The Psy.D. program is designed to support students through the program as they become socialized into, and identified with, the profession of clinical psychology. The program provides students with a clear and detailed program of study, offers opportunities for scholarly exchange, provides timely reviews of progress, offers a curriculum that moves students toward Pennsylvania state psychology licensure requirements, and supports the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and professional socialization processes directed toward life-long learning as a clinical psychologist.

The Psy.D. program has goals that are related to the acquisition and attainment of competencies in these areas.

1. Comprehensive Clinical Understanding of the Client. The program goal is to help students develop the ability to attain a comprehensive clinical understanding of the client. The program's objective is to educate and train students toward the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for theoretical, diagnostic, bio-psycho-social bases, life span, and self-observational applications that foster a comprehensive understanding of the client as a whole person.

2. Conceptual and Technical Skills. The program goal is to help students develop the technical and conceptual skills necessary to deliver clinical services competently. The program’s objective is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to assess and intervene effectively in order to facilitate change in clients. The application of technique to diverse clinical settings and shorter term models is discussed in relation to client service. Students gain foundational experience in developing teaching skills by leading class discussion and seminar presentations on concepts related to clinical psychology research and practice. Students will also graduate skilled in the diagnosis of various forms of psychological disturbance and will have acquired the ability to make such diagnoses from psychological tests, measures, and clinical interviews.

3. Development of an Ethical Base for Clinical Psychology Service. The program goal is to help students develop the ability to make ethical decisions about their clinical work. The program's objective is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to promote an understanding and application of psychology ethics and professional standards of conduct. Students are taught professional ethics and standards in the classroom and through application of case material and dilemmas arising in work with supervised clients. There is also a strong commitment to teaching ethical conduct through faculty role modeling in the context of instructional, advisory, and mentoring roles and responsibilities.

4. Research Methods and Data Analysis. The program goal is to help students develop the ability to be competent consumers of research. The program’s objective is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to support scholarship, conduct research, measure and evaluate outcomes, and foster a desire for systematic inquiry that complements the inquiry of clinical problems through psychotherapy and psychodiagnostic processes.

5. Diversity. The program goal is to help students develop the ability to integrate ideas and skills necessary to service a diverse clientele. The program's objective is to integrate human diversity throughout the curriculum, and to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for understanding and applying concepts related to human diversity to clinical services.