Department of Psychology

Program Orientation

The APA accredited Clinical Psychology Training Program at Ohio State University is designed to prepare research-oriented, Boulder-model psychologists to be tomorrow's leading investigators of clinical phenomena. We envision that our graduates will find research, teaching, and other scholarly job placements in Departments of Psychology at universities, colleges, or medical schools (e.g., Departments of Psychiatry).

Students receive didactic preparation in four primary areas: 1) clinical psychology, including assessment, psychopathology, and therapy; 2) research methodology, including statistics, research design, and psychometric theory; 3) core areas of psychology, including psychobiology, cognitive psychology, individual differences, and social psychology; and, 4) specialty training in adult clinical or child clinical with emphasis on psychopathology or health. The core features and time allotments of the program are devoted to scholarly and scientific matters, including both didactic and experiential components. Students become skilled in conceptual analysis, research design, data analysis, scholarly writing, teaching, and oral research and clinical presentations. Indeed, under the guidance of Program faculty, students begin conducting research during their first academic term.

Program of Study

During the first two years of study, students begin didactic and clinical practical training. The first year includes the majority of the core curriculum, an introduction to practica, and the first-year research project. During the second year, students complete the core curriculum, see psychotherapy clients, and complete their master's research project. After successfully completing the General Examination in the third year, students are admitted to Ph.D. candidacy, and their learning programs are individualized to match their career goals. In the final year or two, students finish outside area requirements (e.g., social, cognitive), take specialty seminars and practica, and conduct additional research. Finally, students complete the program by finishing their dissertations and taking an APA-approved internship.

Facilities and Financial SupportStudent offices are near faculty offices and laboratories. Research space includes rooms for data collection for observational and coding studies, and computer, audio/video, and psychophysiological equipment. Core faculty and graduate student offices are housed in the new Psychology Building that opened in January 2006.

Clinical (practica) training is an important component of the program. The primary site for practica training is the Department's Psychological Services Center (PSC). The PSC is the Department's outpatient clinic for adults, children, and families seeking psychological assessment and psychotherapy. Rooms for individual, family, or group therapy for children and adults are available and equipped with audio/visual equipment.

The PSC is housed in the new Psychology Building along with the core faculty and student offices and has the state of the art audio-visual recording system for use in practica and research.

Clinical experiences are also available at Children's Hospital with pediatric patients, the Department's Anxiety and Stress Disorders Clinic, the Department's Cardiopulmonary Behavioral Medicine Clinic, the Nisonger Center with developmentally disabled patients, and the Ohio State University College of Medicine with psychiatric and medical patients. Other placements in the metropolitan area are also available for advanced students.

Nearly all students receive complete financial support throughout their graduate study, including a monthly stipend and tuition and fee waivers. University Fellowships are available on a competitive basis, and are matched with departmental teaching assistantships and/or faculty research grant assistantships. Application for all of funding sources is made by checking the appropriate boxes on the application forms.

Areas of Emphasis The research/training foci of our program reflect the broader field, with students typically focusing on either adults or youth and on either health psychology or psychopathology (including its etiology, assessment, treatment, and prevention). These two dimensions underlie three formal tracks: adult clinical psychology, clinical health psychology, and clinical child psychology (including pediatric psychology).

Current faculty research interests include anxiety disorders, depression, aggression and antisocial behavior, early onset bipolar disorder, the role of attentional systems in emotion regulation and dysregulation across the lifespan, cognitive therapy, behavior therapy, personality disorders, self-regulation, older adulthood and sexuality. Health psychology (and pediatric psychology) emphases include chronic illness, cardiovascular disorders, pulmonary disorders, stress & coping, psychoneuroimmunology, neuropsychology, and the influence of health behaviors (e.g., exercise, diet, smoking, treatment compliance) on health trajectories among both healthy individuals and those with chronic illness.

Applicant SelectionDesirable preparation for the program includes: an undergraduate major in psychology or comparable evidence of mastering foundational principles of psychological science; coursework in basic science and math; competitive GPA and GRE scores; research experience; and strong letters of recommendation. Applicants should clearly indicate their interests in a particular specialty and describe their specific research and career interests in clinical psychology.

This program is not designed for every student with interests in clinical psychology. This is true in part because it is not possible for any clinical program to be all things to all students. In particular, applicants with primary or majority interests in service provision would not find this program meeting their desired emphases or goals. On the other hand, those with a clear preference for careers as clinical scientists will find Ohio State's program challenging and rewarding.

Department of Psychology

Clinical Psychology

Address

Faculty

Clinical Handbook

Program Orientation

Program of Study