Adler School of Professional Psychology Catalog 2008 – 2009

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology
(Psy.D.)
The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program is
designed to prepare students for the general practice of professional clinical
psychology with a particular focus on socially responsible practice that includes
education and training regarding the broader social and systemic factors that
contribute to human dysfunction (e.g., poverty, oppression, marginalization)
and methods for ameliorating these broader factors (e.g. primary prevention
and policy change). The program follows the scholar-practitioner model of
training and education developed by the National Council of Schools and
Programs of Professional Psychology. This model identifies as objectives the
development of knowledge, skills, and values in seven core competency areas:
relationship, assessment, intervention, research and evaluation, consultation
and education, management and supervision, and individual and cultural
diversity. These competencies are based upon a strong education in the
foundations, knowledge base, and science of psychology.
Two additional competency areas that complete the education and training
model in the doctoral program are distinctive to the Adler School. The first is
focused training in the theories and methods of Alfred Adler. This focused
training provides students with a strong and thorough grounding in a particular
theory and method of psychology that forms of foundation for other theoretical
perspectives offered in the doctoral program. The second is socially responsible
practice that enables students to understand the role of social context in human
functioning and to integrate this understanding into their professional practice
and exercise of their civic responsibility. The Adler School’s commitment to
social justice continues the visionary work of Alfred Adler and enables its
graduates to practice in a wide range of settings while also working to
implement changes that will reform the social structures that adversely impact
the well-being of members of the community in which they work and live.
The program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association
and meets the requirements of the National Register of Health Care Providers
in Psychology and state licensure guidelines.
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the Psy.D. program must have a baccalaureate degree
earned from a college or university regionally accredited by a nationally
recognized accrediting agency or an equivalent academic degree from a foreign
college or university. Applicants should have a grade point average of 3.25 or
higher on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate and graduate course work. The
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