Antioch University

Antioch University Santa Barbara provides high quality, innovative undergraduate and graduate education for adults. Through the integration of academic and experiential learning, and by fostering creativity and independent thinking, an Antioch education empowers students to act responsibly to effect personal, social and environmental change. The PsyD program is at the forefront of training highly qualified scholar-practitioner psychologists.

PsyD in Clinical Psychology - Family Psychology Emphasis

The overarching goal of the program is to educate students to be professional psychologists with expertise in clinical psychology and the practice of psychology in diverse mental health settings. Students are expected to develop and integrate the commitment and expertise of the scientific and professional psychologist.

In addition to a solid generalist clinical training model, our program provides an emphasis in Family Psychology which is built into the curriculum.

Family psychology is a broad-based specialty that includes working with individuals, couples and families in psychotherapy and also working within other systemic contexts to provide indirect and direct service in multiple settings, including: school systems, primary health care, the justice system and family businesses.

As part of their degree program, students also gain expertise in family forensic psychology. This emphasis is designed to prepare psychologists who are increasingly called upon to intervene with families involved with the legal system. It also prepares psychologists to work in a consulting capacity with legal professionals. Future professionals learn to assess and intervene with families who are facing divorce, child custody disputes, elder care and conservancy, custodianships, parenting challenges, adoption, family violence, community violence or involvement with the juvenile justice system.

Program Goals

The PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology develops well-trained clinicians within a scholar-practitioner model using the core competencies of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP). The program builds on Antioch University Santa Barbara's outstanding local reputation for providing high quality undergraduate and graduate education.

Program goals are:

• To produce graduates who have the ability to integrate a sound theoretical basis with clinical practice;
• To produce graduates for the roles of professional psychologists encompassing intervention and psychological assessment;
• To produce graduates who understand and apply the socio-political impact of systems (family, community, and cultural) on psychological functioning;
• To produce graduates who understand and appreciate the diversity of human experience;
• To produce graduates with critical thinking skills.

Program Delivery

The program is a full-time program and students are expected to attend class sessions all day Thursday, and Friday until 3 pm. A few mandatory workshops are scheduled on Friday afternoons, evenings or Saturdays.

Program Components

Coursework

Students entering with a bachelor's degree, complete the program in five years. Four years are in the classroom and the fifth year is a full-time internship. During their initial year, students complete 150 hours of traineeship experience. Upon successful completion of this Year 1 curriculum, students will continue their studies with Years 2 through 5.

Students entering with a master's degree are given advanced standing and enroll in Year 2 of the program. As a consequence, they are able to complete the program in four years, with three years in the classroom and a full-time internship during the last year of enrollment. During Years 2-4, students complete a minimum of 1000 clinical hours in community settings.

Clinical Hours

Students are required to accrue 1000 hours of clinical experience prior to applying for the internship. The hours slightly increase to 1,150 for post BA-track students. We expect that most students will seek out clinical placements early in their program and will take advantage of summers to accumulate the required hours.

Clinical Dissertation

We are interested in stimulating student creativity, therefore the options for completion of this project vary and students are encouraged to develop a dissertation in an area of their interest. Students begin working on their dissertation early in their enrollment.

Internship

Students are required to complete a one-year full-time internship during their final year of the program.

Comprehensive Examination

Students complete a take-home comprehensive examination at the end of Year 3 of the program.

Professional Competence Evaluation (PCE)

During Practicum III, students will begin to identify and conceptualize a case which might be developed for presentation as part of the PCE. The PCE is intended to demonstrate students' skill and knowledge in the field of psychology and to integrate their academic and clinical learning. The PCE is to be completed during the summer following Year 3 of the program, prior to engaging in the application process for internship.

Information

If you are interested in this school and would like to find out more, please Request Information from Antioch University - Santa Barbara.