Department of Psychology

The Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology (M.S.-Ph.D.)

Contents

Course Offerings


Application Information


Objectives and Scope of the Clinical Program

The Clinical Training Program (CTP) was constructed in the late 1980s and approved by the State Board of Education in 1991 for the express purpose of educating empirically-oriented, generalist practitioners of clinical psychology. The Scientist-Practitioner clinical training model was subsequently adopted to meet this purpose. Our mission is to train competent clinical psychologists who can apply and adapt general conceptual and technical skills in diverse regional and professional settings. Such a clinician must have strong methodological and critical thinking skills and a broad background in the science of human behavior, psychopathology, empirically supported methods of assessment and treatment, cultural diversity, and interdisciplinary processes. Course work, research, practica, and professional experiences are interwoven to attempt to achieve these objectives. Emphasis is placed on those therapeutic approaches that are well-delineated, researched, and empirically supported to help clients make progress with specific goals. Learning how to match empirically-supported treatments to diverse individuals and interacting social systems, and how to tailor/adjust that treatment to specific cases, become primary goals of students participating in our program. 

It is the clinical program's philosophy that good generalist clinical practitioners approach clinical work from an empirical framework that includes forming hypotheses, adequately testing them via interventions, and assessing the intervention's impact on client behavior. In addition, an effective clinical practitioner's work is informed and guided by relevant empirical research. Knowledge of research methodology, including experimental design and analysis, provides the clinician with both strong critical and integrative thinking skills as well as the fundamentals needed to be an active and informed consumer of clinical research. Scientific skepticism greatly enhances the clinician's ability to select, evaluate, and adjust clinical assessment and intervention strategies. Consequently, doctoral level scholarship is an integral component of the clinical training program, and students are required to conduct original, empirical research. Our program offers students the flexibility to choose either a specialized line of research mentored by one faculty member, or exposure to a variety of research areas mentored by multiple faculty members.

The clinical training program at ISU has been accredited by the APA Committee on Accreditation since 2001. We will continue to work with the APA to ensure that the CTP evolves consistently with national, professional criteria. For information regarding program accreditation status, contact the American Psychological Association's Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation at 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20002-4242, by phone 202-336-5979, or apaaccred@apa.org.

Return to top

Applicant Qualifications

Students are required to have a B.A./B.S. in psychology or the equivalent and an undergraduate GPA at or above 3.0 for the last two undergraduate years.   Applicants must submit GRE scores from both the Aptitude and the Advanced Subject Test in Psychology to be considered for admission.  GRE scores at the 50th percentile or higher on two of the three aptitude tests (i.e., verbal, quantitative, analytical) and on the Advanced Subject Test in Psychology are preferred, although scores above the 50th percentile are not required. Students with a strong undergraduate psychology major, research experience, and applied or clinical experience are encouraged to apply. Students with a Masters degree in Psychology are also encouraged to apply.

Updated clinical application materials are available online by September 15th each year.  For these materials, go to the link above "For Prospective Applicants/How to Apply", or the URL www.isu.edu/psych/apply.shtml.  All application materials must be received before the January 1st deadline.  Interviews are a required component of the clinical admissions process. On-campus interviews are scheduled on a Saturday in late February or early March. Students invited for an interview by the Clinical Admissions Committee will be notified of dates/times. It is recommended that you participate in the on-campus interview. We recognize, however, that for a variety of good reasons, a qualified applicant may not be able to attend the on-campus interview. Phone interviews will be scheduled as needed. Once admitted, students are expected to maintain 'full-time' status; all clinical students must matriculate during the fall semester.   For more information about the application process, contact the department secretary at 208-282-2462 or by email to Lisa Coleman.

All qualified applicants will be given equal consideration. Ethnic minorities and residents of the State of Idaho are encouraged to apply. Idaho residency does not compensate for deficits in qualifications and is only considered when comparing individuals of equivalent ability.

Be informed that doctoral training in clinical psychology requires a full-time clinical internship and often provides placements in other professional agencies.  Some of these institutions require a legal background check to insure all employees meet current standards.  In addition, licensure boards usually require applicants to report on their legal background.  Many hospital settings require documentation of vaccinations and /or proof of immunity to common communicable diseases.

Return to top

Applicant/Student Statistics for the Ph.D. Program


2003 2004 2005
 2006 2007
Number of Complete Applications 34 53 76
 62 73
Number of Admission Offers 11 14 10
 11 12
Number of Enrolled 6 7 5
 6 6
Number of New Students Funded 6 7 5
 6 6




GRE Scores and Undergraduate GPA of Students Offered Admission


GRE-Verbal


    Mean 535 553 556 580 576
    Median 530 545 575 610 580




GRE-Quantitative


    Mean 596 643 635 629 670
    Median 590 640 600 630 680




GRE-Advanced Psychology


    Mean 630 624 679 665 661
    Median 620 625 665 660 665




Undergraduate GPA 3.87 3.8 3.8 3.76 3.84




Graduating in: 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
   # completing program 3 5 3
 3 8
   % presenting papers/posters 33%  100% 100% 100% 100%
   % publishing papers 33% 60% 67% 33% 25%
   Mean years to completion 6.3 5.8 5.9 5.4 5.7

Internship Statistics

For the Internship Year: 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08
Number of Student Applicants 3 2 6 1 7 7 3
Number of Funded Internships 3 2 6 1 6 7 3
Number of Unfunded Internships 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Number of APPIC Internships 3 1 5 1 5 7 3
Number of Accredited Internships 2 1 6 1 3 7 2
Number of 2-yr, Half-Time Sites 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Time to Completion

During the last seven years there have been 31 doctoral degrees awarded in clinical psychology.  Those entering with a bachelor's degree (n=24) have averaged 5.8 years to completion (median=5.8 yrs); those entering with a master's degree (n=7) averaged 5.5 years (median=5.0 yrs).  Percentage of student across completion periods is as follows:  less than 5 years = 6%; 5 years = 48%; 6 years = 35%; 7 years = 10%; and more than 7 years = 0%.

Attrition

Since initial accreditation in May of 2001, a total of 42 students have matriculated through the 2007-2008 academic year (6.0 per year). Two students left the program prior to completion during this period.  Therefore, our attrition rate since accreditation stands at 5%.

Licensure

During the period from 1997 to 2005, 21 students graduated from the clinical training program at Idaho State University.  Of these, 86% (18 of 21) are now licensed by a state or provinicial (Canada) licensing board.

Return to top

Financial Support

It is our express goal to provide some financial support for every student admitted into the CTP. Currently, eight General Teaching Assistantships (GTA's), four Service Learning Positions, and ten Clinical Externships are available. Each requires up to 15 hours of work per week amd service positions require up to 20 hours per week during the summer. Kasiska scholarships also are available on a competitive basis for residents of the State of Idaho ($900 per semester). The GTA's work as assistants to instructors at both the graduate and undergraduate level, performing such duties as grading exams, giving presentations, holding office hours, directing review sessions, proctoring tests, etc. Two of the eight GTA positions are assigned the Psychology Clinic, where students perform evaluations, participate in quality assurance, and assist in managing clinic operations. The GTA's currently earn $11,354 plus tuition and health insurance. Service Learning Positions, which consist of direct care in residential centers and eligibility assessments earn $7 to $10 per hour.  Clinical Externships are typically reserved for third and fourth year clinical students and those students entering with a completed MS/MA degree. Externships provide opportunities in local agencies to practice professional skills under supervision. Hourly compensation ranges from $14 to $19 per hour. All Service Learning positions and Externships carry a non-residential tuition waiver.  The resident tuition and health insurance remain an obligation of the student.  Current externships operate in a child development center, a local women's correctional facility, a family practice medical clinic, two private practice settings, a center for disabilities evaluation, a drug/alcohol rehabilitation center, and an acute care psychiatric facility. Departmental funding is available on an annual, competitive basis. Given the competitive nature of awards, a first year stipend does not guarantee departmental funding during all four on-campus years. Funded students are not expected to seek or accept employment elsewhere.

Tuition and Fees for the Class of 2007-08

Current university tuition and fees are available at Cost of Attendance.  Resident graduate tuition for 2007-08 is $2580 per semster; non-resident tuition is $6922 per semester; health insurance is $523 per semester, but this can be waived with proof of insurance.   Three of the six incoming students were awarded full tuition and insurance waivers plus a stipend of $11,354 for performing GTA or GRA services.  Two were awarded Service Learning Positions that include a non-resident tuition waiver and a stipend of approximately $6545. One received a Kasiska Scholarship for each semester.

Return to top

Curriculum

The current curriculum requires four years on campus of full time student course work, research, and practica/professional training. The fifth year is a clinical internship at a member site of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) or an equivalent experience approved by the Clinical Training Committee. Internship positions are awarded by the internship agency, not by Idaho State University. Thus, Idaho State University cannot guarantee that matriculated clinical students will gain access to internships in a timely fashion. Our students have been competitive and successful at attaining internship positions. To date, 94% (31 of 33) of our APPIC applicants have been placed in APPIC internship sites during their first application year.

The doctoral training program in Clinical Psychology offers thorough training in the science of human behavior. Students without course experience in core undergraduate areas (experimental, physiology, sensation & perception, learning, social, developmental, cognition, personality, and history) may be required to address deficiencies with appropriate coursework. All clinical students earn the Master of Science degree in Psychology. Completion of graduate course work in all core areas of human function (biological, cognitive-affective, social, developmental, individual differences, and history/systems) is required, along with basic methodological and statistics course work, clinical course work, a thesis, and a dissertation.

Clinical experiences are a component of every semester. Education in psychopathology, assessment, and treatment is embedded within all required clinical course work and practica. To facilitate our goal of generalist training, students complete a three-course sequence in measurement and evaluation, as well as interdisciplinary assessment and staffing procedures. There is little doubt that students will eventually specialize to some degree. One's selection of practica during the third and fourth years, dissertation topic, and internship site all implicitly demand some narrowing of interest. Nevertheless, all students completing the CTP at ISU will have a systematic exposure to all core areas of professional practice. 

All courses listed below are three credits unless otherwise specified in parentheses. Our curriculum is constantly under review and subject to revision. MS Core courses refer to course work in the domains of biological, cognitive-affective, social, developmental/individual differences. A sample sequence of course requirements follows:

Year 1
Fall Spring
  Advanced Statistics    Experimental Design I 
  Clinical Psychology    Psychopathology
  Psychodiagnostics I     Psychodiagnostics II
  MS Core (e.g., Developmental)            MS Core (e.g., Cognitive)


Year 2 
Fall Spring
  Thesis    Thesis
  Ethics (2)     Adult Therapy II
  Adult Therapy I     Child Therapy
  MS Core (e.g., Physiological)    MS Core (e.g., Social)
  Practicum (1)    Practicum (1)


Year 3
Fall Spring
  Psychotropic Meds (2)    Experimental Design II
  Clinical Elective    Clinical Elective
  Advanced Measurement             Cultural Diversity
  Practicum (2)    Practicum (1)

   Interdisciplinary Evaluation Team (1)   


Year 4
Fall Spring
  Clinical Elective    Clinical Elective
  Dissertation (6)     Dissertation (6)
  Practicum (1)     Practicum (1) 
  Advanced Ethics (1)    History & Systems 


Year 5
Fall Spring
  Internship     Internship

Students propose, direct, and defend a master's thesis during the second year. In August of the beginning of the third year eligible students take the Qualifying Exam for doctoral candidacy. The exam covers the MS Core Areas and statistical/methodological topics. Students should propose a dissertation during the third year and collect dissertation data during the fourth year. The dissertation defense may be completed during the fourth or fifth year.

Summer semester is not a scheduled component of the CTP at ISU. Many students, however, will elect to enroll in summer practicum offerings or prefer to remain on campus to complete research projects or prepare for the Qualifying Exam. In addition,  service learning positions and externships require summer work.  Given the Graduate School's continuing enrollment requirement, once a student initiates thesis or dissertation research, at least one (1) academic credit is required each semester, including the summer semester, and until the thesis or dissertation is defended.

Return to top

Practicum

Students participate in many professional activities throughout the four years at ISU. Students rotate across at least four different practicum teams in the ISU Psychology Clinic to ensure our objective of generalist clinical training. Each team is supervised by a full time faculty member of the CTP.  All clinical faculty are licensed psychologists or finishing post-doctoral requirements for licensure. Current practica offerings include training in child therapy/parent training, neuropsychological assessment, general adult psychopathology, substance abuse, social anxiety, couples/family therapy, and sexual dysfunction. During the fall semester of the first year students practice interview skills and observe clinic team evaluations, group supervision, and treatment routines. During spring semester of the first year students perform psychological evaluations. Second and third year students assume increasing professional roles as clinicians. Fourth year students may gain supervisory experience. During the third or fourth years students usually obtain practicum positions in various community settings, supervised by licensed psychologists engaged in full time professional practice. Students also gain experience in working with professionals from other disciplines by completing one semester on the Interdisciplinary Evaluation Team. Clinical and departmental colloquia, clinical workshops, and weekly clinical program meetings ("Brown Bags") round out the students' structured professional training.

The Clinical Training Committee reviews all assessment information on a semester basis and provides formal feedback to each student. We take professional training very seriously and are committed to high quality supervision. Students typically receive group and individual supervision, often in addition to in-vivo supervision of therapy sessions. We require and expect all students to adhere to the American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

Return to top

Facilities

The Psychology Department is located on the fourth floor of Garrison House. The department provides office space for all graduate students.  The Idaho State University Psychology Clinic, on the fifth floor, provides individual therapy rooms, a child/family room, testing rooms, and a group therapy room, all equipped with observation, sound, and videotape capabilities.   To go to the Psychology Clinic webpages, please click the link in the menu at the top of this page.
  
A local network of mental health agencies and other organizations provide external practicum sites and funding sources for clinical graduate students. There are adequate facilities available to meet the needs of experimental laboratory courses and independent research projects. Additional facilities include a university-managed animal colony, the university library, a university computer center located near the department, and computer labs in both the department and the clinic for graduate student use.


Return to top