Curriculum Progression: An example program progression represents the most common progression for classes and shows the flow of courses we use to implement our ecological model of training. We also tie in additional program requirements, such as different components of the comprehensive examination, to coincide efficiently with your coursework. The specific sequence of courses for every student will vary from this sample course progression depending on previous coursework.
Competency-Based Portfolio: Similar to the psychology licensure boards, the program expects counseling psychology students to possess a core of knowledge and skills about the discipline of health service psychology prior to advancement to candidacy. The competency-based portfolio comprises tasks designed to assess your ability to synthesize, apply, communicate. and integrate your knowledge in content areas that include (a) psychological foundations, (b) empirical foundations, (c) practice foundations, and (d) profession-wide competencies, and discipline-specific knowledge. Competency knowledge areas include:
- Oral Ethics exam
- Specialty Area Project (SAP) research paper
- Multicultural Orientation paper
- Theoretical Orientation paper
- Clinical competencies in the areas of adult, child/family, and assessment practice
- Psychological Aspects of Behavior/Integrative paper
Master’s Eligibility: The Counseling Psychology Program does not offer a terminal master’s degree and only admits students seeking the Ph.D. However, most students who enter with a bachelor’s degree complete the requirements to receive and do receive a master’s degree (M.S.) during their time in the program. Students are eligible to receive an M.S. degree after they have completed three years of coursework, both adult and child/family practica, and they have conducted research and written a research paper that serves as the master’s project.
Clinical Training: The University of Oregon Counseling Psychology Program requires 2 years (or 2 three-quarter term sequences) of clinical practica and 1 term of supervision experience prior to the one year pre-doctoral internship. Students typically pursue additional “Externship” clinical experiences in later years. Through externships, students gain further interest-specific clinical experiences and specialized training in populations of interest.
- Adult Practicum is typically completed during the second year. Students focus on providing evidence-based interventions to adult and late adolescent clients individually, or in small groups. Current placements for this practicum include the HEDCO Counseling Psychology Center.
- Child & Family Practicum is completed during the year immediately following the adult practicum experience. Students focus on providing evidence-based interventions to children and families in the community. Students work with families in the HEDCO Child and Family Center as well as in school settings.
- Supervision includes didactic training and individual and small peer group supervision experiences focused on supporting the development of clinical and assessment skills. Students typically complete 1-3 terms of supervision training.
Spanish Language Psychological Service and Research (SLPSR): The unique Spanish Language Psychological Service and Research (SLPSR) Specialization provides students with knowledge and skills to support the provision of culturally sensitive mental health services and research in Spanish with Latinx populations. Eligible students are enrolled in the accredited graduate programs of Counseling Psychology, Couples and Family Therapy, or School Psychology, and possess Spanish language competency. The specialization is designed to enhance pre-existing linguistic and multicultural competencies and increase cultural and sociopolitical knowledge of U.S. Spanish-speaking populations. Students will be challenged to critically assess the unique social, historical, political, and cultural contexts that shape and are shaped by the experiences of Latinx people and communities in the United States, with particular attention to conditions of social injustice and inequity, and how such conditions influence the health, well-being, and educational outcomes of Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities. You can connect to more detailed information on SLPSR here: https://cpsy.uoregon.edu/slpsr/
Dissertation: A student’s dissertation must be an empirical research study that makes a significant contribution to knowledge in a subject related to Counseling Psychology. Students work closely with their advisor or other approved research mentor to develop a research project and carry the project forward to completion. In addition to developing original studies from the ground up, faculty have collaborative access to numerous high quality datasets, most focused on high-risk and underserved populations. Students often use these datasets. Occasionally, a student may collect their own data for dissertation research, but student-initiated data collection must be approved by the advisor given they are required to provide IRB. Faculty and students alike conduct research with community samples and attempt to integrate attention to human diversity in all research activities. All faculty engage in publishing and presenting with students, and students regularly present at international, national, and regional conferences on their research.
Internship: The Pre-Doctoral Internship is the final milestone of clinical training prior to completion of the degree. According to APA: “The internship is an essential component of doctoral training in professional psychology. Internships should provide the trainee with the opportunity to take substantial responsibility for carrying out major professional functions in the context of appropriate supervisory support, professional role modeling, and awareness of administrative structures. The internship is taken after completion of relevant didactic and practicum work and precedes the granting of the doctoral degree. The internship experience is crucial preparation for functioning as an independent professional. It should be an intensive and extensive experience related to the graduate program’s training objectives, and should further the development of the knowledge, skills, and sensitivities [specified as requirements for doctoral training in Counseling Psychology].” (American Psychological Association, 1986). Selection for APA-accredited internships occurs through a national computerized matching process. UO Counseling Psychology students are very successful in being matched to excellent training sites across the United States. The Association of Psychological Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (https://www.appic.org/) provides match statistics for the past years, allowing prospective students to view match rates by region, university, and program.
