Psy.D. in Applied Clinical Psychology

Program Description

The Chicago School's Applied Clinical Psychology doctoral program is recognized for its culturally competent training and offers students a multitude of opportunities to utilize their education in real-world settings. Students at the L.A. and Orange County campuses may apply to complete their clinical training hours at one of the Chicago School Counseling Centers, two of Southern California's largest and most well-respected community counseling centers. Through our innovative training model, students learn marketing and business operation techniques related to running a private practice, and provide individual and group psychotherapy services. Graduates leave with the skills and training to sit for licensure and launch their careers.

Students have the option to choose one of three concentrations—Generalist, Psychodynamic, or Child Play Therapy and Adolescent Psychotherapy. The Chicago School's Psychodynamic Psychotherapy concentration provides students with essential diagnostic, therapeutic, and consultative skills, as well as in-depth knowledge of psychodynamic theory and exposure to a broad range of dynamically based clinical applications.

The program adheres to a practitioner-scholar model, preparing mental health practitioners with both a broad knowledge of the scientific and theoretical principles and the ability to apply that knowledge to specific clinical situations.

Graduates are equipped with the expert knowledge in theory, research, and practice in clinical psychology needed to serve as lead practitioners and/or senior administrators in both educational and clinical settings. The program can be completed in three years, including an internship.

The curriculum integrates the eight core competencies informed by the educational model of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP), and qualifies graduates to sit for the national licensure exam and licensure by the California Board of Psychology (BOP).

Department

Concentrations

Licensure

Total Credits

Fieldwork Requirements

Degree

• Master's degree in a mental health field from a regionally accredited institution

Coursework

• Specific courses must be complete in a student's Master's program or completed as part of the Psy.D. in Applied Clinical Psychology elective options

Additional

• N/A

Admission Requirements

• Applied Clinical Psychology Requirements

GRE Requirements

Sample Courses

Diagnostic and Clinical Interviewing

Teaches techniques of clinical and diagnostic interviewing and observation. Students learn a variety of techniques for interviewing new clients, including listening skills, aids for giving and receiving feedback, and establishing a relationship with a client. Students also learn ways of incorporating these techniques into models of diagnostic interviewing. Students are exposed to non-verbal methods of interviewing and observation. Techniques for interviewing family members and other collateral sources are taught. Consideration of cultural differences in establishing a relationship and conducting an interview is integral to this course.

Advanced Psychological Assessment

The primary objective of this course is to develop skills that are essential to the interpretation of psychological test findings. Emphasis is placed upon the integration of assessment material from multiple test instruments to develop a comprehensive understanding of the client. Students continue to develop their skills in report writing, differential diagnosis, and formulation of effective therapeutic recommendations.

Research Methods 1: Research Design and Proposal Development

Students learn basic statistical techniques at both the conceptual and applied levels. Emphasis is placed on learning to choose the appropriate statistical technique for a given research question, computation of statistics, and the interpretation of statistics with reference to research hypotheses. Topics covered include central tendency (e.g., mean, median), variance (e.g., standard deviation), z-scores and the normal curve, hypothesis testing, t-tests, correlation, simple regression, analysis of variance, power analytic, and nonparametric techniques (e.g., Chi-Square). In addition, students initiate the process of developing a research proposal that leads to their doctoral dissertation. Students examine the structural elements of a dissertation, conducting a literature search, and evaluating different types of research design and assessment measures.

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