Clinical Psychology PsyD in Clinical Psychology School of Professional Psychology and Health www.ciis.edu/psyd
Program Description The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program prepares students for practice-oriented careers in clinical psychology. Guided by a vision of clinical work that underscores a holistic and relational approach to the human condition, our practitioner-scholar competency model emphasizes human services that recognize and value human diversity. We see relationships, reflective learning, spirituality, and community as essential to building an engaging and inclusive learning environment. We encourage students to develop personal reflective practices that set the stage for lifelong professional development. Without privileging any particular religious or spiritual belief system, we also recognize spirituality as an important dimension of diverse human experience and see it as an affirmation of an existential concern with life as a whole. MISSION The PsyD program has as its mission broad and general training in clinical psychology that prepares students for the professional practice of psychology. The curriculum and environment of the PsyD program are sequential, cumulative, graded in complexity, and consistent with the mission and ideals of CIIS. FORMAT Most of our classes are small, about 10 15 students, and are conducted in person on the CIIS campus. We believe that training of future clinicians is best accomplished face-to-face, in a community of peers and instructors who are passionate about learning. Applied reflective exercises, role-plays, group discussions, and cohortsupported activities are emphasized. Classroom AVAILABLE Weekdays CIIS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The PsyD program is also a member of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP). Graduates of the PsyD program at CIIS are eligible for licensure as psychologists in California and many other states.
Program Highlights We offer excellent opportunities for growth. For example: A strong emphasis on diversity in clinical practice Curriculum thoughtfully linked to hands-on clinical training in well-established San Francisco Bay Area agencies Unique opportunities for dissertation projects that connect to larger themes and values of CIIS Elective coursework offered by the program and the Institute, including the possibility of taking courses abroad
Faculty TANYA WILKINSON, PhD Core Faculty Teaching in the PsyD program is often an exhilarating experience. Our graduate students tend to be creative, innovative thinkers who ask unexpected questions. These questions push me to examine my assumptions and to look more closely at the implications of my beliefs. I encounter surprising and enlightening perspectives almost every time I enter the building, sometimes just by reading the announcements in the elevator. I have met people at CIIS that I don t believe I would meet anywhere else. In short, I am never bored. Our PsyD program fosters the development of the next generation of clinical psychologists clinicians who have the flexibility of intellect and spirit to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds. CIIS s doctoral training combines cutting-edge psychological research with insights from wisdom traditions, teaching innovative ways to alleviate human suffering. Our students cultivate the skills and mindset needed to become competent, soulful therapists, and in the process they come to learn more about themselves as individuals. DOUG VAKOCH, PhD Core Faculty
Students/Alumni LESLIE KILEY-SMITH PsyD Student Our program and the Institute truly support doctorate education of our students, who grow an appreciation of an intersection between science and clinical practice imbedded in a larger context of human diversity. The program maximally stretches my sense of being human. I find something grows in my mind s capacity for a sensitive understanding of how people are in the world. I believe this happens because our faculty help us to discover wisdom in a way that is challenging yet comforting to my heart and soul. The PsyD program challenged me to bring my gifts to the table. I felt it was an environment that fostered the exploration of Eastern and Western approaches to health and healing, and multiple perspectives on mind, body, and spirit; and it expanded my discourse on the measurable and immeasurable facets of the human psyche. Combined with the knowledge and dedication of the faculty, the amazing students, and the exciting classes and offerings, this was a rigorous and unique academic environment for personal and professional growth. PRIYA BALUJA, PsyD Alum ( 12)
Course of Study/Curriculum PsyD requires 90 units of coursework for regular-standing students who enter with a bachelor s degree. Advanced-standing students with a master s degree in psychology (or equivalent) complete 60 units. Our required coursework places a strong emphasis on integration of theory, research, and best clinical practices with an understanding of human diversity. The following are examples of such courses: Diversity Series Culture and Ethnicity: Examine cultural, sociopolitical, and multicultural frameworks related to culture, race, and ethnicity in clinical practice. Gender and Sexuality: Gain knowledge and attitudes needed for working with sexuality in a clinical context and for offering treatments sensitive to gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender-identified persons. Religion and Spirituality: Learn to recognize and address spiritual issues in psychotherapy, including how to respond sensitively to religious beliefs of clients. Units 3 2 2 Buddhism and Psychotherapy: Compare Buddhist principles and practices with Western psychotherapy and psychological concepts (e.g., the nature of self, impermanence, suffering, insight, and liberation). Examine burgeoning mindfulness research, its clinical applications, and its roots in Buddhism. Optional Neuroscience and Spirituality: Become familiar with conceptual and clinical applications of neuroscience research on spirituality and related experiences (e.g., attachment, sense of self, empathy, dreaming and spontaneous thought, trauma, creativity, peak performance, and reflective practices such as meditation). 3 Units 2
As clinicians, supervisors, and educators, our graduates provide leadership in many contexts, including: {1} Community mental health services for adults, couples, children, and families {2} Private practices focused on in-depth relationally based psychotherapy {3} Specialized treatments for substance abuse, depression, trauma, and other chronic mental health challenges {4} Public- and private-school programs {5} University counseling services for students and staff {6} Teaching graduate and undergraduate courses and workshops
Admissions 415.575.6154 admissions@ciis.edu For information on application requirements and procedures, or to complete an online application, please visit www.ciis.edu/admissions. Financial Aid 415.575.6122 finaid@ciis.edu For information about our financial aid programs, including federal student loans, private loans, grants, and student employment, please visit www.ciis.edu/financialaid. About CIIS California Institute of Integral Studies is an internationally recognized leader in integral education. CIIS has an enrollment of more than 1,600 students pursuing degrees in a variety of academic programs in its schools of Consciousness and Transformation, Professional Psychology and Health, Undergraduate Studies, and American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In addition, CIIS hosts a vibrant art exhibition program through The Arts at CIIS, and offers a dynamic array of events through its Public Programs & Performances division, including workshops, concerts, and conferences. The University provides low-cost mental health and acupuncture services to the San Francisco Bay Area through its 10 award-winning counseling and acupuncture clinics. CIIS is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). www.ciis.edu 1453 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103 For more information, please visit ciis.edu/psyd