Psychology with an emphasis in Clinical Psychology, PhD (with optional concentrations)

The PhD in Clinical Psychology Program’s mission and aims are aligned with Fielding’s mission to create a more humane, just, and sustainable world, and with Fielding’s values of academic excellence, community, diversity, and social justice. A core mission of the program is to foster inclusion of adult students from diverse and under-represented populations, including students of color, those living in rural or remote locations, adult learners with families, and students currently in the military or those who are spouses of military members.

Consistent with this overarching mission and general aims, The PhD program has four specific aims, which students must achieve by the time of graduation.

1. Students will demonstrate doctoral-level discipline-specific knowledge that represents the scientific and theoretical knowledge areas of the discipline of psychology (i.e., history and systems of psychology and the affective, biological, cognitive, developmental, and social bases of behavior).
2. Students will demonstrate doctoral-level conceptualization, evaluation, analysis, and integration of discipline-specific knowledge across the curriculum.
3. Students will demonstrate doctoral-level ability to understand and critique research; design, conduct, analyze, and communicate theoretically informed research; and conduct research in a manner that is culturally sensitive and consistent with legal code and ethical standards, including the APA ethics code.
4. Students will demonstrate doctoral-level competence in the profession-wide competencies, including conducting evidence-based diagnosis, assessment, and psychotherapy; and applying theory and research to develop case conceptualizations, treatment plans, and interventions that are consistent with legal and ethical standards and individual and cultural diversity factors.

The PhD offers a , as well as the option to declare a concentration in some of the most exciting growth areas of psychology:

• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Social Justice and Diversity

The program is designed to prepare students from diverse backgrounds to achieve entry-level knowledge and competencies required for health service psychologists who will be generalists. More specifically, the PhD program’s general aims are graduating students who (1) produce empirical and scholarly research that advances knowledge in the field and (2) deliver evidence-based practice as health-service psychologists. Academic coursework, clinical training, and research experiences are integrated at each stage of the student’s development within an ethical and culturally-sensitive context.