Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology will acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to function in diverse settings to provide culturally competent, contextually sensitive, integrated behavioral health consultation to individuals and health professionals.
Graduates will:
- Have a broad knowledge of scientific psychology; engage in evidence-based conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of human problems using individual, developmental, contextual, and sociocultural perspectives; and focus on the delivery of interprofessional, integrated healthcare with underserved populations.
- Have a broad scientific knowledge base and employ scientific principles to consume, produce, and disseminate psychological research, with an emphasis on underserved populations.
- Possess professional values and attitudes; strong communication, collaboration, and consultation abilities; and self-awareness and reflective practice skills.
** Summer Practicum
Practicum training is a required component of the PsyD degree. All students are required to do three primary practicum placements in years 2, 3, and 4 through an external agency that is part of the Bay Area Practicum Information Collaborative (BAPIC). Students train at primary practicum sites approximately 16-24 hours a week; in addition, they must be enrolled in practicum courses during the fall and spring terms. Each placement is approximately one year long. Practica may begin or end during the summer term, and some practica may overlap and may overlap during the summer terms.
Students are required to engage in their primary practicum training placement per the parameters of their contract even if they are not concurrently enrolled in USF courses. Students who complete or begin a practicum placement in the summer session are required to participate in summer practicum oversight meetings spanning the weeks during which they are on contract with practicum agencies. The summer practicum oversight meetings and advising are facilitated by USF faculty who are licensed psychologists.
All students are also required to complete one year of a full-time clinical internship after year 4 for degree completion. The clinical internship typically occurs in year 5 but may occur later depending on factors such as dissertation progress and clinical training readiness. Students train at their clinical internship site full-time (at least 40 hours a week) and must be enrolled in a full-time clinical internship course for the full duration of their internship.
Some students may elect to complete a supplemental placement in years 2, 3, and/or 4 (a) to augment their primary placement training, (b) to obtain an additional year of training after year 4 if they do not match to a full-time clinical internship site for year 5, or (c) to provide additional training if it is determined to be necessary prior to applying for their clinical internship. The decision to undertake a supplemental practicum is made after consultation and approval from the student’s faculty advisor, dissertation chair, and the Director of Clinical Training. Students who complete a supplemental placement in year 5 must be concurrently enrolled in an externship course in which they receive didactics and clinical oversight from program faculty through this course.
Additional program requirements related to practicum training are outlined in the PsyD Program’s Clinical Training Manual available at https://www.usfca.edu/nursing/programs/graduate/clinical-psychology
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