Master of Science in Clinical Psychology

Program Description/Overview

This program prepares master’s level clinical psychology professionals to be competent mental health practitioners capable of providing a wide array of evidence-based services to assess, treat and prevent cognitive, mental, and emotional issues related to development and growth, adjustment to psychosocial and environmental stressors, crisis and trauma. Graduates will be able to work in various settings such as mental health clinics, hospitals, colleges, human resources and other settings.  

Master’s level clinical psychology focuses on a broad range of scientifically informed and culturally responsive practices to help people improve their health and well-being, prevent and alleviate distress and maladjustment, resolve crises, and function better in their lives. With a normative lifespan development and strength-based perspective, it focuses on prevention and education as well as amelioration of psychological issues and distress, addressing individuals as well as the systems or contexts in which they function.

The 60-unit curriculum incorporates the core learning goals for master’s degree graduates in psychology from the APA Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology: Master’s Programs (2021).

Program Learning Outcomes/Goals

Program Aims and Competencies

Program Aims

Aim 1: Provide students with discipline-specific scientific knowledge to support the effective master-level practice of clinical psychology.

Aim 2: Train competent health service providers to deliver scientifically informed psychological services to diverse individuals and groups.

Aim 3: Provide students with strong professional identities as licensed master-level psychology professionals and the psychotherapy skills, professional behaviors, and attitudes that reflect the highest ethical and professional standards at the master-level practice of clinical psychology.

Program Competencies

All students are expected to acquire and demonstrate substantial understanding of and competence in the following nine profession-wide competency areas and their associated elements:

1. Integration of psychological science and practice. Trainees are expected to:
   • demonstrate the ability to understand and critically evaluate research and other scholarly works (e.g., peer-reviewed review articles);
   • utilize research methods to support quality improvement of individual treatment outcomes; and
   • demonstrate knowledge that issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion should be considered when critically evaluating psychological research.
2. Ethical and legal standards. Trainees are expected to demonstrate competency in each of the following areas:
   • be knowledgeable of and act in accordance with each of the following:
     • the current version of the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct;
     • relevant laws, regulations, rules, and policies governing health service psychology at the organizational, local, state, regional, and federal levels; and
     • relevant professional standards and guidelines;
   • recognize ethical dilemmas as they arise and apply ethical decision-making processes in order to resolve the dilemmas; and
   • conduct self in an ethical manner in all professional activities.
3. Individual and cultural diversity. Trainees are expected to demonstrate:
   • ongoing engagement through critical self-reflection of how their own personal/cultural history, attitudes, and biases may affect how they understand and interact with people different from themselves;
   • knowledge of the current theoretical and empirical knowledge base as it relates to addressing diversity in all professional activities, including research, training, supervision/consultation, and service;
   • the ability to integrate awareness and knowledge of individual, historical, and cultural differences in the conduct of professional roles (e.g., research, services, and other professional activities). This includes the ability to apply a framework for working effectively with areas of individual and cultural diversity not previously encountered over the course of their careers. Also included is the ability to work effectively with individuals whose identities, group membership, demographic characteristics, and/or worldviews are different from their own.
   • the requisite knowledge base, ability to articulate an approach to working effectively with diverse individuals and groups and apply this approach effectively in their professional work.
   • knowledge of factors that may impact equity and inclusion such as oppression, privilege, institutional prejudice, and intersectionality;
   • knowledge of the role of social justice, including racial justice, in increasing equitable access to behavioral health care; and
   • the ability to function as an advocate to address social inequities and injustices impacting one’s patient population.
4. Professional values, attitudes, and behaviors. Trainees are expected to:

• behave in ways that reflect the values and attitudes of psychology, including integrity, deportment, professional identity, accountability, commitment to integration of science and practice, lifelong learning, and concern for the welfare of others;
• engage in self-reflection regarding one’s personal and professional functioning; engage in activities to maintain and improve performance, well-being, and professional effectiveness; and
• actively seek and demonstrate openness and responsiveness to feedback and supervision.

5. Communication and interpersonal skills. Trainees are expected to:
   • develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of individuals, including colleagues, communities, organizations, supervisors, supervisees, and those receiving professional services;
   • produce and comprehend oral, nonverbal, and written communications that are respectful, accessible, informative and well-integrated; demonstrate a thorough grasp of professional language and concepts;
   • demonstrate effective interpersonal skills and the ability to manage difficult communication well; and
   • communicate in culturally responsive ways that respect the diversity of perspectives and communication styles of others (e.g., marginalized, privileged, individualist, collectivistic, generational)
6. Assessment. Trainees are expected to:
   • demonstrate current knowledge of diagnostic classification systems across different contexts and settings (e.g., schools), functional and dysfunctional behaviors, including consideration of client strengths and psychopathology;
   • demonstrate understanding of human behavior within its relevant context (e.g., family, educational/school, social, societal, historical, and cultural);
   • demonstrate the ability to apply the knowledge of functional and dysfunctional behaviors including context to the assessment and/or diagnostic process;
   • critically evaluate, select, and apply assessment methods consistent with the aims of the program that draw from the best available empirical literature and that reflect the science of measurement and psychometrics; collect relevant data using multiple sources and methods appropriate to the identified goals and questions of the assessment as well as relevant diversity characteristics of the service recipient;
   • understand assessment results, following current research and professional standards and guidelines, to inform case conceptualization, classification, and recommendations, while guarding against decision-making biases, distinguishing the aspects of assessment that are subjective from those that are objective; and
   • communicate orally and in written documents the findings and implications of the assessment in an accurate and effective manner sensitive to a range of audiences.
7. Intervention. Trainees are expected to demonstrate the ability to:
   • establish and maintain effective relationships with the recipients of psychological services in settings and context appropriate to meet program aims;
   • develop evidence-based intervention plans specific to the service delivery goals;
   • implement interventions informed by the current scientific literature, assessment findings, cultural efficacy and appropriateness, and contextual variables;
   • evaluate intervention outcomes, and adapt as needed, as part of ongoing progress monitoring; and
   • use information relevant to equity, diversity, and inclusion to educate stakeholders about the determinants of health, about effective strategies for promoting health and well-being outcomes, and about ways to access health care and other psychological services.
8. Supervision. Trainees are expected to:
   • demonstrate knowledge of supervision roles; and
   • demonstrate an understanding of relevant supervision requirements for one’s level and form of practice.
9. Consultation and interprofessional/interdisci­plinary skills. Trainees are expected to:
   • demonstrate the ability to work as part of integrative teams with members from diverse backgrounds, such as other types of mental health professionals, client family members, or others from different backgrounds; and
   • demonstrate knowledge and respect for the roles and perspectives of other professionals.

In addition, students are expected to possess discipline-specific knowledge in the following areas:

1. Undergraduate level knowledge by successful passing with a “C” or better these course Prerequisites prior to enrolling in the program:
   1. Affective Bases of Behavior
   2. Cognitive Aspects of Behavior
   3. Social Aspects of Behavior
2. Graduate level knowledge
   1. Evaluation of science and research
   2. Research methods and statistics
   3. Psychometrics
   4. Developmental Aspects of Behavior
   5. Biological Bases of Behavior

Training Model

The program is based on the practitioner model of graduate education for psychology professionals. The program provides a strong generalist foundation in clinical psychology, emphasizing the applications of theory and research to practice. This foundation, along with the belief that scholarship is fundamental to effective psychological practice (including professional engagement and advocacy), maximizes competencies and enables graduates to adapt to future changes in both service delivery and psychological knowledge.

Professional Behavior Expectations/Ethical Guidelines

Students are held to the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (www.apa.org/ethics/code/) from the time of acceptance of admission.

Internship, Practicum, and/or Dissertation Information

Practicum and Internship Requirements: The program includes two years of practicum requirements for students to obtain the foundational training standards. Practicum requirements are described in the program description and in the Master’s Level Psychology Training Manual.

Through their fieldwork, students have opportunities to engage in psychology training experiences that serve a broad range of populations in different settings. Students gain experience conducting therapy with adults, adolescents, children, couples, families, and/or groups. They learn to counsel a variety of mental disorders and issues, such as anxiety and depression, relationship problems, anger and emotional dysregulation, grief and loss, sexual concerns, divorce, infidelity, intimacy, and emotional closeness.

Credit Units

Total Credit Units: 60

Total Core Credit Units: 60

Total Elective Credit Units: N/A

Degree Requirements

Professional Development Activities: During the program, the student must supplement their academic and clinical work with 50 hours of professional development activities. These include approved workshops, colloquia, and seminars. Thirty of these hours may involve personal counseling or psychotherapy with a licensed mental health professional who is not core faculty at Alliant.

MA Comprehensive Exam: Students must successfully pass the MA comprehensive examination process to receive the degree.

Curriculum Plan