Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Program

I am delighted that you are exploring this program, one of the first PsyD programs in clinical psychology to be created and APA accredited. Take your time learning about the program and deciding how it might help you fulfill your academic, life and professional goals. The knowledgeable faculty, committed students, and dedicated staff can help you reach and surpass your potential. Developing and challenging doctoral students to becoming ethical, multicultural-oriented, competent psychologists is the purpose of this program. I welcome your phone calls, emails, and in person visits.

History and Mission

Since September 1976, the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) has offered a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in clinical psychology. The PsyD program has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1979, and has a strong foundation in the practitioner/scholar model of training (also known as the Vail model). Historically, our program has emphasized the importance of clinical training, and we continue to value the dynamic, active interplay between clinical work and scholarship. Since its inception, the program has provided four key training experiences in the PsyD program that are consistent with a practitioner-scholar model. These training areas include: Academic coursework, in house clinical work, community-based clinical work, and departmental mentorship. The mission of the PsyD program is to train competent doctoral level practitioner/scholars who have foundational interpersonal and scientific skills, and have a functional mastery of psychological assessment and intervention, and can apply this knowledge and skill in a wide range of settings, with a variety of populations.

Current Highlights

• We are one of the only two programs that offer a specialty area in Therapeutic Assessment.
• Second-year students immerse themselves in a year-long, four-course Multicultural Sequence.
• Students begin clinical practice the first quarter of the program within our own community-based psychological center.
• There are over 130 practicum sites from which psychologist-in-training can work choose each year, starting with the first-quarter in the program.
• The program has its own Consortium as a choice for pre-doctoral internship.