I loved this class. For someone who is interested in a career in mental health, this class was very informative and enjoyable. Prof Hurd is very nice, describes things clearly, is open to talking with students, and doesn't assign too many readings. As long as you go to lecture and review your notes before the exams, you'll be fine. She does a great job of making the lectures feel more like discussions by asking lots of questions and having us talk in groups about our opinions on a topic. The exam questions are straightforward and directly related to what she focuses on in class. Definitely take this class if you are interested in mental illnesses, how to become a psychologist, different job options in the mental health field, and ethical concerns related to clinical psychology.

This class was not enjoyable. Unfortunately, I took the class the semester she began implementing the book in the exams...so while everyone was saying this class was easy, it became difficult because you needed to read the book in order to do well on the exams. Studying from the powerpoints was not enough to do well in the class anymore. The class really wasnt enjoyable. The lectures were bland. Oh and there are like 4 free response questions on all the exams, so study hard!!!!

This was not a challenging course. The material was pretty straightforward, especially if you've taken other psychology courses. Attend class and pay attention to the discussions as many of the short answer questions on the test stemmed from these. Hurd is a nice professor. There are also several guest lectures.

Professor Hurd is probably one of the nicest and most accommodating professors at UVa. While the material was kind of dry, it was definitely very informative and provided information about what it actually takes to be a clinical psychologist (hint: it's extremely difficult). All of the exams were multiple choice, and I think there were three and a final. She also offered an extra credit opportunity that ended up adding about five points onto the end of your final grade, which is a huge boost. Overall, I would say take this class if you're really interested in doing clinical; otherwise, abnormal would probably be a better choice.