Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at Divine Mercy University
Graduates of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences’ (IPS) Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology program are trained to address today’s mental health challenges by utilizing advanced psychotherapy skills, psychological testing, and a focus on specific pathologies and concepts within the field of psychology.
Our Psy.D. graduates are working in a variety of settings and positions:
- private practice
- outpatient clinics
- diocesan consultation
- with the military, and
- as faculty at clinical psychology programs.
The Psy.D. program consists of 122 semester credit hours of coursework: 101 credit hours of psychology, 12 credit hours of integrative studies in philosophy and theology, and a minimum of 9 credit hours of dissertation research. Students must also complete a minimum of 1,500 hours of clinical externship (with the initial year of practicum training occurring in the IPS Center for the Psychological Services and additional training occurring in both secular and nonsecular off-site clinical settings), pass a comprehensive examination, author and defend a doctoral dissertation, and complete 2,000 hours in an APPIC-member pre-doctoral internship.
The IPS Doctoral Program (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA).*
This program adopts as its training model a modified version of the Practitioner-Scholar model, which is based upon guidelines developed by the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSSP).
Six core areas of knowledge, skills, and competencies serve as the foundation of the Psy.D. program goals and objectives and are embodied by the curricula:
Goal 1: Foundations in Psychological Sciences and Research.
Graduates will attain foundational psychological sciences knowledge of biological, cognitive, affective, social, and developmental aspects of the human person, as well as history and systems of psychology, psychological measurement, research design, and statistical methods. Graduates will have the skills necessary to conduct their own psychological research;
Goal 2: Integrity in Practice.
Graduates will be knowledgeable in the areas of diversity and ethics, and display critical thinking, self-aware/reflective practice, and self-care. Graduates will demonstrate responsiveness to supervision, collegiality, and professional comportment in professional practice;
Goal 3: Assessment and Diagnosis.
Graduates will be able to: conduct clinical interviewing; perform intake evaluation; demonstrate knowledge in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychological assessment; integrate multiple sources of test data and clinical interview information into a written report; diagnose; and develop a treatment plan;
Goal 4: Therapeutic Intervention.
Graduates will be able to demonstrate case conceptualization, treatment planning, building and maintaining the therapeutic relationship, psychotherapy skills, crisis management of urgent and special circumstances, and discharge planning;
Goal 5: Professional Roles.
Graduates will be able to function in a variety of required roles of professional psychologists to include consultant, educator, supervisor, practice manager and program evaluator. They will be able to work collaboratively within interdisciplinary teams and with clients; and
Goal 6: Clinical Practice from a Catholic Integrative Perspective.
Graduates will have developed a Catholic understanding of human flourishing in the individual person and marriage and family life, and be able to integrate this with the Psychological sciences in clinical practice.
The IPS Clinical Psychology program at DMU aims to prepare our students to become licensed clinical psychologists and trained in the best empirical, scientific and clinical methods of psychology as well as the Christian understanding of the person, marriage and the family. Contact us today to request information about our Psy.D. program in clinical psychology!
*Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation: Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation American Psychological Association 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation