Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology

Suffolk University‘s doctoral program in clinical psychology was established in accordance with the scientist-practitioner model. The primary and overarching goal of the doctoral training program is to prepare students to be competent professionals in clinical psychology. Our philosophy is that clinical practice should be grounded in scientific knowledge and that scientific research should be informed by and be relevant to clinical practice. Thus, our program involves the systematic and cumulative training in both psychological research and practice in order to prepare students for careers in practice, research, or academic settings.  

 

The program‘s orientation is that of understanding of the processes underlying adaptation and maladaptation within a cultural frame. Throughout all aspects of training the program encourages an awareness of and respect for diversity of culture, language, national origin, race, gender, age, disability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, lifestyle, and other individual differences. Our faculty approach clinical work from a variety of perspectives including developmental, psychodynamic, systemic, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic and integrative/eclectic.  

 

Our intent is to enable students to take a creative, empirical, and ethical approach to clinical problems among diverse populations; to critically evaluate and contribute to the evolving body of scholarly literature in the science and practice of psychology; and to integrate the clinical, theoretical, and scientific foundations of psychology. Specifically, the clinical focus is to train students to provide ethical and competent assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and consultation within diverse populations, settings, and agencies. The research focus is designed to train students in the ability to formulate and evaluate problems, understand and utilize a variety of methodological and analytic strategies, and develop and complete empirical research projects and dissertation. Across all aspects of our training program we strive to train our students to be knowledgeable about and conduct culturally competent clinical practice and research.
Suffolk University‘s Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology is based on a balance and integration of the scientist and practitioner components of clinical training. Our overarching goal is to prepare students to be competent professionals in clinical psychology who may function in a variety of professional settings including academic, research, clinical and community. Thus, we aim to         

1. Provide students with didactic instruction and supervised training in the practice of clinical psychology. Students will develop the skills needed to:  
   1. Evaluate, administer and interpret psychological assessments with an understanding of the psychometric and empirical underpinnings of assessment
   2. Formulate and apply psychological diagnoses with an appreciation of the conceptual strengths and limitations of current diagnostic approaches and an understanding of the role of etiological and risk processes.
   3. Develop, evaluate, and implement treatment plans that reflect both knowledge of empirically-based principles and an appreciation of individual client characteristics and contextual factors
2. Provide students with didactic instruction and mentored supervision in the evaluation and conduct of research. Students will develop the skills needed to:
   1. Understand the strengths and limitations of different research methods
   2. Understand, utilize and interpret basic descriptive and inferential statistics
   3. Develop and conduct conceptually-driven and empirically sound research
3. Cultivate an understanding of and appreciation for individual and cultural diversity across content areas of science and practice. Students will develop the skills needed to:
   1. Consider the nature and impact of diversity on the administration and interpretation of assessments, the validity of diagnostic formulations, and the appropriateness of a particular treatment plan
   2. Conduct and evaluate research with an understanding of the influence of cultural diversity on all aspects of the research process
4. Prepare students to make ethically and legally informed decision about clinical, research, and other professional issues. Students will develop the skills needed to:
   1. Comprehensive knowledge of the ethical/professional codes, standards and guidelines related to clinical work
   2. Comprehensive knowledge of the ethical/professional codes, standards and  guidelines related to research

Components of the program include: course work, practicum experiences, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, an early research project, research and clinical comprehensive examinations, a doctoral dissertation, and a pre-doctoral clinical internship.  In addition to the overarching goals, the program also offers elective concentrations in neuropsychology or clinical child psychology.  Further, students may opt to pursue additional learning and mentoring in a variety of areas such as, cultural diversity, community psychology, life span development, health psychology, acceptance and mindfulness, and teaching through research mentoring, elective coursework, and clinical placements (when available). Students are expected to devote themselves to a full-time program of study and be active members of the program community.