Advanced Psychopathology

PREREQUISITE: Prior graduate coursework in psychopathology and treatment is recommended but not required.

This course focuses on integrating DSM‑5‑TR categorical nosology with dimensional frameworks (HiTOP) and research constructs (RDoC) across the lifespan (child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric). Emphasizes complex comorbidity, cultural formulation, medical/neurological rule‑outs, psychopharmacology literacy, and legally defensible documentation. Adds a deep focus on and integration into the diagnostic process, the administration, scoring, and interpretation of objective measures (standardized rating scales, structured diagnostic interviews, brief neurocognitive screens), including psychometric quality and fairness across developmental stages and cultural groups. Addresses emerging issues in AI, including AI‑related ‘psychosis’ (technology‑mediated perceptual and cognitive distortions), risk amplification and mitigation strategies, and the cautious use of AI tools for case formulation and measurement administration within ethical, legal, and professional boundaries. Includes forensic contexts of assessment from youth to older adults (e.g., violence and suicide risk, capacity/competency screening, disability and academic accommodations, child custody/abuse, criminal responsibility screening, malingering/response validity) with attention to documentation standards and courtroom defensibility.

UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:

• Integrating nosology: Synthesize DSM-5 TR categorical criteria with dimensional frameworks (HiTOP) and research constructs (RDoC) to produce lifespan-sensitive, transdiagnostic case formulations.
• Performing lifespan differential diagnosis: Conduct rigorous differential diagnosis for child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric clients using the Cultural Formulation Interview; document rule-outs for medical/neurologic mimics and substance-induced conditions.
• Evaluating psychometrics & fairness: Evaluate reliability, validity, norms, cut scores, and measurement invariance/fairness of instruments across groups prior to comparing scores.
• Providing objective measurements across the lifespan: Select, administer, score, and defensibly interpret objective measures (symptom inventories, structured interviews, risk tools, personality measures, brief neurocognitive screens) appropriate to developmental level and setting.
• Evaluating psychometrics & fairness: Evaluate reliability, validity, norms, cut scores, and measurement invariance/fairness of instruments across groups prior to comparing scores.
• Performing structured risk formulation: Formulate and document suicide/violence risk with testimony-ready rationale, safety planning, and clear legal/ethical duties (e.g., protect/warn).
• Performing AI-related risk appraisal: Identify and manage technology-mediated risks (e.g., delusional amplification, deepfake exposure, algorithmic reinforcement) and screen for AI-related psychosis-like presentations with safeguards and informed consent.
• Employing transparent, bounded AI use: Employ AI tools for literature synthesis and measurement workflows within scope, with confidentiality protections, documentation of use, and no clinical substitution.
• Exhibiting psychopharmacology literacy: Explain mechanisms, indications, adverse effects, and interactions of major psychotropics; coordinate referrals and monitoring with prescribers.
• Building mechanism-informed treatment planning: Build evidence-based plans that target transdiagnostic mechanisms (e.g., negative emotionality, anhedonia, threat sensitivity) and include objective outcome monitoring.
• Producing legally defensible documentation: Produce clear diagnostic rationales, risk notes, and forensic memoranda suitable for clinical review and court scrutiny.
• Developing forensic applications across the lifespan: Apply foundational principles for capacity/competency screening, custody/abuse considerations, disability/accommodations, and malingering/response-style evaluation with explicit scope-of-practice boundaries.
• Demonstrating professional communication & ethics: Demonstrate OSCE-style oral defenses, interdisciplinary collaboration, cultural humility, and adherence to ethical standards in complex cases.

ACQUIRED SKILLS:

• Advanced differential diagnosis with complex comorbidity across the lifespan, integrating DSM-5-TR with HiTOP and RDoC
• Selection, administration, scoring, and interpretation of objective measures (e.g., symptom inventories, risk screens, response validity indicators, brief neurocognitive screens) with attention to psychometrics and fairness
• Structured suicide/violence risk formulation and documentation to a legally defensible standard; safety-planning and consultation workflows
• Identification of medical/neurological mimics and appropriate referral/collaboration with prescribers and medical specialists
• Forensic-quality documentation and testimony-ready rationale (scope, standards, limitations, and cross-examination resilience)
• Ethical and limited use of AI for literature synthesis, case structuring, and measurement workflows; appraisal of AI-related harms and AI-psychosis presentations
• Integration of psychopharmacology literacy at the counselor-consultant level (mechanisms, adverse effects, monitoring/referral)