Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in
Clinical Psychology

The history, theory, methods, and applications of group psychotherapy are examined, discussed, and demonstrated. The development of competency in group methods is enhanced through didactic presentation, role-playing, and participation in an ongoing group.

This course covers the theoretical principles of Individual Psychology with an emphasis on the self-creation of one?s unique style of life. Focus is on the context of the individual’s original family constellation and socio-economic setting. It further emphasizes the contextual setting of pathological development of the style of life within families and society.

This course teaches entry-level doctoral students basic relationship, intervention, diagnostic, and interviewing skills, using role-plays and other experiential activities to prepare for clinical work on practicum.

This course introduces students to psychometric Theory. It focuses on concepts and theoretical principles central to various forms of psychological assessment. Students will gain the theoretical and statistical knowledge necessary to understand when, why, and how to use psychometrics in their clinical work and research.

This course covers a wide range of research designs used to research issues in clinical psychology. The purpose is to expose students to a variety of quantitative and selected qualitative research designs most frequently used in clinical psychology.

Community Psychology studies a wide variety of forces and structures in the community which affect the positive growth, development, and functioning of its members. The practice of community psychology is directed toward interventions that facilitate psycho – logical competence and empowerment and promote constructive social change.

This course concerns concepts and applications of descriptive and inferential statistical methods. A wide range of both univariate and multivariate statistics will be covered, including t-test, ANOVA, correlation, regression, MANOVA, nonparametric statistics (e.g., chi square), structural equation modelling and meta-analysis.

This course will develop a foundation for assessment and treatment of trauma reactions in adults and children. It covers the history, etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of trauma-related dysfunction, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder (ASD), dissociative disorders, and common comorbid conditions.

This seminar will provide students an opportunity to meet in a small group with peers and one faculty member. The seminar covers advisement and mentoring around Adler degree requirements and mission, orientation to the field of professional psychology, issues of diversity as it relates to the students’ personal and professional growth, and a preliminary overview of ethics within the context of social responsibility.

This course will focus on more advanced counselling skills (e.g., silence, immediacy, self-disclosure, use of metaphor, inferring client feelings, enhancing responses, body awareness). Students will be introduced to theories of change and will learn and practice interventions related to those theories from different counselling orientations.

This course introduces students to the theoretical basis, current issues, ethics and clinical use of cognitive and intelligence assessment. An appreciation of the cultural influences and diversity involving assessment procedures is emphasized.

This course will provide students with an overview of the conceptual, theoretical and empirical issues in the measurement of personality and psychopathology through an examination of the reliability and validity of objective and projective methods. Students will learn to administer, score and interpret broad-band measures of psychological and objective psychopathology and adult personality (e.g., Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory [MMPI-2], Personality Assessment Inventory [PAI], Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory [MCMI-III]), and learn about the adolescent equivalents (i.e., MMPI-A, PAI-A, MACI).

In this course, students learn to generate hypotheses from multiple sources of data and cross-validate sources of data: interview, historical, behavioural, psychometric, and projective data; and compose professional psychological assessment reports.

In recent years, cognitive-behavioural approaches to treatment have been applied with a broad range of patient populations for a variety of problems. As CBT models have gained influence, the need to understand, both, the theoretical and practical bases of interventions based on cognitive restructuring has become more prominent.

This course emphasizes the most recent theoretical developments in cognitive-affective bases of behavior. Areas of emphasis will include attention, memory, knowledge, language, reasoning, problem solving, the cognitive bases of affect and consciousness, human learning and theories of motivation.

A survey of the historical development of major theories, research, and practice in psychology is presented. Major systems of psychology are examined. In addition, the course is structured around a number of major philosophical issues and how major theories of psychology have understood and addressed these issues.

This course is designed to provide an examination of the structure, biology, and functioning of the human nervous system. The correlation between neuroanatomy and brain functioning will also be presented through the study and gross dissection and examination of human brains.

This course examines, from a diversity perspective, the theories and concepts of social psychology. Factors related to individual and group identity such as age, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and health status are examined to facilitate an understanding of the nature of human behavior in groups, institutions, and organizations.

Clinical features of a wide range of mental disorders (e.g., psycho-physiological, anxiety, stress-related dysfunctions, personality, mood and psychotic disorders) will be examined.

This course is designed to provide students with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for understanding diagnoses in childhood from a biopsychosocial perspective.

This course is designed to provide students with a solid foundation for the ethical practice of psychology and counselling. Students will learn codes of ethics of the Canadian Psychological Association and the College of Psychologists of British Columbia.

This course is designed to acquaint students with the fundamental principles of humanistic-existential approaches to psychotherapy. Beginning with the work of Carl Rogers, humanistic approaches to intervention have placed the client at the forefront of the treatment process

This course is designed to provide an overview of approaches to intervention with families and children. Students will develop skills in the fundamentals of treatment planning and intervention.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of psychoanalytic theory and its practical applications to the treatment of psychological disorders. Students develop a thorough understanding of the basic therapeutic techniques used in psychodynamic therapy.

Traditionally, psychologists and counsellors work within circumscribed clinical contexts within which mental health issues are deemed functions of individual pathology.

This course, intended to occur late in the doctoral curriculum, focuses primarily on clinical supervision, with secondary focus on clinical and programmatic consultation.

This course is an introduction to the scientific principles and clinical information needed for a basic understanding of the uses and limitations of the major classes of psychopharmacologic agents.

This course will focus on preparing students to assume administrative and management roles in behavioral health care management, public administration, academic programs, and other settings.

Taken concurrently with the diagnostic practicum, this seminar provides a setting for the student to discuss and apply the fundamentals of clinical and diagnostic interviewing, to formulate DSM-5 diagnostic impressions, to write an accurate assessment report based on data from the interview and mental status exam, and to appreciate how diversity issues affect the content and processes of clinical interviewing and more broadly of psychological assessment.

Taken concurrently with the diagnostic practicum, this seminar provides a setting for the student to discuss and apply the fundamentals of clinical and diagnostic interviewing, to formulate DSM-5 diagnostic impressions, to write an accurate assessment report based on data from the interview and mental status exam, and to appreciate how diversity issues affect the content and processes of clinical interviewing and more broadly of psychological assessment.

Taken concurrently with the diagnostic practicum, this seminar provides a setting for the student to discuss and apply the fundamentals of clinical and diagnostic interviewing, to formulate DSM-IV-TR diagnostic impressions, to write an accurate assessment report based on data from the interview and mental status exam, and to appreciate how diversity issues affect the content and processes of clinical interviewing and more broadly of psychological assessment.

Taken concurrently with the diagnostic practicum, this seminar provides a setting for the student to discuss and apply the fundamentals of clinical and diagnostic interviewing, to formulate DSM-IV-TR diagnostic impressions, to write an accurate assessment report based on data from the interview and mental status exam, and to appreciate how diversity issues affect the content and processes of clinical interviewing and more broadly of psychological assessment.

Taken concurrently with the diagnostic practicum, this seminar provides a setting for the student to discuss and apply the fundamentals of clinical and diagnostic interviewing, to formulate DSM-IV-TR diagnostic impressions, to write an accurate assessment report based on data from the interview and mental status exam, and to appreciate how diversity issues affect the content and processes of clinical interviewing and more broadly of psychological assessment.

Concurrent with practicum field experiences, the practicum seminar enhances the integration of theoretical and academic perspectives within clinical counselling practice and conceptualization.

Concurrent with practicum field experiences, the practicum seminar enhances the integration of theoretical and academic perspectives within clinical counselling practice and conceptualization.

This course is designed to carry out the foundational work involved in developing and conceptualizing the dissertation topic. The focus is to construct a dissertation committee, and map out the various stages of the dissertation process.

This course focuses on research proposal development in the student’s chosen area of research. Students are required to complete the proposal work and receive the approval of the dissertation committee.

Students who received approval for their proposal must continue to make consistent progress on their dissertation work. This course is focused on assisting the student with various stages of executing the dissertation study.

Students who received approval for their proposal must continue to make consistent progress on their dissertation work. This course is focused on assisting the student with various stages of executing the dissertation study.

Students who received approval for their proposal must continue to make consistent progress on their dissertation work. This course is focused on assisting the student in continuing to advance with dissertation work and must demonstrate steady progress toward completion of the dissertation requirement.

All students must complete 2000-internship of training over a 12-month period (with the option of a half-time internship completed over a 24-months period). Most internships are full time and require a 12-months commitment.

All students must complete 2000-internship of training over a 12-month period (with the option of a half-time internship completed over a 24-months period). Most internships are full time and require a 12-months commitment.

All students must complete 2000-internship of training over a 12-month period (with the option of a half-time internship completed over a 24-months period). Most internships are full time and require a 12-months commitment.

The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program is comparable to a Ph.D. in that both can lead to eligibility to be registered or licensed as a Psychologist. Traditional Ph.D. programs are based on the scientist-practitioner model and put equal emphasis on training as a scientific researcher and as a clinician. In contrast, the Psy.D. is based on the scholar-practitioner or local clinical scientist-practitioner model where the primary goal is to prepare Practitioners of Clinical Psychology. The Psy.D. places proportionally greater emphasis on training as a clinician and as a consumer of scientific research in order to apply that knowledge to clinical practice.

Clinical psychology is a domain of professional psychology that focuses on the assessment and treatment of human functioning and impairments in human emotional and behavioral functioning. In comparison with counselling psychology, clinical psychology places a greater emphasis on assessment, diagnosis, and treatments that have been empirically supported for given diagnoses.

The Psy.D. program at Adler University’s Vancouver campus is specifically designed to meet the requirements of Colleges or Boards of Psychologists in most jurisdictions in North America. For example, view the registration requirements for the University’s Vancouver campus registration/licensing jurisdiction.

Psy.D. graduates of the Adler University’s parallel Chicago-based Psy.D. program have become registered in Canada as Psychologists, including in British Columbia. Applicants hoping to register with other jurisdictions should consult the registration criteria for their local Colleges. Registration/licensing bodies evaluate applications on a case by case basis and it is important for prospective graduates to familiarize themselves with licensing requirements in the province or state in which they expect to practice to ensure their training experiences meet all necessary requirements.

Not at this time. The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) has taken the approach of excluding independent universities in their eligibility criteria which mandates that only “provincially or territorially chartered institutions” (p.28) are able to apply for accreditation.

However, a lack of CPA accreditation does not affect the opportunity for students of Adler’s Psy.D. program to graduate and pursue registration/licensure. CPA has stated that accreditation status does not impact a programs’ ability to graduate students, nor does it impact students’ ability to gain registration/licensure. Graduation from an accredited program is not a requirement for registration/licensure in any Canadian jurisdiction.

An advantage for graduates from CPA accredited programs is that their programs more quickly meet registration/licensure requirements by the licensing bodies. Graduates from non-accredited programs, such as Adler’s Psy.D., have the same opportunity to apply for registration and their applications may be reviewed by Colleges’ Registration Committees to ensure that they satisfy the registration requirements. As previously noted, Adler’s Psy.D. program has been specifically designed and developed to meet the registration requirements of Colleges or Boards of Psychologists in most North American jurisdictions.

No, the program is not eligible to apply for American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation because we are a Canadian program.

Each of our students enters with a cohort of a maximum of sixteen (16) other students. The program is “lock-step” in that typically students will take courses only with other students from the cohort with whom they enter.

For the most current admissions information, please refer to our Admissions page. Please keep in mind, there are specific pre-requisite requirements for the Psy.D. program. And, please note, the admission’s instructions for requesting transfer credit are not specific to the Psy.D. program (once accepted to the Psy.D. program, you will be contacted to apply for transfer credit, if applicable). If you have additional questions, please contact our Vancouver Office of Admissions via email or at 236.521.2411.

Our students are a diverse group and we define diversity broadly to include persons from visible (e.g., race/ethnicity) and non-visible minority groups (e.g., sexual orientation, geographical location); our students come from across Canada and we have been fortunate in attracting the successful applications of several international students. Other important aspects of the application review are the more traditional academic requirements such as GPA, GRE scores, reference letters that can attest to an applicant’s ability to excel in a doctoral program, and a statement of intent from the applicant (for a listing of all of the requirements for application to the Psy.D. program, please review the Program Overview.

A final important component of a successful application is an applicant’s interest in and understanding of the concepts of social justice and social responsibility which takes shape in many different ways.

The Admissions committee considers a range of experiences in an applicant’s background. Beyond the requirements detailed above and on the Adler website, we look for well-rounded applicants who will bring diverse experience and backgrounds to the program. Research experience is not required but could be of value to you as an applicant. This is also the case for clinical experience. There is no one type of clinical experience that is most sought after. We believe that having some involvement in clinical work or volunteer work in community and mental health settings will provide the applicant with some context for the work ahead of them in the doctoral program.

Applicants do not need to find a faculty supervisor in order to apply to the program. The Psy.D. degree is based on a scholar-practitioner model. We are the first of our kind on the West Coast of Canada and because it is a new model to Canada, it is our responsibility to make sure that students know what makes our program different from more traditional Ph.D. programs (scientist-practitioner model). One of the main differences is the emphasis on research that is found in the traditional Ph.D. program. Students in Ph.D. programs usually seek a supervisor with whom they want to do research prior to applying. With a practice-based program (where the emphasis is on training clinicians), being able to understand and utilize research is more of the goal. With that goal, you will need to do a doctoral dissertation but this will likely be an applied project and students typically choose a supervisor once they are already in the program.

Students who enter the Psy.D. program with a master’s degree which was completed within the last five (5) years are eligible to transfer up to a maximum of 24 credits of graduate coursework to apply toward the Psy.D. degree, excluding practicum. Students must have received a grade of B or higher in these courses and must demonstrate course equivalency with the corresponding Adler course requirements in order to receive transfer credit.

The Transfer Credit Committee must take into account many factors when considering applications for transfer credit. Process of applications for transfer credit occur following admission into the program; the Program faculty will contact accepted students prior to beginning the program in order to initiate the process of evaluating transfer credit. Unfortunately, transfer credit evaluation cannot occur prior to acceptance into the program as this process is very time-intensive for the Transfer Credit Committee. Please contact Admissions to obtain more information.

The Psy.D. program at the Vancouver campus is designed to be completed in five years, including four years of course-work and a one year pre-doctoral internship. Students entering the program with a master’s degree can anticipate having a lighter course load in their first year, but may not be able to reduce the number of years to completion due to the cohort-based lockstep sequence.

Courses for the Psy.D. have been planned to occur primarily during the day and early evening with additional demands on students’ time during the week, such as working on group assignments and practicing skills. Social Justice and Clinical Practica also occur during the week. The expectation is that students are enrolled full-time in the program and will not be employed more than part-time hours outside of school (less than 20 hours/week).

Support is provided in locating and securing a practicum placement, though the process can be competitive. The Training Department is well-connected to the mental health community in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver.

Yes, Adler University permits practica to be paid opportunities as long as the positions retain the emphasis on fostering good training (as opposed to fulfilling job responsibilities) and this is determined on a case by case basis by the Director of Clinical Training. However, most clinical practicum opportunities developed by Adler are not paid. The 1-year internship, that is a final requirement of doctoral training in clinical psychology, is often paid.

The pre-doctoral internship is completed in the fifth year of studies as a degree requirement. Many pre-doctoral internships are paid and generally range between $18,000 and $40,000.

Students may apply for internship programs that are members of CAPIC (California Psychology Internship Council). CAPIC internships meet doctoral internship criteria set by the California Psychology Internship Council, a California-based organization of training agencies and doctoral programs. Note that students must choose internships that satisfy the predoctoral internship requirements of the PsyD program; students will also receive support from the Training Department in considering the requirements of the registration or licensing body to whom they plan to apply. Information on available CAPIC internships, as well as CAPIC application and matching processes can be found online.

Students should refer to our Financial Aid webpage for the most up to date figure on tuition. Please note that tuition and fees may go up slightly each year, usually for the Fall term (likely between 2% and 5% per year). There is an initial $500 deposit (non-refundable) that is required 15 days after your acceptance. This is applied to your tuition when you register.

Yes, we anticipate that there will be opportunities to serve as a Teaching Assistant; students will also be able to participate in research opportunities that will emerge as the program develops. As well, there is a requirement for the student to do their own independent research project (the Doctoral Dissertation) to fulfill the requirements of their Psy.D.

Service Canada projects continued strong employment growth for psychologists. Employment and Social Development Canada reports positive employment prospects for psychologists through at least 2020. In the United States, employment of psychologists is expected to grow between 12 and 22 percent through 2022. We believe that graduates will be entering a market that is needing their services and will value the practice-oriented and social justice-infused training that students will receive here at Adler University.

While students of Adler University’s Psy.D. program will benefit from its unique coverage of Adlerian assessment and intervention, their training is best characterized as “generalist” as they will receive training and supervision in a broad range of contemporary and evidence-based clinical orientations and modalities, including cognitive behavioural, psychodynamic, and humanistic/existential interventions.

Alfred Adler was one of the founders of depth psychology, along with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Adler was truly ahead of his time and many of his ideas and discoveries, including birth order, organ jargon, the inferiority complex and social interest, have had a profound impact on postmodern professional psychology. Alfred Adler is sometimes viewed as the father of community psychology, due to his emphasis on the role of social context in individual health. With the current rise of the social justice movement in psychology and the recognition that social determinants impact individual health and well-being, the field is just now catching up with what Alfred Adler was talking about in the early 20th century. Today, Adler University prides itself in graduating socially responsible practitioners who are capable of both treating individuals and advocating for social changes that lead to a healthier society.

Psy.D. graduates (once Registered or Licensed) may be employed in a variety of settings as Registered or Licensed Psychologists. They will be thoroughly trained as clinicians to provide assessment and evidence-based clinical treatment for a range of mental health issues. The program will also prepare graduates to become leaders and managers in the field of mental and behavioral health.

Settings in which Psy.D. graduates might typically work include:

Private and group practices

Independent consulting and contracting

Mental health and substance abuse centres

Health Care Authorities

Not-for-profit, government-contracted programs and agencies

Government-based programs and agencies (e.g., The Ministry of Children and Family Development)

Forensic Psychiatric Institutions

EAP and EAFP agencies

Military-contracted agencies

Salaries for Psychologists range quite widely and are dependent upon the setting, region, and type of work. In British Columbia, the British Columbia Psychological Association’ approved rate for private practice is $200/hour (some psychologists charge more than that and others, far less). Please view the following publication (p. 4) for a comparison of recommended rates in other provinces. General information related to salary ranges in the United States and Canada can also be accessed online.