Program Overview

Clinical Psychology, Ph.D.

The Ph.D. program in clinical psychology has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1991. The program prepares graduates to become scientist practitioners of clinical psychology. Students develop a broad range of skills for the identification, evaluation, and resolution of human problems in agency, healthcare, consulting, academic, or private practice settings. Training is based on the assumption that practice involves application of the theories, methods, and findings of scientific psychology to clinical problems.

Mission

The mission of graduate training in clinical psychology is to provide quality training in the scientist-practitioner model within a small private university setting. Science and practice are regarded as inseparable elements. Practice itself is regarded as the application of the theories, methods, and results of scientific psychology to clinical problems. The science of psychology is construed broadly, and students are expected to develop familiarity with a wide range of psychological theories, methods, and results.

Learning Outcomes

The broad aim of the program is to train professionally competent health service psychologists with a broad background in the field of psychology who can apply psychological theory, assessment techniques, and research methodology to address clinical problems. To elaborate this broad aim, our program defined specific training aims that were informed by the APA Guidelines for training Health Service Psychologists and the APA standards of Accreditation. Namely, PhD students will:

• demonstrate advanced discipline specific knowledge concerning biological bases of behavior, psychological, social, and biological development across the lifespan, theories and principles of social psychology, cognitive psychology, emotions, and history of psychology as a science;
• acquire clinical skills pertaining to empirically supported psychological assessment, clinical diagnosis and case conceptualization, intervention planning, implementation, and evaluation, clinical supervision, and clinical consultation;
• obtain skills concerning research methods and data analysis to perform and disseminate psychological research;
• achieve knowledge of academic, ethical, legal, and professional standards, and demonstrate these standards in professional values, attitudes, and behaviors; and
• acquire knowledge of individual and cultural diversity and be prepared to adapt their methods and practice to meet the needs of diverse populations.

Admission

Admission to the Ph.D. degree program in clinical psychology is selective, and because of high demand, not all qualified applicants can be admitted. Candidates must meet the requirements for admission to the Graduate School, including language proficiency. In addition, minimum requirements for admission to the program include:

• An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale;
• Satisfactory letters of recommendation; and
• Satisfactory test scores on the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination.

Curriculum Requirements

The doctoral program requires 90 credit hours of graduate work beyond the baccalaureate. The program requires completion of at least three full-time academic years of study and a pre-doctoral internship. All three years of academic study must be completed in residence at The University of Tulsa. Specialized issues in clinical psychology are addressed in topical seminars. Students must pass a comprehensive examination for the Ph.D. consisting of a general written and a clinical oral portion. Although a master’s thesis is not required nor offered, students must demonstrate research competence through completion of the pre-candidacy project, the proposal for the dissertation, and the doctoral dissertation. Students must pass a final oral examination on the dissertation.

Clinical Psychology Core

• PSY 7223 Theory and Practice of Clinical Psychology
• PSY 8063 Introduction to Scientist-Practitioner-Based Psychotherapy
• PSY 7153 Psychopathology
• PSY 7113 Clinical Assessment: Intellectual
• PSY 7193 Clinical Assessment: Personality
• PSY 7543 Diversity, Ethics, Law, & Clinical Practice
• PSY 7613 Clinical Supervision and Program Consultation

Methods Core

• PSY 7343 Research Methods in Psychology
• PSY 7283 Statistical Methods for Research II
• Choose one of the following three courses for third Methods class:
  • PSY 7053 Psychometrics
  • PSY 8973 Doctoral Level Seminar
  • PSY 7383 Multivariate Methods for Research

General Psychology Core

• PSY 6113 Cognitive and Affective Psychology
• PSY 6483 Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology
• PSY 6413 History of Psychology
• PSY 7043 Advanced Social Psychology
• PSY 7073 Human Development

Electives

• Independent studies, research hours, practicum hours above the minimum required, and courses are appropriate here. Electives may also include approved transfer courses or other general psychology courses.

Practicum

A request to take more than thirteen hours in practicum coursework is subject to availability. Must include minimum of PSY 7351, 6 hours of PSY 7451-6, and 6 hours of PSY 8550-6.

• PSY 7351 Applied Pre-Practicum
• PSY 8450-6 Practicum in Clinical Psychology
• PSY 8550-6 Advanced Practicum in Clinical Psychology

Research Paper

All clinical psychology doctoral students are required to complete a research paper but enrollment is optional. If a student chooses to enroll in a thesis course while completing the research paper component, there is a four credit hour maximum that can be counted towards the degree program requirements.

• PSY 7981-6 Research and Thesis (Optional)

Internship

Students are required to complete a one-year clinical psychology internship at an approved site. During the course of the internship, students will be enrolled in a zero-credit course for each relevant semester. A student may choose to also enroll in internship sections for additional credits, but enrollment in the zero-credit course is the only requirement for completion of the program.

• PSY 8800-9 Clinical Psychology Internship

Dissertation Research

Registration in at least one hour of Research and Dissertation is required for graduation, with a maximum of 15 credit hours for the degree program as a whole.

• PSY 9981-9 Dissertation Research

Pre-Candidacy Project

Doctoral students are not required to complete a thesis, even though they may receive an M.A. degree in their pursuit of the Ph.D. However, an independent research project is required prior to taking the comprehensive exams. By the end of the first year, the student must have selected an advisor and finalized an approved research topic for the Pre-Candidacy Project.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination requires the student to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the theories, methods, and findings of scientific psychology, and the application of this knowledge to clinical problems. A Written General portion surveys breadth of psychology knowledge and methods. A Clinical Oral portion assays the application of this knowledge to clinical problems, as well as knowledge of the ethical and legal guides to practice.

Practicum and Field Work

Practical experiences are an important part of the psychology training programs. Both TU psychology clinics and community placements can be accessed to assure students receive a variety of experiences. Students are expected to behave in an ethical, legal, professional, and skilled manner during any practicum placements.

Internships

The Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology requires that the student complete an approved, one-year, pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology. Eligible students must have completed a Pre-Candidacy Project, all required coursework, the Comprehensive Examination, and successfully defend their dissertation proposal. It occurs near the end of training and should be well matched to the career goals of the student. An approved internship is one which is deemed acceptable by the Clinical Program Committee (CPC). Both APA-accredited and APPIC member sites are acceptable to the CPC.