PsyD Clinical Psychology

As one of the first PsyD programs in the nation, the Graduate School of Professional Psychology has offered a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) since 1976. The mission of the PsyD program is to train doctoral-level practitioner/scholars who have foundational interpersonal and scientific skills, a functional mastery of psychological assessment and intervention, and can apply this knowledge and skill in a range of settings.

We aim to train psychologists who contribute to the common good through their interpersonal awareness and skill. Students graduate from GSPP as psychologists with a solid grounding in psychology's scientific, ethical and professional foundations, with skills in assessment and intervention that can be applied to many contexts and communities.

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    Specialty Coursework

    We offer training in a variety of specialty areas including Military Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Child/Adolescent Mental Health, Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies, and others.

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    Foundations of Diversity

    Our required multicultural sequence ensures students are prepared to work with diverse populations.

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    Clinical Experience from Day One

    Clinical practice begins in the first quarter of the program at DU's community-based psychological center. Additional fieldwork opportunities are available through our partnerships at 130 different practicum sites.

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    Exemplary Breadth

    We offer extensive hands-on and experiential opportunities to complement our students' broad base of knowledge along with their analytical and research skills.

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    Career Preparation

     

    We connect our students with internships, mentorships and professional development opportunities to help ensure professional success.

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Program Overview

The PsyD Program at GSPP is committed to providing broad-based training that provides students the basis for general practice, with an adequate foundation to pursue specialty training. As such, we cover the following broad and general areas of psychological study through our 135-credit program. The curriculum includes required and elective coursework in the following areas:

Course of Study

Specialty Focus Tool

The program provides a broad and general education. Each student also has the opportunity to choose a specialty area to increase depth of theoretical knowledge and skills. Examples include adult or child assessment and therapy,  family therapy, forensic psychology, cognitive behavioral therapies, psychodynamic therapy, health psychology, or military psychology.

 

Clinical Competency Exam

This exam is generally taken in the second year to ensure students demonstrate minimum standards for clinical skill and scholarship. It is comprised of three sections: clinical vignettes, clinical case conceptualization and clinical intervention strategies.

Doctoral Paper

The doctoral paper requires students to make an original contribution to psychological scholarship. They may choose to do a qualitative or quantitative research project or select another form of scholarship such as developing a case study or treatment protocol.

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Course Descriptions

Check out the most recent Graduate Bulletin for a full list of course descriptions.

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Clinical Training

Professional Psychology Clinic (PPC)

Students become staff members of the PPC and work with clients in the clinic each year prior to their internship. PPC client cases are supervised by faculty members, seminar co-leaders and individual community professionals.

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Community Practicums

In the years prior to their internship, students serve in practicums for a minimum of eight hours per week. Sites may include mental health centers, schools, hospitals, rehabilitation center, and residential treatment homes.

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Doctoral Internship

During their clinical internship, a vital part of our program, students gain valuable experience interning at sites around the U.S. and Canada and are able to pursue placements in a variety of settings. Our program has a 100% match rate to accredited sites. 

Past Placements

Alumni Spotlight

Dr. Pia Khandekar

Pia Khandekar

Pia Khandekar, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in San Diego, California with the Department of Defense. She is currently the supervising psychologist and Clinical Program Director for the inpatient unit at Naval Medical Center San Diego. During the past 4 years, Dr. Khandekar has developed and implemented a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program focusing on crisis prevention planning and evidence-based interventions for depression/anxiety, trauma, substance use, and serious mental illness. She is a core faculty member for the Navy psychology internship program, supervising interns on the emergency psychiatry and inpatient mental health rotations. She also serves as teaching faculty for the psychiatry residency program, facilitating the PGY-1 and 2 Cognitive Behavioral and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy courses. She was awarded Faculty of the Year for the psychology internship program 2018, and received an Associate Master Clinician designation from the command in August 2019. She also maintains an outpatient panel, working with service members from Navy/Marine Aviation and Naval Special Warfare.

Dr. Khandekar graduated in 2011 from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology, and completed her internship and postdoctoral training at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital. Dr. Khandekar began working with active duty personnel when she took a position as a clinician working with military families in Germany at U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart. Upon returning to the states in 2015, Dr. Khandekar was employed as a psychologist with Naval Air Station North Island, providing therapy to the naval aviation community and consultation to squadrons on human factors and performance.

 

“The longer I practice, the more I am able to appreciate the exceptional caliber of the faculty and supervisors I encountered during my time at GSPP. Throughout my career I have regularly felt grateful for the training I received as a student, but now as a supervisor, I find myself reflecting on my own supervision almost daily. I feel a personal responsibility to pay forward the skills and guidance I was so lucky to receive myself. There is no substitute for exposure to excellence as a trainee, and I believe that the faculty and field placements at GSPP are what makes this program so exemplary.”
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Our Internship Consortium

At the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, our innovative Internship Consortium is a nationally recognized program and serves as a model for other similar programs around the country. 

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Interested in Applying?

Learn more about our admissions process and tap into our available resources. 

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APA Accreditation & Contact Information

The program is Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA). Questions related to the program’s accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

 

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Learn About Our Alumni Network

At the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, our alumni base becomes your community for life. 

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