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The
Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology at
the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
(MSPP) can serve as one example of the issues that
arise as psychologists opt to pursue training in this
area. The program is now 5 years old. MSPP graduated
their first class in 2003 and additional classes in
2004 and 2005 and now has an alumni group of 30 psychologists
from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut
and Rhode Island.
Year I Curriculum
Our four semester program begins with a course in
Biological Foundations, including Human Anatomy, Physiology
and Pathophysiology and Selected Topics in Biochemistry.
This course is taught by a health psychologist who
is also a professor of physiology and a Ph.D. level
neuropharmacologist. The next course taught is Introduction
to Physical Assessment and Pathophysiology II. This
course is taught by a family physician and a psychiatrist.
Our students then proceed to a Neuroscience course
taught by two neuroscience professors from M.I.T.
and University of Massachusetts and a psychiatrist
from a leading medical school faculty.
Year II Curriculum
Year II begins with Pharmacology and Clinical Psychopharmacology
I, which is followed by Pharmacology and Psychopharmacology
II. These courses are directed by a psychologist and
neuropharmacologist with assistance from additional
teachers from the fields of psychology, behavioral
neurology, adult and child psychiatry, psychiatry
with a specialty in substance abuse and a professor
of pharmacology. In the later sections of this course,
we teach the scientific bases for the psychopharmacological
treatment of, for instance, schizophrenia and psychotic
disorders with one or more days with an active practitioner
in this area who addresses clinical management considerations.
For example, our psychoses section finishes with instruction
from a psychiatrist and a psychologist who direct
an urban community health center caring for the chronically
mentally ill. In the latter half of the fourth and
final semester, we conclude with a course on Pharmacotherapeutics
which covers areas including practicing in a diverse
world, legal, ethical and professional issues as well
as medical co-morbidity, drug-drug interaction and
pharmaco-epidemiology. This course is team taught
by two psychologists and a professor of pharmacology.
Workload
Depending on past training in the sciences, students
report studying 6 to 15 hours a week outside of
class in the first year. In the second year, when
students have a solid foundation in the sciences,
the study time per week decreases. Students use
e-mail to discuss course content in between classes.
Examinations and papers are most often given as
take home tests. continued
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Copyright
2005 Council for the National Register of Health Service
Providers in Psychology
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