Timeline for Completing Clinical Psychology Program Tasks

A Timeline for Completing Clinical Psychology Program (CLPS) Tasks: Coursework, Assistantships, Research, Clinical Training

Coursework

Coursework starts fairly intensively but tapers off, with students taking 12 credits (four courses) per semester in their first year but only one course in their fourth year. Please view the timelines listed in the "Four and Five Year Plans for Completing the CLPS Program" section listed on this page.

Assistantships

Many students have an assistantship (either a Research Assistantship or a Teaching Assistantship) each semester. Rules and expectations for the assistantships can be found in the Clinical Psychology Student Handbook but should be carefully reviewed with your assistantship supervisor at the beginning of each semester.

Research

Research includes program specific research (MS, DQE and dissertation), as well as extra-program research that will enhance your career.

Program specific

  • MS proposal/MS defense
  • DQE proposal/DQE defense
  • Dissertation proposal/Dissertation defense

Extra-program research (Students hoping to get through in four years will have less opportunity for this.)

  • Presentations/posters at research conferences (APA, SCRD, APS, SPR, MPA etc.)
  • Publications (based on senior projects, program-based research, and other research involvement)
  • Chapters (invitations to write a book chapter with a research mentor)

Clinical Training

  • 1Y Participate in group supervision: talk; ask questions; tell Trish your birthday
  • 2Y Assessment practicum at CPS
  • 3Y Assessment externship; Therapy practicum at CPS
  • 4Y Therapy externship; Continue clinical work at CPS
  • 5Y Continue clinical work at CPS and elsewhere

You should track your clinical hours from the first semester of your first year. There are tracking spreadsheets created in Microsoft Excel that are available (either from advanced students or from the program website). Hours spent in supervision, hours with clients, and hours doing clinical-related tasks (e.g., research, report writing) count as practicum hours. When you apply for internship, you will be asked to document in great detail these hours (hence the advantage of the spreadsheet).


Four and Five Year Plans for Completing the CLPS Program

Please note these are general guidelines to which you should aspire. They made need adjusted depending on your particular situation.

A Four-Year Plan for Completing the CLPS Program

Year

Fall

Spring

1

Research

  • Meet regularly with research mentor to develop master’s thesis ideas and other research plans/opportunities (presentations/publications)

Clinical

  • Join group supervision group

Research

  • MS proposal (end of semester; see below)
  • Work on research presentations/publications

Clinical

  • Participate in group sup more than last semester

2

Research

  • MS data collection, analyses, and write-up
  • Work on research presentations/publications

Clinical

  • CPS assessment practicum

Research

  • Continue MS data collection, analyses, and write-up
  • MS defense (end of semester or summer)
  • Work on research presentations/publications

Clinical

  • Continue CPS assessment practicum
  • Determine assessment externship for next year by talking with advanced students, mentor, and DCT
  • Complete Request to Attend Externship/Practicum form
  • Apply for assessment externship (~Feb)

3

Research

  • DQE proposal (end of semester)
  • Work on research presentations/publications (Prepare and submit MS for publication)

Clinical

  • Continue CPS evaluations CPS therapy practicum Assessment externship

Research

  • DQE write-up and defense (end of semester or summer)
  • Work on research presentations/publications
  • Apply for funding opportunities (Schmitt, Raynor, GI, Froedtert)

Clinical

  • Continue CPS and externship practica
    • Determine therapy externship for next year by talking with advanced students, mentor, and DCT
    • Complete Request to Attend Externship/Practicum form
    • Apply for therapy externship (~Feb)
  • Take clinical competency exam (April) to qualify for internship application process
  • Begin looking at internship sites (discussions with advanced students, mentor, and DCT) and working on internship materials

4

Research

  • Dissertation proposal and data collection Work on research presentations/publications (Prepare and submit DQE for publication)

Clinical

  • Continue CPS evaluations & therapy
  • Therapy externship
  • Apply for internship (~Nov)

Research

  • Continue dissertation data collection
  • Dissertation analyses and write up
  • Dissertation defense (summer)
    Work on research presentations/publications (Prepare and submit dissertation for publication)

Clinical

  • Continue CPS evaluations & therapy
  • Continue therapy externship

A Five-Year Plan for Completing the CLPS Program

Year

Fall

Spring

1

Research

  • Meet regularly with research mentor to develop master’s thesis ideas and other research plans/opportunities (presentations/publications)

Clinical

  • Join group supervision group

Research

  • MS proposal (end of semester; see attachment)
  • Work on research presentations/publications

2

Research

  • MS data collection, analyses, and
    write-up
  • Work on research presentations/publications

Clinical

  • CPS assessment practicum

Research

  • Continue MS data collection, analyses, and write-up
  • MS defense (end of semester or summer)
  • Work on research presentations/publications

Clinical

  • Continue CPS assessment practicum
  • Determine assessment externship for next year by talking with advanced students, mentor, and DCT
  • Apply for assessment externship (~Feb)

3

Research

  • DQE proposal (end of semester)
  • Work on research presentations/publications (Prepare and submit MS for publication)

Clinical

  • Continue CPS evaluations
  • CPS therapy practicum
  • Assessment externship

Research

  • DQE write-up
  • Work on research presentations/publications
  • Apply for funding opportunities (Schmitt, Raynor, GI, Froedtert)

Clinical

  • Continue CPS and externship practica
  • Determine therapy externship for next year by talking with advanced students, mentor, and DCT
  • Apply for therapy externship (~Feb)

4

Research

  • DQE defense (end of semester)
  • Work on research presentations/publications

Clinical

  • Continue CPS evaluations and therapy
  • Therapy externship
  • Begin looking at internship sites (discussions advanced students, mentor, and DCT)

Research

  • Dissertation proposal and data collection
  • Work on research presentations/publications (Prepare and submit DQE for publication)
  • Apply for funding opportunities (Schmitt, Raynor, GI, Froedtert)

Clinical

  • Continue CPS and externship practica
  • Plan for externship next year, if desired (~Feb)
  • Take clinical competency exam (April) to qualify for internship application
  • Begin working on internship materials

5

Research

  • Dissertation data collection
  • Work on research presentations/publications

Clinical

  • Continue CPS evaluations & therapy
  • Therapy externship (if desired)
  • Apply for internship (~Nov)

Research

  • Dissertation analyses and write up
  • Dissertation defense (summer)
  • Work on research presentations/publications (Prepare and submit dissertation for publication)

Clinical

  • Continue CPS evaluations & therapy
  • Continue therapy externship (if desired)


MS Proposals

MS Proposals: A Basic Outline

I. Introduction

A. General introduction of area within which study will be conducted

B. Brief overview of basic problem

C. Preview of proposal to follow

II. Literature Review

A. Review of previous research in area

B. Critique of previous research

C. Problem statement (i.e., explicit statement of need for further research)

III. Research Proposal

A. Introduction

1. Purpose of Study (restatement of problem statement)

2. Brief preview of study to be conducted

B. Subjects

1. Population to be represented by subjects

2. Recruitment strategy

C. Materials

D. Data collection procedure

E. Planned analyses

F. Hypotheses or predictions

Tips

It is okay to alert potential committee members via email that you will be asking them to be on your MS committee; however, actual invitations/requests should be made in person via scheduled appointments.

No proposal is perfect, so do not delay in a futile attempt to make it so. What you are hoping for is that your thesis committee will have many ideas about how to make the proposal stronger.

The proposal can but does not require a PowerPoint presentation, although it has become standard practice in the program the last several years. If you make one, keep it brief (15 minutes maximum). Remember: the committee has read your proposal!