| Field placement is an important component of most degree programs at Alliant International University. One of the original precepts behind the founding of the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), a strong integration between academics and hands-on work skills is also a key to success in education, organizational development and business careers. Some of the projects that served as field placement sites for CSPP sites are described below; there are many others available in CSPP and in other schools as well. Psychological Service Center (PSC) The Psychological Service Center (PSC) is an outpatient community mental health clinic committed to providing an intensive, rich training program. The PSC was established in 1982 to train CSPP students to work with under-served populations and to enable them to work under the supervision of CSPP faculty. The program emphasizes psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approaches (Adult Program) and psychodynamic/family systems (Child and Family Program) treatment. All treatment modalities foster sensitivity to ethnicity, class, race, gender and sexual orientation. The mission of the PSC is to provide excellent training in clinical psychology while meeting the unmet mental health needs of underserved populations. Services are provided at the clinic in downtown Oakland and community settings such as schools across the Easy Bay. The agency offers training in psychodiagnostic and neuropsychological evaluation for those qualified, as well as training in individual and family therapy. Family & Violence Institute Domestic violence is a major psychosocial epidemic in the United States. It occurs in one quarter of all American homes, resulting in physical injuries, debilitating psychological trauma, and chronic family dysfunction.
The Family and Violence Institute has focused on professional training, community education, psychological services, and research since 1983. Interventions are based on the understanding that many types of violence occur within the same family and that these not only impact the individuals, but the functioning of the family as a whole.
The institute offers psychoeducational interventions for men, women, and children who are victims, perpetrators, and/or witnesses of violence. It also provides in- service training for private, governmental, and corporate organizations; and program development and consultation services to community-based agencies. Psychological services are provided to child residents of battered women's shelters and their mothers. Research has been conducted on post-divorce custody guidelines for families with a history of domestic violence.
Over 130 CSPP predoctoral trainees and postdoctoral fellows have completed practica, internships, and fellowships; and more than 2,500 individuals, couples, and families have received clinical services, and over 8,000 persons have received training through the Family and Violence Institute. Susan Hanks, Adjunct Professor and Director of the Family and Violence Institute
Funding Source: Psychological Services Center Head Start: Napa/Solano Counties The Napa-Solano Head Start program provides counseling services to high risk pre-school children and their families.
These families typically are experiencing many stressors in their lives. In response, this program seeks to identify potential mental health problems in the children and families before they have a long-term impact on the child. The project provides mental health consultation to Head Start teachers and staff who work with the children in the classrooms, helping them deal more efficiently with the kinds of child problems and family problems they encounter. The project also provides parent skills training, individually and in small groups.
CSPP currently provides six practicum students, each of whom spend several hours a week at two Head Start centers providing the services listed above. Each center has approximately 20 children who can make use of the services if there is a need. During 1997-98, the goal is to increase the project to successfully utilize between eight and twelve practicum students. Gerald Michaels, Associate Professor
Funding Source: Head Start
Mental Health Assessments of Special Education Pupils Children who are mentally impaired face difficulties and challenges beyond what is experienced by other children. Within a public school system that is already burdened financially and barely able to meet the demands placed upon it, the special needs of these children may be overlooked.
In response to this situation, the Psychological Services Center at the campus provides psychological assessments to determine the mental health treatment needs of mentally ill children referred to the Alameda County Mental Health Program through the public schools. Four CSPP students provide, under supervision, 12-18 special education assessments each during a typical year.
These assessments include reviewing school records; conducting a face-to-face interview, evaluation or psychodiagnostic assessment; interviewing the student's caregiver (and others such as the teacher, counselor, therapist or case worker); and making an appropriate DSM-IV diagnosis and recommendation. This project will have a far-reaching impact toward better mental health care for children. Beyond diagnoses and recommendations for care, the information gained from these assessments is used by the Department of Mental Health to allocate special program funds to each county for the development of new programs to serve the mentally ill referred by county public school districts. Gerald Y. Michaels, Associate Professor; and Daniel O. Taube, Assistant Professor
Funding Source: County of Alameda Mental Health Pilot of Special Education Pupils There are many special education students attending public schools who require services and care that are not available through Alameda's County Mental Health Department. In many cases, these services are too expensive for their families to obtain through their own resources.
It is important to meet the special clinical needs of local children without placing undue financial burden on their families. CSPP has contracted with the County of Alameda to conduct mental health pilot and assessment programs for special education pupils. In this pilot program, four CSPP students assist in developing appropriate treatment plans and providing outpatient therapy based on each child's individual psychodiagnostic evaluation. Through this program, these children are able to receive specialized services that would otherwise be unavailable or too costly. They also develop the skills necessary to succeed within the public school system and continue with their education, personal growth, and pursuing their goals Gerald Y. Michaels, Associate Professor; and Daniel O. Taube, Assistant Professor
Funding Source: County of Alameda
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