Program Philosophy

The Clinical Psychology Program at Purdue University employs a Scientist-Practitioner model of training.  The Program focuses on the development of students as psychologists first, and secondarily as clinical psychologists.  Education in the Program proceeds from the belief that competence in the generation of new knowledge and competence in the delivery of evidence-based psychological services can and must be mutually informative.  The field as a whole—much less those constituents who rely on the work of psychologists—will be best served by professionals trained in methods to advance the knowledge base in the field, as well as appreciate and apply that knowledge base for the amelioration of psychological distress.  However, the special skills needed to produce useful, generalizable knowledge must be cultivated first, for several reasons: (1) rigorous research training sharpens the critical thinking skills necessary in all areas of psychologists’ work; (2) while clinical skills are reinforced throughout a practitioner’s career through client contact and continuing education, graduate school provides the unique opportunity for closely-guided immersion in the world of ideas and empirical research; and, (3) the systematic and critical tools of science are essential for assuring effective applications of clinical psychology.  Therefore, those seeking training primarily for careers in clinical practice will not find this Program suited for them.

The Clinical Program's primary emphasis on research illuminates its four major training goals:

• Competence in understanding and generating original empirical knowledge
• Development of knowledge of the bases of the psychological knowledge in clinical psychology
• Competence in delivering evidence-based professional psychological services
• Equipping students to contribute to the field through responsible and exemplary professional behavior as psychologists

Coursework

 Students take courses that will give them a foundation in:

• Ethics
• Statistics
• Experimental design individual differences as bases of behavior
  
• Biological bases of behavior 
• Cognitive-affective bases of behavior 
• Social bases of behavior
• History and major systems of psychology
  
  

Within clinical psychology, students take courses that prepare them for:

• Assessment of adults and children
• Planning and execution of  evidence-based treatment procedures
• Understanding individual, group, social status, and cultural influences on behavior
• Research methods and measurement approaches commonly used in clinical and related areas of psychology

Research Training Experiences

 The Program's approach to scientific training is operationalized by:

• A research apprentice approach to admissions and advising
• Students' involvement in the design and execution of individual and group research projects from the beginnings of their careers
• Four required independent research projects that demonstrate

• Competence in secondary data analysis (first-year project)
• Organizing and drawing conclusions from existing literature (Preliminary Examination)
• Collecting and analyzing original data to investigate new empirical data
• Masters thesis

• Proposing and executing an original data-based project that addressed a question of substantial importance and breadth (dissertation)
• Exposure to the methods, approaches to statistical decision-making, and ethical considerations that guide the field
• The development of skills for sharing original research with wider audiences, through live presentation and submission of original work for peer-review for publication

Prospective students are strongly urged to identify a potential Major Professor at the time of admission, and students must have one in place by the end of the first semester of graduate study. Each student chooses a Major Professor with compatible research interests. Major Professors chair the Advisory Committee that oversees the individual student's training and progress through the Program.  Major Professors typically are core (tenure-track) faculty members of the Clinical Area.  Faculty members outside of the Clinical Area may serve as Major Professors of Clinical Students as well, as long as a core Clinical Area faculty member serves as a co-chair of the students Advisory Committee. Students are continuously involved in ongoing research programs that include other students at all levels of graduate study.

The student is expected to be a regular participant in the research team of his or her Major Professor. Students may, if they wish and receive appropriate permissions, participate in the activities of more than one research team.  Students are free to change Major Professors and research teams at any time throughout their graduate careers, with the agreement of the new Professor and consent of the Program.

For more information about specific professors' research interests, visit the Faculty section of this site.

Clinical Training

Before beginning practical training, students are given a thorough grounding in behavior disorders, assessment, and psychological interventions through coursework in their first two years.

In the third year students enroll in clinical psychology practica in our in-house Purdue Psychology Treatment and Research Clinics (PPTRC).  Faculty supervisors emphasize competence in evidence-based interventions.  Practicum students see clients from across the Lafayette-West Lafayette community and surrounding areas, and provide services for problems including anxiety disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other child behavior management issues,  and personality disorders. Students are expected to complete practica in both child and adult areas, although advanced students may emphasize work in one area.

After successful completion of the in-house practicum sequence, students may seek advanced clinical opportunities in the community or around the state.  These include training in school, hospital, and community mental health settings.

The Program does not promote one theoretical approach exclusively, although there is a strong cognitive-behavioral emphasis that reflects the value the Program places on evidence-based practice.

Students are advised that licensing laws vary by state, and these may require courses or extensive supervised postdoctoral clinical experience that the Program does not provide.

Training Outcomes

Internship Match Rates

The capstone of clinical training is the required year-long clinical internship.  Each student must compete successfully to earn an APA-approved internship training position, through the matching system managed by the Association of Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Internship Centers (APPIC). The internship match rate for students in the Program is over 90% since 2000--all were paid, full-time APA and APPIC accredited internships.

  

Internship Statistics
Match Year	Applicant n	Match n	Match %
1999	5	4	80.0%
2000	7	7	100.0%
2001	4	3	75.0%
2002	4	4	100.0%
2003	5	4	80.0%
2004	3	3	100.0%
2005	3	3	100.0%
2006	5	5	100.0%
2007	6	6	100.0%
2008	5	4	80.0%
2009	4	3	80.0%

Time to Completion of Program

Graduates since 2000 (n = 26) have completed the Program (including internship) in an average of 6.88 years (median = 7 years).  Times vary depending on course electives and individual research topics.

Seven of 37 students enrolling in the Program since 2000 left prior to earning the Ph.D. (18.9%), and graduates since 2000 represent 38.2% of all students who began the Program since 1990 (n = 26 of 68).

Program Outcomes

Forty-nine students have enrolled in the Program since Fall 1999.  So far, 12 (24.5%) have earned the Ph.D., while another 12 (24.5%) have left prior to earning the doctorate.  (A total of 91 students have begun the Program since 1990; to date, 36 of those [39.6%] have earned the doctorate.)

The 12 graduates among those entering since 1999 completed the Program (including internship) in an average of 6.83 years.  Individual times vary depending on course electives and individual research topics.

Licensure

Allowing two years after the doctorate to become eligible for licensure in most jurisdictions, 34 of the 41 graduates between 1999 and 2007 (83%) became licensed.  (Those whose licensure status could not be determined were not counted.)  This rate reflects that (61%) over half of these graduates took up academic or research-related positions not necessarily requiring a license.

Click here to view a copy of the Clinical Psychology Graduate Student Handbook. 

You will need Acrobat Reader to view this handbook.  Click here to download a free copy of Acrobat Reader.