Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology  

The PhD program in clinical psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association* and follows the Boulder (scientist-practitioner) model. The UWM Clinical Psychology Program is also a member of The Academy of Psychological Clinical Science, which is a coalition of doctoral training programs that share a common goal of producing and applying scientific knowledge to the assessment, understanding, and amelioration of human problems. In addition, the program is a member of the Child Clinical and Pediatric Psychology Training Council (CCaPPTC). Our program is committed to excellence in scientific training, and to using clinical science as the foundation for designing, implementing, and evaluating assessment and intervention procedures. Students gain competence as scientists by reviewing basic and applied literatures relevant to clinical psychology and by conducting research under the direction of their major professor each semester. Students gain competence as practitioners by completing seminars, practica, and community placements in private and institutional settings. Although it is expected that some clinical students may emphasize either the basic or applied aspects of the Boulder model, the goal is excellence and integration of both areas. Evaluation of students is based on performance in courses, clinical teams, practica (clinical skills, ethical behavior, accepted professional behavior), a preliminary examination, and on the quality of their master’s and doctoral research. 

Most students in the clinical doctoral program choose clinical faculty as advisors; however, some students combine study and research in a non-clinical specialty with the clinical program and, therefore, choose a major professor from the non-clinical faculty. 

*UWM’s Clinical Psychology Program is Accredited by the American Psychological Association. Please use the contact information below to contact APA: 

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation 750 First Street, NE 
Washington, DC 20002-4242 
Phone: 202-336-5979 

a. Administration 

The Director of Clinical Training, (DCT), Ajeng Puspitasari, PhD, administers the policies and procedures of the program in clinical psychology. Stacey Nye, PhD is the director of the Psychology Clinic, an important part of the program involves practicum work in the department’s training clinic. Christine Larson, PhD oversees the Clinical Program as the area head. The members of the Clinical Training Committee are the Clinical Program core faculty, a Department faculty representative from outside the Clinical program and two voting clinical graduate students. 

b. Financial Support  

All students admitted to the doctoral program in clinical psychology receive academic-year financial support, usually in the form of teaching assistantships, which include not only a stipend but also full remission of tuition, and benefits such as health insurance. Many students also receive supplemental financial support. 

c. Applicants with Advanced Degrees 

Individuals with advanced degrees, usually in psychology or neuroscience, are eligible to apply to the doctoral program in clinical psychology. 

d. Coursework 

The minimum degree requirement is 54 graduate credits beyond the bachelor’s degree, at least 27 of which must be earned in residence at UWM. Students in psychology may earn more than 54 credits to satisfy the specific requirements of the program. 

1. Clinical Courses: Students in the clinical program satisfy their major by completing a sequence of required clinical courses, which can be seen in the table below. Note that in addition to classroom courses, students in the clinical program must also complete a sequence of practicum courses for a minimum of 400 hours of training in assessment, diagnosis, therapy, and professional practice; and later, a pre-doctoral, extramural, full-time (2000 hour) internship. 
2. Statistics requirement: Students must complete two semesters of statistics including one of the following: Educational Psychology 724 OR Public Health 711 OR both Psychology 510 and 610, plus a second course to be determined in consultation with your advisor. 
3. Breadth requirement: Students must follow American Psychological Association requirements and must complete two breadth courses: Psych 727 (which covers the cognitive/affective aspects and biological aspects of behavior) and one of three options for the social aspects of behavior requirement, Psychology 930, Educational Psychology 833. 
4. Multicultural requirement: Students must complete a course in multicultural issues in clinical or counseling psychology. 
5. Developmental psychology requirement: Students must complete a graduate level lifespan developmental psychology course. 
6. History of psychology requirement: Students who took a History of Psychology course as undergraduates, and/or who majored in psychology, have already satisfied the History of Psychology requirement. Other students must complete a course in the History of Psychology in our department (Psychology 750). 

Year	Fall Semester	Spring Semester
Year 1	Assessment I (831) Developmental Psychopathology (912) First Year Clinical Practicum (802)	Clinical Research Methods (710) First Year Clinical Psychology Practicum (802)
Year 2	Professional Ethics and Issues in Clinical Psychology (712) Practicum in Assessment I (821)	Assessment II (832) Empirically Supported Interventions (742) Practicum in Empirically Supported Interventions (845) Practicum in Assessment II (822)
Year 3	Practicum in Therapy (842)	Practicum in Therapy (842)
Year 4	Community Placement in Clinical Psychology (811)	Community Placement in Clinical Psychology (811)
Year 5	Community Placement in Clinical Psychology (811, optional)	Community Placement in Clinical Psychology (811, optional)

e. Waiver of Coursework for Students with Prior Graduate Work  

Equivalent coursework taken elsewhere as a graduate student may substitute for one or more of the courses described above. Waiver of a required practicum course requires the consent of the major professor and the DCT. Waiver of a required lecture course requires the consent of the major professor, the instructor of the course in question, and the DCT. Demonstration of proficiency is typically required before a waiver is granted. 

f. Clinical Training

Students receive a minimum of eight semesters of clinical training. During their first three years in the program they receive both assessment and intervention training from the clinical faculty at the department’s on-campus clinic, after which they work in various community agencies under the supervision of adjunct faculty. Some of the community agencies involved in the department’s training program include Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Medical College of Wisconsin Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Neuropsychology services, and Rogers Memorial Hospital. A criminal background check is required once admitted, and may affect placement. 

The Clinical Psychology program was recognized with a “Program of Excellence in Scientifically Validated Behavioral Interventions” grant from NIH, which resulted in further development of our curriculum in scientifically validated interventions for various psychological conditions. While offerings vary by year according to faculty interests and availability, we currently offer specialized training in prolonged exposure for PTSD and cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety, treatments for childhood elimination disorders, treatments for eating disorders, and cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety. Specialized training in Clinical Neuropsychology is also available in collaboration with our community partners. Upon successful completion of our program, students will have been trained as competent generalist psychologists in addition to receiving specialized training in the competent administration-delivery of assessment and treatment in specific empirically- supported interventions. 

g. Master’s Thesis  

The student, under the direction of his or her major professor, must develop an acceptable thesis based on empirical research. The student must pass an oral examination in defense of the thesis. Note: Students who, upon admission, already have a master’s degree in psychology that included an empirically based master’s thesis are exempt from the requirement of having to earn the MS at UWM, pending approval by the student’s UWM advisor and the DCT. Students admitted with a master’s degree in psychology that did not include a thesis must complete a thesis and earn the MS at UWM. 

h. Doctoral Preliminary Examination  

To advance to doctoral candidacy, students must pass a preliminary examination in clinical psychology after they earn the MS, and within five years of enrolling. 

i. Dissertation 

The candidate must write an empirically-based dissertation that demonstrates the ability to formulate a research topic and pursue an independent and original investigation, and must pass an oral examination in defense of the dissertation. 

j. Clinical Internship  

An extramural, one-year, full-time 2000-hour internship is required. Students must pass their preliminary examination and dissertation proposal before applying for internship. It is recommended that they pass their doctoral dissertation defense before beginning internship. This internship must be completed at an APA-accredited site, or one approved by the department’s Clinical Training Committee. Students from UWM have been very successful in obtaining internships at highly competitive sites across the country. In recent years, UWM’s clinical psychology students have completed internships at:

• Texas Children’s Hospital
• University of Chicago
• Zablocki Milwaukee VA Medical Center
• Duke University Medical Center
• University of Mississippi Medical Center
• University of California-San Diego
• Brown University Medical School
• University of Cincinnati Medical Center
• Seattle VA
• Houston VA
• Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital

k. Time Limits  

Doctoral students must earn the MS within three years of enrolling (by March 10 of their third year for most favorable consideration within the teaching assistant priority system), and they must earn the PhD within seven years of enrolling (exclusive of the internship year).