This program provides a framework for sustained departmental programming in culturally informed care that may be pursued to earn a certificate from the University of South Alabama’s Clinical & Counseling Psychology PhD Program. This is an optional, self-paced program that is open to CCP doctoral students only.
Tiered Training Structure
In order to complete the full certification process, students must complete all three tiers before beginning their predoctoral internship. In order to initiate involvement in the certificate program, students must complete the Tier 1 requirements and submit all necessary documentation via REDCap, which will be reviewed by faculty members of the CCP SJA committee. All faculty representatives on the CCP SJA committee will share responsibility for reviewing student materials, overseeing the certification process, and tracking student progress and completion of the certification.
Students must receive confirmation from a faculty representative of the CCP SJA committee that they have successfully completed Tiers 1 and 2 before moving on to Tier 3; however, they can do individual tasks for Tiers 1 and 2 in any order. Students who successfully complete each tier will be acknowledged at the monthly CCP SJA Journal Club and in the monthly CCP SJA Newsletter.
The tiered training structure is as follows:
Tier 1 - Certification in Introductory Concepts related to Culturally Informed Care
If students choose to pursue this optional certification, they must…
CE Lunch & Learns. Attend two CCP SJA Lunch & Learns, of which there are two hosted per academic year. The CCP SJA Lunch & Learns provide foundational information for an understanding of key issues related to delivering culturally informed care, as well as an orientation to skills that are necessary to provide culturally informed clinical service to minoritized and underserved communities and individuals.
CCP SJA Journal Club. Attend one CCP SJA Journal Club, of which there is one hosted per month during the academic year. Journal clubs facilitate the application of core concepts to more nuanced topics, a variety of which will be provided in order to ensure that many areas of interest are represented.
Personal Statement. Write a (500 word) personal statement describing the experiences they have obtained while completing Tier 1, discussing how doing so has enabled them to become more sensitive to and knowledgeable about issues related to culturally informed care, and identifying areas for future growth in their clinical training.
All materials for Tier 1 may be submitted via REDCap (linked below).
Tier 2 - Certification in Intermediate Experiential Concepts related to Culturally Informed Care
If students choose to pursue this optional certification, they must…
Other Training Opportunities. Complete four additional hours of training related to the delivery of culturally informed care. Students may pursue other training opportunities in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:
Participation in relevant days of ongoing courses in the department when the focus relates to multicultural issues, at the instructor’s discretion.
Training opportunities outside of the department, such as Safe Zone training, discussion hours at conferences or professional gatherings, etc.
Involvement in programmatic intergroup dialogues.
Cultural Immersion Experience. Complete a cultural immersion experience (lasting 1 hour at minimum) in addition to or outside of any requirements for courses the student may be enrolled in (e.g., Multicultural Psychology). This means that this experience would have to be completed in addition to the requirements for other classes and students who complete a cultural immersion experience for another course could not use it to meet the requirement for this certification.
Students will first identify an opportunity to spend time with a culture or with individuals that are: a.) not of their own/not an aspect of their identity and b.) relevant to their clinical work or program of research. This experience is intended to challenge the student’s biases or preconceptions.
Examples include but are not limited to: attending religious services for a church/spiritual or religious group, going to LGBTQIA+ events, attending the Poarch Creek Indians' Annual Pow Wow, attending the Regional Autism Network’s constituency board quarterly meetings, events posted in the monthly CCP SJA Newsletter, etc.
The student will then confirm the appropriateness of this experience with a faculty member of the CCP SJA committee via email. Upon receiving confirmation that the experience is suitable, students will complete the cultural immersion before writing a 2-page (~1,000 word) reflection about their experience. In the reflection, students will be expected to examine how this experience relates to their own cultural heritage, gender, racial identity, or other aspects of their identity, and how this has contributed to their understanding and delivery of culturally informed care.
All materials for Tier 2 may be submitted via REDCap (linked below).
Tier 3 - Certification in Advanced Concepts related to Culturally Informed Care
If students choose to pursue this optional certification, they must…
SJA Apprenticeship. Complete a research, clinical, or community-based apprenticeship that affords them the opportunity to gain better understanding of a specific topic (chosen by the student) related to culturally informed care, integrate their understanding of this topic with their knowledge from the previous two tiers, and foster their growing expertise into action. The apprenticeship will be supervised by a mentor who was identified by the student and approved by a faculty representative of the CCP SJA committee. Mentors may include professors (within or outside of the Psychology Department, within or outside of the University) or community members. The apprenticeship should include monthly meetings to engage in discussion with and seek supervision from the identified mentor, learning activities (experiential or otherwise) relevant to the specific topic, and should culminate in a final product. This apprenticeship should last for at least one continuous semester.
Students are expected to submit a written proposal to the CCP SJA committee via REDCap which should include:
Name of the proposed mentor
Specific topic or area of interest in the broad domain of culturally informed care (e.g., neurodiversity, bias in assessment, culturally adapted treatment modalities, etc.)
Description of the apprenticeship (250 words or less)
List of three measurable goals
Final intended product
At the conclusion of the apprenticeship, students are expected to provide a final written report of the apprenticeship including documentation of the final product signed by the mentor confirming completion of the apprenticeship. This will be submitted via REDCap. The following documents, in addition to those listed in the proposal, should be included:
Report of how the student’s progress in meeting their previously specified goals
3-page (~1,500 word) reflection integrating their experiences throughout the tiers, as well as their thoughts about how they expect these experiences to shape their trajectories as clinicians/therapists.
Research Apprenticeship Examples:
Analyze previously gathered internal data in order to examine which outcomes/metrics of success GRE/ACT/SAT scores predict for students admitted to the university. Examine unique effects for students from minoritized backgrounds.
Assess the prospects for improving the delivery of autism services in rural communities using a hybrid telehealth technology-supplemented approach and present findings at a national conference.
Clinical Apprenticeship Examples:
Create and facilitate a support group for first-generation undergraduate and graduate students in an effort to provide a space to discuss issues that concern first-generation students and allow opportunities for mentorship and social support.
Create a database of culturally-informed treatment manuals and materials that will be disseminated to graduate student trainees for use in the psychological clinic. Develop and provide training on a subsection of the training manuals.
Community-based Apprenticeship Examples:
Develop training for instructors including education about common disabilities encountered by instructors, how accommodations work and how instructors should implement them, and tips for creating a more inclusive classroom. Online training modules will be developed and disseminated via the services for students with disabilities office.
Develop and implement a series of focus groups within the psychology department that will explore opinions and experiences, with the goal of improving and promoting practices to reduce discrimination and prejudice, as well as to inform and improve instructorship, teaching mentorship, and curriculum development.
All CIC Certification materials can be submitted via REDCap (link here)
Any questions about the CIC Certification can be directed to Dr. Albright