PsyD in Clinical Psychology
Location: AU Seattle
Credits for Degree: 140 quarter credits
Standard Mode of Instruction: Classroom
Standard time to completion: 80 months
Program Overview
The Psy.D. program at Antioch University Seattle prepares students for competent entry as a generalist into the practice of health service psychology through doctoral education and training. The Psy.D. program aims to educate students as health service psychologists and as scholars in psychology in order to promote health, education, social justice, and human welfare. Our curricula shall advance students in the broadest and most liberal manner, including conducting research in psychology. We seek to promote the highest standards of ethics, conduct, education, and achievement in a manner that balances traditional and contemporary perspectives in order for students to become responsible change agents in our complex world.
APA Accreditation
Antioch University Seattle’s (AUS) Psy.D. program was conferred a period of five years of accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA) on Friday, November 17, 2017. The APA is the premiere psychology organization in the United States, overseeing standards, practices, and research in both psychology and psychiatry to “benefit society and improve people’s lives.” The organization is affiliated with over 60 national and international associations and has been influential on decisions ranging from marriage equality to conduct in war. AUS Psy.D. is the only APA-accredited Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology in the state of Washington and in our geographic area.
Program Design
Antioch University Seattle’s Psy.D. program is a 140-quarter credit doctoral degree program that is organized into an 11-week quarter system. The Psy.D. program uses a practitioner/scholar model to educate students as professionals in clinical psychology and as scholars in psychology to promote health, education and human welfare. The curriculum promotes values of ethical practice, social responsibility and cultural pluralism.
AUS’s Psy.D. program implements a competency-based assessment process whereby students are asked to apply knowledge to practice, demonstrating that they can use the disciplinary content they learn. Competencies are woven into all classes, supervisor evaluations, and other measures of student performance. Faculty members balance traditional and contemporary perspectives in the field of psychology, educating students to become informed and effective practitioners, and agents of change in a complex world.
The overarching goal of the Psy.D. program is to prepare students for competent entry into the practice of professional psychology and meets Washington’s State licensure requirements for clinical psychology. To accomplish this, we have identified three broad goals and nine objectives. Below are the goals, objectives, and competencies for our program:
Aim #1: Graduates are competent for entry-level practice as health service providers and professional psychologists in multiple roles.
- Objective 1.A: Students intervene to alleviate suffering and promote health.
- Objective 1.B: Students assess clients and communicate their findings
- Objective 1.C: Students design, analyze, and report on research and evaluation
- Objective 1.D: Students accept and offer supervision and consultation
- Competency: Supervision and Consultation
Aim #2: Graduates are reflective practitioner/scholars.
- Objective 2.A: Students build meaningful relationships with clients, organizations, and their community.
- Competency: Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Objective 2.B: Students integrate science with theory and practice.
- Competency: Assessment and Intervention
- Objective 2.C: Students practice ethically and professionally.
- Competencies: Ethical/Legal Standards and Professionalism
Aim #3: Graduates are socially responsible and work for social justice.
- Objective 3.A: Students celebrate diversity and avoid oppressing others.
- Competency: Social Justice & Individual/Cultural Diversity
- Objective 3.B: Students are agents of social change
- Competency: Social Justice
Features of the Program
- Antioch University Seattle provides broad and general doctoral-level study and training in the theory and application of clinical psychology. The curriculum promotes values of ethical practice and social responsibility
- The Psy.D. program is a tightly planned five year, full-time program
- Elective course options and an annual series of colloquia and workshops focusing on clinical practice trends, evidence-based practices, and social justice round out the program
- Practical experiences integrated throughout the program, including a full-year internship are required
- Clinical focus with flexibility to choose a clinically-relevant doctoral dissertation
- On-site Community Counseling Clinic for supervised training
- Potential involvement with faculty research, publication and other scholarly activities including the Institute of War Stress Injuries, Recovery, and Social Justice
- Participation in a social justice practicum
- Preparation for licensure and entry-level competence in the practice of clinical psychology
- An academic, non-terminal Master of Arts in Psychology degree is awarded after satisfactory completion of 60 required quarter credits
Elective Coursework
Elective course options for the program may include these areas:
- Forensic Psychology
- Integrated Behavioral Health Psychology
- Clinical Neuropsychology
- Pediatric Psychology
- History of War and Traumatic Stress Injuries: Social Justice Perspective
Graduation Requirements
In addition to the required courses included in the curriculum, students also must meet the following graduation requirements:
(1) Completion of 140 graduate quarter credits
(2) Completion of a one-year residency during the first year in the Psy.D. program
(3) Passing marks on most recent student Annual Review
(4) Successful passage of Clinical Competency Exam
(5) Documentation of 40 hours of personal psychotherapy with a licensed mental health practitioner
(6) Completion of Doctoral Dissertation
(7) Completion of Social Justice Service Project (Year 1; total 50 hours)
(8) Completion of Clinical Practicum (Year 2; total 300 hours)
(9) Completion of Pre-Internship (Year 3 & 4; total 900-1200 hours)
(10) Completion of Clinical Internship (Year 5; total 1500-2000 hours).
Psy.D. Competencies
The AUS Psy.D. program has adopted the Profession-Wide Competencies (APA, 2017) throughout the program, including the curriculum, clinical training, and dissertation. In addition, the Discipline-Specific Knowledge domains in curricular design and implementation.
Clinical Training Sequence (First Year)
The sequence of clinical training starts with the series of first year foundational PSYC 7010 -PSYC 7030 courses, during which all students will begin a Social Justice Service Project: an approved placement in an agency, institution, or other setting that challenges students through exposure to people from backgrounds significantly different from their own. The total Social Justice Service Project requirement is 50 hours completed over Fall-Winter-Spring quarters in the first year.
Social Justice Practicum (Second Year)
The total Social Justice Practicum requirement is 300 hours, 100 of which must be under supervision, and meets the Washington state requirements for practicum experience toward licensure (WAC 246-924-046). Washington State describes a practicum as applied experience obtained while training for the doctoral degree and must occur over at least nine months. All students will initially be placed in the AUS Community Counseling and Psychology clinic and will be required to see 2-5 clients per week under supervision. Upon completion of the 300-hour Social Justice Practicum, students will be ready to begin their Pre-internship-I placement. Pre-internship-I hours can be earned by continued work at the AUS clinic or through a community placement.
Pre-Internship II (Third & Fourth Year)
During Year 3, students will obtain an additional Pre-internship II placement (450 hours). Several Clinical Milestones are scheduled to occur toward the end of Year 3. These include:
the Clinical Competency Examination; the optional awarding of the non-terminal MA degree in Psychology;
the acceptance of the Dissertation Proposal and, following these, obtaining Internship Eligibility status. Students often use the 4th year to make progress on their dissertation, complete any additional required courses and, ideally, complete the dissertation prior to the beginning of the Clinical Internship.
Clinical Internship (Fifth Year)
The Clinical Internship is an organized 2000-hour full-time (or 20 hour/week part- time over two years) clinical internship training experience. All students must complete at least 2000 hours of clinical internship in order to graduate. Students apply to clinical internship by using the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) Internship Match Program. Local and national sites are available for application.
Admission Requirements
Application materials should demonstrate:
- Critical thinking skills
- Graduate-level writing skills
- Ability to complete a rigorous doctoral program
Admission is selective. Finalists are invited for a campus interview. The Admissions Committee of the program determines admission. Decisions of the Committee are final.
- Two letters of recommendation: one from a professional who supervised the applicant in a human services setting; one from an academic instructor who can best assess the applicant’s capabilities and readiness to enter a clinical doctoral program
- Current resume or CV
- Previous undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Completed online admissions application
- Admission essay:
Personal Essays
Directions: Submit a typewritten, double-spaced, between 300- and 500-word response to each question below.
- How do your academic and research experiences, clinical interests and skills align with the AUS doctoral program and model? How have they prepared you for this program, and what are your potential strengths?
- In what ways has your life history, such as experiences of overcoming adversity, engaging with personal therapy, or other major life events, contributed to your desire to become a clinical psychologist?
Analytical Writing Essays
Directions: Submit a typewritten, double-spaced, between 400- and 600-word response to each prompt below.
- An Issue Task: Please evaluate the following statement, noting the complexities and provide a well-reasoned argument with supporting examples.
- Social media is harmful to our mental health. As psychologists, we should advocate for the reduction of social media use.
- Your response should discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should discuss the possible consequences of your argument and explain how these consequences shape your position.
- An Argument Task: Review the following vignette and evaluate it according to the directions given below.
- A student therapist was assigned a new client of a different race and socioeconomic background from their own. In their first session, the client told the student therapist that they would not be able to understand the client’s point of view and asked to be reassigned to a different therapist. The student therapist discussed the request with their supervisor. Following this discussion, the student therapist reached out to the client to discuss working together while acknowledging their differences.
- Write a response in which you discuss why you agree with this course of action. If you do not agree, provide an alternative course of action. In either case, fully explain your line of reasoning while demonstrating a sound argument in support of your endorsed course of action.
- Completion of the prerequisite courses in Abnormal Psychology, Development Psychology, and Introduction to Statistics with a final grade of B or better. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from regionally accredited institutions are exempt from the Abnormal Psychology and Developmental Psychology requirement. Introduction to Statistics is required of all applicants. Prerequisites must be fully completed at the time of application submission. All academic work must have been completed within the last ten years at regionally accredited institutions.
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