Program Overview

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical and School Psychology

Description

The mission of the clinical and school psychology (Psy.D.) doctoral program is to produce leading professional psychologists who are broadly trained in the science and practice of psychology, actively self-reflective, optimally prepared to work in a wide variety of settings with diverse clientele and demonstrably committed to an ethic of personal responsibility, social awareness and global engagement.

Combined-Integrated training is an innovative concept that merges the traditional professional areas of clinical, counseling and school psychology into a generalist approach that provides students with a broad foundation from which to operate. A generalist orientation opens up pathways to draw from each of the three practice areas in a manner that is complementary and synergistic. The rationale for C-I training stems from the fact that there is a) tremendous overlap in the basic training of the three specialty areas of clinical, counseling and school psychology; b) there is a need to define the core competencies of professional psychologists; and c) there are emerging trends for greater unity within the field.

In regards to training objectives, we work to graduate psychologists to serve as general practitioners, primary care providers and health service psychologists who can:

• Understand and integrate contributions and perspectives from three major areas of applied activity in our larger field (i.e., clinical, counseling and school psychology);
• Develop conceptualizations of human behavior that integrate biological, psychological and social dimensions of analysis;
• Integrate various theoretical perspectives into a coherent whole; and
• Work effectively in an interprofessional context.

A limited number of full-time students are admitted each year. All students receive a full-time teaching or graduate assistantship that includes tuition.

The clinical and school psychology (Psy.D.) doctoral program exhibits strong commitment to diversity through:

• A required course specific to multicultural issues
• Multicultural/gender issues covered in course work throughout the curriculum
• Practical experiences with clients from a variety of cultures and backgrounds
• Faculty with interests in international issues

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• School Psychology