Program Overview
Program Mission Statement
The mission of the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program in Clinical Psychology at Eastern Kentucky University is to prepare students to provide psychological services to a broad range of clients and in a variety of settings, as well as to be sophisticated consumers of research. Consistent with EKU's value of stewardship of place, students and graduates of the PsyD program will address the needs of our service region with a commitment to improving rural mental health and serving underserved populations.
Program Overview
The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program is consistent with EKU’s mission to provide high-quality instruction, scholarship, and service, and with our commitment to regional stewardship. Accordingly, the program is designed to teach students both the processes and the content necessary to become skilled general practitioners of clinical psychology, involved in a variety of ways in the delivery of services. Ethics and values that respect diversity play a significant role in the program.
The overall philosophy of the Psy.D. program is to educate skilled practitioners who have a solid appreciation of the role of science in all aspects of professional activity. The program recognizes a need for the student to achieve a balance between knowledge of the basic science of psychology and proficiencies, reflecting the practitioner-scholar model. Following the American Psychological Association guidelines, basic knowledge areas include cognitive-affective, biological, and socio-cultural bases of behavior; individual differences; and research concepts. The practitioner-scholar emphasis recognizes the continued dependence of the profession on a scientific foundation, the importance of practitioners being skilled consumers of research, and the development of applied skills that will allow the graduate to contribute to the field of clinical psychology, serving as a local clinical scientist. Graduates will have the requisite knowledge, skills, and experience for the practice of professional psychology, based on the science of psychology and the ethics of the profession.
It is expected that a typical student will take 12 semester hours each Fall and Spring semester. Students admitted without previous graduate training in psychology will require four academic years of full-time study, four summers of part-time study, plus a year of full-time internship (a minimum of 120 semester hours).
During the five years of clinical education, students will learn to integrate theory, research, and practice to become skilled professionals who understand the importance of the scientific foundation of psychology and are prepared to assume one of the many roles of professional psychologists. It is expected that graduates of EKU’s Psy.D. program will make significant contributions to the well-being of others.
Eastern Kentucky University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. The Psy.D. program at EKU is Fully Accredited by the American Psychological Association. We were awarded this status on April 5, 2020. Our next site visit will be held in 2029. The APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation is located at 750 East St., NE; Washington DC 20002-4242, PH: 202-336-5979 or visit https://www.accreditation.apa.org/.
Program Commitment to Diversity and Social Justice
Our university and Psy.D. program have a commitment to the goal of diversity in a broad sense. We emphasize diversity among faculty and students, and it is prominently featured throughout the program curriculum. Our training objective is to broaden our students' sensitivity, knowledge, and competence in this area. In the classroom, we work to foster open dialogue and provoke discussions about multicultural issues related to clinical practices and competencies. Students are encouraged to seek practicum and internship experiences that will foster the further development of these multicultural competencies. The university implements a non-discriminatory policy that invites individuals from all walks of life to seek admissions, teaching opportunities and supervisory roles. Competency in diversity and multiculturalism is measured through examinations, papers, oral presentations in classroom and seminars, comprehensive examination, doctoral project, practica, pre-doctoral internship, and supervisor evaluations. Students also receive formative competency assessment through the annual student evaluation process.
Students in this program are expected to gain competence with and provide evidence-based, ethical clinical services for the broad spectrum of diverse clients represented in our diversity statement. Students are expected to provide services to individuals who hold beliefs, values, life experiences, or attributes that may be different from their own. Students are expected to understand the impact of their own personal biases, effectively limit the impact of those biases on their work with clients, understand important historical contexts and social structures that play a role in the lives of diverse individuals, and develop and employ effective intervention strategies aimed at maximizing client outcomes. Finally, students are expected to demonstrate a commitment to social justice work and multiculturalism by serving as advocates for social change in the face of unhealthy and oppressive societal structures when these serve as obstacles for their diverse clients.
Diversity Statement
Diversity involves the affirmation, understanding, and professional application of the richness of human differences, ideas, practices, and beliefs that result from, but are not limited to, age, race, color, disability/health, ethnicity, gender identity, language, national origin, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, rural or urban status, as well as the intersectionality of these multiple identities. It includes culturally appropriate communication skills to develop strong therapeutic alliances, assessment, diagnostic, intervention, consultation, supervision, administrative, and research modalities; understanding power differentials and dynamics; and attending to the social and cultural values which influence professional psychology.
Program Commitment to Social Justice
The philosophy of the clinical psychology Psy.D. Program is rooted in the values and goals of a socially just society. Socially just societies are dependent upon the optimal functioning, health, and well-being of all persons in that society. Optimal functioning, health, and well-being of persons are contingent upon access to healthy environments that support healthy development and functioning.
Our goal is to train clinical psychologists who are competent in providing professional psychological services that facilitate human well-being and the transformation of unhealthy and oppressive societal structures. Our program embraces a social justice approach by helping students to create a heightened awareness of social injustices and to adopt an advocacy role in working with the marginalized and underserved populations. Our goal is to foster the development of professional advocates who work to change societal structures, practices, values, and policies which have long served to perpetuate unhealthy environments for these populations. By working to effect change at the individual, institutional and systemic level, our students assist in promoting greater access to economic, social, political, and cultural resources.
Adherence to University Policies Regarding Non-Discrimination and Harassment
The doctoral program adheres to EKU’s Non-Discrimination and Harassment policy (policy # 1.4.1P), which is designed to comply with all federal and state civil rights laws banning discrimination in public educational institutions. This policy prohibits acts of discrimination and harassment against employees, applicants for employment, students, or applicants for admission on the basis of age (40 and over), race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, ethnicity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and/or genetic information. The policy also prohibits aiding or inciting another person or persons to violate this policy as well as prohibits retaliation against those members of the campus community who participate in any complaint process.
