Editor’s note: Adler University offers a variety of unique learning experiences that train future practitioners to strengthen global health outcomes. This is Adler is a series that highlights the distinctive programs, courses, and individuals shaping how Adler’s foundation in Gemeinschaftsgefühl continues to influence systemic approaches to community well-being across the University.

Lithium and mood stabilizers. Antidepressants. Antipsychotics. Sleeping pills and minor tranquillizers.

Mental health clinicians often encounter clients who may be taking one or more medications to treat mental disorders.

Then there are those treating diabetes, taking blood thinners, consuming alcohol and caffeine — or all of the above.

But how long do specific substances stay in the body? How does a particular medication affect the brain and behaviour? How do all these drugs work or interact with each other?

“Having the understanding or answers to these questions can be crucial in making sure our clients receive the proper care they need,” said Adler Professor Amir Sepehry, Ph.D.

When Dr. Sepehry joined Adler in 2017, one of his first initiatives was to propose a psychopharmacology course that would be integrated into clinical training. Grounded in both research and practice, his focus was clear: equip future clinicians with the knowledge to understand how medications impact the brain, behavior, and the therapeutic process.

Dr. Sepehry

Psychopharmacology — the study of how medications influence the nervous system and behavior — has a long and complex history in mental health. The field emerged in the mid-20th century with the introduction of medications like chlorpromazine (Thorazine), which dramatically changed how disorders such as schizophrenia were treated. As new drug classes emerged — antidepressants, mood stabilizers, stimulants — so did questions around ethical use, effectiveness, and how best to incorporate pharmacological understanding into therapeutic practice.

“Understanding how medications influence mental processes and behavior is essential for effective clinical care,” said Dr. Sepehry, who recently published his study, “Prescriptive Authority for Psychologists and Scope of Practice: A National Survey of Canadian Psychologists and Psychology Students,” in Canadian Psychology.

Today, PSYD 690 — Psychopharmacology is one of the required courses for students in the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program at Adler University in Vancouver. It’s one of the few such courses offered to doctoral psychology students in Canada. As part of the learning experience, Dr. Sepehry provides students with a list of medications, including those not typically associated with mental health, such as ibuprofen and other over-the-counter drugs.

By the end of the course, students are expected to:

• Be able to name and describe the appropriate use and possible side-effects of representatives of the major classes of psychotropic medications.
• Be able to articulate the special considerations needed when using psychotropic medications with special populations.
• Be able to articulate the clinical uses and associated risks of the most popular herbal remedies and nutritional supplements.
• Be knowledgeable in a variety of current issues regarding medications including the debate on clinical prescription privileges for psychologists, and the role of social institutions in perpetuating discrimination and oppression in the use of medications.

Adler University’s approach to training mental health professionals is rooted in Alfred Adler’s belief that individual well-being is deeply tied to community health. That vision — of practitioners as engaged, informed, and community-anchored — comes to life in learning experiences like PSYD 690.

By combining scientific rigor, clinical application, and social awareness, the psychopharmacology experience helps ensure that Adler graduates are not only equipped to understand medications but also to consider how those medications fit within each client’s larger story — medical, psychological, and social.

“This introductory course is robust, evidence-based, and tailored toward students in clinical practice,” he said. “It’s designed it to make sure our students know how medications affect their clients in order to be able to effectively assist in client recovery and healing.”