Psy.D. Clinical Psychology – Anaheim

Application to The Chicago School’s Clinical Psychology program at Anaheim is open to any person who has earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and who meets other entrance requirements. Applicants must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or a graduate GPA of 3.25 for consideration.

Students applying to the Psy.D. Clinical Psychology program must submit the following:

• Application
• Application fee: $50
• Personal/professional goal statement with a self-appraisal of qualifications for the profession
• Current Curriculum Vitae or résumé
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended where transfer credit is being requested
• Essay
• Admissions interview
• 15 semester hours of psychology credit including Introduction to Psychology or General Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Psychopathology, or Maladaptive Behavior, Statistics, and two additional psychology courses

Send materials to:

Admissions Operations
c/o The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
203 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 1900
Chicago, IL 60601

Accreditation

The Clinical Psy.D. program at the Anaheim Campus is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

The American Psychological Association
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
750 First Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002-4242
202.336.5979

Licensure

For information on whether a program at The Chicago School meets or does not meet licensure eligibility requirements for the state in which you wish to be licensed, please visit our licensure disclosures page.

Practicum Experience

The practicum is an integral component of clinical training. It provides a closely supervised clinical experience in which students use the knowledge obtained in the classroom to understand their clients and to develop skills in assessment, psychotherapy, and other discipline related areas. As such, the practicum serves to integrate the theoretical and practical aspects of the education of the professional psychologist. It allows students to become familiar with professional collaboration and consultation in a clinical setting.

Full-time students will normally be placed in a Diagnostic Practicum and Seminar during their second year of study, in a Therapy Practicum and Seminar during their third year of study, and in an Advanced Practicum during their fourth year of study. For each of the Diagnostic, Therapy, and Advanced Practicum years, the student will be required to spend a minimum of 600 hours in the practicum training experience.

Internship

All students are required to complete an internship—12-month full time or 24-month part time—following the completion of all coursework, practica, and dissertation requirements. On internship, students integrate academic knowledge with clinical skills and demonstrate the effective and ethical use of these skills in clinical practice. Through intensive supervised training, students gain direct experience in applying their knowledge to a clinical population. The internship is a vital component of the educational experience and is never waived or transferred.

Comprehensive Examination

Students are required to pass a comprehensive exam, which requires students to be able to integrate the material, demonstrating both mastery of the material and the ability to organize what they have learned in a coherent and logical manner.

Dissertation

Additionally, the dissertation is an essential aspect of a student’s academic experience and clinical education. It is a training experience designed to provide students with a guided opportunity to produce a scholarly paper in which they build upon and consolidate research skills learned in the statistics and research methods course sequence and prior empirical observations and components of courses in the basic curriculum. A broad range of quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry is permitted in the dissertation.

Lifespan Development

This course focuses on normal transitional aspects of development across the lifespan, including aspects of physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Cross-cultural, gender, familial, and historical perspectives are emphasized. Applications to the practice of clinical psychology are considered throughout the course.

Clinical Interviewing

This course offers students the opportunity to learn basic listening and interviewing skills, as well as how to conduct a full clinical interview as part of an initial assessment. Students examine directive and nondirective approaches to interviewing and read and discuss theoretical and empirical literature. Through demonstrations, role-playing, and structured exercises, students practice and develop these skills.

Substance Abuse Treatment

This course reviews key concepts in Alcoholism/Chemical dependency detection and treatment as outlined in section 1832.3 of the California Board of Psychology code of regulations, including theoretical models for understanding and treating chemically dependent clients. Various screening and assessment tools, drug history, and interviewing skills are reviewed to help students assess the severity of addiction and develop an initial treatment plan. Treatment settings and interventions commonly used with chemically dependent clients are also reviewed. Cognitive behavioral and motivational interviewing theories and techniques will be a significant area of focus.

The Chicago School’s Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Anaheim Campus equips graduates with the skills necessary to work in a variety of professional settings, such as:

• Clinics
• Private practice
• Hospitals
• Government agencies
• Nonprofit agencies
• Educational institutions

After completing the program, graduates will be able to:

• Offer evidence-based assessment and effective interventions at the individual, group, organization, and community level.
• Mentor future practitioners and teach responsibly.
• Serve diverse populations with skill and ample cultural competence.
• Adhere to legal, psychological, business, and personal ethical standards while building rapport with clients and peers alike.
• Critically create and evaluate knowledge and disseminate ideas beyond the field of psychology.

The Chicago School is dedicated to keeping our academic programs accessible to anyone, regardless of financial status. In addition to the scholarships that may be available, our Financial Aid Department will provide you with information to determine what financial arrangements are right for you.

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