Clinical psychology

Opportunities for graduate studies

The clinical psychology program at the University of North Texas prepares you to understand, study, prevent, diagnose and treat psychological pathology, discomfort and maladjustment. Because the doctorate in clinical psychology is seen as the professional degree necessary for independent competence, the program focuses on training you through the Ph.D. level. The clinical psychology doctoral program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association [750 First Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242, telephone (202) 336-5500]. The director of clinical training is Kenneth W. Sewell, Ph.D.

Program philosophy

The core values expressed by the clinical psychology program are respect for the individual, commitment to excellence and genuine integration of science and practice.

Respect for the individual within the context of a supportive community is manifested in the promotion of autonomy, an acknowledgment of our differences, an appreciation of each other's contributions and an acceptance of responsibility. The clinical psychology faculty believes that respect for the individual should be modeled by the faculty and promoted in students and clients.

The UNT clinical psychology program is based in a scientist practitioner philosophy of training, which integrates intensive training and extensive experience in the overlapping pursuits of science and service. Our research courses and research teams emphasize the clinical relevance of scientific inquiry. Likewise, clinical courses and practicums are grounded in theory and informed by empirical research.

Program goals

Incoming students will have an experiential basis for choosing clinical psychology whenever possible. Admission criteria take into account your experiences in mental health (e.g., your own therapy, volunteer work with the mentally ill or with people with physical disabilities) and research (e.g., assistantships, undergraduate experiments).

Incorporating needs for research excellence with individual choice, you are expected to join a research team and actively participate in its research.

Respect for students' autonomy requires considerable flexibility in the clinical psychology program. Toward this end, the program has a relatively small set of core course requirements. You and your major adviser are responsible for developing course work and research consistent with your individual goals and training needs.

While not bound to a formal mentorship model, we believe that a mentorship climate is highly conducive to close faculty-student collaboration and effective modeling of the scientist-practitioner paradigm. Group mentoring in small research and practicum teams supports such a climate. Unlike formal mentoring models, we want to ensure considerable flexibility in changing major advisors and research teams.

Faculty members are committed to the training and preparation of clinical psychologists with an awareness of the diversity of professional roles. When an integrated scientist-practitioner model is functioning optimally, you should have the training and background to pursue professional careers in academic or applied settings. The program strives to offer a broad range of options to you. Thus, its training supports research publication and sophisticated practice of assessment, psychotherapy and consultation.

Admission requirements

You may have a bachelor's or master's degree in psychology or a related field when applying for the clinical psychology doctoral program. If you enter the program with a bachelor's degree, you can receive a master's degree within the program en route to the doctoral degree. Advanced placement is possible if you enter with a master's degree.

You must meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies in addition to program requirements. A minimum 3.5 GPA on the last 60 undergraduate hours or a 3.0 GPA on all undergraduate work is required. If you have earned a master's degree, you must have at least a 3.5 GPA on graduate work. To see additional admission criteria, access the Department of Psychology's web site at www.psyc.unt.edu.

Admission to the clinical psychology program is not determined by one criterion or quantitative measure of achievement. Motivation, aptitude and self-awareness are highly valued, as are skills in communication, research methods and scientific writing. Life experiences relevant to research, mental health and the ability to work with people from different backgrounds in culturally diverse contexts should be described in a background and goals statement.

The application and admissions processes are an important experience for everyone involved. The clinical psychology faculty reviews completed applications during February, and invitations for interviews are made in March. The interview process consists of meeting with one or more clinical psychology faculty members and students. Telephone interviews are possible but less informative for you and the UNT faculty. Admission decisions are made by early April, and you should be contacted by phone as well as in writing. Your decision to accept an offer to join the program needs to be finalized by April 15 unless the offer of admission is specifically delayed.

Degree requirements

The Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology requires a minimum of 96 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree and a one-year supervised clinical internship. You may enter the doctoral program with a bachelor's or master's degree. The maximum amount of transfer credit for appropriate master's degree work is 30 semester hours. Students entering with a master's degree or equivalent may, upon approval of the clinical committee, transfer a maximum of 12 appropriate semester hours beyond the master's degree, if the work was completed in a department offering a doctoral degree in psychology.

General core studies

You are required to demonstrate competence (grade of B or better) in the following courses:

• PSYC 5030 Advanced Research Design
• PSYC 5060 Advanced History and Systems of Psychology
• PSYC 5090 Advanced Social Psychology
• PSYC 5640 Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
• PSYC 5700 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Psychology
• PSYC 5790 Advanced Physiological Psychology

Clinical core studies

The clinical core requirements are designed to provide you advanced training in assessment and treatment. This includes courses in assessment, psychopathology, psychotherapy, multicultural counseling, and professional and ethical issues. Required practicum courses comprise the remainder of the clinical core.

Clinical concentration core examination

The objective of the clinical concentration core examination is to provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate competence in research and scholarship; the ability to perform independently; the ability to integrate theoretical, practical and empirical material; knowledge of relevant contemporary and historical literature; and the ability to present written material in a cogent, integrated fashion. The clinical concentration core examination should be completed after the master's thesis and is typically taken during your third academic year (or the equivalent) in the doctoral program.

Clinical practicum

Practicum experience in the clinical psychology program begins in the first semester and continues for at least three years. The development of clinical skills occurs through your participation each year in a different role on a vertical practicum team that delivers a broad range of psychological services in a community-based outpatient clinic. Each vertical team is a cohesive, hard-working unit of four to seven members under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. First-year students observe the work of the faculty and advanced students. Second-year students perform comprehensive psychological assessments. More advanced students maintain a psychotherapy caseload. A year's service on the practicum team, no matter your year level, offers an intense, deep, practical experience with the orientation of the supervising psychologist. Many students in their fourth year elect to complete an external practicum.

Research experience

Consistent with the clinical psychology program's philosophy, you are expected to maintain active research involvement parallel with the course work, which provides you with systematic techniques and skills. In our vertical research teams, research skills are developed and refined and you take responsibility for increasingly advanced and independent projects. Students conducting their master's theses and dissertations acquire skills in the development of projects as well as in the supervision of less experienced members of research teams.

The M.A. thesis is an integral component of the research training. The thesis represents original research, typically on clinical topics, that is conducted under close supervision of the major professor.

The Ph.D. dissertation is viewed as a rigorous measure of your breadth of understanding and scientific base of psychological work. In the dissertation, you must demonstrate a capacity for independent critical synthesis of existing theory and research to design, carry out and interpret a sound research study.

Clinical internship

A 12-month, full-time clinical internship in an APA-accredited facility or its equivalent provides depth, range and focus for a complete set of professional skills. Recent placements have included medical centers, VA and state hospitals, mental health clinics, counseling centers and forensic facilities. Faculty members help you choose an internship that enhances and complements your work at UNT and advances you toward your professional goals.

You must satisfy the graduate school requirement of a reading knowledge of a modern foreign language ( French, Spanish, German or others by approval) via recent course work or proficiency examination, or by completing a research tool course of study that is 6 to 9 semester hours.

Financial assistance

Financial aid is available to some incoming students. You may apply for departmentally funded teaching assistantships, research assistantships, fellowships and part-time clinical externships during your doctoral studies. The Department of Psychology seeks to provide at least partial support for most doctoral students for at least two years. Competitive scholarships are available from the graduate school and other sources. Students with quarter-time assistantships (10 hours per week), employment or homebound responsibilities are expected to enroll for 12 hours of course work each regular semester; students with half-time assistantships (20 hours per week), employment or homebound responsibilities are expected to enroll for 9 semester hours each regular semester.

Student body

The rate of attrition from the doctoral program in clinical psychology is very small. At this time, we have a larger percentage of women than men. Our students, about 50 in number, are diverse in age, backgrounds and interests. Most facilities on campus, including the Department of Psychology, are accessible to students with disabilities. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Facilities

Our well-equipped Psychology Clinic includes psychotherapy rooms, a playroom for child therapy, rooms for research and rooms with one-way mirrors for live observation of individual and group sessions. Extensive videotaping capabilities are available for use in supervision and training.