The Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at LIU Brooklyn offers a full-time course of professional and scholarly study, which leads to the degree Doctor of Philosophy. The Program emphasizes the integration of sophisticated skills in psychological assessment, intervention techniques, and scholarly research. These skills prepare the future clinical psychologist to diagnose, treat, and study a broad range of psychological phenomena. Graduates of the Program have the scholarly credentials for academic, research, and clinical positions. The training model follows a "scholar-practitioner" model in which dual emphasis is placed on both clinical training and scholarly research, and the training offered is in full accordance with the American Psychological Association guidelines. The clinical faculty believes that the science of psychology provides the foundation from which the clinical psychologist's skills develop. Consistent with this belief, the Program provides students with a firm grounding in basic theories and empirical findings in psychology, as well as fundamentals of psychological research design and methodology.
In clinical work, the theoretical orientation of the program is strongly influenced by psychodynamic approaches but with an emphasis on integrating this orientation with other theoretical points of view such as cognitive-behavioral and family systems theory. Consistent with the Program's tradition of training highly competent clinical practitioners, doctoral students begin clinical training in the first year of the Program for eight to twelve hours a week at one of a few carefully selected externship sites. At the same time, academic coursework introduces them to short-term psychodynamic approaches as well as short-term cognitive-behavioral therapies. In the second year, doctoral students train in the LIU Brooklyn Psychological Services Center, which provides mental health treatment for the Brooklyn campus community; doctoral students receive supervision from experienced clinical faculty. The diversity of the LIU undergraduate student community provides doctoral students with expertise in working therapeutically with a broadly multicultural clinical population. In the third year, doctoral students complete closely supervised externships at excellent, intensive training sites in the New York metropolitan area. Fourth year students often elect to add to their clinical training by completing a fourth year externship placement prior to their fifth year clinical internship. Training sites in the New York metropolitan area regard our doctoral students as among the most highly qualified in the region.
The Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology has received full, continuous accreditation by the American Psychological Association since the Program's beginning in 1971. The Program has consistently received glowing reports from both the American Psychological Association and New York State. The most recent site visit from APA in 2014 resulted in full accreditation until 2021. Each year approximately 15 domestic and international students are accepted from among the finest universities and colleges in the world. In addition to their undergraduate degrees, many of these students have completed some work at the graduate level and all have prior research and clinical experience.
The Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and under-represented groups. At LIU Brooklyn, all students find an academic community where cultural, ethnic, religious, racial, sexual, and individual differences are respected and where commonalities are affirmed.
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 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-336-5979
Email: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
