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

Curriculum

The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program is structured as a five-year program. Successful completion of this program includes the courses listed below.

Course offerings include:

• Group Psychotherapy
• Introduction to Adlerian Psychology and Psychopathology
• Basic Intervention and Assessment Skills
• Psychometric Theory
• Applied Research Design in Clinical Psychology
• Community Psychology
• Statistics
• Trauma Assessment and Intervention
• Doctoral Professional Development Seminar I & II
• Social Justice Practicum I & II
• Assessment I: Cognitive and Intellectual Assessment (with lab)
• Assessment II: Personality Assessment
• Assessment III: Integrated Assessment (with lab)
• Cognitive-Behavioural Approaches to Intervention
• Cognitive/Affective Bases of Behaviour
• History and Systems
• Biological Bases of Behaviour
• Social Psychology and Individual Diversity
• Biopsychosocial Bases of Health and Dysfunction – Adult
• Biopsychosocial Bases of Health and Dysfunction – Child
• Ethics and Professional Practice in Psychology
• Humanistic/Existential Approaches to Intervention
• Introduction to Child and Family Interventions
• Psychodynamic Approaches to Intervention
• Structural and Sociocultural Bases of Health and Dysfunction
• Supervision and Consultation
• Psychopharmacology
• Doctoral Clinical Qualifying Exam – Intervention
• The Role of Psychologists in Management, Administration, and Leadership
• Assessment Practicum I, II & III
• Therapy Practicum I, II & III
• Assessment Practicum Seminar I, II & III
• Therapy Practicum Seminar I, II & III
• Doctoral Dissertation Seminar: Proposal I & II
• Doctoral Dissertation Seminar I, II, & III
• Doctoral Clinical Qualifying Examination—Assessment
• Clinical Elective
• Doctoral Internship

Find course descriptions and more information in the Adler University course catalog here.

Social Justice Practicum

Doing is learning. A unique and proven program designed to give students real world experience throughout their time at Adler University, the Social Justice Practicum is a required 200-hour internship that spans four courses (or terms for online programs). Every student is given a number of civic-minded categories to choose from. They submit their desired areas of interest. After which, they are assigned a specific and aligned community outreach site where they will work 8 to 10 hours per week.

Student Outcomes

Admissions Requirements

Applicants to the program must have the following:

• An honours baccalaureate degree in psychology or a substantial background in psychology (defined as 30 credits of coursework in psychology). Coursework must include the following prerequisites: abnormal psychology, research methods, statistics, and developmental psychology/life span development. Additional coursework (pending faculty approval) should include courses related to neuroscience, cognition, social psychology, developmental psychology, tests and measurement theory, personality, and learning.
• A grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate or graduate coursework. Exceptions may be made for applicants who demonstrate improved academic performance or academic ability in other ways (e.g., significant clinical or research experience, strong psychology grade point average, excellent GRE scores, or an improved grade point average over time). Applicant may be asked to provide additional supporting documentation for any extenuating circumstances.
• Practicum or work experience in psychology or a related field is highly desirable and is considered in the evaluation of applicants.

Applicants are required to submit the following items to be considered for admission:

• Application and application fee
• Statement of Intent answering the following questions:
  • Why are you interested in your chosen field and program?
  • Why is Adler University’s program a good fit for you?
  • What are your career goals and interests?
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended (U.S and Canada)
  • Please have official transcripts sent directly to the Office of Admissions
  • Unofficial transcripts are accepted for any schools in which a degree was not received
• Three letters of Recommendation
  • These should be from someone who can specifically speak to your academic and professional abilities
• GRE test score (taken within the last 5 years)

Approved applicants will be invited to complete an interview with faculty. Please submit all application materials to the Office of Admissions prior to the application deadline.

International applicants are also required to submit the following:

• Course-by-course transcript evaluation
• All transcripts from outside of North America (including Mexico) must be evaluated by a transcript evaluation service such as World Education Services (WES) (www.wes.org) or Educational Credentialing Evaluators (ECE) (www.ece.org). Please note that we require all official transcripts (and official translations if not in English) as well as the course-by-course international credential evaluation.
• If a WES ICAP course-by-course evaluation is ordered, applicants will only be required to submit the official international credential evaluation to the University as this service provides a verified copy of the official transcript(s) and translations to the University. Applicants must be sure to send in all transcripts and order the course-by-course evaluation.
• English Language Proficiency Assessment: Applicants whose first language is not English must submit English proficiency test scores from one of the following testing services directly to the University. Scores are only valid if taken within two years of enrollment.
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Adler University’s – Vancouver Campus code for receiving test scores is 6215
  • Internet-based TOEFL minimum score is 92 with at least 22 on each of the four sections
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS): A minimum Overall Band score of 7.0 is required, with no band lower than 6.5
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE): A minimum overall score of 62 is required