The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree is a professional degree designed to prepare individuals for careers in the practice of counseling psychology. In 1973, the American Psychological Association endorsed the Psy.D. as an appropriate model degree for professional service providers. In October 2000, the Psy.D. at the University of St. Thomas' Graduate School of Professional Psychology was accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Commission on Accreditation, 750 First St., N.E. Washington, DC 20002-4242 (202)336-5979; TDD(202)336-6123 APA Disclosure of Student Education and Training Outcomes

The doctoral degree in counseling psychology is designed to build on previous training in psychology and prepare professionals for a variety of work settings. Primarily, Psy.D. graduates pursue licensure for the practice of psychology and provide counseling, psychotherapy, assessment, supervision, administration, teaching and evaluation. Applicants are expected to have completed a master's degree in counseling psychology or its equivalent. The doctoral curriculum involves a minimum of 81 semester hours of coursework over a minimum four-year period.

PROGRAM GOALS

• Produce graduates who demonstrate substantial understanding of and competence in the development and maintenance of professional relationships. This includes the capacity to develop and maintain a constructive working alliance and to cultivate self-knowledge and self-reflection.
• Produce graduates who demonstrate substantial understanding of and competence in the core foundational areas associated with scientific psychology and in the foundations of practice associated with the specialty of counseling psychology.
• Produce graduates who demonstrate substantial understanding of and competence in diagnosing or defining problems through assessment, implementing effective intervention strategies (including empirically-supported procedures and evidence-based practices), and who have been exposed to the current body of knowledge in consultation and supervision and in evaluating the efficacy of intervention.
• Produce graduates who can identify and understand individual and cultural differences (ICD) and issues of multiple identities, power, oppression, privilege, and engage in culturally sensitive professional activity.
• Produce entry-level practitioner-scholars who can competently apply skills in scholarly inquiry, be consumers of scholarly research, and integrate scholarly research and practice.
• Produce graduates who consistently exhibit ethical knowledge and decision-making, professional identity and development as a counseling psychologist and attitudes and skills that sustain life-long learning, scholarly inquiry, and professional problem solving.

Designed to foster cooperative learning, the cohort model is intended to assist students in developing a sense of group identity and cohesion to provide a supportive foundation for cohort members to pursue doctoral work. The cohort model of training facilitates the professional growth of students and enhances the learning environment by consistently reinforcing collaborative approaches to skill acquisition while providing a supportive educational experience.

PSYD Program of Study 

* CPSY 800 tuition charged is 1 credit/term                                                         Total        81