Goals of Clinical Psychology
The goals of the clinical psychology PhD training program are:
- Develop clinical psychologists who have a broad understanding of the knowledge base and theoretical and methodological foundations in psychology, and more specifically, in the field of clinical psychology.
- Develop clinical psychologists who possess the knowledge and skills to conduct high quality and ethical research and make meaningful contributions to the empirical and theoretical literature in clinical psychology.
- Develop clinical psychologists who are competent in the practice of clinical psychology and are skilled in the ethical application of empirically supported principles and techniques of assessment and intervention in their professional activities.
- Develop clinical psychologists who seek to integrate science and practice in their research and clinical activities. The overarching goal of the program is to train creative and competent scientists and practitioners who are producers and consumers of knowledge in psychological science and will be competent to function successfully in academic, research, and clinical settings. Some of our students go on to do work that is largely clinical in nature upon completion of their degrees. It is our goal that these graduates not only bring excellence, professionalism, and leadership to their clinical work, but that they do so within a scientific framework. As we define it, this means that they bring the perspectives and habits of scientific inquiry into their clinical work and that their work is continually informed by advances in the scientific literature. For instance, these graduates should be well versed in the application of empirically supported treatments for psychological, emotional and behavioral disorders. Likewise, for the increasing numbers of graduates who choose an academically or research-oriented career path, it is our goal that their research endeavors are informed by a fundamental understanding of psychopathology and a solid foundation of clinical skill and experience in the assessment and treatment of persons with psychological, emotional and behavioral disorders. To accomplish these goals, Temple students are directly involved in both research and clinical training throughout their tenure, beginning in their very first year.
Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity
The Clinical Psychology PhD Program has always been strongly committed to the importance of respect for and understanding of cultural diversity, and we adhere to the principle that excellence should be the primary characteristic upon which our decisions are based. We also believe that there is educational and professional value in attracting students and faculty who represent diverse ethnic, cultural, and personal backgrounds. The University, CLA, Department, and Clinical Program seek to establish an environment that generates understanding, attitudes, and perspectives that create an atmosphere of inclusivity, civility, collegiality, appreciation, and mutual respect for diversity and cultural differences. Accordingly, there are clear nondiscrimination policies in place that prohibit any actions that would restrict program access or completion on grounds that are irrelevant to success in graduate training or the profession (see the University Policies & Resources page for University nondiscriminatory policies), as well as support diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our approach to all aspects of the Program.
The Department and Program continually strive to create a learning environment that is accessible and welcoming to all students, and to engage in actions that indicate respect for, and understanding of, cultural and individual diversity across all aspects of the graduate program, including recruitment, admissions, retention, and training. Efforts in support of this goal include, but are not limited to, the use of holistic student admissions policies; consultation with Temple’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership during faculty searches and for faculty trainings on best diversity, equity, and inclusion practices; faculty’s use of their own research funds to provide waivers for graduate student applicants who demonstrate financial hardship; development and continual collaboration with a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee within the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience; joint clinical student-faculty DEI meetings each semester (in addition to the dedicated multicultural course that all PhD clinical students take), initiatives to increase faculty knowledge and awareness of diversity and inclusivity (e.g., facilitated dialogues, trainings, journal clubs); support of graduate application changes and graduate student organization’s efforts focused on inclusivity; faculty community-based participatory research with key stakeholders in the local diverse community; and development with the Department’s Graduate Committee of a graduate student reporting guide and other preventive issues to support inclusivity within the Department.
CUDCP Policy
Information for Applicants The Council of University Directors of Clinical Training has adopted the following guidelines for offers into doctoral clinical psychology programs. If you are applying to a CUDCP program, you should expect the following policies will apply:
- In most CUDCP programs, a subset of applicants will be invited for an interview. Within a few weeks of the final interview dates, applicants will be notified regarding the status of their application. You may be offered admission, declined admission, placed on a wait list, or in some cases, a decision has not yet been reached regarding your application.
- Training programs will notify students no longer being considered for admission as soon as possible. In some cases, this information is communicated by the university graduate school and can take several weeks to be processed. In some cases, you may be able to get updated information on the status of the application process (e.g., whether all interview invites have been extended; whether all offers have been extended), on a clinical program’s website, or by contacting a program administrator. Beware of information posted on student-focused online forums that may be inaccurate or incomplete.
- Offers of admission can be extended during a large time period. Most initial offers of admission are extended by April 1. Offers may be communicated by phone or email, but should be followed up by a written confirmation within 48 hours.
- You should not be pressured, nor feel compelled to accept an offer of admission before April 15! This applies to offers of admission and to funding offers that accompany admission. It is impermissible for programs to request a decision prior to April 15 or to indicate that funding will be available only if students make decisions earlier than this date. Violations of this policy should be reported to CUDCP immediately and your identity will be protected. Of course, it is permissible for you to accept an offer as soon as you are certain of your decision (i.e., even before April 15). But the decision to do so should be based on you, and not due to pressure placed upon you by a training program.
- Do not hold more than two offers for more than one week unless there is specific information (e.g., a visit is scheduled, funding decisions) you are waiting to receive from the program. Difficulty making up one’s mind is not considered an adequate excuse to limit the options available to other applicants.
- Once you have accepted an offer of admission to a training program, you should inform all programs in which you are still being considered. Be sure to inform programs either that you are declining outstanding offers of admission or you no longer wish to be considered for admission.
How to Apply to the Clinical Psychology PhD Program
Important Message for Applicants:
You must complete each section of the application (Home through Review) for the upload links to populate the application. After submitting the application, please refresh the page as it can take up to 15 minutes for the links to appear. You will then be able to upload your CV/resume, personal statement, unofficial transcripts for each school/college attended, and request letters of recommendations. GRE Scores are optional. Scores must be sent directly from ETS to Temple University using code 2906.
Letters of recommendations: Should be uploaded by the deadline. If you have concerns, please follow-up with the recommender directly.
Transcripts: You do not have to send official transcript during the review process. If you are being seriously considered, we will email you to ask for official transcripts. If you have sent official transcripts to our departmental account [click-for-email], prior to our request, we will retrieve and upload them to your application.
You will receive automatic emails until your application is complete and all supplemental checklist items are received and uploaded. Further instructions can be found on the Psychology Graduate Bulletin Admissions page.
Clinical Psychology Resources
