Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology

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Organization Type: 
Educational Institution
Program Type: 
Standing Program
Education Level: 
Graduate
Educational Elements: 
Lecture/Didactic
Experiential including clinical contact with patients
Program Description: 

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine offers a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology.  Graduates of this program will be prepared to assume all responsibilities in a broad range of clinical settings.  The program recruits in-practice professionals who have a master's degree and are working as a mental health professional in human services.  This population brings a high level of maturity, established skills, diverse backgrounds and strong motivation to succeed. The program is designed to be completed in five years including course work, practicum, internship and dissertation.

The PsyD program is an 89-credit multi-year curriculum that integrates the Department of Psychology's interdisciplinary core graduate courses, competencies listed by the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, and core areas recommended by the American Psychological Association's Committee on Accreditation and the National Register. 

The program aims to educate professional clinical psychologists and enable them to meet the individual and collective mental health needs of all persons with attention to diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, religion, age, and abilities. They will treat patients through the use of comprehensive, empirically-supported cognitive and behavioral therapies, in collaboration with primary care physicians and other health professionals in an effort to provide holistic multidisciplinary health care services. 

The PsyD program aims to train psychologists to work with underserved individuals.  It seeks to train culturally competent clinical psychologists who will be leaders, advocates, clinicians, educators, and supervisors, with a commitment to scholarship and the application of research methodologies to answer clinical questions in their daily practices and communities.

Clinical training opportunities include the Center for Brief Therapy, which serves as a practicum site for masters and doctoral level students.  In addition, the center offers a pre-doctoral internship program for training future psychologists through participation in the Association of Psychology Post-doctoral and Pre-doctoral Internship Centers (APPIC).  The pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology is designed to train future psychologists to work in health care settings as providers of comprehensive psychological services that stress interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Trainees have the opportunity to:

  • Work in the Center for Brief Therapy and the PCOM's healthcare centers
  • Collaborate with medical faculty, physicians, and medical and allied health students in the following primary care settings: family medicine, geriatrics,  Cambria division, Lancaster Division, and Roxborough division
  • Provide clinical and behavioral health interventions in consultative, individual, and group settings
  • Build skills for using empirically supported and cognitive behavior therapy focused treatments in practice
  • Complete psycho-educational and behavioral assessments
  • Receive intensive clinical supervision from highly skilled clinical psychologists
  • Interact with psychology department faculty to gain experience in teaching, writing, or presentation
  • Provide services to the community through mental health outreach programs
  • Supervise students in training
  • Participate in clinical research
Evaluated: 
Yes
Program Results: 

This program was granted a seven year accreditation in 2009 by the American Psychological Association.

Targeted Professions
Physicians: 
Osteopathic
Psychology: 
Clinical
Clinical Health
Self-Reported Competencies
PCPCC’s Education and Training Task Force identified 16 interprofessional training competencies critical for preparing health professionals for practicing in team-based, coordinated care models such as patient-centered medical homes. Listed below are the self-reported competencies that this program has achieved, which have been organized by the five core features of a medical home as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Patient-Centered Care Competencies: 
Advocacy for patient-centered integrated care
Cultural sensitivity and competence in culturally appropriate practice
Development of effective, caring relationships with patients
Patient-centered care planning, including collaborative decision-making and patient self-management
Comprehensive Care Competencies: 
Assessment of biopsychosocial needs across the lifespan
Population-based approaches to health care delivery
Risk identification
Coordinated Care Competencies: 
Care coordination for comprehensive care of patient & family in the community
Health information technology, including e-communications with patients & other providers
Interprofessionalism & interdisciplinary team collaboration
Team leadership
Quality Care & Safety Competencies: 
Assessment of patient outcomes
Business models for patient-centered integrated care
Evidence-based practice
Quality improvement methods, including assessment of patient-experience for use in practice-based improvement efforts
Accessible Care Competencies: 
Promotion of appropriate access to care (e.g., group appointments, open scheduling)
Last updated Novembre 15, 2013

* Please note: Information contained in this database is self-reported by representatives from each program. It does not represent an exhaustive list of education and training programs and inclusion does not constitute an endorsement from the PCPCC.

 

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