Clinical Psychology: PsyD, Sacramento

Program Outcomes

The Clinical PsyD program offered in Sacramento is designed to train students to be proficient in nine areas of clinical competence:

• Foundational Science of Psychology competence incorporates the foundations of scientific psychology (Social and Developmental Psychology, History and Systems, Biological Science, and Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior) into clinical practice linking the core sciences with contemporary thought, research and practice in psychology;
• Intervention skills enable students to plan, implement, and evaluate their therapeutic endeavors within a cultural framework, using multiple methods with diverse populations;
• Professional Practice proficiency prepares students to demonstrate ethical and legal behavior in a variety of practice settings, with a clear understanding of their professional role;
• Relationship skills enable students to develop and maintain constructive and collaborative relationships with clients, peers, colleagues, students, supervisors, members of other disciplines, consumers of services, and community organizations;
• Diversity competence facilitates the students’ appreciation for the complexity of diversity and its role in all of their professional activities, helping them understand how their own culture and the cultures of others serve as mediators of one’s world view;
• Assessment skills enable students to conduct multi-dimensional evaluation and assessment activities in the clinical context, and to utilize the data in an ongoing process of evaluating their practice, research and teaching;
• Professional Development engages students in self-evaluation and life-long learning in the service of ongoing professional development;
• Supervision and Management enable students to provide quality clinical and professional feedback to others, effectively manage mental health programs, and establish successful practice settings; and
• Research and Evaluation prepares students to critically evaluate the research literature in service of clinical goals and to conduct applied research and program evaluation.

Training Model: A Practitioner-Scholar Program

The Clinical PsyD Program in Sacramento offers doctoral education and training in clinical psychology consistent with a Practitioner-Scholar model. The program, designed primarily for students interested in the professional practice of clinical psychology, emphasizes clinical skills and the application of research knowledge with diverse populations in a wide range of settings.

Systemically oriented, the Program trains students to consider the role of diverse systems in creating and/or remedying individual and social problems. While students receive an exceptional grounding in traditional clinical assessment and intervention, they also are taught to consider the potential value of advocacy, consultation, or public policy work in helping both individuals and entire groups of clients with similar problems. The Sacramento PsyD faculty is committed to offering a broad array of elective courses reflecting theory, assessment, and intervention across a variety of systems, especially across cultural systems. The importance of the cultural system is emphasized throughout students’ academic and clinical training. An integral part of the mission and structure of CSPP, the program’s competencies are well aligned with the university’s mission to prepare “students for professional careers of service and leadership” and to promote “the discovery and application of knowledge to improve the lives of people in diverse cultures and communities around the world.”

During the program students are evaluated on progressive developmental stages of their training. The evaluation begins prior to admission and includes evaluation of a student’s readiness for practicum training, readiness for internship and readiness for practice.

Specialized Admissions Requirements: Credit for Previous Graduate Work

Students applying to the Sacramento Clinical PsyD program must meet the graduate level requirements for preparation in psychology. While an applicant may not have completed the graduate level requirements at the time of application to CSPP, these requirements must be satisfied before the admitted student can enroll.

Applicants may be eligible to receive credit for previous graduate work.

1. The Program allows a maximum of 30 units of graduate level transfer credit; these credits must be completed with a grade of a B or better and must be from an accredited institution. Any single course can only be used to fulfill one course requirement. Graduate level transfer credits meeting our requirements are allowed even if the master’s degree has not been awarded. Approval of the course syllabus is required for every course requested for transfer. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain this documentation, as well as any additional material requested (e.g., a sample work product).
2. Transfer credits reduce the total number of units a student must complete in order to obtain the degree. Although it is sometimes possible for a student to reduce a four-year program to three years, students should consult with their academic advisor immediately if they believe they can reduce their time to completion, as specific course sequences are necessary for this to occur.
3. Regardless of the number of transfer units allowed, a student must complete all requirements remaining in the core areas for which transfer credit was not allowed.
4. Listed below are courses that are NOT eligible for transfer credit.

• PSY 6520 Introduction to Psychotherapy  (2 units)*
• PSY 7911 PsyD Proposal Development I (3 units)
• PSY 7912 PsyD Proposal Development II (3 units)
• PSY 8913 PsyD Dissertation I (3 units)
• PSY 8914 PsyD Dissertation II (3 units)
• PSY XXXX Any required ethics course
• PSY XXXX Any clinical practicum**
• PSY XXXX Any required assessment course***
• PSY XXXX Any required intervention course
• PSY XXXX Any required cultural diversity course

• Any course over seven years old

* To apply for a waiver of Introduction to Psychotherapy, students should submit 1) syllabi of graduate level coursework in basic counseling skills, and 2) a 30-minute videotaped role play therapy session so the student’s basic counseling skills can be assessed. Submitted materials will be reviewed by the instructor of Introduction to Psychotherapy and a recommendation forwarded to the Program Director.

** In order to waive a required practicum, students should submit information to the OPT Liaison regarding the nature and content of the practicum, the number of hours, and the site of the experience. The OPT Liaison will make a decision in conjunction with the Program Director and the student will be notified as to whether or not the practicum may be waived. If the practicum is waived, the units must be replaced and the hours of the waived practicum will be added to the next required practicum.

*** In order to waive a required assessment course, students should submit 1) syllabi of graduate level coursework in assessment and 2) a sample report (with all identifying information removed) reflecting the student’s ability to integrate assessments specific to the course requested for waiver (submission process can be discussed with the admissions counselor). Requests to waive Intellectual Assessment should include documentation of coursework in both cognitive and achievement assessment. Requests to waive Personality Assessment should include documentation of coursework in both objective and projective assessment. Submitted materials will be reviewed by an assessment instructor and a recommendation forwarded to the Program Director.

For all waivers: Materials for consideration should be submitted no later than mid-August (submission process can be discussed with the admissions counselor). The student must sign up for the course during registration, and if the waiver is granted the course may be dropped. If the course is not approved for waiver, the student remains in the course. A decision will be made prior to the Add/Drop deadline. If the course is waived, the units must be replaced with elective units. If sufficient elective units have been transferred into the program, an additional course may not have to be completed. In special circumstances, the program may grant exception to this transfer/waiver policy to students transferring within Alliant International University.

Curriculum and Degree Requirements

The PsyD Program requires a minimum of 90 academic units and 30 internship units. In order to advance to candidacy students must be in good academic standing and demonstrate:

1. successful completion of 60 units of graduate study, including demonstration of the following key competencies through the successful completion of the associated courses: assessment [Intellectual Assessment, Personality Assessment I & II]; diagnosis [Advanced Psychopathology], psychological theory [Theories of Personality & Psychotherapy], and intervention [Introduction to Psychotherapy and 1 of the required psychotherapy courses]; law and ethics [Introduction to Ethical Practice & Law].
2. competency in foundational sciences through successful completion of at least 2 of the 5 Foundational Science Examinations, and
3. research competency through successful defense of the dissertation proposal at the Preliminary Oral Examination;
4. integrated clinical competency by successful completion of the Clinical Competency Progress Review (CPPR)

The Foundational Science exams are offered at the end of each semester (during finals week) and are intended to be taken at the end of the term in which the student completes the related course. The CPPR is offered annually and is intended to be taken after the student has completed his or her 2nd year of study. Failure to pass these exams will lead to remediation. Repeated failure may lead to dismissal. Students may not apply for internship until they have met all requirements for advancement to candidacy.

Curriculum Plan

Clinical PsyD Program Faculty: Sacramento

Core faculty for the Sacramento Clinical PsyD program are listed below:

Matthew Baity, PhD, Associate Professor

Beth Limberg, PhD, Associate Professor and Program Director

Carl Mack, PhD, Associate Professor

Suni Petersen, PhD, Professor

John Preston, PhD, ABPP, Lecturer and Professor Emeritus

Emil Rodolfa, PhD, Professor

Ronald W. Teague, PhD, ABPP, Professor

For a detailed description of program faculty background and research interests, please see the alphabetical listing of faculty  for the California School of Professional Psychology.
 

Licensure

All psychologists who offer direct services to the public for a fee must be licensed or certified by the state in which they practice. Applicants for licensure in the state of California must hold an earned doctoral degree in psychology, educational psychology, education with a specialization in counseling psychology, or education with a specialization in educational psychology from an approved or accredited educational institution. They also must have completed 3,000 hours of supervised professional experience (of which at least 1,500 must be postdoctoral) and have taken and passed the national Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and the California Psychology Supplemental Examination (CPSE). In addition, they must submit evidence of having completed coursework in human sexuality, child abuse, substance abuse, spousal abuse, and aging and long-term care. Continuing education is required to maintain the license. CSPP doctoral course requirements are designed to fulfill the programmatic requirements for licensure in California, and in some cases they exceed the requirements.

Every state has its own requirements for licensure. Therefore, it is essential that all CSPP Clinical PsyD and PhD students who plan to apply for licensure in states other than California contact the licensing board in those states for information on state requirements (e.g., coursework, practicum and internship hours, supervision, or nature of the doctoral project or dissertation). Students seeking licensure in other states should plan ahead to ensure they meet all of those states’ requirements.

For further information on licensure in California or other states contact:

Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards
PO Box 241245
Montgomery, AL 36124-1245
(334) 832-4580, asppb@asppb.org

or

California Board of Psychology
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1400
Sacramento, CA 95815
(916) 263-2699, bopmail@dca.ca.gov

or

Practice Directorate American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
(202) 336-5979, apaaccred@apa.org

APA Education and Training Outcomes

The CSPP Sacramento Clinical Psychology PsyD program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA) and publishes the following outcome data as required by APA:

• Time to Completion
• Program Costs
• Internship Placement Rates
• Attrition
• Licensure

Please visit the “About CSPP Programs” section of our website to view these data.
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202)336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation