The Human Services Psychology Program has an integrative conceptual structure encompassing three component specialty tracks in behavioral medicine or health psychology, clinical psychology (APA accredited), and community psychology. Within the HSP Program’s conceptual framework, these tracks are regarded as differing primarily in their particular focus within the human services matrix and in how they conceive of and approach the generic problems of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of psychological and physical disorders.
Focuses on problems involving relations between behavioral and biological levels of human functioning, problems more typically seen in medical settings, and problems related to physical health.
(APA accredited) focuses on problems involving behavioral and psychological functioning of adults, children, and families, and includes assessment and treatment of those problems.
The Community Psychology Track
Focuses on the community settings, social resources, and human services policies that influence the effective functioning of both individuals and communities.
We believe that the location of these three programs within the Human Services Psychology Program offers students in each program a broader and richer educational experience (and the potential for a more integrative perspective) than they would otherwise receive. In addition, students are encouraged to combine areas of focus. Thus there are sub-specialties spanning several programs: Clinical/Behavioral Medicine, Clinical/Community, Child Clinical/Behavioral Medicine, Child Clinical/Community, and Community and Behavioral Medicine.
The HSP program’s primary commitment is to training psychologists for research and service in the public sector, placing special emphasis on the problems of inner-city, minority and poor populations, and of children, youth, and the aged. The program is integrative in that all students are required to have some coursework from each of the specialty tracks and are encouraged to consider a combination specialty program such as Clinical/Behavioral Medicine, Clinical/Community or Community/Behavioral Medicine, child clinical/Behavioral medicine, or child clinical/Community.
The Applied Behavior Analysis Track
The HSP program also includes a terminal master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, offered by the department in collaboration with the Department of Behavioral Psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. Applied behavior analysis addresses significant problems at the level of the behavior of the individual. Its many applications include behavior problems in children, parent training, developmental disabilities, education and behavioral medicine. Mastery of applied behavior analysis calls for competence in the detailed knowledge base of learning theory, behavior analysis, observational measurement techniques, treatment design, and the various skills essential to delivering services and maintaining their effectiveness.