COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION: PROCESS AND FORMAT - …



CLINICAL COMPRHENSIVE EXAM: PROCESS AND FORMAT

The Clinical Comprehensive Exam is modeled after the format used in the American Board of Professional Psychologists examinations and is completed at the end of the student’s course work. In order to obtain a balanced assessment of the student’s ability to integrate relevant clinical material and training experiences, both assessment and counseling skills will be assessed. The Exam is conducted in a case-study format to allow student’s to demonstrate their ability to integrate the academic course work and field experiences they have been exposed to in the program and to show that they are competent to practice at an advanced level of professional psychology. While it is possible that one case will contain sufficient depth to be used for both the assessment and counseling portions of the exam, it is likely that students will have to submit a separate case for the assessment portion and another for counseling portion of the exam.

The final judgment regarding the suitability of cases to be submitted will be made by the student’s Advisor in consultation with the Core Faculty. Therefore, before beginning any in-depth preparation for the e exam, students need to be certain to address the suitability of the case(s) with their Advisor. It should also be noted that the Clinical Comprehensive Exam will be evaluated by the student's Advisor and at least one other Core Faculty member, as a Clinical Comprehensive Exam Committee. All Core Faculty members may be members of this committee; the Advisor will notify the student (at least two weeks in advance of the exam) as to how many of the Core Faculty members intend to participate.

The Clinical Comprehensive Exam consists of two sections. The first section is a written work sample, which will include separate analyses of the assessment and counseling cases. The written portion of the counseling case should also include videotaped segments of the case being submitted (see below for further clarification). These materials will be reviewed by the exam committee and must be judged acceptable before the student can move on to the second section of the exam which consist of an oral examination over the work sample submitted. The oral section of the exam is designed to demonstrate that students are able to provide an explicit and well founded rationale for the written work sample submitted. The oral section of the comprehensive examination must be taken within three weeks following submission of the written work sample.

Students must successfully complete the Clinical Comprehensive Exam before they can advance to doctoral candidacy, i.e. begin the pre-doctoral internship and defend the dissertation. The following provides additional guidance in preparing materials for the Clinical Comprehensive Exam.

IN ADDITION, EACH CORE FACULTY MEMBER HAS EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL CLINICAL COMPS FROM PREVIOUS STUDENTS THAT YOU ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO OBTAIN AND USE AS A GUIDE.

CLINICAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAM:

GUIDELINES IN PREPARING WORK SAMPLE MATERIALS

Section One: Written Work Sample

1. Format

The written work sample will consist of the following:

a. Assessment portion:

(1) Case Analysis: Describe the diagnostic procedures/tests used in the assessment portion of the case and the rationale for employing these procedures (in the context of the referral reason, the background information, and any relevant cultural and/or ethical issues). Support your statements whenever appropriate with references to relevant research. Be sure to include a self-critique of your assessment, e.g. what you would have done differently, etc.

(Note. When citing references, be certain to use current APA style. Include a reference page at the end of the written portion of the exam. It is best to provide a table of contents and be sure to number all pages.)

(2) Final Report: The report can be the one turned in at a Specialty Clinic, etc. but it must also include statements that support or clarify your statements, conclusions, recommendations, i.e. statements you might not ordinarily include in a report to be read by parents, etc. These supporting statements can be provided in the body of the report (in parentheses and italics), or in separate written materials. Be certain to include a test data section and copies of all protocols. Also, all materials except the report itself must be double spaced.

b. Counseling portion :

1. Videotape

You will include a videotape of actual counseling sessions with the individual or family. The tape will contain three 10-15 minute segments, from the beginning, middle, and end of the overall counseling period. Copies of the tape should be provided to each committee member. The tape can be copied in the department or the Media Services Center on campus. (Keep the full-length tape for backup in case your committee should need to see more.) The tape must be of high quality with good sound. Please provide a transcript of the three segments used.

2. Case Analysis

The written portion of the case analysis should include:

a. a brief background on the client, reason for referral, information on the number of sessions, including which three sessions are being used, and a summary of the sessions and case;

b. analysis and synthesis of the dynamics of the client(s) and the client-counselor relationship;

c. your treatment plan, interventions used, and rationale;

d. the underlying theoretical framework being used and how it is reflected in the videotape segments presented;

e. a description of the process taking place during the three sessions and the outcome of this process;

f. your critique of the segments, including what you could have improved;

g. the ethical considerations important in the case;

h. any gender and/or cultural considerations in the case;

i. your awareness of your own dynamics as they relate to working with this client.

Section Two: Oral Examination

Once the written work samples are reviewed and found acceptable to the Clinical Comprehensive Exam Committee, you will be examined orally over the contents of the written work sample submitted (although it is permissible for the Committee to extent the questioning to related areas not involving the specific submitted written materials). The intent of the Oral Examination portion of the comprehensive examination is to demonstrate that you can orally defend your written analyses, particularly the integration of clinical skills with theory and research in a comprehensive fashion. The Oral Examination is conducted by the Clinical Comprehensive Exam Committee. The Committee is permitted to consult with other doctoral faculty members to assist in evaluating the written and/or oral portions of the exam.

Evaluation of Part Two: Applied Clinical Skills Examination

Written Portion

The work sample will be reviewed by the members of the Exam Committee along with any faculty consultants the Committee deems necessary. The Committee must reach a consensus as to whether or not the written work sample is of sufficient quality to allow you to pass on to the oral examination portion of the exam. If the submitted materials are judged to be inadequate, the student will be given feedback as to the deficiencies and allowed up to two weeks to resubmit the written work sample materials. If the student fails to resubmit the materials by the agreed-upon date or the resubmitted materials are again judged to be inadequate, the Committee, in consultation with the Coordinator of the Doctoral Program, must decide whether to develop a remediation plan and allow the student to take the Comprehensive Examination again after the remediation is completed or to suggest terminating the student’s program.

Oral Examination

The Oral Examination is conducted by the student's Comprehensive Exam Committee. The Committee is permitted to consult with other doctoral faculty members to assist in evaluating the written and/or oral portions of the exam.

It should be noted that although the submitted written case materials will provide the primary basis of the oral examination portion of the examination, the Committee is free to extend the scope of the questioning beyond the written materials if it sees fit.

(Note. A checklist for submitting materials and rating scales with the criteria the Committee will be using to judge performance is included at the end of the document.)

Final Examination Disposition

Once both sections of the Clinical Comprehensive Examination have been completed, the Committee convenes to determine the final disposition of the examination. There are two possible decisions. The first is a full pass. The second alternative is a partial pass indicating that you have not passed the oral portion of the examination. If the latter occurs, your Committee can: a) require the student to submit to another oral examination, b) have the student complete additional supportive written material, c) require the student to start the process over with new cases, or d) terminate you doctoral program.

The Clinical Comprehensive Exam must be completed successfully before internship can begin.

CLINICAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAM: CHECKLIST

General

1.____ Copy of work sample for the student's Advisor and other members of the

Exam Committee (all of whom must be Core Faculty members).

2.____ Each copy of work sample contains - Assessment portion: Analysis, and Final Report; Counseling portion: Analysis, video tape and Final Case Summary

3.____ Written materials are on 8 1/2" x 11" white bond, typed, double-spaced (The copy of the report may be single spaced)

4.____ The identities of all persons have been "blinded" where necessary

The Assessment Analysis should contain:

1.____ Diagnostic procedures used and rationale for using them (in the context of current theory and research)

2._____ A self-critique of your assessment with proposed remedial plans if necessary

3._____ References to specific supporting current theory and research with appropriate citations

The Assessment Final Report should contain:

1.____ Detailed rationale for the conclusions reached and the recommendations selected

2.____ Copies of all testing protocols

3.____ A data summary sheet

The Counseling Analysis should contain:

1.____ Counseling procedures used and the rationale for using them (in the context of current theory and research)

2._____ References to specific supporting current theory and research with appropriate citations

The Counseling Final Case Summary should contain:

1.____ A treatment plan with a DSM IV diagnosis

2.____ A representative sample of case/progress notes

3.____ A self-critique of the counseling performance with remedial plans if necessary

4.____ A video tape depicting at least three different sessions (10-15 minutes in length), preferably from the beginning, middle, and near the end of the overall

counseling time span.

| | E | V | G | M | F |

|CRITERIA FOR CLINICAL |X |E |O |A |A |

|COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION: |C |R |O |R |I |

|WRITTEN PORTION OF WORK SAMPLE |E |Y |D |G |L |

| |L | | |I | |

|Student's Name_____________________________ |L |G | |N | |

| |E |O | |A | |

| |N |O D | |L | |

| |T | | | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | | | | |

|Assessment Portion: Analysis |

|Theory/rationale for diagnostic procedures. | | | | | |

|Appropriate referencing. | | | | | |

|Assessment Portion: Final Report |

|Clarity of purpose for exam & referral question(s). | | | | | |

|Identification of relevant historical/medical factors. | | | | | |

|Accuracy and comprehensiveness of test results. | | | | | |

|Rationale/appropriateness of conclusions reached. | | | | | |

|Rationale/appropriateness of recommendations. selected. | | | | | |

|Accuracy and comprehensiveness of protocols. | | | | | |

|Clarity and accuracy of data summary sheet. | | | | | |

|Work sample conforms to ethical standards. | | | | | |

|Counseling Portion: Analysis |

|Theory/rationale for counseling/therapy procedures. | | | | | |

|Appropriate referencing. | | | | | |

|Counseling Portion: Final Case Summary |

|Clarity and accuracy of treatment plan. | | | | | |

|Clarity and appropriateness of case/progress notes. | | | | | |

|Clarity and appropriateness of termination summary. | | | | | |

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