Clinical and Research Teams
Clinical Training Teams
Clinical training teams are an integral part of the clinical training program. These teams are designed to enhance the clinical skills and professional growth of each student. A clinical faculty member leads teams of five to eight students at varying levels of practicum training. The mixture of training levels provides a rich training environment in which students learn from each other as well as from the faculty leader. Students present clinical cases and discuss diagnostic, therapeutic, ethical, and case conceptualization issues with the team. The clinical faculty member oversees, evaluates, and provides constructive feedback to students with the purpose of facilitating their clinical skills and professional growth.
Clinical teams do not take the place of on-site supervision in practicum sites. Rather, these teams function in addition to the primary site supervision that each student receives on a weekly basis. The on-site supervision assures appropriate clinical care for each client/patient, while on-campus oversight assures appropriate clinical skill development and professional growth of students.
Clinical teams meet for one hour every Wednesday morning during the fall and spring semesters. Students join clinical teams in the spring semester of their prepracticum year and continue meeting with a clinical team throughout their practicum and preinternship training. Faculty members rotate to a new team at the beginning of each semester so that students are exposed to a variety of supervision styles and case conceptualization models throughout their training. Faculty members also have the opportunity to observe and monitor the clinical skill development of each student through this process.
Preinterns are trained and monitored in the development of clinical supervision skills. They have the opportunity to provide some oversight to beginning prepracticum and Practicum I students under the supervision of clinical faculty members. Preinterns work closely with faculty members on the clinical teams and have an additional hour of supervision each week by their clinical faculty leader.
Research Vertical Teams
The Research Vertical Team is the formal mechanism by which original empirical research efforts are formulated and guided. Therefore, dissertation research typically evolves in this manner. In addition, students are encouraged to participate in other individual or collaborative research efforts during their GDCP training. It is hoped that program graduates will value and possess the skills to generate and evaluate original research that will enrich and improve the field and their own clinical practice, as well as guide the policies of agencies with which they affiliate. To this end Vertical Research Teams exist, as well as a formal academic sequence involving statistical analysis, research design and research application (PSYD 511, 513, 513). The model, yet innovative, ws featured in a 1999 APA Monitor article.
Each student is required to attend a faculty-led research team meeting every other Wednesday afternoon 3-5 p.m. Research Vertical Teams (RVTs) are designed to involve students in collaborative research efforts with peers and a faculty mentor. RVTs serve to allow modeling of research by faculty as well as to expedite completion of the dissertation.
All students are expected to attend RVTs throughout their four years in the program. During the first year, students will rotate through each faculty member's RVT. During the second year, students select and join an RVT. To join an RVT, the student must receive approval from the faculty team leader and complete an RVT Membership Form. When a student formally joins an RVT, the faculty team leader will become the student's dissertation chair and the student will remain in that RVT. The faculty member will also become the student's faculty advisor. Attendance at RVT meetings is required and will be monitored by faculty.
Students may change RVTs by submitting a new RVT Membership Form to the director of research for approval. Such changes should be avoided whenever possible in order to minimize disruption to teams and the student's progress.
Faculty will meet each semester to discuss RVT progress and may assign, with student input, dissertation committee members for those students who are ready to begin formal work on their theses. Students should not independently seek committee members, but rather should work with their faculty chair (RVT leader) to recommend possible matches within the faculty. A Dissertation Committee Membership Form should be completed and be on file once committee membership is determined.
GDCP students are not permitted to independently submit research or scholarship for presentation at meetings or for publication until the material has been approved by the Director of Research*. This policy is intended to ensure that scholarly work from members of our student community is of high quality and in compliance with ethical standards.
*The director of research is responsible for administering the RVTs. All relevant RVT or research questions and concerns should be directed to the Director of Research.
