Dr. Doug Callan has been teaching at MSP since 2012, primarily in the PsyD program. We’re excited to re-introduce him with this updated faculty spotlight!
Where did you grow up?
Philadelphia, PA
What or who influenced you to study psychology?
There are two intersecting reasons. First, I struggled as a teenager with my self-concept when I was 15 and was referred to a psychiatrist for psychotherapy. Retrospectively, this was great experience that taught me skills, coping mechanisms, and helped me to grow personally. Secondly, I was always curious about why people acted the way they did. I was able to put myself in the shoes of others and identify with their emotions, Both of these lines lead me to study psychology and education in undergraduate school, and later clinical psychology in graduate school.
What are your research and/or clinical interests?
My current research interests include the assessment and treatment of ADHD, neurobiological bases of psychotherapy, and the subcortical influences in cognition and thought. In my clinical work I specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for adults and older adolescents with depression, anxiety, grief and life changing events and transitions.
What appeals to you most about teaching at MSP?
As a psychotherapist, I can help people one at a time. As a professor who teaches students to be psychologists, I can indirectly help hundreds of people. I also enjoy helping students expand their understanding of how people function and help them refine their therapeutic and assessment skills.
What is your favorite non-academic book, and why?
Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. It’s a story of a Martian coming to our world and how he views the world and our practices from his Martian perspective.
I also like James Patterson’s Alex Cross series. Cross is a psychologist who works for various law enforcement agencies helping to solve crimes committed by personality disordered people.
What advice would you like to share with current students?
There are five disparate skills sets that need to be developed during your doctoral level training. First, you must master the academic information presented in class. That is familiar since it is similar to college, but with depth and more reading. Second, is learning how to transform academic knowledge into the practice of psychotherapy as well as learning how to function as a clinical psychologist. This is acquired in practica and in supervision. Third, is learning how to conduct scientific inquiry in the form of researching and writing a dissertation. This skill set is most unfamiliar to the doctoral student. The fourth skill is synthesizing all of the above information in order to pass the licensing exam (EPPP). My advice to student is to read more than the recommended readings from the various syllabi and become familiar with journals and publication outside clinical psychology (e.g. neuroscience, psychiatry, health psychology, cognitive psychology, etc.) that may inform your thinking as a clinical psychologist. Finally, the fifth key is, upon graduation, to maintain a learning mindset and continue to develop one’s clinical, supervisory, and administrative skills. This is accomplished through periodic consultation with a more seasoned clinician, attendance at skill-building conferences, and continuing to read journal and books both in and outside of your specialty areas.
