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2017-2018 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
   
 
  Mar 29, 2024
 
2017-2018 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook 
    
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2017-2018 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook [Archived Catalog]

M.S. Clinical Psychopharmacology


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Online

Program Overview

The TCSPP Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology is a two-year program designed to educate clinical psychology practitioners and leaders who wish to expand their knowledge base in psychopharmacology and medical conditions that are relevant to mental health care. Participants will learn how to increase their current competency in assessment, diagnosis, and intervention, and engage in case-based learning that will enhance their collaborative practice skills.

The program uses online teaching methods and applied case-based learning to train psychologists to integrate medical approaches into their client care. In addition to the 31 credit hour didactic courses, the program includes a research project.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful of this program students will be able to:

Professional Practice

  • Be able to perform a reliable, valid and clinically sound assessment, formulate a clinical diagnosis and generate treatment options individualized to the specific characteristics and therapeutic goals of the patient.
  • Accepts and evaluates feedback and supervision from both medical and mental health professionals non- defensively and actively seeks to modify his/her behavior appropriately.

Diversity

  • Collaborate with people differing from the student in terms of age, gender, race, ethnicity, cultural background, religious difference, sexual orientation, or differing ability. The student will be able to listen to and learn from the perspectives of others who differ from him/herself.
  • Apply the knowledge on identity related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, religious belief, and ability, to promote more accurate and individualized clinical psychopharmacology assessment and treatment interventions.

Professional Behavior

  • Able to perform a competent clinical assessment, formulate a diagnosis and generate treatment options that delineate ethical practices.
  • Able to show ethical professional behavior according to a code of ethics.
  • Able to show collaborative and team-oriented professional relationships with other medical and mental health professionals.

Scholarship

  • Apply the theories of clinical psychopharmacology to assessment, diagnosis and treatment management.
  • Able to use descriptive statistics and statistical procedures common to clinical psychopharmacology such as meta-analysis in a clinical research project.
  • Evaluate and apply research findings to clinical psychopharmacological practice.

Admission Requirements

Application to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s post-doctoral Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology program is open to any person who has earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from a regionally accredited institution and is licensed or eligible for licensure as a Clinical Psychologist, and who meets other entrance requirements.

  • Completed application
  • $50 application fee
  • Proof of licensure or license eligibility as a Clinical Psychologist.
  • Official transcripts from all institutions from which transfer credit is sought.

International credentials:

  • Applicants with international credentials must obtain and submit an official “course-by-course” evaluation through an evaluation agency. Applicants of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology are encouraged to have their international transcripts reviewed and evaluated by a service affiliated by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES http://www.naces.org/members.htm/) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc (AICES http://www.aice-eval.org/).

International Applicants:

  • Applicants for whom English is not the primary language, with the exception of applicants who have an associate’s degree or 48 transfer credits from an accredited US institution, must submit official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores with application.

Applicant Notification

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology reviews applications on a rolling basis. Once review begins, complete applications will be considered by the Admission Committee and applicants will be notified regarding the admission decision. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology does not share information or provide any feedback regarding admission decisions.

If a student is offered admission, in order to secure a place in the incoming class, a non-refundable tuition deposit of $100 will be required by the deposit deadline indicated in the offer of admission. The non-refundable deposit will be applied in full toward the student’s tuition upon enrollment.

Policies

The following policies are located under Academic Policies and Procedures : Academic Calendar, Admissions Requirements, Attendance, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Service Learning, and Transfer Credit/Course Waiver. Click the link above for detailed information.

Licensure for Prescriptive Authority

The MS Clinical Psychopharmacology program is aligned with the didactic curriculum of the 2009 American Psychological Association (APA) Recommended Postdoctoral Education and Training Program in Psychopharmacology, but is not an APA-designated program. A slowly growing number of states are extending prescriptive authority to licensed clinical psychologists that have received additional education and training in psychopharmacology. States may choose to model their educational requirements for prescriptive authority on the APA recommended curriculum. In addition to coursework requirements, states may also require supervised clinical experience, a component that is not a part of the program at TCSPP. It is a student’s responsibility to research their state’s requirements should they wish to pursue prescriptive authority.

At this time there are two states where licensed psychologists can apply for prescriptive authority. The MS Clinical Psychopharmacology program meets the degree, program, and curriculum requirement for eligibility for licensure as a medical psychologist in Louisiana. In addition to educational requirements, candidates must possess an unrestricted license to practice psychology in the state and complete an application process which includes a fee, background check, and passage of the Pharmacology Examination for Psychologists, a national exam in psychopharmacology. The MS Clinical Psychopharmacology program does not meet requirements for prescriptive authority in New Mexico.

Illinois, Idaho, and Iowa have passed laws that will allow for licensure of clinical psychologists for prescriptive authority but the states are currently drafting regulations to implement the laws. Without regulations in place, Illinois, Idaho, Iowa are not issuing licenses for prescriptive authority at this time. The MS Clinical Psychopharmacology program is aligned with the curriculum requirements for prescriptive authority in the Illinois Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act, as amended by SB2187. In the absence of regulations, The Chicago School cannot evaluate whether its program will meet all eventual requirements for prescriptive authority.

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