Program Overview
The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) is designed to prepare students for the general practice of health service psychology, an integration of psychological science and practice, with a particular focus on socially responsible practice that includes education and training regarding the broader social and systemic factors contributing to human dysfunction (e.g., poverty, oppression, marginalization) and methods for ameliorating these broader factors (e.g., primary prevention and policy change). The program follows the practitioner-scholar model of training and education.
The Psy.D. program trains socially responsible clinical psychologists. Graduates are clinicians who empower individuals and strengthen communities around the globe. This is distinctive to Adler University and the focus on socially responsible practice enables students to understand the role of social context in human functioning and to integrate this understanding into their professional practice. Adler University’s commitment to social justice continues the visionary work of Alfred Adler, and graduates practice in a wide range of settings while also working to implement changes that will reform the social structures that adversely impact the well-being of members of the community in which they work and live. In addition to the broader scope of psychological theories, students receive training in the theories and methods of Alfred Adler. This training provides students with a strong and thorough grounding in a particular theory and method of psychology that forms a foundation for other theoretical perspectives offered in the doctoral program.
This primary program aim is grounded on nine professional competencies: assessment, intervention, ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, professional values, attitudes, and behaviors, communication and interpersonal skills, supervision, consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills, and research. In addition, the program is guided by the seven core competency areas developed by the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP): relationship, assessment, intervention, research and evaluation, consultation and education, management and supervision, and individual and cultural diversity. These areas are based on a strong education in psychology’s foundations, knowledge base, and science.
The program follows the guidelines the American Psychological Association (APA) set forth regarding respecting and teaching evidence-based practices in psychology. Our students are trained to recognize, critically evaluate, and contribute to the evidence base for socially responsible professional practice.
The APA fully accredits the program and meets the National Register of Health Service Psychologists requirements and state licensure guidelines.
In addition to a strong generalist training, the program also currently offers students the opportunity, if interested, to enroll in one of seven emphases: Advanced Adlerian Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology, Military Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Primary Care Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Substance Abuse Treatment, and Traumatic Stress Psychology. A description of each emphasis can be found on the pages that follow.
Review of Applications
The application priority deadline is Feb. 15. Successful applicants who submit all required materials by the deadline and have completed the interview portion of their application will be notified in writing of their acceptance by April 1.
Accepted students must notify the Office of Admissions in writing by April 15 of their intent to matriculate. Space permitting, late applications are accepted subject to the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP) criteria, which state that any acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits students not to solicit or accept an offer from Adler University without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has already been made.
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the Psy.D. program must have a baccalaureate degree from a college or university regionally accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or an equivalent academic degree from a foreign college or university. Applicants should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for undergraduate or graduate coursework. Applicants who have a record of, commitment to, and experience in community service nationally or abroad are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have at least 18 semester credit hours in psychology with grades of C or better. Minimum required courses should include general or introductory psychology, abnormal psychology, and research methods or statistics. All prerequisites must be completed by the end of a student’s first semester at Adler University. Equivalent coursework in other social and natural sciences may also be considered. The Graduate Record Examination is optional for applicants. Approved applicants will be invited to a personal interview as a final step in the application process.
Length of Program
The doctoral program is structured as full-time and is to be completed in five years. Consistent with the full-time attendance structure (nine credit hours or more per term), students should plan to spend four years in coursework and practicum experiences, followed by a one-year, full-time or two-year, half-time internship. Students are required to enroll full-time to complete the program in a timely fashion. Part-time study may be permitted for a limited time for extenuating circumstances and requires approval of the student’s academic advisor and department chair. The student must meet the program’s residency requirements specified in the Program Residency Policy. Due to the demands of study and clinical training, students should plan on prioritizing their engagement in the program and outside employment is typically not advisable and very limited work may be possible while completing the program. Adherence to the Satisfactory Progress Policy described in the section on general academic policies is required of all students and essential to the timely completion of all program requirements.
The doctoral curriculum is based on attendance in school throughout the calendar year. Course requirements must be completed through attendance in all three academic terms. Students follow specific student advisement plans that outline the course sequence for the doctoral program curriculum and provide guidelines for students to complete requirements in a timely manner that complies with academic requirements. Students are strongly encouraged to complete their dissertation prior to their internship.
Time to Completion
The maximum time permitted for a student to complete all Psy.D. degree requirements is seven years from the date of first registration following admission to the program. Students are expected to complete the program within two years of completing the internship, not exceeding seven years. Failure to do so may result in administrative withdrawal from the program.
Psy.D. Program Residency Policy
The program is designed to be completed in five years. Students who matriculate with a master’s degree can transfer up to 24 credit hours of graduate-level coursework toward the 114 credit hours needed to graduate. In order to be considered a full-time student, students are required to register for nine credit hours per semester or 27 credit hours per academic year. Students registered for practicum, dissertation, or internship are considered full-time students regardless of the number of credits they are taking. All students are required to be full-time students for at least two years before being admitted for doctoral candidacy.
Following doctoral candidacy admittance, students must be full-time students for at least one more year. Doctoral students are required to attend school full-time unless approved for part-time study by their faculty advisor and department chair. Students must complete at least three years of academic coursework and practicum training in the program before going for an internship. All students are required to complete a one-year, full-time or two-year, half-time internship to meet the requirements for the Psy.D. degree. The complete Psy.D. Program Residency Policy can be found in the Psy.D. Program Policies and Procedures Handbook.
Doctoral Candidacy
In order to be admitted for doctoral candidacy, students are required to successfully complete all requirements for the first two years of the Psy.D. program. The complete Psy.D. doctoral candidacy policy can be found in the Psy.D. Program Policies and Procedures Handbook.
Psy.D. Program Grade Policy
Students must achieve at least a grade of B to pass a course successfully. Students who receive a grade below B on any required course must retake the course to have it counted toward the Psy.D. degree. Students who received a grade below B on an elective course may retake it or take another equivalent elective course to have it counted toward the Psy.D. degree. The complete Psy.D. grade policy can be found in the Psy.D. Program Policies and Procedures Handbook.
Qualifying Examinations
In addition to satisfying coursework, practica, and other program requirements, students must also pass two clinical qualifying examinations. Qualifying examinations are important benchmarks completed at several points in the doctoral curriculum that allow students to integrate course material and practical training, reflect on their educational and training experiences, and apply their learning to clinical and social issues.
The two qualifying examinations are clinical competency-based and are designed to model the examination style used at the postdoctoral level to earn board certification. In both examinations, students are required to synthesize and integrate clinical data from a range of sources to develop a clinical formulation and treatment plan using theories and methods acquired in the classroom and at practica. The first of these examinations, Psy.D. Clinical Qualifying - Assessment Competency, consists of presentation of a clinical interview and mental status exam and resulting psychological report integrating their understanding of the client and including social history, diagnosis, and treatment plan; a paper integrating research with a pertinent clinical/social/diversity issue posed by the case; and analysis of skills, areas of growth and the impact of diversity issues on the pertinent clinical case.
Deadlines for submission of this examination and other details pertinent to the preparation and submission of required materials are described in the Psy.D. Clinical Qualifying Examination-Assessment Handbook. Following faculty review and approval of the submitted materials, students complete an oral exam in which their knowledge, skills, and attitudes pertaining to assessment, clinical interviewing, diagnostic formulation, treatment recommendations and professional ethics are evaluated. Students must register for and complete the Psy.D. Clinical Qualifying Examination - Assessment Competency during the spring term of their diagnostic practicum year.
The second clinical competency examination is the Psy.D. Clinical Qualifying Examination - Intervention Competency. Its format and intent are similar to the previous examination, with the focus being on a sample of a therapeutic intervention conducted with a client. The student is required to submit a written case formulation and treatment plan along with an audiotaped/videotaped therapy session; a paper integrating research with a pertinent clinical issue posed by the case; a formulation of the case based on two theoretical approaches, of which one is Adlerian theory and methods; and a discussion of the impact of social issues on a pertinent clinical issue. This exam is also structured with a written submission component. Upon review and approval of these materials, there is an oral exam with a faculty reader to demonstrate skill integration. Deadlines for submission of this examination and other details pertinent to preparation and submission of required materials are described in the Psy.D. Clinical Qualifying Examination- Intervention Handbook. The prerequisite to take this examination is the successful completion of the assessment practicum, and Psy.D. Clinical Qualifying Examination - Assessment Competency.
Students must register for and complete the Psy.D. Clinical Qualifying Examination - Intervention Competency during the Spring semester of their therapy practicum year. Students must successfully pass this examination to receive approval from the Psy.D. The training director is eligible to submit application materials to internship sites. The Psy.D. qualifying exams are milestone experiences that allow faculty to evaluate students’ readiness for internship and ability to proceed in the program. Receiving a failing grade on these exams indicates the student demonstrated significant problems in several areas measured by these exams. Students who fail any of the Psy.D. qualifying exams the first time will be referred to their advisor to address areas of deficit and may take this exam a second time and submit a new exam. Students who fail a doctoral qualifying exam will be referred to the Student Development Committee to develop a formal remediation plan. A second failure on either of these exams may result in dismissal from the program.
Practicum
An integral part of the doctoral program is the acquisition of practical skills gained in field placements. To integrate clinical skills, knowledge, and professional values, students complete supervised clinical experiences and have ongoing involvement in community service and clinical activities at a large number of approved community partners and professional training sites. A dedicated team of training faculty within the department support, oversee, and monitor the approved training sites and students’ training experiences.
In the first year, students begin with a nonclinical first-year Social Justice Practicum (SJP) that focuses on developing skills related to community-based interventions, advocacy, social justice, and systemic interventions that benefit human welfare and well-being.
Students then complete clinical training for a full year in an assessment practicum site, typically in their second year in the program. This practicum focuses on developing skills and providing experience in psychological assessment, diagnostic interviewing, and comprehensive evaluation and report writing.
In their third year, students then complete a full-year clinical intervention practicum focusing on developing skills related to intervention, working with diverse populations and settings, applying various treatment modalities and engaging in treatment planning.
Students conclude their practicum training by completing a required advanced practicum in their fourth year. This provides them with a deeper level of training within an advanced area of interest, integrating previously learned skills and knowledge with more complex populations and allowing refinement of developed assessment and/or intervention skills. As the focus is on integrating doctoral-level education with licensed doctoral-level supervised clinical training and consistent with accreditation standards, no transfer credit can be granted for practica credits earned elsewhere or in a previously completed Adler master’s program.
Students must complete courses and academic prerequisites before being approved to begin each clinical practica.
First-year students will spend eight to 10 hours per week over the course of six months at an approved SJP site while concurrently enrolled in required coursework. A minimum of 200 clock hours is required for Social Justice Practicum. Students are expected to gain the minimum required hours over six months and no less.
At least one of the following courses must be taken concurrently with the Social Justice Practicum I and II: Ethics and Professional Development in Clinical Psychology (PSY-645) and/or Diversity and Individual Differences (PSY-642). Students must complete SJP with a credit grade to begin clinical practicum.
The Center for Civic Learning and Community Action works in collaboration with community partners to identify and place students in projects that meet the standards and requirements of the Social Justice Practicum.
Second- and third-year doctoral students should expect to spend at least two days per week (16-20 hours) over the course of the year at an approved clinical practicum site. Students must also be concurrently enrolled in and attending a practicum seminar throughout their field training experiences. A minimum of 1,500 total clock hours of clinical practica (750 each for assessment and intervention practica) are required. Fourth-year students complete an advanced practicum to obtain in-depth training in their areas of interest and strengthen their learning experience. Advanced practicum students must complete a minimum of 600 total clock hours of practicum over the course of at least nine months at an approved practicum site, and they must concurrently enroll in the related practicum seminars throughout the training. Students complete at least 2,100 practicum hours across the three years of all their clinical practicum experiences. Most doctoral students complete more than the minimum number of hours prior to beginning their internship.
The dedicated training faculty team within the department works in collaboration with students to identify clinical experiences that meet the standards and requirements of the program. The training faculty team also supports students in selecting, applying, and completing practicum experiences and provides oversight of these field experiences and community partners. Students should refer to the Psy.D. Practicum Handbook, available on Adler Connect, for detailed information.
Social Exclusion Simulation
First-year students participate in one of the Social Exclusion Simulations (SES) offered on multiple occasions during the academic year. This experiential learning exercise allows participants to “walk in the shoes” of individuals encountering structural and systemic barriers. Through this role-playing exercise, students gain a deep appreciation of the socially constructed processes by which certain individuals and groups of people are denied access to the rights, opportunities, and resources commonly available to members of society.
Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology
Upon successful completion of all the course requirements for the first two years of the Psy.D. degree, as well as successful completion of a clinical practicum and the A-CQE competency exam, students who first matriculated in the Psy.D. program in Fall 2013 and subsequent cohorts, are eligible to be awarded the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. This is a non-terminal degree that is integral to the doctoral program. As a non-terminal degree, it does not serve as an independent clinical degree eligible for licensure.
Internship
An important component of doctoral-level training and requirement for completing the Psy.D. program is a 2,000-hour internship at an approved site over a 12-month (full-time) or 24-month (half-time) period. The internship is designed to provide intensive advanced clinical training, building on coursework, practicum experiences, and clinical supervision. Because the internship is an essential component of the Psy.D. program, it cannot be waived. Students who do not successfully complete the internship are subject to dismissal from Adler University. All students are required to participate in the APPIC match process for internship placement. Students participate in this national match process and may apply to and complete the final internship experience in many accredited internship programs across the country.
Students must complete all doctoral program requirements, except for dissertation coursework and defense, before beginning an internship. The training director works closely with students to assess readiness to apply for, accept, and begin an internship and identify appropriate internship sites. Students requesting to apply for an internship are reviewed by the department faculty, including training faculty, to determine eligibility and readiness. If the faculty raises concerns about a student’s readiness to apply for an internship based on academic, clinical, and/or professional comportment, the student will be referred to the Student Development Committee for review.
The Internship Handbook on Adler Connect provides specific information regarding internship requirements.
Psy.D. Dissertation
The Psy.D. dissertation is designed to contribute to a student’s knowledge, skills, and value of scholarship and research, and its importance to the practice of professional psychology. Dissertations at Adler University may span a broad range of interests and methodologies and follow the local clinical scientist model. Traditional empirical studies, qualitative research, program development and evaluation, and multiple case study methodologies are all accepted forms of dissertation research. Students may identify an area of interest, conduct preliminary work, such as reading and evaluating the current literature in the area of interest, and consult with faculty regarding a potential topic area at any time during their residency in the program. Students are encouraged to do so as early as possible.
Prior to formally beginning work on their Psy.D. dissertation, students must successfully complete the Psy.D. Clinical Qualifying Examination in Assessment (PSY 790). In addition, Statistics (PSY-737), Quantitative Research Methods in Clinical Psychology (PSY-738), and Qualitative Research Methods in Clinical Psychology (PSY-739) must be completed before registering for the first Psy.D. Dissertation course. Students work with a faculty member in their area of interest to chair their dissertation committee and to develop a suitable dissertation topic. Beginning in their third year, students register for a series of six semesters of Psy.D. Dissertation (0.5 credit each for Dissertation I-VI) and work closely with their dissertation chair and committee across their third and fourth year in the program, starting from developing and successfully defending their dissertation proposal to completing their dissertation.
The dissertation project’s topic, format, and scope must satisfy the requirements and standards of scholarship and rigor set forth by the program, with the approval of the student’s doctoral dissertation committee. Students must also submit their dissertation proposals to the University IRB committee following approval by their committee before beginning any data collection or similar dissertation activities. The committee chair must be a Psy.D. program faculty member. It is permissible for outside experts to be involved in the dissertation as committee members and outside readers, with the approval of the dissertation and department chairs. Requirements for the doctoral dissertation are detailed in the program’s Dissertation Handbook.
Graduation Requirements
- Satisfactory completion of all required credit hours, including all required courses and seminars.
- Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 2,100 hours of clinical practicum.
- Satisfactory completion of Social Justice Practicum I and II.
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and no grades below B.
- Fulfillment of the residency requirement.
- Successful completion of all qualifying examinations.
- Successful completion of a Psy.D. dissertation and oral defense.
- Satisfactory completion of an approved internship.
- Submission of final dissertation to the Psy.D. department and ProQuest.
- Submission of completed graduation application and full payment of all outstanding tuition and fees.
