J o h n F K e n n e d y U n i v e r s i t y

Transfer CreditStudents holding a master’s degree may be eligible to transferup to 18 units of credit. Students requesting course transfercredit need to have attained a grade of “Credit” or a lettergrade of B or higher from a regionally accredited institution.The course(s) in question must have been taken within thelast eight years. Students transferring from another doctoralprogram may transfer up to 30 units of credit. Althoughtransfer credit may reduce the cost of the program, it will notreduce the overall length of the program.Transfer credit is not permitted into the linked MA SportPsychology/PsyD Programs.AdvisementAfter acceptance into the program, students are assigned a facultyadvisor with whom they meet at least once per quarter.Student performance in coursework and practica is evaluatedon an ongoing process, with formal yearly reviews. Eachyear must be completed satisfactorily to be advanced in theprogram. Failure to meet requirements for advancement willresult in a referral to the Review and Advisement Committeeto remediate the difficulty. In some instances, students maybe required to supplement or repeat certain areas of theprogram or to take a leave from the program.Competency AreasThe curriculum is designed around seven competencyareas, as defined by the National Council of School andPrograms of Professional Psychology (NCSPP): Relationship/Clinical, Research and Evaluation, Assessment, Theory andIntervention, Consultation and Education, Management andSupervision, and Diversity. A perspective of diversity isintegrated throughout the coursework and clinical training.Integrated Professional SeminarThe Integrated Professional Seminar (IPS) is a key componentof the program. This composite of courses is designed tointegrate coursework with practicum throughout the program.Small groups of students meet together with a faculty memberover three consecutive quarters. Depending on the year, IPSemphasizes different areas such as working with diversepopulations; examining one’s own belief systems, worldview, biases, group process, and clinical case presentations.The IPS provides a supportive setting in which studentsmay collaboratively integrate their applied and academicexperiences.Practicum IIn contrast to both Practicum II and Practicum III which areclinical placements, Practicum I is an ethnographic placementexperience. The first year ethnographic practicum lays thefoundation for culture- and diversity-sensitive training aswell as practice in self-reflection and self-awareness. Theethnographic experience involves immersion in environmentsthat provide unique and diverse cultural experiences forthe trainees. This immersion establishes an understandingof diversity and the relationships with power, privilege, andoppression in the practice of psychology.To this end, the purpose of the ethnographic practicum(Practicum I) is to provide first-year doctoral trainees withexperience in an unfamiliar culture/setting. For a minimum ofeight hours per week, first-year trainees engage in a culturalimmersion experience in a setting specifically selected toexpose trainees to a population with whom they have hadlittle or no prior contact.The ethnographic practicum (Practicum I) is not a clinicalplacement. Indeed, Practicum I trainees are not permittedto engage in clinical work. This placement is, however,integrally related to trainee development as clinicalpsychologists. It is one of the principal means by whichtrainees establish the foundation necessary to work withthe diversity of clients that they will encounter in theirsubsequent clinical placements as well as their futurework as professionals. This practicum (Practicum I) andits accompanying Integral Professional Seminar (IPS-I) aredesigned to focus on diversity.Practicum IIPracticum II is a clinical placement at one of over 100available sites. The focus of Practicum II is on the supervisedintegration and application of knowledge gained fromPracticum I placement experience and ongoing doctoralcoursework. In Practicum II, trainees develop skills in doingtherapy including accurate assessment, conceptualization,and formulation of client cases from a multicultural/diversityperspective.Practicum IIIPracticum III again is a clinical placement at one of over 100available sites. The focus of Practicum III is on the supervisedintegration and application of knowledge gained fromprevious practica, and ongoing doctoral coursework. As withPracticum II, trainees develop skills in accurate assessment,conceptualization, and formulation of client cases from amulticultural/diversity perspective. However, the focus inPracticum III is extended to include advanced skills in thedevelopment of systematic and empirically justifiable plansfor intervention with individuals, groups, or communitieswithin the larger context of human diversity and socialchange.188 GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGYJOHN F. KENNEDY UNIVERSITY