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Department of Psychological Sciences
210 McAlester Hall
Columbia, MO 65211-2500
phone: 573-882-6860
fax: 573-882-7710
email: SkylesB@missouri.edu
Graduate Program: 573-882-0838 or gradpsych@missouri.edu		 MU Department of Psychological Sciences

Clinical Psychology Training Area

This section provides information concerning the University of Missouri-Columbia's program in Clinical Psychology. It is intended to supplement the information provided in the Graduate School Catalog.

Overview

The PhD program in clinical psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association and is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science. The latter membership underscores a commitment to empirical approaches to evaluating the validity and utility of testable hypotheses and to advancing knowledge by this method. Clinical science "is a psychological science directed at the promotion of adaptive functioning; at the assessment, understanding, amelioration, and prevention of human problems in behavior, affect, cognition, or health; and at the application of knowledge in ways consistent with scientific evidence."

The goals of the Academy include the following:

  1. "To foster the training of students for careers in clinical science research."
  2. "To advance the full range of clinical science research and theory and their integration with other relevant sciences."
  3. "To foster the development of and access to resources and opportunities for training, research, funding and careers in clinical science."
  4. "To foster the broad application of clinical science to human problems in responsible and innovative ways."
  5. "To foster the timely dissemination of clinical science to policy-making groups, psychologists and other scientists, practitioners and consumers."

MU's Clinical program is coordinated by a director and a committee comprised of faculty members specializing in this area. The program seeks to prepare students for careers in clinical science including research, teaching, and service in universities, medical centers, clinics, hospitals, and similar agencies. In addition to the program's training emphasis on the development of research skills, students also receive training in basic areas of psychology as well as training in empirically supported approaches to assessment, prevention and intervention.

To achieve these training aims requires that, early in the program, students acquire basic knowledge and skills through the successful completion of a specified sequence of courses, research activities, and clinical practice. Because the number of students in the Clinical program is limited to about 30, considerable individual attention can be given beyond the specified curriculum, particularly with regard to tailoring the research and applied aspects of the program to meet individual needs and interests. Although extensive training in both basic and applied aspects of clinical psychology is emphasized, the major goal is the training of clinical scientists. We are seeking students who have a strong interest in research careers. Therefore, students whose primary interest is applied training would not be a good match with our program.

The Clinical faculty currently consists of 12 full-time & 1 part-time members of the psychology department. In addition to the many non-clinical professors in the social/personality, developmental, cognition & neuroscience and quantitative training departments, several adjunct faculty participate in the training of clinical students.

The Psychological Services Clinic, located in the Psychology Building, is a community-based outpatient facility that serves as the primary clinical practicum training site for the clinical program. A variety of psychological services (assessment, consultation, and individual, group and family therapy) are provided to people and agencies in the University and Columbia communities, largely by students in the program under the close supervision of the clinical faculty and psychologists on staff at the Clinic (currently three doctoral-level clinical psychologists). A unique feature of our Clinic is the opportunity for Clinical students to gain experience treating clients under a managed-care model. Our Clinic faculty are on the provider panels of several managed care companies (including health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations). In addition, clinical training is available at the University Hospital and Clinics, Truman Veterans Hospital in Columbia, State Hospital in Fulton, Mid-MO Mental Health Center in Columbia, and the Heart of Missouri Mental Health Services.

In-Training Financial Support

Financial aid is available to Clinical students, provided their progress in the clinical program is satisfactory. Besides the department teaching and research assistantships, paid clinical experiences are available in other University and community agencies as approved by the program faculty. See Graduate Program - Financial Support.

Admission to the Clinical Program

An applicant interested in the PhD Clinical psychology program should indicate this in the appropriate sections of the department's application. As previously noted, our major goal is the training of clinical scientists. Therefore, we admit students who have a strong interest in conducting research and applying this knowledge to clinical problems. Applicants whose primary interest is applied training would not be a good match with our program.

The Clinical program adheres to a mentorship model whereby students are admitted who have research interest that are similar to the research interests of one or more of the Clinical faculty. Therefore, applicants are urged to provide detailed information regarding research background and interests on their application. A formal interview, either in person or by telephone, is required for finalists. Applicants will be notified of their status by early March.

The average GRE scores of students admitted to our program over the last five years (2002-1998) were: Verbal mean=606, Quantitative mean=681. Although there is no special set of requirements for acceptance in the Clinical training program, a broad grounding in major substantive areas of psychology, other sciences, and statistics/mathematics is recommended.

Each Clinical student admitted to our program is assigned to a faculty mentor/advisor. Typically, this is the faculty member whose research interests match those of the incoming Clinical student. Continuation in the training program depends upon a student's progress in meeting the requirements as outlined.

Clinical Program and Requirements

The PhD Clinical training program is designed to provide

  1. training in the major substantive areas and methodology of the science of psychology,
  2. intensive training in the subject matter of clinical psychology as well as in empirically supported assessment and intervention approaches,
  3. research competence and background in theoretical and applied problem areas of clinical psychology, and
  4. a clinical scientist orientation that embraces both an appreciation of and a commitment to the advancement of clinical psychology as a science.

Students in the Clinical training program must meet curriculum requirements of the program and the department. The program curriculum specifies a sequence of both substantive and technique courses during the first three years of study. These include courses in psychopathology, assessment, psychotherapy and clinical practice. Through the use of a practicum team-approach, wherein four or five students and a staff member comprise a team, students are brought into direct clinical training early in their program. Starting in their second semester, students participate in the team's practicum activities according to their level oftraining. In addition, all students take other courses from among a pool of clinical courses such as Health Psychology and Family and Group Process. In addition to the general training program, students may choose the child-clinical or adult-clinical specialization track.

During this period, all students in the department must also complete the departmental core curriculum that requires courses in four of six major area, plus statistics and quantitative techniques. During the course of their training, students complete a research thesis for the MA degree and take a comprehensive examination in their major area (in Clinical psychology for students in the Clinical program). The comprehensive examination is usually taken during the latter part of the third year. During the fourth and fifth years of the program, the dissertation and the clinical internship are completed. The one-year full-time clinical internship or its equivalent must be completed at an agency approved for internship training by the program or by the American Psychological Association.

The program is designed so that, by pursuing a full-time course load throughout, the above requirements for the PhD degree can be completed in five or six calendar years beyond the bachelor's degree. Students are expected to work on some aspect of their programs during the summer session (e.g., research, classwork).

Steps for normal advancement in the Clinical program
First Year:
  • Take beginning level clinical courses, including psychometrics, adult or child assessment, and theories and techniques of psychotherapy.
  • Take core curriculum course(s) and elected others.
  • Take beginning level clinical practicum (pre-practicum).
  • Take first two of required three quantitative courses.
  • Begin involvement in ongoing research project(s), typically in advisor's laboratory.
  • Begin work on MA thesis.
Second Year:
  • Continue with advanced level clinical courses, including ethics/professional issues, adult or child psychopathology.
  • Take core curriculum course(s).
  • Take intermediate level clinical practicum.
  • Complete MA thesis research project.
  • Continue involvement in ongoing research.
Third Year:
  • Complete core curriculum requirements.
  • Continue with clinical and related area courses.
  • Take advanced level clinical practicum.
  • Complete PhD comprehensive examination.
  • Continue involvement in ongoing research.
Fourth and Fifth Years:
  • Complete any remaining course work in program.
  • Complete PhD dissertation and final examination.
  • Complete clinical internship.
  • Continue involvement in ongoing research.

See the Supplement to the Graduate Student Handbook for Clinical Students [Word] for details on coursework.

Dual Emphasis Degree Program in Child Clinical and Developmental Training

Students who wish to pursue a graduate degree with training in both clinical (child track) and developmental psychology may do so through the pursuit of the Dual Emphasis option. Students in this program will be involved in training that bridges the two areas of developmental psychology and child-clinical psychology. This program will be the equivalent of training in the area of developmental psychopathology with the added benefits of training and practice in child-clinical psychology. To pursue the joint program, students must be officially admitted into both the clinical and developmental training areas within the Department of Psychological Sciences and notification must be made to the Graduate School.

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