Clinical Psychology, Psy.D. - Florida School of Professional Psychology
The primary purpose of the Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology degree program is to educate and train students in the major aspects of clinical practice. To help ensure that students are prepared adequately, the curriculum integrates theory, training, research, and practice, preparing students to work with a wide range of populations in need of psychological services and in a broad range of roles.
The Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology degree program combines relevant research, applied theory, and field experience and is designed to prepare the graduate to apply psychological knowledge in a variety of settings and roles.
In addition to the prescribed coursework, the required curriculum for all students includes practicum field experiences and an internship. To complete the doctoral program successfully, students must demonstrate competency in a number of specific foundational, clinical, conceptual, and professional skills.
Graduates are trained in the science and practice of psychology, and are able to apply the clinical skills of observation, assessment, intervention, and evaluation to help different segments of our ever-changing society. The areas of competency are modeled, in part, after those specified by the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology and the standards of the American Psychological Association. Completing the clinical psychology program indicates that the recipient has mastered the fundamental academic and experiential elements of clinical psychology.
For more information on state licensure and certification information please visit NLU’s Public Disclosures page.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
PLO/Competency One: Students will demonstrate competency in (i) the application of research and statistical methods in psychology to generate knowledge and to evaluate the effectiveness of research methods, and (ii) in the understanding of psychometric science principles and the utilization of such knowledge in psychometric testing.
a. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of research methods.
b. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of quantitative/ qualitative methods.
c. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of psychometrics.
d. Students will demonstrate the ability to independently formulate, conduct, and disseminate scholarship.
PLO/Competency Two: Students will understand and apply ethical principles and professional standards that guide the practice of clinical psychology.
a. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of the current APA Code of Ethics and the general ethical principles and standards that serve as the foundation for this code.
b. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of a model of ethical decision-making to resolve ethical issues or dilemmas.
c. Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of the general professional parameters that govern professional practice.
PLO/Competency Three: Students will demonstrate competency in individual and cultural diversity by demonstrating knowledge of the major theoretical models and empirical findings and will apply knowledge about human diversity to clinical practice.
a. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the major theoretical models and empirical findings, including an awareness of social, political, economic, and cultural factors that impact individuals, institutions, systems, and communities.
b. Students will demonstrate an awareness of their own personal values, biases, and cultural identities that inform perceptions of self, other, and engagement with others.
c. Students will utilize cross-cultural skills and appropriate APA multicultural guidelines to provide services to persons with diverse cultural values and lifestyles.
PLO/Competency Four: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the requisite values, attitudes, and behaviors that exemplify their identities as professional psychologists.
a. Students will demonstrate self-reflection, self-awareness, and openness to supervision and feedback.
b. Students will demonstrate engagement in life-long learning by attending educational and professional meetings, life-long learning events, subscribing to professional journals, or presenting scholarly work.
PLO/Competency Five: Students will demonstrate effective communication competencies and interpersonal skills.
a. Students will demonstrate clear, articulate, and integrative written communication skills.
b. Students will demonstrate clear, articulate, and integrative oral communication skills.
c. Students will demonstrate effective interpersonal skills in professional interactions.
PLO/Competency Six: Students will demonstrate competency in using assessment instruments and incorporating knowledge of psychopathology in the assessment process.
a. Students will demonstrate competency in selecting, administering, scoring, interpreting, and reporting psychological tests and measures.
b. Students will demonstrate competency in integrating interview data, psychological testing results, behavioral observations, and information from other sources to formulate an understanding of presenting concerns and to make recommendations.
c. Students will demonstrate competency in identifying relevant DSM criteria and utilizing other clinical information to generate diagnostic formulations.
d. Students will demonstrate competency in applying knowledge of psychopathology to case formulation and treatment planning.
PLO/Competency Seven: Students will demonstrate competency in clinical interventions that are grounded in conceptual models of treatment and evidence-based practices.
a. Students will demonstrate knowledge of and skill in applying evidence-based clinical practices.
b. Students will demonstrate an ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship and/or treatment alliance with clients served.
c. Students will demonstrate knowledge and competency in evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.
PLO/Competency Eight: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the models and processes of supervision.
a. Students will evidence knowledge of supervision models and practices.
PLO/Competency Nine: Students will demonstrate knowledge of consultation models and practices and demonstrate interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.
a. Students will evidence knowledge of consultation models and the role of a consultant.
b. Students will demonstrate competency in applying consultation practices―assessment and intervention―to specific referral questions from other professionals.
PLO/Competency Ten: Students will demonstrate foundational knowledge underlying the science of psychology in the following areas: biological, cognitive-affective, and social bases of human behavior; and lifespan development and history and systems of psychology.
PLO/Competency Eleven: Students will demonstrate advanced skills in integrating knowledge derived from the foundations of scientific psychology.
In addition to the College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Graduate Admission Requirements, applicants must:
- Submit official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended
- Submit a personal/ professional goal statement with a self-appraisal of qualifications for the profession
- Submit a minimum of three professional letters of recommendation, addressing topics/questions as established and periodically revised by the faculty. Letters of recommendation must be written by individuals who know the candidate from an academic or professional perspective and are able to comment on the candidate’s capacity for undertaking graduate studies.
- Complete an interview with members of the program Admissions Committee
- Have successfully completed a minimum of five undergraduate courses, with a grade of "B" or better, that serve as a basic foundation for coursework in clinical psychology. Several of these courses serve as direct prerequisites to the Florida School of Professional Psychology courses. The following three courses are required:
- Introduction to psychology or general psychology (may be waived if the applicant has completed a Bachelors or Masters degree in Psychology or related mental health field)
- Abnormal, psychopathology, or maladaptive behavior
- Statistics or research methods
- Two additional courses in the field of psychology
Note: All applicants are automatically admitted to both degrees, M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, if admission criteria are met and acceptance by the Program Admission’s Committee is granted. Undergraduate students who apply for the Psy.D. degree, can choose to be considered for acceptance into the M.A. program if not granted acceptance into the Psy.D. program. Those students who are offered admittance into the M.A. program in place of the Psy.D. program can re-apply for the Psy.D. program during year two of the M.A. program. For Psy.D. Admission, an undergraduate degree grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) or a conferred graduate degree grade point average of 3.25 (on a scale of 4.0) is required.
Program Details:
- Requires 98 SH for completion, including practicum and concentration hours (if student chooses to complete a concentration)
- Requires successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination
- Requires successful completion of all sections of the Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation (CCE) – Diagnostic and Intervention
- Requires successful completion of a one-year, 2000 hour, full-time pre-doctoral internship
- Requires successful completion and defense of the Clinical Research Project
- Requires completion of all core courses with a grade of "B" or better with an overall program GPA no lower than 3.0 on a scale of 4.0
- Requires completion of all program requirements within seven years of matriculation into the program
- Students may transfer a maximum of 30 semester hours of graduate level degree coursework, certain rules apply
Academic Progress Requirements:
- Students must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher (on a scale of 4.0)
- Students who earn a grade below a “B” in a core course are required to retake the course. It is recommended that the course be retaken as soon as possible, due to the continued negative impact on the student’s GPA until a new grade has been received for the course.
- Students who earn two grades below a “B” during the course of one semester will be dismissed from the program
- Students who earn three grades below a “B” during the entirety of the program will be dismissed
Required Courses
Core Courses - 71 SH
| PSYD 700 | History and Systems | 3 |
| PSYD 701 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| PSYD 704 | Cognition and Affective Processes | 3 |
| PSYD 706 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| PSYD 710A | Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law | 1.5 TO 3 |
| PSYD 710B | Professional Issues: Ethics, Conduct, and Law | 1.5 TO 3 |
| PSYD 711 | Professionalization Group I | 0 TO 1 |
| PSYD 712 | Professionalization Group II | 0 TO 1 |
| PSYD 720 | Statistics and Research I | 3 |
| PSYD 726 | Statistics, Research, and Psychometrics | 3 |
| PSYD 730 | Psychopathology I | 3 |
| PSYD 731 | Psychopathology II | 1 TO 3 |
| PSYD 736 | Clinical Interviewing | 1.5 TO 3 |
| PSYD 737 | Cognitive Assessment | 3 |
| PSYD 740 | Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations | 1 TO 3 |
| PSYD 744 | Issues in the Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations II | 1.5 |
| PSYD 750 | Consultation and Supervision | 3 |
| PSYD 751 | Physiological Psychology | 3 |
| PSYD 760 | Clinical Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| PSYD 771 | Objective Personality Assessment | 3 |
| PSYD 772 | Projective Personality Assessment | 3 |
| PSYD 773 | Integrative Assessment | 3 |
| PSYD 801 | Integrative Approaches to Therapy | 3 |
| PSYD 838 | Interventions I | 3 |
| PSYD 839 | Interventions II | 3 |
| PSYD 860 | Group Psychotherapy | 3 |
| PSYD 871 | Geriatric Assessment/Introduction to Neuropsychological Screening | 3 |
| or | |
| PSYD 875 | Child Assessment | 3 |
| or | |
| PSYD 810 | Family and Couples Assessment | 3 |
Practicum and Seminar Requirements - 14 SH
| PSYD 820 | Diagnostic Practicum and Seminar I | 3 |
| PSYD 821 | Diagnostic Practicum and Seminar II | 3 |
| PSYD 822 | Diagnostic Practicum & Seminar II – Extended | .5 TO 1 |
| PSYD 823 | Intervention Practicum and Seminar I | 1 TO 3 |
| PSYD 824 | Intervention Practicum and Seminar II | 1 TO 3 |
| PSYD 825 | Intervention Practicum and Seminar Extended | .5 TO 1 |
Clinical Research Project Requirements - 4 SH
| PSYD 850 | Clinical Research Project Seminar | 1 TO 2 |
| PSYD 851 | Clinical Research Project | 1 TO 3 |
Note:
PSYD 851 must be taken for a total of 3 SH.
Electives - 9 SH
Students are required to complete 9 SH of advanced skills elective coursework listed below, 3 SH can be used for additional practicum experience.
Optional Concentrations
Students may also choose to complete one of the following Concentrations:
Child and Adolescent Psychology
Geropsychology
| PSYD 871 | Geriatric Assessment/Introduction to Neuropsychological Screening | 3 |
| PSYD 877 | Geropsychology | 3 |
| and | |
| PSYD 810 | Family and Couples Assessment | 3 |
| or | |
| PSYD 869 | Human Sexuality | 0 TO 3 |
Couples and Family Therapy
Neuropsychology
| PSYD 871 | Geriatric Assessment/Introduction to Neuropsychological Screening | 3 |
| PSYD 872 | Neuropsychological Assessment I | 3 |
| PSYD 873 | Neuropsychological Assessment II | 3 |