Field Placements

Students in the PhD Program in Clinical Psychology are required to complete a minimum of six semesters of practicum before completing a full-year, full-time predoctoral internship. The Associate Director of Clinical Training (Associate DCT) is responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and coordinating field placement experiences in general, in conjunction with the Director of Clinical Training (DCT) and core faculty. Approved clinical supervisors provide specific and detailed evaluations of students’ clinical work.

Practica are conceptualized by the program as clinical experiences in which students apply didactic and theoretical training from their coursework and strengthen competencies in ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity; professional values, attitudes, behaviors; communication and interpersonal skills; assessment; intervention; supervision; and consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.

Student fieldwork begins with a more introductory-level practicum experience and progresses each year to more advanced externship experiences in which students perform clinical tasks with greater responsibility and demonstrable competencies. This sequence is intended to prepare students for their predoctoral internship.