Welcome to the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Counseling Psychology Program!
Generally, the PsyD in Counseling Psychology program at Austin Peay State University requires three years of coursework, practica, and dissertation in residence with a year of internship following for degree completion.
Mission Statement
The PsyD in Counseling Psychology program at Austin Peay State University prepares highly competent doctoral level generalist practitioners of health service psychology. APSU’s training philosophy adheres to Counseling Psychology’s asset-strength model and deep appreciation of the sociocultural and systemic contributors to well-being and distress across the lifespan.
APSU’s graduates are equipped with training and skills to ensure ethical and effective treatment of the full range and scope of psychological distress and disorder from life adjustment/developmental, career/vocational concerns to severe psychopathology with diverse multicultural and multi-age client populations. Further, APSU trains practitioners who are competent to provide services in a wide variety of therapeutic contexts and settings (e.g., military, medical, community mental health, educational, organizational, and community). In addition to preparing graduates to assess, diagnose, and treat psychological distress and disorders, APSU’s program prepares graduates to use their knowledge and skills to promote wellness through strategies of prevention, identification and enhancement of client strengths, potentials, and resiliencies.
APSU’s graduates are trained to utilize an integrative, holistic perspective in conceptualizing clients’ psychological well-being and distress. This means that graduates of our program are prepared to consider the complex and interactional biological, intrapsychic, interpersonal, family, and systemic factors that contribute to wellness and distress.
Graduates of this program are trained to employ evidenced-based approaches, to utilize practice-based evidence, and be skilled in feedback informed treatment. Therefore, graduates are not only well-versed in and capable of critically evaluating psychological theory, research methods, and strategies of intervention but they further understand these three areas as mutually informing and influential.
Program Values: Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and Inclusion are core values of the Counseling Psychology PsyD program. All members of the faculty are committed to a multicultural perspective, broadly defined. These values and perspectives are infused throughout the curriculum and discussion of cultural considerations also will be included in all courses. Students are also required to take CPSY 8050 Multicultural Counseling Psychology course and will have the opportunity to take other more focused courses related to working with diverse client populations. APSU’s location within a military community provides for diversity-rich practica experiences. The commitment to diversity is further evident in our Statement of Training Values Related to Diversity (see below).
Program Objectives
The PsyD in Counseling Psychology program’s curriculum is designed to provide students with sound training in Counseling Psychology. The curriculum adheres to the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology set forth by the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) of The American Psychological Association. In keeping with these standards, program curriculum provides a foundation of discipline-specific knowledge that includes the following 8 content areas:
History and Systems of Psychology,
- Affective Aspects of Behavior,
- Biological Aspects of Behavior,
- Cognitive Aspects of Behavior,
- Developmental Aspects of Behavior,
- Social Aspects of Behavior,
- Advanced Integrative Knowledge in Scientific Psychology,
- Research Methods, Statistical Analysis, and
Further, in adherence to CoA standards, the APSU PsyD program curriculum is designed to ensure students have an opportunity to develop competencies in the following 9 Profession wide competencies:
- Research,
- Ethical and legal Standards,
- Individual and cultural diversity,
- Professional values and attitudes,
- Communication and interpersonal skills,
- Assessment,
- Intervention,
- Supervision,
- Consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills
| APA Standards of Accreditation Requirements: DSK | APSU PsyD Course(s) |
|---|---|
| Category 1: History and Systems of Psychology | PSYC 5250 History and Systems of Psychology (completed at Masters-level or the equivalent) |
| Category 2: Basic Content Areas in Scientific Psychology | |
| Affective Aspects of Behavior | CPSY 7020 Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Behavior |
| Biological Aspects of Behavior | CPSY 7000 Biological Aspects of Behavior |
| Cognitive Aspects of Behavior | CPSY 7020 Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Behavior |
| Developmental Aspects of Behavior | COUN 5110 Lifespan Development (completed at Masters-level or the equivalent) |
| Social Aspects of Behavior | PSYC 7030 Advanced Social Psychology |
| Category 3: Advanced Integrative in Psychological Science | CPSY 7020 Cognitive and Affective Aspects of Behavior |
| Category 4: Research Methods, Statistical Analysis, and Psychometrics | |
| Research Methods |
CPSY 7400 Advanced Research Methods in Counseling Psychology; CPSY 9000 Dissertation |
| Statistical Analysis |
PSYC 7010 Statistics I; PSYC 7011 Statistics II |
| Psychometrics |
Psychometrics tutorial unit |
| APA Standards of Accreditation; Profession Wide Competencies | APSU Courses Specifically Relating to Competencies |
|---|---|
| Research | CPSY 7400 Advanced Research Methods in Counseling Psychology; PSYC 7010 Statistics I; PSYC 7011 Statistics II or PSYC 7012 Qualitative Research Methods; CPSY 9000 Dissertation |
| Ethical and Legal Standards | CPSY 8000 Ethics and Foundations in Counseling Psychology, Practicum |
| Individual and Cultural Diversity | CPSY 8050 Advanced Multicultural Counseling Psychology |
| Professional Values and Attitudes | CPSY 8000 Ethics and Foundations in Counseling Psychology; Practicum |
| Communication and Interpersonal Skills |
CPSY 8210 Health Service Consultation and Interprofessional Seminar; CPSY 8501-03 Practicum I, II, III in Counseling Psychology |
| Assessment |
CPSY 8100 Cognitive and Intellectual Assessment; CPSY 8110 Personality Assessment; CPSY 8600 Clinical Neuropsychology; CPSY 8010 Vocational Psychology |
| Intervention |
CPSY 8020 Advanced Theories and Techniques in Counseling Psychology; CPSY 8010 Vocational Psychology; CPSY 8200 Health Psychology; CPSY 8501-03 Practicum I, II, III in Counseling Psychology |
| Supervision |
CPSY 8220 Supervision in Counseling Psychology |
| Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills |
CPSY 8210 Health Service Consultation and Interprofessional Seminar |
The APSU CPSY PsyD curriculum also addresses Counseling Psychology-specific competencies established by the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Program (CCPTP).These competencies do not supplant the APA Professional Competencies. They are meant to align with and enhance APA Professional Competencies and serve to orient students to the distinct history, values, knowledge, and identity of the Counseling Psychology discipline (see Rationale for and Introduction of the Competencies for Counseling Psychology posted on the CCPTP website.
CCPTP has identified 7 Foundational Competencies:
- Core Professional Identity
- Holistic and Contextual Worldview
- Developmental, Strength-based Focus
- Recognizes Value of Prevention
- Integrates Vocational Approach
- Oriented toward Social Justice
- Relationships
- Interpersonal Relationships
- Affective Skills
- Expressive Skills
- Individual and Cultural Diversity
- Self as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity
- Others as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity
- Interaction of Self and Others as Shaped by Individual and Cultural Diversity and Context
- Applications Based on Individual and Cultural Context
- Professional Values and Attitudes
- Integrity
- Deportment
- Accountability
- Concern for Welfare of Others
- Reflective Practice/Self-Assessment/Self-Care
- Reflective Practice
- Self-Assessment
- Self-Care
- Participates in Supervision
- Scientific Knowledge and Methods
- Scientific Mindedness
- Scientific Foundations of Psychology and Counseling Psychology
- Scientific Foundations of Professional Practice
- Ethical and Legal Standards and Policy
- Knowledge of Ethical, Legal, and Professional Standards and Guidelines
- Awareness and Application of Ethical Decision Making
- Ethical Conduct
It should be noted that, consistent with the spirit in which Standards of Accreditation and CCPTP competencies were established, not all of these competencies will be addressed by dedicated courses. Some may be addressed through integrated/infused course content (e.g., relevant original readings in counseling psychology in all courses), training experiences, and other credit bearing requirements, while others may be addressed in non-credit learning opportunities (e.g., workshops, colloquia).
Courses in the CPSY PsyD curriculum that serve to uniquely address the Counseling Psychology competencies include the following:
- CPSY 8000 Ethics and Foundations in Counseling Psychology (1.a-f.; 7.a-c ;)
- CPSY 8001 First Year Colloquium (1. a,b; 5. a-c; 6. b)
- CPSY 8010 Vocational Psychology (1.e.)
- CPSY 8090 Special Topics in Counseling Psychology
Students’ progress with respect to these learning objectives will be evaluated by examining key assessments embedded within each course, as well as by reviewing supervisors’ evaluations of skill development and competencies in Practicum and Internship.