Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling Psychology
Website: https://twu.edu/psychology-philosophy/graduate-programs/counseling-psychology/doctoral-program/
The mission of the TWU Doctoral Program in Counseling Psychology is to prepare highly competent, diversity-sensitive professional psychologists. It is the only explicitly feminist-multicultural program in the U.S.
The Ph.D. program in counseling psychology provides systematic training within a Practitioner-Scientist model to prepare students for the practice of psychology in a wide range of professional mental health settings. The model provides clear training in both practice and science, emphasizes practice informed by science, and prepares students to be both producers and consumers of research.
Given the Practitioner-Scientist model, advanced training in psychotherapy and psychological assessment are central foci. Students are expected to develop sophisticated theoretical understandings through exposure to multiple perspectives and to develop substantive therapeutic skills. Training in assessment builds a foundation for mastering cognitive, vocational, and objective psychological measures. Academic program coursework, as well as practicum training, are designed to support these strengths.
The doctoral program in counseling psychology is rooted in the following aims. Most program activities and evaluations are linked to these fundamental items.
- Aim #1: To prepare competent practitioners of professional psychology.
- Aim #2: To prepare diversity-sensitive professional psychologists.
- Aim #3: To prepare professional psychologists who are competent consumers and/or producers of research.
- Aim #4: To prepare professional psychologists who understand and embrace the identity of a Counseling Psychologist.
Marketable Skills
Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."
- Conduct the practice of professional psychology in a competent, ethically sound, and self-reflective manner.
- Apply diversity-sensitive theories, methods, and techniques to their work as professional psychologists.
- Use and produce research as a basis for professional psychological practice.
- Prepare professional psychologists who are competent consumers and/or producers of research.
Admissions
All students must meet the University requirements as outlined in the Admission to the TWU Graduate School section of the catalog.
The academic program may have additional admission criteria that must also be completed as outlined on the program's website.
Degree Requirements
Total Semester Credit Hours Required
The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the program depends on the individual degree program. For students entering the program with a Bachelor’s degree, the maximum credit hours required are 105. Transfer credit for those students entering the program at the Master’s level is granted upon post-admission review and subject to Graduate School and programmatic guidelines. The applicant should contact the director of the program for details.
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum Supporting APA Discipline-Specific Knowledge (DSK; "Core Courses") | ||
| PSY 5304 | Advanced Psychological Statistics I | 4 |
| PSY 5353 | Research Design | 3 |
| PSY 6104 | Cognition and Emotion | 4 |
| PSY 6113 | Measurement and Psychometric Theory | 3 |
| PSY 6133 | Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSY 6204 | Advanced Psychological Statistics II | 4 |
| PSY 6383 | Multicultural Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 6613 | Advanced Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 6633 | Philosophical and Historical Foundations of Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 6743 | Seminar in Social Psychology | 3 |
| Curriculum Supporting APA Profession-Wide Competencies and Program Competencies | ||
| PSY 5423 | Cognitive Assessment | 3 |
| PSY 5513 | Advanced Psychopathology (*) | 3 |
| PSY 5523 | Clinical Therapeutic Group Processes (*) | 3 |
| PSY 5541 | Psychotherapy Skills I: Microskills Lab (*) | 1 |
| PSY 5653 | Theories of Psychotherapy and Counseling (*) | 3 |
| PSY 6011 | Professional Issues in Counseling Psychology I | 1 |
| PSY 6021 | Professional Issues in Counseling Psychology II | 1 |
| PSY 6123 | Academic and Professional Writing | 3 |
| PSY 6333 | Psychology of Gender | 3 |
| PSY 6443 | Objective Personality Assessment for Adults | 3 |
| PSY 6583 | Neuropsychopharmacology | 3 |
| PSY 6803 | Seminar in Vocational Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 6833 | Ethics in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 6853 | Supervision and Consultation Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 6871 | Internship in Professional Psychology (3 semesters) | 3 |
| PSY 6923 | Supervised Practicum (4 semesters) | 12 |
| PSY 6961 | Research Team | 1 |
| PSY 6981 | College Teaching | 1 |
| PSY 6983 | Dissertation (2 semesters) | 6 |
| PSY 6991 | Supervised Field Work | 1 |
| PSY 6993 | Dissertation (2 semesters) | 6 |
| Electives (Choose 2) | 6 | |
| Family Psychology: Theory and Practice | ||
| Psychology of Violence, Trauma, and Abuse | ||
| Psychology of Human Sexuality | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods and Program Evaluation | ||
| Supervised Practicum | ||
| *Indicates Pre-Practicum Course | ||
| Total SCHs | 105 | |
Practica
Counseling Psychology students will spend a minimum of four semesters in practicum placements. The student will consult with the Practicum Coordinator to arrange for appropriate placement.
Master’s Degree in Route to the Ph.D.
Doctoral students who enter the Ph.D. program without a prior master's degree may be awarded a master's degree in route to the doctoral degree. Students should contact the program director for additional information.
Internship
A full-year, full-time APA-accredited internship is required for the doctoral program in Counseling Psychology. Starting January 1, 2020, the internship match will be limited to only students from APA-accredited doctoral programs. The student will consult with the Training Director to arrange for appropriate application through the National Match Service (NMS) and the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Doctoral students in Counseling Psychology are expected to be willing to leave the immediate geographical area for internship. The internship cannot begin until the student has been admitted to candidacy, which requires the successful completion of the Comprehensive Exam and all required coursework with the exception of dissertation. The dissertation proposal must be completed prior to internship application.
Research Tools
The four required research tools courses are:
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 5304 | Advanced Psychological Statistics I | 4 |
| PSY 5353 | Research Design | 3 |
| PSY 6113 | Measurement and Psychometric Theory | 3 |
| PSY 6204 | Advanced Psychological Statistics II | 4 |
Special Requirements
A student is required to maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or better on a scale of 4.0 in all courses applied to the doctoral degree. If a grade of C or less is earned in a course, the student will be required to complete a formal remediation process. If a second grade of C or less is earned (in at least six semester credit hours total), the student will be dismissed from the program.
Research Proficiency
All doctoral students gain research experience in a first-year project conducted in teams led by counseling psychology core faculty members. Prior to applying for the predoctoral internship, all doctoral students must submit verification of a manuscript submitted for publication or an accepted conference presentation.
Residency Requirement and Time Limits
Full-time enrollment is required of all doctoral students in Counseling Psychology until they approach candidacy (generally the first three years). Requests for exceptions to this requirement must be approved by the Counseling Psychology Core Faculty. All coursework, internship, and dissertation must be completed within seven years, excluding any official leaves-of-absence.
Professionalism Benchmark
The Professionalism Benchmark occurs in the Fall semester of the student’s second year. The Benchmark serves several purposes, including assessing students for fundamental competencies that are needed to progress past the second year in the program and to demonstrate readiness for Practicum. Competencies to be assessed are based on 5 of the 9 APA Standards of Accreditation (SoA) Profession-Wide Competencies (PWC) and include research; legal and ethical standards; individual and cultural differences; professional values, attitudes, and behaviors; and communication and interpersonal skills. Students can choose an oral presentation or written narrative to complete this programmatic requirement. Students should consult the program director and their program Doctoral Student Handbook for additional information.
Comprehensive Examinations
The Clinical Comprehensive Exam serves as the Comprehensive Examination for the Doctoral Program in Counseling Psychology. A Comprehensive Examination is required by the Graduate School.
The Clinical Comprehensive Exam is an integrated narrative and psychotherapy demonstration in which students synthesize their worldview, professional identity, theory, research, and practice. The Clinical Jury assesses 8 of the APA SoA Profession-Wide Competencies (PWCs):
- Research
- Ethical and Legal Standards
- Individual and Cultural Differences
- Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Assessment
- Intervention
- Consultation and Inter-professional/interdisciplinary skills
At least a quorum of the Core Faculty in Counseling Psychology will read the Clinical Comprehensive Exam narrative and participate in the students’ Oral exam. Faculty members initially evaluate the narrative independently and then provide amalgamated feedback to the student 14 days before the scheduled oral exam. Only those areas of the narrative scored below a 3 or are deemed insufficient for evaluation are evaluated during the oral exam. The student also shares recordings of their clinical work during the oral exam. All scores and feedback are determined by consensus. At the conclusion of the faculty’s evaluation, students receive the results of their Clinical Comprehensive Exam, including feedback on each component as well as any information about corrections and/or remediation. If all or part of the exam is failed, a remediation plan will be developed. If the remediation is failed, the student shall be dismissed from the program.
Dissertation and Final Examination
All students are required to complete a dissertation. Dissertations may be quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method, or theoretical in nature. An oral defense of the dissertation is required. The defense may be repeated once.
