Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology: 2008 2009 Edition (Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical Psychology)

407 Pages·2008·1.34 MB·English

by  John C. Norcross, Michael A. Sayette

INSIDER’S GUIDE TO GRADUATE
PROGRAMS IN CLINICAL
AND COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY
INSIDER’S GUIDE
to Graduate Programs
in Clinical and
Counseling Psychology
2008/2009 Edition
John C. Norcross
Michael A. Sayette
Tracy J. Mayne
THE GUILFORD PRESS
New York London
© 2008 The Guilford Press
A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc.
72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012
www.guilford.com
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise,
without written permission from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
Last digit is print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN-10: 1-59385-258-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-59385-258-0
ISSN 1086-2099
CONTENTS
Tables and Figures vii
About the Authors ix
Acknowledgments xi
Preface xiii
Chapter 1. Introducing Clinical and Counseling Psychology 1
Clinical and Counseling Psychology 1
Combined Programs 5
The Boulder Model (Ph.D.) 5
The Vail Model (Psy.D.) 6
Differences between Boulder and Vail Programs 7
A Word on Accreditation 9
Online Graduate Programs 11
Practice Alternatives 12
Research Alternatives 14
On “Backdoor” Clinicians 16
To Reiterate Our Purpose 16
Our Approach 17
Chapter 2. Preparing for Graduate School 18
Different Situations, Different Needs 18
A Master’s Degree First 20
Graduate School Selection Criteria 21
Course Work 23
Faculty Mentoring 25
Clinical Experience 26
Research Skills 28
Entrance Examinations 33
Extracurricular Activities 39
Chapter 3. Getting Started 41
Common Misconceptions 41
Acceptance Rates 42
Costs of Applying 43
Starting Early 43
For the Research Oriented and Dually Committed 45
For the Practice Oriented 50
For the Racial/Ethnic Minority Applicant 51
For the LGBT Applicant 52
For the Disabled Applicant 54
Assessing Program Criteria 54
v
CONTENTS
Chapter 4. Selecting Schools 59
A Multitude of Considerations 59
Research Interests 60
Clinical Opportunities 61
Theoretical Orientations 64
Financial Aid 66
Quality of Life 69
Putting It All Together 69
Chapter 5. Applying to Programs 72
How Many 72
Application Form 73
Curriculum Vitae 74
Personal Statements 77
Letters of Recommendation 80
Transcripts and GRE Scores 85
Unsolicited Documents 86
Application Fees 87
Check and Recheck 87
Chapter 6. Mastering the Interview 89
Interview Strategically 90
The Dual Purpose 90
Rehearsal and Mock Interviews 91
Interview Attire 92
Travel Arrangements 92
Interview Style 94
Stressful Questions 96
Group Interviews 98
Additional Tips 98
Telephone Interviews 99
A Note of Thanks 100
The Wait 101
Chapter 7. Making Final Decisions 102
Acceptances and Rejections 102
The Financial Package 104
The Alternate List 106
Decision Making 106
Finalizing Arrangements 107
If Not Accepted 108
Two Final Words 110
Reports on Combined Psychology Programs 111
Reports on Individual Clinical Psychology Programs 121
Reports on Individual Counseling Psychology Programs 275
Appendix A. Time Line 321
Appendix B. Worksheet for Choosing Programs 323
Appendix C. Worksheet for Assessing Program Criteria 325
Appendix D. Worksheet for Making Final Choices 326
Appendix E. Research Areas 327
Appendix F. Specialty Clinics and Practica Sites 359
Appendix G. Program Concentrations and Tracks 379
References 385
vi
TABLES AND
FIGURES
Tables
1-1 Popularity and Doctorate Production of Psychology Subfields 2
1-2 Professional Activities of Clinical and Counseling Psychologists 4
1-3 APA-Accredited Clinical Psychology Programs That Are Members 6
of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science (APCS)
1-4 APA-Accredited Psy.D. Programs in Clinical Psychology 8
2-1 Importance of Various Criteria in Psychology Admissions Decisions 22
2-2 Importance Assigned by Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs to 22
Various Types of Undergraduate Preparation
2-3 Undergraduate Courses Required or Recommended by APA-Accredited 23
Clinical Psychology Programs
2-4 Minimum GRE Scores Preferred by APA-Accredited Clinical Psychology Programs 35
2-5 Comparison of the GRE General Test and the GRE Psychology Subject Test 37
3-1 Average Acceptance Rates for APA-Accredited Clinical Psychology Programs 42
3-2 Institutions with Most Citations, Most Papers, and Strongest Clinical 46–47
Faculty Production in Psychology
3-3 Institutional Origins of Clinical and Counseling Psychology 49
Diplomates and Fellows
4-1 Questions to Ask about Psy.D. Programs 65
4-2 Theoretical Orientations of Faculty in APA-Accredited Clinical and 65
Counseling Psychology Programs
4-3 Percentage of Students Recieving Financial Aid in APA-Accredited 67
Clinical Psychology Programs
5-1 Professors’ Pet Peeves: Avoiding Neutral Letters of Recommendation 81
6-1 Common Interview Questions to Anticipate 91
6-2 Interview Questions an Applicant Might Ask 95
7-1 Student Reasons for Choosing a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program 103
7-2 Median Tuition Costs in Psychology by Institution Type and Degree Level 105
7-3 Median Assistantship Stipends in Psychology 106
Figures
3-1 Sample E-mail Requesting Application and Information 58
4-1 Sample E-mail of Introduction—Research Oriented 62
4-2 Sample E-mail of Introduction—Practice Oriented 63
5-1 One Format for Curriculum Vitae 75
5-2 Another Format for Curriculum Vitae 76
5-3 Portion of a Sample Autobiographical Statement 80
5-4 Sample Letter to Request a Letter of Recommendation 83
6-1 Preadmission Interview Policies of APA-Accredited Programs 89
6-2 Sample Telephone Card 99
6-3 Sample Letter of Appreciation to an Interviewer 100
7-1 Sample Letter of Acceptance 108
7-2 Sample Letter Declining an Admission Offer 109
vii
ABOUT THE
AUTHORS
John C. Norcross received his baccalaureate summa cum laude from Rutgers University. He
earned his master’s and doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Rhode Island
and completed his internship at the Brown University School of Medicine. He is Professor of
Psychology and Distinguished University Fellow at the University of Scranton, a clinical psy-
chologist in independent practice, and editor of the Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session.
He is president-elect of the American Psychological Association’s Society of Clinical Psychol-
ogy and past-president of the APA Division of Psychotherapy. Dr. Norcross has published
more than 250 articles and has authored or edited 16 books, the most recent being Leaving
It at the Office: A Guide to Psychotherapist Self-Care, Clinician’s Guide to Evidence-Based
Practice in Mental Health, Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health, and
Psychotherapy Relationships That Work. Among his awards are the Pennsylvania Professor of
the Year from the Carnegie Foundation, Distinguished Practitioner from the National Acade-
mies of Practice, and the Distinguished Career Contribution to Education and Training Award
from the American Psychological Association. Dr. Norcross has conducted workshops and
research on graduate study in psychology for many years.
Michael A. Sayette received his baccalaureate cum laude from Dartmouth College. He earned
his master’s and doctorate in clinical psychology from Rutgers University and completed his
internship at the Brown University School of Medicine. He is Professor of Psychology at
the University of Pittsburgh, with a secondary appointment as Professor of Psychiatry at the
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr.
Sayette has published primarily in the area of substance abuse. His research, supported by
the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and by the National Institute on
Drug Abuse, concerns the development of psychological theories of alcohol and tobacco
use. He has served on National Institutes of Health grant review study sections and is on the
editorial boards of several journals. He also is an associate editor of Journal of Abnormal
Psychology and a former associate editor of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. Dr. Sayette
has directed graduate admissions for the clinical psychology program at the University of
Pittsburgh, and has presented seminars on applying to graduate school at several universities
in North America and Europe.
Tracy J. Mayne received his baccalaureate from the State University of New York at Buf-
falo, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Ph.D. as
an Honors Fellow from Rutgers University and completed his internship and postdoctoral
ix