COURSES REGULARLY TAUGHT
PSYC4320: Abnormal Psychology
PSYC4607: Child Psychopathology
PSYC5825: Psychopathology
PSYC5850: Psychological Assessment II: Child
PSYC5607: Child Psychopathology
TEACHING
It has never failed that in each class I teach, there is a significant group of students who have interest in working in applied psychology. Many of the students in my classes have clear interests in working as a psychotherapist, a counselor, a psychiatrist, etc. So, I take my job very seriously. It is a job of not only communicating the subject matter, but integrating the subject with how we “do it.” My classes are modeled after the philosophy of our Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology. That model is called a Scientist-Practitioner Model. Every Clinical Psychologist who comes out of a Clinical Psychology program that is approved by the American Psychological Association is trained in general clinical psychology. I am trained as a Clinical Psychologist with further specialization in Child Clinical Psychology. We are a group of professionals who assess, diagnose and treat psychopathology. Thus, the most appropriate courses for me to teach are those that are clinical in nature. Those are also the courses for which I feel a very deep passion. So, it is impossible for me to teach subjects such as abnormal behavior and psychopathology without communicating what it is like to interact with another human in the role of a psychotherapist. My courses are not just memorizing material. There are several themes that guide me when working with students in an attempt to communicate material. None of these seem more important than another. They all seem important to me. Possibly the most important theme that guides me when working with students is that they develop or continue to develop an ability to think in a critical manner. This includes the extremely important ability to “not assume” things about humans when we have only a limited amount of information. Sometimes I think that students are going to throw things at me if I bring this up one more time. I also have two bits of information that I insist students memorize. These include the population of the United States and the number of people who kill themselves in one year in the U.S. If you don’t know, look it up.
A Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology is also a research degree regardless of the subject matter. Although I am trained to work in the role of a psychotherapist, I am a scientist. Like many of my clinical colleagues, I believe that training in science makes a psychotherapist think differently from psychotherapists and counselors who are not trained in science. I try to communicate this way of thinking in my work with clients and in the classroom. Many of my students have heard me say, “There are two sides to being a psychotherapist.” I put the first side on my left shoulder. This is where the qualities live that most laypeople think of when they hear the word psychotherapist. These “left side” qualities include empathy, compassion, warmness, genuineness, an ability to give unconditional positive regard, honesty, and a certain love of our fellow humans. These are the corny parts of us and they are very, very important. These are essential to us if we are to work with people in distress. I would never make fun of these qualities. I believe that I cannot teach these qualities to students. I believe that we either have them or we don’t. They are a huge part of what makes a psychotherapist competent. In class we have discussed and speculated from where these qualities come. Are they “wired in?” Are they learned? Is it a combination? Who really knows? But it sure is fun to talk about. While I feel that a psychotherapist has to have these qualities, I have often said that if that is all you have, you won’t last. You will “burn out” and end up either working as a salesperson or moving into administration. You won’t be able to deal with all of the distress if the “left side” stuff is all you have.
So, you have to have the “right side” stuff. This is the scientist side. This is the analytical side. These are the qualities that allow me to help clients and students think differently. These are the qualities that allow us to learn to problem solve and think in hypotheses. This is the unemotional side. Without this side, psychotherapists will be effective for a short time, but will quickly become overwhelmed (unless they have nothing on the left side either!). This side allows us to step back. Without this side if we don’t burn out, we will typically turn to substances to help us deal with the overwhelming distress. Of course, if this side is all you have going for you, a move to administrative duties is most likely in your future.
So, take my classes. But be warned. I will learn your first name and I will call on you to talk. I will expect you to write in a clear, succinct manner, and I will expect you to think. I will welcome your questions and your wonder of human behavior. Expect the same of me. It never gets old.
Good Places to Observe Human Behavior
As I have said over and over, it is most often impossible for me to separate the clinical side of my work from the content of the classes which I teach. That said, I have a couple of recommendations of places where students can observe human behavior in general and psychopathology in particular. I regularly recommend these places in every class I teach. These are everyday places that are present in nearly every town in America. Some are best for observation of parent child interaction, while others are best to see examples of adult psychopathology. Just remember to “blend in.” Don’t stand around looking at people while writing on your clipboard. You will get arrested.
WAFFLE HOUSE
This is the holy grail of people watching. Keep in mind that the place changes after
midnight when the “night people” come out. The whole experience is so much better than it
used to be since they banned smoking. The food is pretty good too!
THE “TROUGH” RESTAURANTS
These are the places where you pay one relatively inexpensive price and then eat “all you want.” They are great places to observe families at their best. You don’t have to hear them. You can learn a lot by just observing them interact around the dinner table.
WAL MART
This is almost as good as it gets and if it were not for Waffle House, this would be the Holy Grail. The only minus is that you can’t sit down. The toy department is the best place to observe parent child interactions. Be advised that you will hear language coming out of parent’s mouths that is directed at children that you probably never imagined. See also Toys R Us.
FOUR WAY STOP SIGNS
These can be dangerous, so be careful. They are excellent places to make you feel like your IQ is pretty high. Some of those people who go out of turn are just mean, but some of them are without a doubt, intellectually challenged. So, take a look at your fellow human next time you drive through. The best one in the Tri City area is close to K-Mart (see Wal Mart).
Courses || Research || Biography || Current Students || Vita || Distinguished Alumni || Movies & Psychopathology || Links || Home