Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
Why apply to Clark’s clinical psychology doctoral program?
Clark University’s APA-accredited clinical psychology doctoral program at the Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology is nationally renowned for its distinguished history and commitment to training socially engaged clinical scholars.
The clinical psychology program adheres to the scientist-practitioner model and so emphasizes high-quality research while also providing closely supervised and broad-based clinical training.
Our goal is to train graduate students to be skilled scientists and clinicians who integrate the science of psychology with its professional practice to improve the quality of the world in which we live and the lives of the people in our communities.
We work to help students create a program tailored to their interests while working closely with their mentor and department faculty. We have a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion and the culturally competent practice of psychology, and we pride ourselves on pursuing scholarship that is diverse both in theory and method.
Our community
Many different methodological approaches are represented, and it’s common for graduate students across the three specializations represented in our department (social, developmental, and clinical) to share ideas in the classroom, research groups, and laboratories. Our department is collaborative by design and intentionally structures classes, practicum experiences, and research activities to support collaboration among peers, rather than competition. The clinical program is committed to the inclusion of marginalized populations and to enhancing diversity within the field of clinical psychology as a whole.
Areas of study and training
Clark’s clinical psychology program aims to provide students with experiences that help develop their proficiency with theory, empirical research, and clinical practice with both adults and children. To achieve this, we provide a strong foundation in general psychology, theory, and research, as well as specialist training in clinical psychology through an integrated series of intensive educational experiences in class, laboratory, and practicum clinical settings within the University and in other agencies.
Our program involves 4 years of coursework and practicum experiences. Practicum experiences for students in their second through fourth years of the program include assessment and therapy with adults and children, as well as couple therapy intervention. In addition to learning traditional clinical skills of assessment and therapy, students are encouraged to acquire knowledge suited to a broader range of roles and contexts, such as consultation in schools and other community settings. Most students apply during the fall of the fifth year to go on internship during the sixth year. The fifth year is also typically used to work on and potentially defend the dissertation before going on internship. In the sixth year, students complete their off-campus, APA-approved clinical internship.
