OATdb Archive - Sam Houston State University

OATdb Archive

2014 - 2015

Psychology MA (Clinical Psychology)

Goal

Psychotherapy Skills

Students develop effective psychotherapy and assessment skills.

Objective

Psychotherapy Skills

Students demonstrate competency in effective psychotherapy skills.

Indicator

Psychotherapy Skills Rubric

MA Clinical faculty will assess student performance with respect to psychotherapy skills on the comprehensive exams.

Criterion

Psychotherapy Evaluation

On the Comprehensive Examination there is a "Psychotherapy Skills" portion. Criterion is that 100% of the students taking that section of the exam score at least a 75% which is "Acceptable."

Finding

Psychotherapy Skills

Fourteen students participated in the Psychotherapy portion of the program. The range of scores was 79 to 100 with a mean of 92. Of the 14 students, zero failed. There were two incompletes that will be completed in the fall 2015 semester.

Action

Psychotherapy Skills

Fourteen of the 16-student cohort completed the skills by meeting the criterion of 75%. Two students will complete their skill set this fall. We will continue to monitor the students during the course of all their semesters and especially at the end of their first year.
Having not completed the course skills in the recommended time is not especially bothersome as we wish to make sure that all students have acquired the necessary skills to perform in a professional manner. For some it just takes a little longer.

Goal

Assessment Skills

Students will be proficient in personality and educational assessment.

Objective

Assessment

Students demonstrate expertise to administer, score, and interpret tests of intelligence for children and adults.

Indicator

Assessment Capstone Rubric

Students demonstrate competency to administer, score, and interpret Wechsler scales for children and adults.

Criterion

Assessment

100% of students will score at least 80% (acceptable) on the capstone exercise.

Finding

Assessment

Fourteen students took the Assessment portions of the Capstone Course. The scores ranged from 80 to 100 with a mean of 92.5. As above, there were two incompletes that will be completed in the fall 2015 semester. Furthermore, we found an overall weakness in Assessment, in general, and in IQ Assessment and Personality Assessment, in particular.

Action

Assessment Skills

As above, fourteen of the 16-student cohort completed the skills by meeting the criterion of 80%. Two students will complete their proficiency this fall. We will continue to monitor the students during the course of all their semesters and especially at the end of their first year.
Having not completed the course proficiencies in the recommended time is not especially bothersome as we wish to make sure that all students have acquired the necessary skills to perform in a professional manner. For some it just takes a little longer.
The weaknesses found in the Assessment portions (IQ and Personality) of the program may have been due to those courses not being taught by current tenured or tenure-track faculty. In fact, it was the case that the program coordinators were not happy with how the courses were taught and all and we will rectify that isssue in the 2015-2016 academic year.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement The capstone course will continue as it did in the past year.

1. A year-end evaluation of all students in the Clinical Psyhcology Program will be completed at the end of the first year. The evaluation will include ratings of professional characteristics and allow the faculty to comments on any particular strengths or weaknesses a particular student may have. Students with obvious weaknesses immediately will be put on a remediation plan--This procedure seems to have worked well as we were able to identify potential weaknesses prior to their becoming problems for the students and the program.

2. Faculty in the MA in Clinical Psychology program will arranged for remediaton plans and alter degree plans when a candidate's performance indicated a need for additional and/or specialized training--One student from the prior year was given a remediation program and now is progressing through the program.

3. During the semester in which the student is involved in the capstone experience, a mid-semester evaluation will be performed for each individual in the course. Extensive feedback on deficiencies from assessors will occur at this time. If need be, the student will be informed of the deficiencies and, if necessary, be placed on a remedial plan, or given extra training, or will be advised as to his or her probability of success in the program--The feedback was appreciated by the students who then worked to rectify any weaknesses that the faculty had detected.

Plan for continuous improvement 1. The Capstone Course presenting the aforementioned skills will continue to be taught as it was this past academic year.

2. The faculty will continue with the year-end evaluations of all students in the Clinical Psychology Program and during the course of each semester. These evaluations will include ratings of professional characteristics and allow the faculty to comments on any particular strengths or weaknesses a particular student may have. Students with weaknesses will meet with the coordinator to discuss possible strategies to overcome any issues prior to their becoming real problems.

2. In the event that a remediation plan is needed, faculty in the MA in Clinical Psychology program will start those plans immediately and alter degree plans when a candidate's performance indicated a need for additional and/or specialized training.

3. During the semester in which the student is involved in the capstone experience, a mid-semester evaluation will be performed for each individual in the course. Extensive feedback on deficiencies from assessors will occur at this time. If need be, the student will be informed of the deficiencies and, if necessary, be placed on a remedial plan, or given extra training, or will be advised as to his or her probability of success in the program.