Courses I Teach

PSYC 3273: Adolescent Development
This course provides an overview of theory and research on physical and psychological development during adolescence. Youths’ involvement in various contexts (e.g., family, peers, school, leisure) is also reviewed. Emphasis is on normative adolescent behaviour rather than problems that can occur during adolescence.

PSYC 4215: Individuals with Disabilities
This course examines issues that may arise for individuals with various disabilities and their families across the lifespan, such as receiving a diagnosis, school and employment opportunities, and independent living. The causes, characteristics, and challenges associated with specific cognitive, language, sensory, and physical disabilities are also reviewed.

PSYC 6203: Psychological Problems of Children and Adolescents
In this seminar, we review theory and research on a variety of psychological problems that occur among children and adolescents. The focus is on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural presentation of these problems; we also consider prevalence, sex/age differences, etiology, comorbidity, prognosis, and DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Current issues in child clinical psychology are also discussed.

PSYC 6211: Assessment Skills with Children and Adolescents
This course provides students with core knowledge and initial skills relevant to the psychological assessment of children and adolescents. Topics covered include a review of different types of assessment procedures/instruments used with children and youths; a review of ethical and professional issues that may arise during assessments; and a review of key assessment issues (e.g., combining data from multiple sources). Students also have an opportunity to acquire supervised practice in the administration and scoring of instruments often used with school-aged children/adolescents (e.g., the WISC-IV, WIAT-II), and some experience with test interpretation and report writing.

PSYC 6401: Clinical and Developmental Issues in Families
This seminar course offers students a review of theory and research on developmental transitions and clinical problems in families across the lifespan. Specific topics include transition to parenthood, family caregiving, and effects of divorce and remarriage on parents and their children. Models of family therapy and assessment tools used to conceptualize family problems are also discussed.