Why Study Counseling Psychology
Counseling Psychology PsyD graduates are equipped with discipline-specific knowledge and profession-wide competencies to ensure ethical and effective treatment of the full range and scope of psychological distress and disorder with diverse multicultural and multi-age client populations. APSU trains practitioner-scholars who are competent to provide services in a wide variety of therapeutic contexts and settings (e.g., military, medical, community mental health, educational, organizational, and community). In addition to preparing graduates to assess, diagnose, and treat psychological distress and disorders, APSU's program prepares graduates to use their knowledge and skills to promote wellness through strategies of prevention, identification, and enhancement of client strengths, potentials, and resilience's. The need for psychologists is projected to grow more than 14% in Tennessee and 8% across the US within the next ten years.
APSU's PsyD in Counseling Psychology is unique as it trains practitioner-scholars and offers a military and military family track. The program is preparing materials for accreditation by the American Psychological Association's Commission on Accreditation.
All program faculty earned the Ph.D. with a focus in Counseling Psychology, possess significant clinical experiences, and most are licensed or license-eligible. Faculty research interests include military, veterans, and families, gender, treatment outcomes, men and masculinity, treatment and skill-building for neurodivergent individuals across the lifespan.
Potential doctoral students should have a masters's degree in counseling, or very closely related degree and an interest in the program's values.
Admission Requirements
The prerequisite for pursuing this degree is a M.S./M.A. degree in counseling or clinical psychology or other closely related discipline. Students may be required to complete additional credit hours at the masters-level in order to be prepared for the Counseling Psychology PsyD curriculum.
Admission is highly selective and the program admits small cohorts each fall. In addition to having earned a master’s degree in counseling or clinical psychology, competitive applicants will have a graduate GPA of 3.5 or above, above average GRE scores, strong professional letters of recommendation from faculty familiar with applicants’ academic potential, as well as clinical supervisors familiar with applicants’ skill and/or potential as a clinician. An interview with program faculty will also be required as part of the admissions process.
For information related to admission requirements or to view the courses within each program, please visit the graduate bulletin.
What will I learn
- Students will be provided a foundation of discipline-specific knowledge and training in profession-wide competences as set forth by the APA's Commission on Accreditation.
- Students will continue to develop their clinical skills in the dedicated program clinic and in outside clinical settings in preparation to apply for and attend a year-long internship as is required as the capstone to a doctorate in counseling psychology.
Sample Degree Plan
Program Licensure Disclosure
Students should be aware that licensure requirements vary from state to change and are subject to change. Licensing boards also may have additional requirements above and beyond an earned degree and experience. APSU has not made a determination whether its programs will meet all licensure requirements in each US state or territory. APSU recommends that students who plan to seek licensure outside the state of Tennessee contact the appropriate licensing board before they enroll in an academic program designed to lead to licensure.
Please visit https://www.apsu.edu/program-licensure-disclosures/ to review specific licensure information for your state and academic program.