Kansas Psychoanalytic-Friendly Universities

Department of Psychology
Washburn University
1700 College
Topeka, KS  66621
Telephone: (785) 670-1565
Fax: (785) 670-1004
Associate Professor and Department Chair: Dave Provorse, PhD

Survey Response

Is your doctoral program accredited by the American Psychological Association? 
No. As a terminal masters program with an emphasis in clinical skills, APA does not accredit such programs.

Is your program considered open to and inclusive of Psychoanalytical/Psychodynamic theory and practice? 
Yes. While we do not provide “hands on” clinical training from the Psychoanalytic orientation, it is taught in theoretical courses and used in case conceptualization. We also cover a few projective tests in our assessment courses (TAT, CAT, Rorschach).

Does your program have any faculty that are certified psychoanalysts, or in psychoanalytical training? 
Yes. Among full-time tenure track faculty, the answer is no. But, in any given semester, 1-3 of our adjunct professors have a primarily psychoanalytic background and training.   

Does your program have psychoanalytically-oriented faculty, and include psychoanalytical thought in their courses? 
Yes. See above.

Does your program require introductory courses on psychoanalytical theories and psychotherapy? 
No. While the content of lower-level and introductory includes coverage of psychoanalytic theory and therapy, there are no courses with this as the exclusive, or even primary, focus.  

Which psychoanalytical theoretical perspectives does your Program offer?
Freudian/Classical

Does your program cover special topics from psychoanalytical perspectives such as treatment of severe psychopathology, race, class, gender/sexuality, dreams, supervision, transference/counter-transference? 
No. Discussions of transference/countertransference occur to a limited degree within the context of clinical supervision of our masters-level student-therapists.

Does your program require courses on short-term psychotherapy and crisis intervention that include psychoanalytical perspectives? 
No. Again, this content is included within the context of a few courses, but is not the primary focus of any courses. 

Program Description Provided by the Institution

Psychology Masters Program with an emphasis in clinical skills
The Psychology Masters Program with an emphasis in clinical skills at Washburn University provides students exposure to a wide array of theoretical orientations. After receiving a strong classroom-based foundation in case conceptualization from the Psychoanalytic, Behavioral and Humanistic schools, students complete practicum within our university-based Psychological Services Clinic focused on Anxiety and Mood Disorders utilizing skills drawn primarily from the Cognitive-Behavioral and Interpersonal Process approaches, with a small dose of Brief therapy. Students also acquire education in, and experience facilitating, Group Therapy from both Irwin Yalom’s Group Process model and a Cognitive-Behavioral framework. In regards to psychological testing/assessment, students acquire competence in the administration, scoring and interpretation of the WAIS-IV and WISC-III, MMPI, TAT and CAT, and ADIS, and receive some exposure to the Rorschach and other diagnostic screening instruments. Finally, students complete their clinical training with a nine-month, 750-hour, supervised internship at a community-based mental health service agency (eg: community mental health center, family service/child guidance center, state prison, state psychiatric or other inpatient hospital, or private group practice). These agencies reflect a variety of theoretical and practice orientations, offer a diverse array of clients, and provide a mix of therapy and assessment opportunities. Immediately after completing the masters program (and having passed the EPPP licensing exam) graduates are eligible for licensure as “Masters Level Psychologists” within the State of Kansas. And, after an additional 4,000 hours of supervised clinical practice post-degree (approximately 2 years of full-time employment), graduates are eligible to become “Licensed Clinical Psychotherapists”, a level of licensure that enables pursuit of private/independent practice in the State of Kansas.