending group/individual supervision: 
• All case notes completed
• All assessment measures scored
• Tape reviewed and tagged
• Questions identified and written 
• 30 minutes of research documented in shared document
• Other assignments as discussed/assigned in supervision (e.g., completion of initial training sequences, case conceptualizations, etc).
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.

Course Outline

Structure of Clinical Practicum
• Group supervision: Students meet as a practicum team with the faculty supervisor each week.
• 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 once a week for individual supervision. 
• 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.

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

Students are expected to complete all assignments by the due dates or must notify the instructor prior to the due date for instruction
Missed, late or incomplete assignments will result in lowered ratings on professional values and will subsequently affect students’ letter grades. Of note, students will automatically receive a “C” and fail the course if they receive a score below a “2”in any targeted PWC areas. Students will also fail the course if they receive a “1” or multiple scores of “2” in any profession values/behaviors competencies. Consecutive scores of “2” across semesters in the same academic year may also result in a lowered or failing letter grade. .

Attendance Policy

Students must attend at least 80% of classes or they will not pass the course.

Course Fees

$4.00 per credit hour

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.