Clinical Psychology — PhD

UMass Boston’s PhD Program in Clinical Psychology, housed in the Psychology Department of the University’s College of Liberal Arts (CLA), is designed to prepare students to work in a variety of settings, as clinicians, clinical researchers, and academics, addressing the mental health problems of children, adolescents, or adults. Accredited by the American Psychological Association, the program follows the scientist-practitioner model of clinical training. It provides a strong theoretical background in psychology and related social science disciplines, as well as training in essential clinical skills and in conducting research. Its graduates function as professional psychologists who can translate their basic knowledge into practical applications and who can advance understanding of key problems through research or other scholarly activities.

The program particularly emphasizes:

• Theoretical issues in normal and abnormal development from infancy through adolescence and adulthood. Childhood, adolescence, and adulthood are each studied from a variety of perspectives within the broader context of the total life cycle.
• Sociocultural, ethnic, and minority issues. The course work highlights social and cultural approaches to normal and abnormal development, especially as they help to build an understanding of the perspectives of ethnic minority and low-income groups. The clinical training prepares graduates to conduct sensitive assessment and therapeutic interventions with members of these groups.
• A biopsychosocial model and opportunities for interdisciplinary study. Recognizing that normal and abnormal development are multi-determined, the program draws not only on faculty from the Psychology Department who adopt a biopsychosocial perspective, but also from other departments, including the Departments of Anthropology and Sociology and the University’s Research Institutes. Research training gives students skills for analyzing and solving practical problems of normal and abnormal development from a variety of social science perspectives.

• Specialized assessment and intervention skills. The program trains students in a broad range of assessment and intervention skills that will not only enable them to treat problem behavior but will help them promote healthy adaptation and prevent individual and social problems from developing.