In the Clinical Psychology Training Program at UNL, we believe that the goal of graduate training in clinical psychology is to produce clinical psychologists who are capable of functioning in various positions and contexts as clinicians, teachers, and researchers. Clinical psychologists are well-rounded scholars and scientists who keep up-to-date with the current research, who apply scientific findings in their clinical practice, and who emphasize critical thinking, and scientific integrity in their work.
State Probation - Specialized Substance Abuse Supervision Unit
The State Probation Specialized Substance Abuse Supervision Unit (SSAS) is supervised by Dennis McChargue, PhD. Most of his students complete a one year clinicial placement at this site. Patients admitted to the SSAS unit are individuals with current felony drug charges that are at a high risk for substance use and criminogenic recidivism. As the primary psychological consultant at the SSAS unit, advanced graduate students work closely with SSAS officers regarding problematic behaviors and possibly correspond with substance abuse treatment facilities within the community. Advanced graduate student externs also provide empirically-based individual psychotherapy for individuals with a range of co-morbid substance use and mental health problems. Clients include both men and women of varying ages and typically represent a diverse population of ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Other responsibilities include conducting semi-structured diagnostic interviews, scoring and interpreting SCL-90's as baseline assessments for individuals screened for the program, and completing psychological evaluation referrals.
Psychological Consultation Clinic - Substance Abuse Clinic
Dr. McChargue's students often see indivdiual clients seeking substance abuse treatment and/or substance use evalutions through the Clinical Psychology Department's Psychological Consultation Clinic (PCC). Second year students receive formal clincial training through the PCC. After the second year, students involved in the B-Smart lab have a small caseload of clients related to the substance abuse clinic.
Other Clinical Placements
Clincial psychology students at UNL also engage in a wide variety of other clincial placements over the course of their training. Starting their second year, students can rank the placements they would ideally like to participate in for the upcoming year. Faculty then place students at these clincial placements with the attempt to give students one of their top three choices. Many of Dr. McChargue's students have participated in forensic, neurological, and assessment focused placements.