Program Overview
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DePaul University's Clinical Psychology program prepares students to become excellent researchers and clinicians who have a firm grounding in the theory, research, and practice of psychology.
The Clinical Psychology Program (which includes both Child and Community tracks) is one of four Ph.D. programs in the Department of Psychology at DePaul University. The American Psychological Association (APA) first accredited the Clinical Program in 1976, and it has held continuous APA accreditation since then. The Clinical Program trains students within the scientist-practitioner model, providing training in both research and practice.
The Clinical Program has four broad program goals:
- To educate students broadly and generally about psychology and instill a commitment to life-long learning
- To prepare graduates with knowledge and skills to engage in and shape research and scholarship
- To prepare graduates for diverse leadership career paths in the practice of clinical psychology and more in-depth preparation in child and/or community applications and policy
- To prepare graduates to work in the public sector, in an urban environment, with diverse ethnic and socio-economic populations, and with those who have been traditionally underserved by psychology
Program objectives are for students to acquire understanding and competence in psychological theory, research, and practice, with particular attention to developmental psychopathology, community psychology, evidence-based treatments, dissemination, and program evaluation with children, adolescents, and families of diverse backgrounds. Our program's diversity focus is intended to promote students' understanding about the societal and systemic/ecological forces that have contributed to current manifestations of inequality for many diverse groups such as for poor, urban, and ethnically diverse populations and on how these conditions influence mental health, family/community processes, and access to mental health services.
Community and Child Tracks
Students in both the Child and Community tracks receive training to become clinical psychologist, and they are provided with clinical experiences to develop these skills such as training in testing, assessment, and psychotherapy. However, the two tracks have different emphases. The Community track focuses on prevention, consultation, program development, empowerment, and health promotion. The Child track emphasizes training in developmental psychopathology, in the development of efficacious treatments for low income African American and Latino families, and the delivery of services for youth living in urban settings, including schools and community mental health centers. Applicants select an area of emphasis and are admitted to one of the two tracks. The two areas of emphasis are complementary to one another.
Clinical Faculty
The Clinical Program has 13 full-time faculty members, 7 in the Community area and 6 in the Child area. See below for a brief statement about each of the faculty research interests. For further detail please see the faculty page.
Child Track
- Dr. Karen Budd's research focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of an empirically-supported parent training intervention with young children with disruptive behavior problems and adaptation of the model as a universal prevention program in preschool and kindergarten.
- Dr. Jocelyn Carter's research focuses on relations among stressors, chronic illnesses, such as asthma, and depressive symptoms affecting low-income urban youth of color.
- Dr. Sheldon Cotler's research has included psychotherapy outcome research as well as evaluation of preventive interventions with children and adolescents.
- Dr. Kathryn Grant's research focuses on the effects of stressful life experiences on the mental health of adolescents and the development of interventions for low-income urban youth.
- Dr. Antonio Polo's research focuses on the manifestation of internalizing problems in Latino youth and the development and tailoring of evidence-based interventions to address the needs of this population.
Community Track
- Dr. Patrick Fowler's research uses strong scientific methods to inform developmentally-sensitive service provision and social policy aimed at youths and families in contact with the child welfare system.
- Dr. Leonard Jason's primary research agenda focuses on the development of prevention and intervention strategies targeting addiction-related behaviors in youth.
- Dr. Christopher Keys' work has focused on developing and implementing interventions to promote the success of urban youth of color living with disabilities.
- Dr. Susan McMahon's research focuses on evaluation of violence prevention interventions with urban youth, school-based interventions, and risk and protective factors among African American youth.
- Dr. W. LaVome Robinson's research focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of cognitive-behavioral school-based interventions for African-American inner-city children and adolescents.
- Dr. Nathan Todd's research focuses on contextual factors that influence individual and group engagement with social justice, with an emphasis on religious settings and Whiteness.
Unique Strengths of DePaul's Clinical Psychology Program
Strong APA Accreditation
In 2010, DePaul University's doctoral program in Clinical Psychology was reviewed by APA, and the program's accreditation was again renewed for the maximum allowable time period (seven years). The site visitors stated that they had not seen a program that better embodied its mission, and highlighted the congruence of the broader university mission with the clinical Psychology Program's particular goals. They noted that the program's emphasis on training Clinical Psychologists to work with underserved populations, particularly families of color living in urban poverty, embodies the university's Vincentian mission and its urban priority.
Commitment to Diversity
In addition to the emphasis on applied research with youth of color as described above, diversity issues are emphasized in all clinical courses as well as in the DePaul Family and Community Services Center (DePaul FCS), where students receive much of their clinical training. The program has also recruited and retained a diverse faculty and student body. Four of the 13 faculty are people of color (2 African American and 2 Latino); 20 of the 47 currently enrolled students are people of color (12 African American, 5 Latino, 3 Asian American). Other forms of diversity (e.g., sexual orientation, disability, gender) are also represented in the faculty and student body. See excerpt from APA accreditation report below.
"The program is commended on its efforts to promote cultural and individual differences and diversity and for consistently providing good training in this area. The program has made systematic efforts to attract diverse students and faculty members. Training in diversity is represented across the curriculum and the program does an excellent job integrating this knowledge into all domains of study."
DePaul Family and Community Services (FCS)
The clinical program provides state of the art training through the program's in-house training clinic, DePaul FCS. Supported by State of Illinois funds and DePaul University, the DePaul FCS has provided psychotherapy and case-management to economically disadvantaged families living in the surrounding public housing developments of Cabrini Green and Lathrop Homes for over 30 years. The DePaul FCS Outpatient Child and Adolescent program offers the typical assessment of mental health services to youth 2 to 17 years and their families. Approximately 250 youth receive services each year in this program. Clientele are mostly racial minorities (83%), receive public assistance (86%), and have been exposed to a number of stressors including economic stressors, and community and family violence. The DePaul FCS is also unique in emphasizing outreach to the community it serves. Several DePaul FCS programs implement evidence-based prevention and treatment approaches (targeting externalizing problems in school-age children in particular).
Summary
DePaul University's doctoral training program in Clinical Psychology represents a unique training site that provides excellent training in the fields of Clinical Child and Community Psychology while also offering an emphasis in applied research with underserved children and adolescents. The research programs of the Clinical faculty and the training provided in the DePaul FCS, in the context of strong university support for research on underserved populations of color, combine to create a program uniquely equipped to train scientists in applied research on effective prevention and intervention programs for low-income, urban, African American and Latino youth.
We invite you to explore our website so that you can find out more about our program. Click here to view information regarding admissions.
Courses
Visit our Clinical Psychology Course Information Page to learn more about the courses offered, recommended course schedule, and approximate course timeline for this program.
Faculty
Learn more about our Clinical Psychology Faculty where you can view the contact information and research interests of the Clinical-Child and Clinical-Community faculty members.
Student Resources
View a variety of data from past applicants and students that have been accepted into and completed the program.
Our DePaul Clinical Psychology Program Manual outlines the Clinical Psychology Program's rules, guidelines, and course information.
Contact
For general inquiries or admissions information, please contact DePaul University's Psychology Department at (773) 325-7887 or gradpsych@depaul.edu