Welcome to the Department of Graduate Psychology and Counseling! Each day the department’s faculty, staff, and students live out our mission to transform students into outstanding practitioners and scholars of psychology. We strive to create a community that celebrates diversity and creativity, one that values learning, scholarship, and service to others. Our department offers three doctoral, five masters/EdS, and two certificate programs.

Our Combined Clinical & School Psychology (PsyD) program is a leading, innovative program that produces health services psychologists who can work effectively to integrate theory and research to inform skillful practice with diverse individuals across the lifespan and the spectrum of mental health functioning in a wide array of contexts (e.g. schools, community mental health centers, and hospitals). Our Assessment & Measurement (PhD) program is based on a scholar-practitioner model combining rigorous, theory-based course work in assessment, measurement, and quantitative models with extensive real-world assessment experiences in JMU’s Center for Assessment and Research Services. Our Counseling & Supervision (PhD) program utilizes a flexible and engaging low-residency model to train experienced clinical mental health and school counselors for meaningful careers as counselor educators.

The diverse array of masters and educational specialist programs train students to be culturally responsive and prepared for a variety of professional careers as well as to be scholars who conduct meaningful and impactful research. The Psychological Sciences (MA) program develops students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities in scientific inquiry, methods, and analysis to equip them to apply their research-based training as researchers, consultants, and/or practitioners. Our EdS School Psychology program is committed to preparing culturally-competent school psychologists with an emphasis on understanding students within a system’s context, knowledge of socially just educational practices, and advocacy. The School Counseling concentration is a 60-hour, CACREP-accredited component of our MA/EdS program in which students receive specialized training on child- and adolescent-focused interventions. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration of our MA/EdS program infuses social justice and culturally-responsive practice in our training to help our graduates meet the mental health needs of diverse and complex communities. Our College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA) concentration of the MEd/EdS program integrates academic course work, practical experiences, and a strong counseling core to prepare students for professional positions in universities, colleges, and community colleges. The two certificate programs provide specialized training to those in the workforce who want up-to-date graduate-level training in either CSPA or Higher Education Assessment without committing to an actual program. Our Counseling and Psychological Services Clinic, in partnership with Page Memorial Hospital and the Page Free Clinic, was awarded a HRSA grant to expand its training and service capacity to local rural communities.

We view contemporary psychology and counseling as disciplines that intersect with many others, providing a multitude of opportunities for our students to engage in inter-professional practice. Special facets of our programs include employing a strong mentoring model with individualized attention and numerous opportunities to participate in faculty- and student-driven research. Our faculty focus is on the growth and development of each graduate student while providing opportunities for students to gain experience in culturally-relevant and socially just practice.