Desired Educational Outcomes
Regardless of the level of the psychology degree program or the focus on either clinical or organizational psychology, twelve outcomes are fundamental to the school:
- An understanding of the full range of normal developmental processes of humans and how these influence behavior and functioning across the life span.
- The capacity to influence community life through multiple roles and functions, including those of teacher, learner, scholar, researcher, leader and advocate.
- An understanding of both traditional and nontraditional research methods that illuminate the human condition and the ability to comprehend and appreciate literature coming from many different disciplinary perspectives.
- An ability to work with other leaders and professionals from different disciplinary backgrounds and an appreciation of the methods and scope of other disciplines.
- An understanding of the ethical issues in leadership and psychological practice and of the principles of effective and ethical performance in a professional role.
- An ability to relate psychological knowledge to the social and cultural context of those individuals and organizations that are being served.
- An attitude of ongoing and critical self-evaluation, including the ability to know when and where to get consultation, coaching, and other forms of assistance.
- A broad familiarity with the disciplinary foundations of human knowledge: biological, social, cognitive, and affective, and the capacity to appreciate, integrate and apply psychological knowledge in a wide variety of social and cultural settings.
- Understanding of the critical/reflective process, based on personal experience, and an understanding of the relationship between scholarship, research and application.
- Dialogical skills, including the skills of hermeneutic and phenomenological inquiry.
- An understanding of an array of intervention models and the strengths and limitations of each, as well as an integration of other models and empirical information into a personal model that provides a basis for informed practice.
- Flexibility, tolerance of ambiguity, and commitment to ongoing professional development and learning.