This course will help to define abnormal and normal behaviors and to group these abnormal phenomena into 'disorders.' It will cover the basic concepts surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal psychological phenomena. The student will investigate the characteristics, epidemiology, controversy, and treatment of individual disorders. The student will begin by defining normal versus abnormal behavior and reviewing the historical context in which abnormal psychology emerged, then discuss the major theories or paradigms associated with abnormal psychology, the classification system used to differentiate and define disorders, and the research methods often utilized in the study of abnormal psychology. Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to: describe the historical context from which the current conceptualization of abnormal psychology has evolved; identify and describe the main theoretical perspectives/paradigms which have influenced the field of abnormal psychology; identify and differentiate the classification of psychological disorders; evaluate treatment approaches; explain the major research findings for each group of disorders and how they add to our knowledge of the causes and treatment of psychological disorders. (Psychology 401)
This course will cover the basic concepts of clinical psychology -- the study of diagnosing, treating, and understanding abnormal and maladaptive behaviors. Much of the information in this course is based on the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV-TR (DSM), which is the industry standard for both clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. Few issues in the field have hard-and-fast answers. As such, rather than providing you with step-by-step directions, this course has been designed to assist you in making educated decisions when diagnosing and treating a mental disease. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Describe the historical context of the emergence of clinical psychology; Demonstrate an awareness of the differences between mental health professionals in the broad field of clinical psychology; Identify the subspecialty areas within clinical psychology (i.e., community psychology, health psychology, and neuropsychology); Define the main tasks of the clinical psychologist and explain how the contributions of this subspecialty fit into or relate to the broader field of psychology; Define the criteria for what is considered 'abnormal' versus 'normal' and explain how these definitions fit into the notion that psychopathology exists on a continuum; Compare/contrast the different types of psychotherapy treatments; Discuss the ethical considerations related to the practice of psychotherapy; List the main diagnostic features of a variety of mental disorders (i.e., mood disorders, schizophrenia, etc.); Identify the potential factors that may contribute to the instigation and persistence of mental illness for individuals across the lifespan (i.e., children, adults, and older adults). (Psychology 205)
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