The APA-accredited program leading to the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) is a professional program intended for those students who have completed a bachelor’s degree in either psychology or a related field, or for those students who hold a master’s degree in a mental health discipline. It is a five-year, full-time program that has a partial part-time option, which allows two levels of the program to be completed over four calendar years for a maximum timeframe of seven years from entry to degree completion. The program follows the practitioner-scholar model of training clinical psychologists, and, as such, an intensive integration of theory, research, and practice is stressed throughout the entire course of study. The program requires the completion of a practicum progression and a full-year clinical internship. It also requires the completion of the Clinical Dissertation, a qualitative or quantitative research project that addresses an important original question of relevance to the practice of clinical psychology. The program emphasizes the integration of science and practice, actively promotes an evidence-based approach to the practice of clinical psychology, and acknowledges and incorporates issues of human diversity throughout the curriculum. The program offers three areas of concentrated study for students with particular career interests: 1) General Clinical Practice, 2) Child Clinical Psychology, and 3) Clinical Health Psychology.
Mission
La Salle University’s Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology strives to educate and train students in the science and practice of clinical psychology so that they may function effectively in a variety of professional psychology roles including, but not limited to, psychotherapy, psychological assessment, and clinical research. The program is based on the practitioner-scholar model of professional training and emphasizes a cognitive-behavioral theoretical orientation. Evidence-based practice, psychological science, psychological theory, ethics and professional standards, and sensitivity to and awareness of diversity and individual differences are embedded throughout the curriculum.