Academic Study

The program requires coursework that is designed to prepare psychologists to work within a variety of professional roles. Courses for the Doctoral Degree Program are divided into 4 basic domains:

Domain 1: Psychological Foundations - Focus: Developing a broad knowledge base in the general principles and theories of psychology.

Domain 2: Research Competencies - Focus: Developing basic skills in formulating questions, designing and carrying out research, and disseminating results appropriately and effectively.

Domain 3: Practitioner Competencies - Focus: Developing fundamental applied skills, advanced practitioner skills, and completing the pre-doctoral internship.

Domain 4: Professional Competencies -Focus: Developing an understanding and application of ethical and legal standards to which psychologists adhere and developing and enhancing multicultural competence to serve diverse populations.

Comprehensive Examination

Designed to test a student's ability to integrate, apply, and communicate what is learned in academic coursework, practica, research activities, and other independent learning experiences. Our comprehensive examination is designed to test multiple areas as well as skills that we see as critical for future psychologists. The comprehensive includes a written exam on counseling and psychology core areas, an oral ethics exam, development of specialty knowledge area through a major integrative paper and/or an independent research project, and an evaluation of teaching competency.

Internship

A 2000-hour experience designed to assist students in applying skills and theoretical knowledge learned in the academic setting to an applied clinical setting. We strongly encourage all students to seek APA-accredited internship sites. Our students have gained internships across the U.S. in university counseling centers, community mental health agencies, children's hospitals and travel around the country to seek various internships. In 2006, similar to the trends of previous years, all students applying for the pre-doctoaral yeaer-long internships recieved an APA-accredited internship of their choice.

Dissertation

The dissertation must be an empirical research study that makes a significant contribution to knowledge in a subject related to Counseling Psychology. Students work closely with their advisor or other research mentor to develop a research project and carry the project forward to completion.

Master’s Degree eligibility along the way

The Counseling Psychology Program does not offer a terminal master’s degree. That is, no students are admitted to the program with the intention of receiving a master’s degree only. However, most students who enter with a bachelor’s degree do complete the requirements to receive a master’s degree (M.S.) during their time in the program. Students are eligible to receive the M.S. degree after they have completed three years of coursework, both the adult and child/family practicum, and they have written an empirical research paper that serves as the master’s project (may be qualitative or quantitative). Many students choose to publish this paper in a revered journal, however, this is not a requirement of the degree. Faculty encourage student to publish master’s projects to enhance student career development. Students who enter the program with a master’s degree from another university typically choose to not receive an additional master’s degree.

Doctoral Graduates

Doctoral graduates have obtained positions as university faculty members, as researchers in other settings, and as psychologists in university counseling centers, veterans' administration hospitals, mental health agencies, business, industry, and private practice. Graduates have been eligible to take the examination to become a licensed psychologist in the state of Oregon. Although students maintain responsibility for learning licensure requirements in other states, the program advises students on requirements in other states as well. We pay particular attention to licensure requirements in the state of California and offer courses when possible that assist students in being eligible for licensure in that state.

Time to Completion

Attrition

Four of 57 students (7%) who entered the program since 2001 left the program prior to obtaining a doctoral degree; approximately half of those students who left earned a masters degree prior to leaving.

Program Facilities

The Counseling Psychology Program is housed in the College of Education, Debusk Center on campus. Students have access to a variety of services through the University of Oregon, including computer support, writing support, and disability services. The program maintains a collaborative relationship with a variety of other on campus programs, including the Marriage and Family Therapy program, School Psychology, and Clinical Psychology. Students take courses in each of these programs to fulfill requirements for graduation. Students participate in a child/family practicum their third year of study located at the Child and Family Center, which is both a U of O center and agency that serves the community.

Community Relationships

Counseling Psychology faculty maintain active relationships with a number of counseling and research organizations in the community that provide opportunities for clinical training and research for our students. These include off-campus agencies working with families, children, veterans, injured workers, and chronic pain patients. Two private, nationally known research organizations, the Oregon Research Institute and the Oregon Social Learning Center provide students with additional research opportunities along with the four Research and Outreach in the College of Education. All students also engage in supervised clinical training central to the program at the University of Oregon's APA-accredited Counseling Center, the Lane Community College Counseling Center or at the Eugene Veteran's Affairs Clinic.