CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM

Clinical Psychology Program Psychology Department 325 Stadler Hall One University Boulevard St. Louis, Missouri 63121 Telephone: 314-516-5391 Fax: 314-516-5392 Re-Specialization Program (12/15/13 application deadline for Fall 2014 admission) Purpose: The Re-Specialization Program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis is designed for Ph.D-level psychologists who wish to receive training in the area of clinical psychology leading to licensure as a practicing psychologist. The ideal applicant is one who plans to continue some involvement in psychological research and teaching, with an integration of clinical perspectives and applied professional activities. This 3-4 year full-time intensive program provides a complete clinical training sequence with a minimum of overlap with the student s previous academic graduate work. Re-Specialization students are trained within the context of the APA-approved doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at UM-St. Louis and receive a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Psychology Respecialization. Upon completion of the program and an additional postdoctoral year required by most states, individuals become eligible to sit for the EPPI exam needed for licensure. Eligibility to Apply: A key eligibility requirement for applying is an already-earned PhD in Psychology within a traditional department of Psychology, including the following areas: animal behavior, neuroscience, cognitive, developmental, experimental, industrial/organizational, personality, or social. Individuals from other subdisciplines of psychology are encouraged to contact our director of clinical training to inquire regarding eligibility criteria; this typically involved a review of the doctoral transcript. Individuals with PhDs obtained within Schools or Colleges of Education, or from additional departments or units other than psychology, are not typically eligible to apply for the re-specialization program. This is related to the requirements of broad and general training in psychology necessary for our program accreditation and for licensure as a psychologist (i.e., applicants must have completed most of the core coursework in general areas of psychology prior to beginning the respecialization program). Curriculum: Following are the requirements for the Certificate of Clinical Psychology Respecialization. These are consistent with criteria for professional licensure in psychology. 1. Graduate-level foundational courses in quantitative methods, experimental design, cognitive and affective processes, behavioral neuroscience, social psychology, history & systems, and developmental psychology. It is expected that the majority of these courses will be transferred from the original doctoral program. 2. A two-course assessment sequence, including intelligence and personality testing. Intelligence testing courses may be transferred from other institutions. 3. A course in psychopathology, an introductory clinical intervention course and one an equal opportunity institution

psychotherapy elective course (in our program that is most commonly an advanced course in Cognitive Behavior Therapy). 4. A course in Ethics & Professional Issues and a course in Multicultural Diversity. 5. Two years of clinical practice in the program s clinic and one year of clerkship experience in a community agency (i.e., the within program practicum and external clerkship both happen in year 2 in the program). 6. One year of fulltime clinical internship in an APA-approved internship program Program of Study Year I: Year II: Year III: Cognitive & Personality Assessment (2-semester sequence) Psychopathology Ethical and Professional Issues Clinical Practica Core course(s) as necessary Introduction to Clinical Interventions Advanced Psychotherapy course (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapies) Multicultural Issues in Clinical Psychology Clinical Practica Clerkship Core course(s) as necessary Internship (most common option) Please Note: some respecialization students prefer to stay in residence during a third year in order to accrue more clinical hours towards internship applications. Financial Assistance: Loans are available through the Financial Aid Office in the form of government loans. Respecialization students are also eligible for part-time teaching in the department or a clinical assistantship in our training clinic; these allow for a stipend and full tuition scholarship. The clerkship experience in the second year carries a stipend of approximately $15,000 for 12 months, with full tuition scholarship; exact amount of stipend depends upon choice of placement. The internship in the third year is a full-time paid position. Internship stipends vary widely and depend upon choice of placement. Professional Conduct/Statement of Personal Integrity: The profession of Clinical Psychology adheres to the current ethical principles of psychologists, as stated by the American Psychological Association (July, 2003), and the legal codes regulating the profession within each state. In undergoing training to become a clinical psychologist, all trainees must also adhere to these ethical principles and legal codes. At various practicum locations during training, during application for clinical internship, and upon review for licensure and health provider panels after 2

graduation, clinical psychologists undergo scrutiny regarding their personal background (including criminal background and child abuse checks) and issues of personal integrity. The following questions represent the types of questions asked: Has disciplinary action, in writing, of any sort ever been taken against you by a supervisor, educational or training institution, health care institution, professional association, or licensing / certification board? Are there any complaints currently pending against you before any of the above bodies? Has there ever been a decision in a civil suit rendered against you relative to your professional work, or is any such action pending? Have you ever been suspended, terminated, or asked to resign by a training program, practicum site, or employer? Have you ever been convicted of an offense against the law (including DUI) other than a minor traffic violation? Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Are you listed on the State of Missouri Sex Offenders registry? If you answered Yes to any of the above questions, you will likely encounter difficulties in securing clinical practicum positions during training, obtaining an approved clinical internship, or becoming a licensed psychologist. A number of the clients at our training site, the Community Psychological Service, are seen via service contracts with agencies that require criminal and child abuse background checks of service providers. All students who enter the program are required to undergo a background check with the State of Missouri Sex Offenders registry. Also, at some point in the training program, additional criminal and child abuse background checks are required in order for students to be able to engage in certain training experiences at all three of the clinics associated with our program: Community Psychological Service, Children s Advocacy Center, and Center for Trauma Recovery. Thus, a person who answered Yes to any of these questions should strongly consider whether the time and effort involved in respecializing in clinical psychology is in her or his best interest. 3

Application Instructions for Clinical Respecialization Program All application materials must be received in the UM-St. Louis Graduate Admissions Office by December 15 th of the year prior to beginning the program (i.e., 12/15/13 application for Fall 2014 start date). Students are admitted in the fall semester and on a full-time basis only. No application materials go directly to the Psychology Department or the Clinical Program. You will be contacted in early February regarding the status of your application. Criteria for admission include a Ph.D. in Psychology from a department of psychology within an accredited university (for which a dissertation was completed), evidence of academic excellence, and evidence of potential for clinical work. Important note about spam settings: Most email providers employ auto-response or challenge methods to block unwanted e-mail. Our campus e-mail system does not always work with these methods of blocking spam. We have had no problems receiving emails from applicants. In past years, however, our e-mail replies to applicants have sometimes been caught in spam filters. Our contact with you regarding your application, including invitation to interview, will be sent via email in early February. If you don t hear from us regarding the status of your application, please check your spam folder. Step 1: Apply Online. Complete the online application for graduate admission. This must be your first step. The application creates your unique identification number and username (SSO ID) and begins your official record to which all of your supporting materials are added. To apply, go to: http://www.umsl.edu/admissions/apply-now.html. There is no additional application form that needs to go to the Psychology department. Mark your interest in Graduate Certificate in Clinical Respecialization. You will need ready access to the following information while completing the application: permanent address, attendance and graduation dates of previous colleges, scores and test dates for GRE, and emergency contact information. There is a one-time, non-refundable application fee for all applicants to the university. The fee for domestic applicants is $35. If you have previously applied for graduate study at UMSL, you do not need to pay the application fee again. Please note that at the end of the online application, there is a short Statement of Purpose section. Do not complete this; instead, write Please see Statement of Purpose sent to Psychology Department. Step 2: Send Official Academic Records. Have official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work (graduate transcript should document earned PhD) sent directly by the institutions to: UM-St. Louis Graduate Admissions Office, 255 Millennium Student Center, One University Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63121-4499. A transcript is official when it has been sent directly from the issuing institution. Step 3: Submit Letters of Recommendation. You will need 3-4 letters of recommendation. Use our online service to send a request for a letter of recommendation to your references. https://apps.umsl.edu/webapps/its/graduate_letter/applicant/login.cfm Please note that you must have an SSO ID to use this system. The SSO ID is the username that is assigned to you when you apply for admission. It is normally emailed to you within one to two 4

days of completing the online application. If you have not received your SSO ID within 3 business days of your application, email iss@umsl.edu to request it. The references should be from professors and other research and professional supervisors who can comment in detail about your qualifications for study in clinical psychology and who have agreed to serve as professional references. Once your reference agrees to provide a letter for you, log in to the service and provide us with their name and email address. We will send them a detailed email with instructions for submission. The following Steps 4-6 involve materials that should all be clearly labeled and emailed to the Graduate Admissions office: gradadm@umsl.edu Step 4: Include an unofficial copy of Test Scores with your Materials GRE scores: We require a reporting of your scores on the Verbal, Quantitative, and Writing (or Analytic) subscales from the Graduate Record Exam. The advanced Psychology subject test may be submitted but is not required. Email the Graduate Admissions office an unofficial photocopy of your score report (most applicants can request this from their archived files at their original doctoral program). We will then verify these scores with the director of your doctoral program. (Thus, it is not necessary to retake GRE scores.) Step 5: Submit your Statement of Purpose Write a statement of purpose that provides a statement of your career objectives and interests in clinical psychology. Step 6: Submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) Applicants are also welcome to submit electronic copies of representative publications. All materials should be sent via email to: Graduate Admissions - gradadm@umsl.edu University of Missouri-St. Louis One University Boulevard; St. Louis, MO 63121-4499 For further information, contact the Director of Training for the Clinical Psychology Program: Dr. Ann Steffen - ann_steffen@umsl.edu. 5