Only two or three programs in the country provide the unusual mix of training needed to pursue the exciting field of prevention and early intervention for psychological disorders.

To predict and/or detect disorders before they cause much suffering, students in our new programs are trained in:

Processes underlying disorder -- ranging from the brain to society

Neural processes, basic and complex cognition, development of psychopathology, social/cultural aspects of disorder

Recent advances in methodology not usually taught to Psychology students

Longitudinal techniques, epidemiology, program evaluation, multivariate statistics, cost-benefit analyses, neuroimaging.

Knowledge of particular disorders

Language/learning disability, depression, sleep disorders, stress, AIDS, cancer, substance abuse.

Intervention in a variety of settings

Group and multicultural counseling, school-based interventions, parent education and family therapy, psycho-educational and community intervention, social marketing.

The 20th century saw increased reliance on psychotherapy for psychological disorders; the 21st century will see increased reliance on prevention of these disorders. The National Institute of Mental Health, the Surgeon General of the United States, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences are only some of the many sources that have called for increased research and training in mental health promotion and illness prevention. The Institute projects demand for personnel trained in prevention in academia, community organizations, and federal, state, and local departments of education, social service, and health. Prevention researchers may also be employed by managed care and insurance companies, corporate personnel departments, and foundations.

Rationale

To meet this growing need, the Doctoral Program in Experimental Cognition of the City University of New York and the Masters Program in Psychology of the City College of New York, with the assistance of the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology of the City University of New York, are offering training in research and practice in the prevention of psychological disorders.

Training that is both broad and deep

There will never be enough psychotherapists available to treat the problems even of all of the middle-class people living in industrial nations, let alone those from poorer backgrounds and from less-developed countries. Prevention and early intervention are needed before problems develop fully. Psychology, along with other disciplines, including Public Health, already has many tools to investigate, and sometimes predict, the development of psychological disorders. Psychology also has many means of intervening to alter the conditions that lead to disorder - in communities, families, schools, peer groups, and using the mass media and the internet. Recent advances in program evaluation allow psychologists to determine which aspects of interventions are effective and ready to be widely applied, and to use this information to improve our understanding of the causes of disorders. To make use of this knowledge, students must receive training in a combination of disciplines and skills that is available in few, if any, existing training programs. City College along with City University bring together faculty who trained and/or worked in the wide range of disciplines needed to effectively research, create, and implement preventive efforts. These disciplines include health psychology, development of psychopathology, counseling psychology, public health and epidemiology, clinical psychology, program evaluation, social psychology, positive psychology, community psychology, educational psychology, medical anthropology, community medicine, internet education, and mass communication. The shared interest of these faculty in the important topics of depression/stress, language disability, and physical illness (e.g. AIDS, cancer) provides students with depth as well as breadth.

Multicultural Emphasis

The experience of program faculty in multicultural counseling, developmental issues of African-Americans, and the problems of women, immigrants, gay and lesbian people, homeless families, and the elderly will allow graduates of the programs to participate in building a Psychology of Prevention that is applicable to the needs of all people.