FAQ's

What is clinical psychology and how does it differ from other types of training? Clinical psychologists have a doctorate degree (either Psy.D. or Ph.D.) in clinical psychology and are extensively trained to provide personality and intelligence testing, diagnostic services, and psychotherapy. They also receive training in research methods, neuroscience, and behavioral and social sciences. They work in a variety of settings providing direct clinical services, conducting research on emotional and behavioral problems, as well as providing education and supervision. They are also involved in providing consultation and management to behavioral health systems. Clinical psychology is similar to other areas of professional psychology (counseling and school) in requiring a doctorate, having a curriculum that is grounded within the science of psychology, providing training in evidence-based practice, and having national-level accreditation. Clinical psychology differs from various master’s level programs for helping professionals (e.g., social work, licensed professional counselor). Master’s programs tend to take less time to complete but accordingly provide less intensive clinical training, less emphasis on research, and less comprehensive coverage of the scientific bases of psychology. Psychiatry requires a doctor of medicine (MD) or osteopathy (DO). Psychiatrists specialize in behavioral health after completing medical school. Although both psychologists and psychiatrists are able to diagnose mental disorders and provide psychotherapy, generally psychiatrists receive less training in therapy and no training to conduct psychological testing. Psychiatrists are trained and licensed to offer pharmacotherapy (medication), psychologists need additional training to prescribe medication and only a few states allow prescription privileges for psychologists.

Clinical psychologists have a doctorate degree (either Psy.D. or Ph.D.) in clinical psychology and are extensively trained to provide personality and intelligence testing, diagnostic services, and psychotherapy. They also receive training in research methods, neuroscience, and behavioral and social sciences. They work in a variety of settings providing direct clinical services, conducting research on emotional and behavioral problems, as well as providing education and supervision. They are also involved in providing consultation and management to behavioral health systems. Clinical psychology is similar to other areas of professional psychology (counseling and school) in requiring a doctorate, having a curriculum that is grounded within the science of psychology, providing training in evidence-based practice, and having national-level accreditation. Clinical psychology differs from various master’s level programs for helping professionals (e.g., social work, licensed professional counselor). Master’s programs tend to take less time to complete, but accordingly provide less intensive clinical training, less emphasis on research, and less comprehensive coverage of the scientific bases of psychology. Psychiatry requires a doctor of medicine (MD) or osteopathy (DO). Psychiatrists specialize in behavioral health after completing medical school. Although both psychologists and psychiatrists are able to diagnose mental disorders and provide psychotherapy, generally psychiatrists receive less training in therapy and no training to conduct psychological testing. Psychiatrists are trained and licensed to offer pharmacotherapy (medication), psychologists need additional training to prescribe medication and only a few states allow prescription privileges for psychologists.

Psy.D. and Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology take about 4 to 7 years to complete and both degrees are eligible for licensure in all states of the US. Both programs require coursework in psychopathology, assessment, therapy, statistics and research methods, and the scientific bases of psychology (i.e., cognitive, affective, social, and physiological psychology). Also, both programs require supervised part-time practicum and a supervised internship (generally a year of full-time supervised practice). All Ph.D. programs require a doctoral dissertation, and most Psy.D. programs require a doctoral dissertation (although they tend to focus on clinical and applied topics). Psy.D. programs tend to follow a practitioner-scholar model (sometimes referred to as a Vail model) where the primary emphasis is in training practitioners of psychology and so their curriculum tends to be more focused on clinical training than PhD programs. Although the focus of Psy.D. programs is not on training researchers, there are requirements for training in statistics and research methods so that Psy.D. graduates are able to conduct basic research (often with an applied clinical focus), critically evaluate the existing and emerging research literature, and provide evidence-based practice. Although there are some practitioner-scholar Ph.D. programs, most Ph.D. programs follow either a scientist-practitioner (also known as the Boulder model) or a clinical scientist model. In these models, students are trained in clinical practice, but there is an emphasis on training graduates to be conducting independent research. Consistent with the heavier emphasis on research training, many graduates of Ph.D. programs work in academic positions in teaching and research institutions; however, most graduates also provide direct clinical services, and many work exclusively as practitioners.

Schools and programs of professional psychology provide students with the kind of educational and practical experiences required for the practice of professional psychology with some programs specializing in clinical, counseling, school, and other aspects of this field. Students are trained to conduct personality and intelligence testing, diagnostic services, individual, family, marital, and group therapy, and other forms of treatment. These educational institutions may also provide coursework in executive coaching, sports psychology, forensic psychology, and psychopharmacology as well as offer preparation for involvement in consultation, management, supervision, and education.

A good way to become familiar with the field of professional psychology is to join one of the many psychological organizations that offer student memberships. American Psychological Association Student Page Click here to view information that APA has compiled for students.