Syllabus for the course Abnormal and Clinical Psychology ... · Syllabus for the course “Abnormal and Clinical Psychology: Social and Cultural Contexts” English-taught Master’s

National Research University

Higher School of Economics

Psychology Department

Syllabus for the course

“Abnormal and Clinical Psychology: Social and Cultural Contexts”

English-taught Master’s programme “Applied Social Psychology”

(37.04.01 Psychological Sciences)

Author and Instructor:

Tomas Jurcik, Ph.D, R.Psych.

[email protected]

Teaching Assistant:

Natasha Mineeva

[email protected]

Moscow 2016

This syllabus can not be used by other units of the University and other universities without the permission of

the department and developer of the syllabus

mailto:[email protected]

National Research University Higher School of Economics

Syllabus for the course “Abnormal and Clinical Psychology: Social and Cultural Contexts”

English-taught Master’s programme “Applied Social Psychology” (37.04.01 Psychological Sciences)

I. Overview

The following course is an introduction to topics in abnormal psychology and clinical psychology,

including the classification and etiology of common mental disorders, psychological assessment and

treatment. Topics will be examined through a critical, cultural, socio-ecological, as well as a

historical and biological lens. Acculturation processes and immigrant mental health research is also

discussed. The course is designed to give students a broad overview of the field of clinical and

abnormal psychology, and may be useful background for students who are interested in eventually

pursuing mental health related research from a social or cultural perspective, or those who simply

wish to have a better conceptual grasp of the field. As an introductory course, no specific

prerequisites are required, although students are expected to have been exposed to material in

introductory psychology undergraduate courses and may benefit from having some previous exposure

to social and cultural psychology.

The main objectives of the course are:

To familiarize students with psychological disorders, their assessment and treatment

To examine the origins and basic theories in the field of abnormal and clinical psychology

To develop an appreciation for how social and cross-cultural psychology may inform abnormal

and clinical psychology, as well as vice versa

To cover basic issues in immigrant mental health

To develop students' capacities to be able to present and participate in basic scientific

discussions in the field

Methodology of the course:

The course utilizes a combination of:

a. Didactic lectures covering historical, contemporary, theoretical and empirical issues

b. Practical labs involving discussions about topics in the field and analysis of videos

(e.g., patient-therapist interactions, phenomena in abnormal and clinical psychology)

c. Student presentations during seminars on clinical phenomena and their

biopsychosocial underpinnings

d. Readings and assignments are designed to facilitate greater depth of discussion and

facilitate connections between various disciplines within and beyond psychology

(e.g., psychiatry, sociology)

Course prerequisites and formed competencies:

The course is an elective designed for first or (preferably) second year master students, and does not

have any specific prerequisites. However, some exposure to introductory psychology, social

psychology and/or (cross-) cultural psychology at the undergraduate or graduate level is expected.

The working language of the course is exclusively English, which includes teaching, presentations,

and all communications. In order for the student to be able to benefit from the course, an excellent

ability to write, comprehend, and speak in English is required.

The duration of the course is 1 module (48 academic hours, 4 credits)

Competencies

General competencies Specific competencies

Familiarity with the foundations of abnormal and

clinical psychology

Student will become familiar with the history or

abnormal and clinical psychology, the definitions

of normal and abnormal, the biopsychosocial

model, and the role of clinical psychologists

Familiarity with common explanations of mental Familiarity with common social, psychological

http://www.hse.ru/text/image/4011945.html




disorders and their scientific evaluations and biological pathways of various groups of

mental disorders, and develop an appreciation of

the empirical evidence base supporting such

explanations

An appreciation for how social and cultural

psychology may inform the field of abnormal

psychology, and vice versa

An appreciation for the interplay between social,

cultural and clinical/abnormal psychology: how

social phenomena (e.g., social support, social

ecology, social cognition, self, interpersonal and

group processes, cultural differences, immigrant

adjustment) may help us understand clinical

phenomena, and how clinical phenomena (e.g.,

anxiety, depression, psychosis) may shape the

social process (e.g., biases, relationships).

Analyze relevant empirical literature, present

one’s point of view, be open to alternative

perspectives, and participate in discussions

Students will organize a power-point presentation

on a mental health issue during the seminars, and

present information on how social or cultural

psychology may inform the clinical phenomenon,

and/or how the mental health issue may inform

social and cultural psychological research.

Students will be open to feedback during

discussions

Ability to write a research proposal in English

and follow international academic standards

Develop a research proposal (introduction,

hypotheses, proposed method, expected results,

discussion, references) that ties ideas in abnormal

and clinical psychology to social, cognitive and/or

cultural psychology. APA style is expected

II. Course contents

Course Schedule

№ Lesson Hours

in total

Auditory classes, including: Self-

Studyi

ng Lectures Seminars Practice

Topic Lesson 1: Introduction

1 Course overview, definitions,

history, classification systems,

criticisms

7 2

-

5

2 Research methods 7 1 1 5

Lesson 2: Common Mental Disorders

3 Overview of mental disorders,

diagnosis, epidemiology, and

treatment: Part 1 (Anxiety, OCD,

and Mood)

6 2

-

4



treatment: Part 2 (Trauma and

related concerns: post-traumatic and

dissociative disorders)

6 2

-

4





Lesson 3: Psychosis, Severe Mental Illness, and Other disorders



treatment: Part 3 (Psychosis &

Schizophrenia)

7 2

-

5



treatment: Part 4 (Personality

disorders, and Somatic Symptom

Disorders)

6 2

4

Lesson 4: Clinical Psychology Basics

7 Clinical psychologist roles:

Assessment 8 1

1 6

8 Clinical psychologist roles:

Treatment 8 1

1 6

Lesson 5: Interdisciplinary perspectives (note: Mid-Semester In-Class Exam)

9 Relationship to social, cultural and

cognitive psychology and related

disciplines

5 0.5

0.5

4

10 Community psychology,

Acculturation/ immigrant mental

health

5 0.5

0.5

4

11 -Relationship to neuroscience, and

psychiatry

-Mid-semester exam

6 1

1

4

Lesson 6: Abnormal Psychology: In depth student presentations

12 Anxiety Disorders and

Obsessive

Compulsive Disorders (OCD):

Social, cultural, cognitive and

neuroscience foundations

6 2

4

13 Traumatic Stress and Post-

Traumatic Stress Disorders:



6 2

4

Lesson 7: Abnormal Psychology: In depth student presentations (cont.)

14 Mood Disorders: Social,

cultural, cognitive and


6 2

4

15 Personality Disorders: Social,



6 2

4


16 Psychotic Disorders: Social,



6 2

4

17 Neurocognitive and

Neurodevelopmental Disorders:


6 2

4







18 Eating Disorders: Social,



7 2

5

19 Substance Related and Addictive

Disorders: Social, cultural,

cognitive and neuroscience

foundations

7 2

5

Lesson 10: Clinical Psychology: In depth student presentations

20 Personality Assessment: Social,

Cognitive and cultural foundations 6 2

4

21 Cognitive Assessment: Social,

Cognitive and cultural

foundations

6 2

4

Lesson 11: Clinical Psychology: In depth student presentations (cont)

22 Behavioural and Cognitive

Therapies: Social, cultural, and


foundations

6 2

4

23 Psychodynamic and Humanistic

therapies: Social, cultural,


foundations

6 2

4

Lesson 12: Conclusions (note: Final Take Home Assignment due)

24 Controversies in the field; the

Future of abnormal and clinical

psychology: course and final

assignment review.

10 2

2 6

TOTAL 155 17 24 7 107

III. Program contents

Lesson 1. Introduction

Topic 1. Course overview

Overview of the course and assignments. The history of abnormal and clinical psychology is

examined, as well as common classification systems and related controversies from a critical

perspective that takes into account changing social contexts.

Core reading:

1. Field, M, & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2015). Chapter 1: The Big Issues in classification,

diagnosis, and research into psychological disorders

2. Lillienfeld, S.O. & O’Donohue, W.T. (2007). Chapter 5: Classification provides an essential

basis for organizing mental disorders

3. Phillips, J., Frances, A., Cerullo, M. A., Chardavoyne, J., Decker, H. S., First, M. B., ... &

LoBello, S. G. (2012). The six most essential questions in psychiatric diagnosis: a pluralogue

part 1: conceptual and definitional issues in psychiatric diagnosis. Philosophy, Ethics, and





Humanities in Medicine, 7(1), 1.

For further reading:

4. Ray, W. J. (2014). Chapter 2: Changing conceptualizations of mental illness

5. Szasz, T. (1974). The myth of mental illness. New York: Harper & Row

6. Wakefield, J. C. (2014). Wittgenstein's nightmare: why the RDoC grid needs a conceptual

dimension. World Psychiatry, 13(1), 38-40.

7. Cosgrove, L., & Krimsky, S. (2012). A comparison of DSM-IV and DSM-5 panel members'

financial associations with industry: a pernicious problem persists. PLoS Med, 9(3),

e1001190.

Topic 2. Research methods

The following lesson covers common research methods used in abnormal and clinical psychology.

Social psychology students may already be familiar with the approaches, although methods common

in healthcare research will also be examined (e.g., Randomized Control Trials [RCTs]; effectiveness

vs. efficacy, clinical significance)

Core reading:

1. Field, M, & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2015). Chapter 1: The Big Issues in classification,

diagnosis, and research into psychological disorders

2. Lillienfeld, S.O. & O’Donohue, W.T. (2007). Chapter 6: Psychotherapy outcome can be

studied scientifically and Chapter 1: Science is an essential safeguard against human error

3. Jacobson, N. S., & Truax, P. (1991). Clinical significance: a statistical approach to

defining meaningful change in psychotherapy research. Journal of Consulting and Clinical

Psychology, 59(1), 12.

4. Anderson, N. B. (2006). Evidence-based practice in psychology. American

Psychologist, 61(4), 271-285.


5. Ray, W. J. (2014). Chapter 4: Research Methods

6. Glasgow, R. E., Lichtenstein, E., & Marcus, A. C. (2003). Why don't we see more

translation of health promotion research to practice? Rethinking the efficacy-to- effectiveness

transition. American Journal of Public Health, 93(8), 1261-1267.

7. Seligman, M. E. (1995). The effectiveness of psychotherapy: The Consumer Reports

study. American psychologist, 50(12), 965.

Lesson 2. Lessons 2 and 3 provide a broad overview of common mental disorders (e.g., anxiety,

depression), or those that have received significant attention in the research literature (e.g.,

schizophrenia). Social and cultural factors are explored, including perspectives from cultural-clinical

psychology.

Topic 3. Overview of mental disorders, diagnosis, epidemiology, and treatment: Pt 1 (anxiety,

obsessive compulsive (OCD), and mood disorders)

Core reading:

1. Field, M, & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2015). Chapter 5: Mood disorders through Chapter 8:

Generalized anxiety disorder (note: skim these chapters; we will revisit them later)

2. Abramowitz, J. S., Taylor, S., & McKay, D. (2009). Obsessive-compulsive disorder. The

Lancet, 374(9688), 491-499.

3. Ryder, A. G., Yang, J., Zhu, X., Yao, S., Yi, J., Heine, S. J., & Bagby, R. M. (2008). The





cultural shaping of depression: somatic symptoms in China, psychological symptoms in North

America? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117(2), 300.


4. Ray, W. J. (2014). Chapter 10: Anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder.

5. Deacon, B. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2004). Cognitive and behavioral treatments for anxiety

disorders: A review of meta-analytic findings. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 60(4), 429-

441.

6. Zhou, X., Dere, J., Zhu, X., Yao, S., Chentsova-Dutton, Y. E., & Ryder, A. G. (2011). Anxiety

symptom presentations in Han Chinese and Euro-Canadian outpatients: is distress always

somatized in China? Journal of Affective Disorders, 135(1), 111-114.

Topic 4. Overview of mental disorders, diagnosis, epidemiology, and treatment: Pt 2 (trauma

and related concerns: post-traumatic and dissociative disorders)

Core reading:

1. Friedman, M. (2014). PTSD: National Center for PTSD. US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Retrieved from: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/PTSD/professional/pages/ptsd-overview.asp

2. Spiegel, D., Lewis-Fernández, R., Lanius, R., Vermetten, E., Simeon, D., & Friedman, M.

(2013). Dissociative disorders in DSM-5. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 299-326.

3. Cusack, K., Jonas, D. E., Forneris, C. A., Wines, C., Sonis, J., Middleton, J. C., ... & Weil, A.

(2016). Psychological treatments for adults with posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic

review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 43, 128-141.


4. Ray, W. J. (2014). Chapter 11: Dissociative and somatic symptom disorders; and Chapter 8:

Stress, Trauma and Psychopathology

5. Seligman, R., & Kirmayer, L. J. (2008). Dissociative experience and cultural neuroscience:

Narrative, metaphor and mechanism. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, 32(1), 31-64.

6. Rousseau, C., Pottie, K., Thombs, B.D., Munoz, M. & Jurcik, T. (2011). Post traumatic stress

disorder: Evidence review for newly arriving immigrants and refugees. Canadian Medical

Association Journal, 183(12). Retrieved

from: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/suppl/2010/06/07/cmaj.090313.DC1/imm-ptsd-11-at.pdf

Lesson 3. Overview of mental disorders (continued)

Topic 5. Overview of mental disorders, diagnosis, epidemiology, and treatment: Pt 3

(Psychotic Disorders and Schizophrenia)

Core reading:

1. Field, M, & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2015). Chapter 4: Schizophrenia

2. Tandon, R., Keshavan, M. S., & Nasrallah, H. A. (2008). Schizophrenia, “just the facts” what

we know in 2008. 2. Epidemiology and etiology. Schizophrenia research, 102(1), 1-18.

3. Tandon, R., Nasrallah, H. A., & Keshavan, M. S. (2010). Schizophrenia,“Just the Facts” 5.

Treatment and prevention Past, present, and future. Schizophrenia Research, 122(1), 1-23.

4. Cantor-Graae, E. (2007). The contribution of social factors to the development of

schizophrenia: a review of recent findings. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 52(5), 277-286.

5. Jarvis, G. E., Bhat, V., Jurcik, T., Spigonardo, V., & Whitley, R. (2015). Transatlantic

variation in the attributed etiology of psychosis. International Journal of Social


http://www.ptsd.va.gov/PTSD/professional/pages/ptsd-overview.asp

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/suppl/2010/06/07/cmaj.090313.DC1/imm-ptsd-11-at.pdf




Psychiatry, 61(6), 577-582.


6. Ray, W. J. (2014). Chapter 7: Schizophrenia.

7. Pitschel-Walz, G., Leucht, S., Bäuml, J., Kissling, W., & Engel, R. R. (2015). The effect of

family interventions on relapse and rehospitalization in schizophrenia: a meta-analysis. Focus,

2(1), 78-94.

8. Tandon, R., Nasrallah, H. A., & Keshavan, M. S. (2009). Schizophrenia,“just the facts” 4.

Clinical features and conceptualization. Schizophrenia research, 110(1), 1-23.

9. Keshavan, M. S., Tandon, R., Boutros, N. N., & Nasrallah, H. A. (2008). Schizophrenia,“just

the facts”: What we know in 2008: Part 3: Neurobiology. Schizophrenia Research, 106(2),

89-107.

10. Tandon, Rajiv, Matcheri S. Keshavan, and Henry A. Nasrallah (2008). Schizophrenia,“just the

facts”: what we know in 2008: part 1: overview. Schizophrenia Research, 100(1), 4-19.

Topic 6. Overview of mental disorders, diagnosis, epidemiology, and treatment: Pt 4

(Personality disorders, and Somatic Symptom Disorders)

Core reading:

1. Field, M, & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2015). Chapter 11: Personality disorders

2. Kirmayer, L. J., & Young, A. (1998). Culture and somatization: clinical, epidemiological, and

ethnographic perspectives. Psychosomatic Medicine, 60(4), 420-430.

3. Yakobov, E., Jurcik, T., & Sullivan, M.J.L. (2016). Conversion disorders (pp. 277-286). In

Budd, P., Hough., S., & Stiers., W. (Eds.), Practical Psychology in Medical Rehabilitation.

New York: Springer Publishing Company.


4. Ray, W. J. (2014). Chapter 11: Dissociative and somatic symptom disorders; Chapter 15:

Personality disorders

5. Kroenke, K. (2007). Efficacy of treatment for somatoform disorders: a review of

randomized controlled trials. Psychosomatic Medicine, 69(9), 881-888.

Lesson 4. Clinical psychologist roles

Topics 7 and 8 cover common roles of clinical psychologists (assessment and treatment of

psychological problems), and the scientist-practitioner model. Their roles are differentiated from

other clinical and research disciplines (e.g., psychiatry, social work). A cultural-clinical psychology

perspective is used.

Topic 7. Clinical psychologist roles: Assessment

Core reading:

1. Jones, J. L., & Mehr, S. L. (2007). Foundations and assumptions of the scientist-practitioner

model. American Behavioral Scientist, 50(6), 766-771.

2. Meyer, G. J., Finn, S. E., Eyde, L. D., Kay, G. G., Moreland, K. L., Dies, R. R., ... & Reed, G.

M. (2001). Psychological testing and psychological assessment: A review of evidence and

issues. American Psychologist, 56(2), 128.

3. Hunsley, J. (2015). Translating evidence-based assessment principles and components into

clinical practice settings. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 22(1), 101-109.

4. Kirmayer, L. J., Thombs, B. D., Jurcik, T., Jarvis, G. E., & Guzder, J. (2008). Use of an





expanded version of the DSM-IV outline for cultural formulation on a cultural consultation

service. Psychiatric Services, 59(6), 683-686.


5. Grove, W. M., Zald, D. H., Lebow, B. S., Snitz, B. E., & Nelson, C. (2000). Clinical versus

mechanical prediction: a meta-analysis. Psychological Assessment, 12(1), 19.

6. Gone, J. P. (2014). Advancing Cultural-Clinical Psychology: Reflections on the Special

Issue. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 33(10), 954.

7. Kirmayer, L. J., Rousseau, C., Eric Jarvis, G., & Guzder, J. (2015). The Cultural Context of

Clinical Assessment (pp. 56-70). In Psychiatry, Fourth Edition, New York: Wiley.

Topic 8. Clinical psychologist roles: Treatment

Core reading:

1. Field, M, & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2015). Chapter 2: How are psychological disorders

treated?

2. Hunsley, J., Elliot, K., Therien, Z. (September 10, 2013). The efficacy and effectiveness of

psychological treatments. Canadian Psychological Association. Report retrieved from

http://www.cpa.ca/docs/File/Practice/TheEfficacyAndEffectivenessOfPsychologicalTreatments_

web.pdf

3. Griner, D., & Smith, T.B. (2006). Culturally adapted mental health interventions: A meta-

analytic review. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43(4), 531-548.

4. Wampold, B. E. (2001). Contextualizing psychotherapy as a healing practice: Culture, history,

and methods. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 10(2), 69-86.


5. Tracey, T. J. G., Wampold, B. E., Lichtenberg, J. W., & Goodyear, R. K. (2014, January 6).

Expertise in Psychotherapy: An Elusive Goal? American Psychologist. Advance online

publication. doi: 10.1037/a0035099

6. Emmelkamp, P. M. (2005). Technological innovations in clinical assessment and

psychotherapy. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 74(6), 336-343.

7. Folk, J. B., Disabato, D. J., Goodman, F. R., Carter, S. P., DiMauro, J. C., & Riskind, J. H.

(2016, May 19). Wise additions bridge the gap between social psychology and clinical practice:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy as an exemplar. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. Advance

online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/int0000038

Lesson 5. Interdisciplinary perspectives

Students will also complete a mid-semester exam this week (1 academic hour). Questions will be

related to the information covered in the lessons and readings up to and including this week. Please

consult Methods of Assessment section below for more details.

Topic 9. Relationship to social, personality, cultural and cognitive psychology and related

disciplines

Clinical psychology has important links with social and cultural psychology, as well cognitive

psychology and other disciplines such as anthropology; empirical findings in these fields may inform

each other and foster cross-disciplinary research.

Core reading:

1. Maddux, J. E., & Tangney, J. P. (Eds.). (2011). Social psychological foundations of clinical

psychology. Guilford Press. Chapters 1 through 4; 16, 18





2. Lillienfeld, S.O. & O’Donohue, W.T. (2007). Chapter 3: Decision research can increase the

accuracy of clinical judgment and thereby improve patient care, and Chapter 12: Personality traits

are critical for a complete clinical science

4. Ryder, A. G., Ban, L. M., & Chentsova-Dutton, Y. E. (2011). Towards a cultural–clinical

psychology. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(12), 960-975.

5. Rosenhan, David (1973). On being sane in insane places. Science, 179(4070), 250–

258. doi:10.1126/science.179.4070.250. Retrieved from:

http://www.bonkersinstitute.org/rosenhan.html


6. Various authors (2014). Advancing cultural-clinical psychology: Special issue. Journal of

Social and Clinical Psychology, 33(10). [see articles in this issue]

7. Gone, J. P. (2014). Advancing cultural-clinical psychology: Reflections on the special

issue. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 33(10), 954.

8. Elstein, A. S., & Schwarz, A. (2002). Clinical problem solving and diagnostic decision making:

selective review of the cognitive literature. British Medical Journal, 324(7339), 729-732.

9. Folk, J. B., Disabato, D. J., Goodman, F. R., Carter, S. P., DiMauro, J. C., & Riskind, J. H.

(2016, May 19). Wise additions bridge the gap between social psychology and clinical practice:

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy as an Exemplar. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. Advance

online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/int0000038

Topic 10. Acculturation/ immigrant mental health

This section builds on Topic 9 themes. Community and clinical psychologists, as well as cultural

psychiatrists and epidemiologists, have an interest in researching the links between acculturation,

social ecology and mental health as well as developing appropriate treatment adaptations when

working with immigrants and refugees.

Core readings:

1. Lillienfeld, S.O. & O’Donohue, W.T. (2007). Chapter 17: Cultural factors influence the

expression of psychopathology

2. Maddux, J. E., & Tangney, J. P. (Eds.). (2011). Chapter 17: Sociocultural issues in the

diagnosis and assessment of psychological disorders.

3. Jurcik, T., Chentsova-Dutton, Y. E., Solopieieva‐Jurcikova, I., & Ryder, A. G. (2013).

Russians in treatment: the evidence base supporting cultural adaptations. Journal of Clinical

Psychology, 69(7), 774-791.

4. Jurcik, T., Ahmed, R., Yakobov, E., Solopieieva-Jurcikova, I., & Ryder, A. G. (2013).

Understanding the role of the ethnic density effect: issues of acculturation, discrimination and

social support. Journal of Community Psychology, 41(6), 662-678.


5. Fazel, M., Wheeler, J. & Danesh, J. (2005). Prevalence of serious mental disorder in 7000

refugees resettled in western countries: A systematic review. The Lancet, 365(9467), 1309-

1314.

6. Sam, D. L., & Berry, J. W. (Eds.). (2006). The Cambridge handbook of acculturation

psychology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP. Chapter 27: Acculturation and health

7. Bécares, L., Shaw, R., Nazroo, J., Stafford, M., Albor, C., Atkin, K., ... & Pickett, K.

(2012). Ethnic density effects on physical morbidity, mortality, and health behaviors: a

systematic review of the literature. American Journal of Public Health, 102(12), e33-e66.

8. Jurcik, T., Yakobov, E., Solopieieva-Jurcikova, L., Ahmed, R., Sunohara, M., & Ryder, A.

G. (2015). Unraveling ethnic density effects, acculturation, and adjustment: The case of


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier

https://dx.doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.179.4070.250

http://www.bonkersinstitute.org/rosenhan.html




russian-speaking immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Journal of Community

Psychology, 43(5), 628-648.

9. Shaw, R. J., Atkin, K., Bécares, L., Albor, C. B., Stafford, M., Kiernan, K. E., ... & Pickett,

K. E. (2012). Impact of ethnic density on adult mental disorders: narrative review. British

Journal of Psychiatry, 201(1), 11-19.

10. Oishi, S., & Graham, J. (2010). Social ecology lost and found in psychological

science. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(4), 356-377.

11. Rousseau, C., Jamil, U., Bhui, K., & Boudjarane, M. (2015). Consequences of 9/11 and

the war on terror on children’s and young adult’s mental health: a systematic review of the

past 10 years. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 20(2), 173-193.

Topic 11. Relationship to neuroscience, medicine and psychiatry

Descartian body-mind dualism is an outdated notion. Neuroscience frequently informs abnormal

psychology, and mental health influences physical health, and vice versa. Thus, psychologists

frequently collaborate with physicians on interdisciplinary healthcare teams.

Core readings:

1, Lillienfeld, S.O. & O’Donohue, W.T. (2007). Chapter 13: The cognitive neuroscience

perspective allows us to understand abnormal behaviour at multiple levels of complexity.

2, Lillienfeld, S.O. & O’Donohue, W.T. (2007). Chapter 15: Mental and physical health in

3. McHugh, R. K., Whitton, S. W., Peckham, A. D., Welge, J. A., & Otto, M. W. (2013).

Patient preference for psychological vs pharmacologic treatment of psychiatric disorders: a

meta-analytic review. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 74(6), 595-602.


5. Ray, W. J. (2014). Chapter 3: Neuroscience approaches to understanding psychopathology

6. Mehta, N. (2011). Mind-body dualism: A critique from a health perspective. Mens Sana

Monographs, 9(1), 202.

4. McDaniel, S. H., Belar, C. D., Schroeder, C., Hargrove, D. S., & Freeman, E. L. (2002). A

training curriculum for professional psychologists in primary care. Professional Psychology:

Research and Practice, 33(1), 65-72.

Students will also complete an in-class mid-semester exam this week (1 academic hour). Questions

will be related to the information covered in the lessons and readings up to and including this week.

Please consult Methods of Assessment section below for more details.

Lessons 6-11. Abnormal and Clinical Psychology: In depth student presentations;

You are to select (or will be assigned) a specific topic to present with a colleague (See Course

schedule above for topics 12-23). For instance, if you are assigned or select topic 16 (lesson 8), your

presentation topic will be on Psychotic Disorders: Social, cultural, cognitive and neuroscience

foundations. Please carefully read the instructions in the Methods of Assessment section below on

how to prepare and conduct your presentation.

Lessons 6-9. Abnormal psychology presentations. See topic areas in schedule above. Core and

supplementary readings will be provided by presenters. Note: you will select or be assigned to a topic

in either the Abnormal or Clinical group, but not both.

Lessons 10-11. Clinical psychology presentations. See topic areas in schedule above. Core and

supplementary readings will be provided by presenters. Note: you will select or be assigned to a topic





in either the Abnormal or Clinical group, but not both.

The final assignment will also be briefly discussed and the take-home essay question will be issued at

the end of Lesson 11 (see Methods of Assessment for more details).

Lesson 12. Conclusions

Topic 24. Controversies in the field and the future of clinical psychology

Clinical psychology, along with psychiatry, have been subject to numerous controversies, often

related to questions about scientific credibility and objectivity, especially with regards to diagnosis

and treatment. However, clinical psychology has also experienced numerous advances in the last 100

years. What might be next? The final assignment will also be briefly discussed and the take-home

essay question will be issued (see Methods of Assessment for more details).

Core readings:

1. Lilienfeld, S. O. (2012). Public skepticism of psychology: why many people perceive the study

of human behavior as unscientific. American Psychologist, 67(2), 111.

2. Achenbach, T. M. (2016). Future directions for clinical research, services, and training:

Evidence-based assessment across Informants, cultures, and dimensional Hierarchies. Journal of

Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 1-11. (published online)

3. Emmelkamp, P. M. (2005). Technological innovations in clinical assessment and

psychotherapy. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 74(6), 336-343.

4. Lavoie, K. L., & Barone, S. (2006). Prescription privileges for psychologists. CNS

drugs, 20(1), 51-66.

5. Maddux, J. E., & Tangney, J. P. (Eds.). (2011). Chapter 28: Social psychological foundations

of clinical psychology: Initial trends, current status, and future directions


6. Von Sydow, K., & Reimer, C. (1998). Attitudes toward psychotherapists, psychologists,

psychiatrists, and psychoanalysts: A meta-content analysis of 60 studies published between 1948

and 1995. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 52(4), 463.

7. Baker, T. B., McFall, R. M., & Shoham, V. (2008). Current status and future prospects of

clinical psychology toward a scientifically principled approach to mental and behavioral health

care. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(2), 67-103.

8. Fox, R. E., DeLeon, P. H., Newman, R., Sammons, M. T., Dunivin, D. L., & Baker, D. C.

(2009). Prescriptive authority and psychology: A status report. American Psychologist, 64(4),

257.

9. Benjamin Jr, L. T. (2005). A history of clinical psychology as a profession in America (and a

glimpse at its future). Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 1-30.

Take home essay assignment. The essay question(s) will be issued at the end of lesson 11 and the

completed essay is to be submitted on the final day of class by no later than 23:59pm. Students will

be asked to complete one general essay or research proposal on the relationship between cultural

and/or social and/or cognitive psychology and clinical and/or abnormal psychology. See Methods of

Assessment section for further details.

IV. Methods of assessment

Student Presentations





Background: Presentations on specific advanced topics in abnormal and clinical psychology are

conducted during the seminars (see Course Schedule on topic titles for lessons 11-22). These are

intended to familiarize the audience in greater depth with more specific topics in the field than the

lecture component of the course. Thus, the first five lectures were designed to provide you with a

foundational overview of the field. The purpose of these subsequent presentations is to develop links

between abnormal or clinical psychology and social, cultural and cognitive psychology (and

neuroscience) for a more specific set of disorders or clinical issues.

General presentation instructions: You will choose a presentation from either the abnormal or

clinical group (see topics above). Students will work in small groups of 2 students (if there are

insufficient student pairs, there may be a few individual student presentations) and prepare

presentations synthesizing recent literature which integrate relevant sociocultural/cognitive

phenomena with clinical/abnormal psychology. You will also give examples of potential future

research ideas which may help answer unsolved questions in your topic area. You are expected to e-

mail or meet with the instructor regarding any questions you may have prior to the presentation for

guidance. Please note that I do not expect your presentation to be exhaustive; rather it may be focused

on a select group of studies or findings and should be cohesive. Thus, you are to further bridge

clinical and abnormal psychology with the social, cognitive and neural sciences.

Students will utilize HSE electronic resources to find relevant literature and will e-mail the group

several articles prior to the presentation.

Parameters: The lecture/presentation will be one to 1.5 academic hours (no more than 60 minutes),

and will be done in power-point format and should include about 10+ references. You may use videos

and multimedia (optional) to make your presentation more stimulating. You should leave at least part

of the second academic hour for discussion (0.5-1 academic hour) with the group and instructor, and

will be asked to facilitate it (i.e., have some thoughtful questions ready!). Note: there will be two

presentations per lesson (see schedule above), so please efficiently complete your full presentation

and discussion in your allotted time of 1 hour 20 minutes.

For the abnormal psychology presentations (lesson topics 12-19): You are to briefly review

relatively recent research (since about 2000) on social, cultural, cognitive and neuroscience

foundations on a specific group of disorders (e.g., Mood Disorders) and focus in greater detail on

how a disorder in this group (e.g., major depression) may be related to social-cultural and cognitive

phenomena (e.g., attentional mechanisms, cognitive biases, interpersonal interactions, expressions of

symptoms in cultural context, perceptions of stigma, prefrontal brain activation).

For the clinical psychology presentations (lesson topics 20-23): You are to present recent research

(since about 2000) on the clinical topic in question (e.g., Personality Assessment, Psychotherapy).

You are to examine one or more common assessment tools (e.g., MMPI-2 for the personality

assessment presentation) or psychotherapy approaches in detail (e.g., Cognitive-Behavioural

Therapy). You will briefly explain this approach or clinical tool, and examine the influence of

interpersonal factors (e.g., the clinician-client relationship/alliance) and cognitive factors (e.g.,

cognitive and affective factors in clinician judgment or bias) that may affect clinical assessment

findings and the therapy process and outcome. You will also examine how cultural factors (e.g., such

as therapy adaptations, ethnic matching between clinician and client) may affect assessment and

therapy processes or outcomes.

Readings: The following topics (see Course schedule) require student presenters to find 1-2 relatively





recent core research articles or reviews and 1-2 supplementary readings published since 2000 to

distribute to the instructor and classmates (older articles are acceptable if they are still frequently

cited in recent literature). One week prior to the presentation, students e-mail these readings to the

group and the instructor for review and to stimulate a discussion during the seminar that they will

lead following their lecture. Immediately prior to the presentation, students are to e-mail their

powerpoint slides to the instructor and the student group for reference.

Grading criteria: The grade for the presentation will depend on the student’s critical synthesis of

various research ideas, review of relevant peer reviewed articles, the degree to which the information

was clearly presented in the slides (e.g., correct English, use of references, few points), the clarity of

communicating one’s ideas to the audience, the student’s engagement in facilitating discussion,

openness to ideas, and structuring of the presentation (e.g., have an introduction, review of the

literature, synthesis, limitations, future research, summary and conclusions, reference list, etc.).

Mid-Term Exam

This exam is in the format of a quiz and will last for 1 academic hour at the end of lesson 5. The

format will be multiple choice and/or short answer. Questions will be related to the information

covered in the topics and readings covered up to and including lesson 5.

Grading criteria: Identification of the best or correct answer for the multiple choice component.

Quality of responses (evidence-based or relevant, well-written and succinct) for the short answer

component.

Final Take-Home Assignment

Please note that there will not be a traditional final exam during end-of-semester exam week.

The final course requirement is a take-home essay assignment or research proposal, the general

question for which will be issued during the second-to-last week of the course (lesson 11). The

assignment is to be completed and submitted during the final week of class (no later than 23:59 on

the day of lesson 12).

For the take-home component, students will be asked to either complete one general essay or a

research proposal. The essay will examine the relationship between cultural and/or social and/or

cognitive psychology and clinical and/or abnormal psychology. Alternately, students may choose to

generate a research idea(s) in the form of a research proposal, tying in sociocultural, cognitive, or

cultural psychology with clinical and/or abnormal psychology. The take-home assignment may be

based on the presentation that you completed.

The assignment is to be type-written and submitted by e-mail to both the instructor and teaching

assistant (note: or paper-and-pen essays/proposals are acceptable if the student does not have access

to a computer; however, hand-written work must be clearly legible). This take home essay/proposal is

open book. Students are strongly encouraged to prepare for this assignment in advance by reviewing

the material and class readings (including student presentations), synthesizing the material, and at

thinking through the issues prior to lesson 11, and perhaps even preparing a draft paper of ideas that

generate interest.

Parameters: Essays/research proposals are to be brief, no more than 9-pages double-spaced in total

(including approximately one page of references and one separate title page and an abstract page),





have an introduction, body, and conclusion with appropriate headings (or introduction, method,

expected results, discussion for proposals), use in-text references in APA style, and include a

reference list. An abstract is also to be included. Please consult resources below on APA style and a

sample paper for formatting (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.pdf) .

Papers are to be written in clear English and you are requested to write the essay in your own words.

Grading criteria: The final grade for the final exam will depend on the overall quality of how the

reviewed literature is presented and synthesized, clarity of relationships between the ideas or

hypotheses in the essay/proposal, usage of scientific material (e.g., evidence from peer reviewed

articles to make one’s point), quality of conclusions, essay/proposal structure (i.e., introduction, body,

conclusion, references; proposals are to have an introduction, hypotheses, method, expected results,

discussion, references), ability to appropriately write and reference in APA style, and overall clarity

of writing in English. The abstract will also be evaluated for clarity and succinctness (limit it to about

150 words). Limit your use of jargon, and define your terms.

Plagiarized and unquoted material, including copied sentences or paragraphs, is not acceptable for

any assignment and will be failed. If you require specific accommodations (e.g., due to illness) you

must notify the instructor in advance. Otherwise, late submissions will be penalized by a deduction

of 10% per day from the final assignment mark.

Attendance and Participation/ Professionalism

Students are expected to attend the lectures and seminars, engage with the core readings, and actively

participate in discussions in a professional manner (e.g., presenting clear points and arguments in a

respectful way). If you are absent, please inform the professor and TA, and e-mail a comment based

on the readings, so we know you are keeping up. It is also recommended that you communicate with

other students on the lecture materials.

Grading criteria: Consistency of attendance (or informing the professor of occasional absences),

bringing up relevant research, readings, and/or personal reflections and questions during discussions,

clarity of communication, maintaining respectful interactions with others.

Formula for the final grade

The final grade consists of several parts and the details of the requirements for each part are discussed

above in sections III and IV:

Mid-Semester Exam (ME): 25% (see lesson 5)

Presentation (P): 30% (see lessons 6-11)

Final take-home assignment (FA): 35% (see lessons 11-12)*

Attendance and Participation/Professionalism (AP): 10%

(Please inform the instructor if you are unable to attend class; you are expected to contribute

to the discussions)

Formula for the final grade:

Final grade (%) = 0.25*ME + 0.3*Pr + 0.35*FA + 0.1*AP


https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.pdf




Comment on final grade: Final percentages are converted to a 10-point scale (10 is considered

"outstanding"; 8 to 9 is considered to be "very good" to "excellent", 6 to 7 is considered to be

"good", 4 to 5 is considered "satisfactory", and below 4 is considered a "fail").

*There is no traditional final exam during the last week of the semester.

V. Literature

Textbooks

The following textbooks are required for the course:

1. Field, M, & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2015). Essential abnormal & clinical psychology. London:

Sage.

2. Lillienfeld, S.O. & O’Donohue, W.T. (2007). The great ideas of clinical science. New York:

Taylor & Francis.

3. Maddux, J. E., & Tangney, J. P. (Eds.). (2011). Social psychological foundations of clinical

psychology. New York: Guilford Press.

The following textbook is optional as a supplementary text:

4. Ray, W. J. (2014). Abnormal psychology: Neuroscience perspectives on human behaviour and

experience. Los Angeles, CA: Sage

Please do a careful Google search prior to purchasing these books to save on costs (they should be

available as e-books and some even for rent online). The relevant chapter is specified for each

lesson/topic above in section III.

Articles

Each lesson also has associated peer-reviewed article readings. Some of these are core articles, and

others are supplementary readings for students who wish to go into greater depth in a topic area. See

section III for more details.

Internet resources

Several online resources are useful to students, professionals, and lay people who have an interest in

abnormal and clinical psychology (use the site’s search field to identify information on a specific

topic of interest):

• APA style and sample paper: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/

• American Psychological Association: www.apa.org

• Canadian Psychological Association:

http://www.cpa.ca/aboutcpa/cpasections/clinicalpsychology/resources

• Center for Addiction and Mental Health:

http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_information/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/P

ages/default.aspx

• Mayo Clinic: www.mayo.org

• John Suler’s teaching clinical psychology: http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/tcp.html

• Promoting Cultural-Clinical Psychology: https://culturalclinicalpsych.org


https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/

http://www.apa.org/

http://www.cpa.ca/aboutcpa/cpasections/clinicalpsychology/resources

http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_information/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_information/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.mayo.org/

http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/tcp.html

https://culturalclinicalpsych.org/

Documents

Syllabus for the course Abnormal and Clinical Psychology ... · Syllabus for the course “Abnormal and Clinical Psychology: Social and Cultural Contexts” English-taught Master’s