Counseling Psychology Program

The American Psychological Association (APA)-approved Counseling Psychology Program prepares PhD psychologists in the scientist-practitioner model, who can understand and work with both specific and general problems of human behavior, as well as with social processes and systems.

Name & Title	Office	Phone	E-Mail
Ainslie, Ricardo Professor	SZB 262D	(512) 471-0364	rico.ainslie@mail.utexas.edu
Cokley, Kevin Associate Professor	SZB 262N	(512) 471-7498	kevin.cokley@mail.utexas.edu
Drum, David Professor	SZB 262E	(512) 471-0367	ddrum@mail.utexas.edu
Guzmán, Michele R Clinical Associate Professor	SZB 262J	(512) 471-0374	michele.guzman@mail.utexas.edu
McCarthy, Christopher Professor & Program Director	SZB 262G	(512) 471-0368	chris.mccarthy@mail.utexas.edu
Rochlen, Aaron Associate Professor & Counselor Ed. MEd Program Director	SZB 262C	(512) 471-0361	aaron.rochlen@mail.utexas.edu
Rude, Stephanie Professor	SZB 262L	(512) 471-4409	stephanie.rude@mail.utexas.edu
Sherry, Alissa Assistant Professor	SZB 262H	(512) 471-0372	alissa.sherry@mail.utexas.edu

Bennie Crum, Counseling Psychology Administrative Associate

Program Goals

Overview of Admissions Process

Time to Complete Program

Attrition

Sample Course Sequence

Program Goals

The program strives to prepare students for innovative professional and intellectual careers within the broad fields of social science, human service, or social and community endeavor. Counseling Psychology students are expected to acquire the following competencies:

Goal 1: The program trains students to become capable scholars in social science research, therefore, students will be able to critically evaluate existing research within a specific area of theory while contributing to existing social science research.

Goal 2: The program provides students with a sufficient knowledge base for the practice of counseling. Students will develop an understanding of the major theories of counseling and human functioning. They will also develop knowledge of research and theory in the basic domains of scientific psychology, including social, biological, developmental, learning/motivation, and educational psychology. In doing so, students will understand the connection between counseling theories and counseling interventions.

Goal 3: The program develops graduates with competencies in the applied practice in psychology. To that end, students will develop competencies in assessment of human functioning, develop intervention skills as well as demonstrate skill and sensitivity in working with diversity issues.

Goal 4: We seek to train students who are socially responsible and ethical in professional practice. Students will be knowledgeable about professional standards and ethics and demonstrate ethical behavior in professional practice.

The program faculty seeks to stimulate discussion and inquiry among faculty and students concerning questions on the frontiers of psychology. It is expected that students will gain the skills needed to become competent counselors and psychotherapists; however, the program seeks students whose primary commitment is to develop abilities in research, theory, and scholarship that will allow them to contribute in creative ways to a changing field in a changing world. Sensitivity to diversity (e.g. ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, sexual orientation) is emphasized in all levels of training, and viewed as an important focus of this program.

Graduates of the program contribute to the field of counseling psychology through teaching, training, counseling, psychotherapy, consultation, administration and research. The contexts in which they work include educational institutions (primarily colleges and universities), mental health centers, hospitals, research agencies and private practice.

As a result of the breadth and depth of training available, experiences and interest vary widely among student depending upon their professional goals and commitments. This diversity is made possible by the extensive course offerings, practicum and internship opportunities available, and professional interests, experiences, and theoretical orientations of the faculty. In agreement with guidelines for program accreditation set by APA, students' progress as counseling psychologists is regularly evaluated and written feedback is provided. Throughout the program, efforts are made to help students assume responsibility for continuous self-evaluation and self-directed professional growth.

Overview of Admissions Process

The Counseling Psychology program typically receives 130-150 applications each year and, out of this group, we invite about 40 students to interview. The final class will consist of about 8-10 students. Students will typically be notified that they are being invited for an interview at the end of January or beginning of February. Interviews will be held on one day--usually a Monday or Friday during the last half of February. Telephone interviews are available for students not able to travel to UT. There is not a minimum GRE or GPA, although students with weakness in this or any other area would need to show outstanding performance in other areas in order to be given serious consideration. Selection of students is based on multiple factors including GRE scores, undergraduate grades, letters of recommendation, apparent match between student and faculty interests, and evidence from the recommendation letters and personal statement of intellectual curiosity, tenacity, open-mindedness, interpersonal sensitivity, and integrity.

Time to Complete the Program

Year Completed	No. of students graduating	Average no. of years to completion
2007	9	5
2006	9	6
2005	10	6
2004	7	7
2003	5	6
2002	14	6
2001	18	9
2000	16	8

Attrition from the Program

Once students enter the program it sometimes happens that they discover that their interests lie elsewhere. In rare instances students are counseled out of the program. Over the past seven years 10% of the students who matriculated left the program without graduating.

Year of Enrollment	# Enrolled	# Graduated w/ Doctorate	# Still Enrolled	# No Longer Enrolled
2000	10	9	1	0
2001	10	7	1	2
2002	14	12	0	2
2003	10	4	5	1
2004	12	0	12	0
2005	10	0	8	2
2006	8	0	8	0

Sample Course Sequence

The Counseling Psychology Program requires courses in the general background of counseling psychology, assessment, research, and practice of counseling psychotherapy. The curriculum consists of course work, research, and practicum/internship experiences in educational, community, and medical settings. Workshops and informal seminars are provided along with the more structured curriculum for student and faculty professional growth. Students join the faculty in planning and arranging for these special enrichment activities. Importantly, participation in research and scholarly writing is an important component of the doctoral program.

Among the required courses listed below are eight "Domain" courses and three "Professional Interest Component" courses. For both the Domain and Professional Interest Component courses, students select from a menu of choices. Domain courses cover the psychological foundations of psychology, including research methodology, statistics, learning, motivation, social, and developmental psychology. Professional Interest Component courses cover topics in the professional specialty of counseling psychology.

Note: Curriculum requirements shown are for the current academic year (2007-2008) and are subject to modification for students who enter after 2007.

Course Number	Course Title	Credit Hours
Fall First Year
EDP 196	Counseling Psychology Colloquium	1
EDP 196	Departmental Colloquium	1
EDP 381	Counseling Skills	3
EDP 381	Theories of Counseling Psychology	3
EDP 381	Professional Issues in Counseling Psychology	3
EDP 382K	Statistics & Experimental Design (Domain 1)	3
Spring First year
EDP 196	Counseling Psychology Colloquium	1
EDP 381	Assessment in Counseling Psychology	3
EDP 381	Research in Counseling Psychology	3
EDP 381	Multicultural Counseling (or take in summer)	3
EDP ___	2nd Domain Requirement	3
Summer First Year
EDP ___	1st Professional Interest Component (PIC)	3
Fall Second Year
EDP 381	Rorschach and TAT	3
EDP 381	Practicum in Counseling Psychology and Ethics Seminar	3
EDP 397	Psychopathology	3
EDP___	2nd Professional Interest Component (PIC)	3
EDP___	3rd Domain Requirement	3
Spring Second Year
EDP 396T	Directed Research (Prospectus)	3
EDP 381	Practicum in Counseling Psychology & Seminar	3
EDP ___	4th Domain Requirement	3
Summer Second Year
EDP ___	5th Domain Requirement	3
EDP ___	3rd Professional Interest Component (PIC)	3
Fall Third Year
EDP 382	Biological Bases of Behavior (counts as 1st Out of Specialty requirement)	3
EDP ___	6th Domain Requirement	3
EDP 396T	Directed Research (Prospectus) SUBMIT PROSPECTUS	3
EDP 381	Practicum in Counseling Psychology & Seminar	3
Spring Third Year
EDP 381	Practicum in Counseling Psychology & Seminar	3
EDP___	7th Domain Requirement	3
EDP ___	2nd Out-of-Specialty Requirement	3
	DEFEND DISSERTATION PROPOSAL
Fall Fourth Year
EDP 399R	Dissertation	3
EDP 381	Practicum (Optional: Seminar attendance not required)	3
EDP___	2rd Out-of-Specialty Requirement	3
	APPLY INTERNSHIP
Spring Fourth Year
EDP 399W	Dissertation	3
EDP 381	Practicum (Optional: Seminar attendance not required)	3
EDP ___	8th Domain Requirement	3
Summer Fourth Year
	DISSERTATION FINAL ORALS (If dissertation not successfully defended by end of summer, must pay for dissertation hours throughout internship year.)
Fifth Year
EDP 394K	Fall Internship in Counseling Psychology	3
EDP 394K	Spring Internship in Counseling Psychology	3
EDP 194K	Summer Internship in Counseling Psychology	1

Advising/Mentoring

Each student accepted into the Counseling Psychology program is assigned a core member of the faculty as an adviser. In assigning advisers to students an attempt is made to find a good match between student and faculty interests. The role of the student's adviser is to serve as a research mentor and to oversee the student's selection of course work.

The adviser will serve as a research mentor during the student's first two years in the program and, if mutually agreed, beyond that. The normal expectation is that students will consult with the adviser during the fall of the first year to arrive at a plan for the Collaborative Research Project (see section below) and will begin work on this project soon afterward. Typically, the adviser will serve as the student's primary contact for information and advice about course work and training experiences throughout the program and will usually serve as the student's dissertation chair. The goal of the research mentoring system is to establish a close working relationship between students and their advisers that will provide continuity of training experiences through the program. Although the advisers will be the students' primary research mentors, students may also choose to pursue opportunities to work with other faculty in the program and department (or sometimes even in related departments such as psychology or social ecology) as teaching assistants or on research projects.

Practicum

Students must complete a minimum of four semesters of practicum, although, generally, to be competitive for an APA-approved internship, students need more than four. All placements are in agency settings with on-site supervision. Placements are available, for example, in University settings, such as the UT Counseling Mental Health Center; in medical settings, such as the Austin State Hospital and the VA hospitals in central Texas; and in community settings, such as MHMR Centers, the Austin Child Guidance Center, and Bastrop Correctional Facility. The Program faculty and students are currently seeking to develop innovative community psychology or preventive mental health practicum training experiences. During the first four semesters that students register for practicum they also attend a small seminar with program faculty.

Internship

Students in the Counseling Psychology Program complete a twelve-month, full-time internship in a setting approved by the Program Executive Committee and accredited by the APA. Typically, students are ready for internship by their fifth or sixth year in the Program. Settings include college counseling centers, VA hospitals, medical centers, and private hospitals and clinics. Internship is usually the final step in the doctoral program. Individually-tailored internship placements are sometimes available. Most students pursue internship training outside of the Austin area.

Students receive stipends from the cooperating agency or institution during their internships. We strongly recommend students complete the dissertation and other requirements prior to internship.

Success in Obtaining Internships

Year of Internship	No. Applied / No. Placed	Paid	Approved by APA & APPIC
2008-2009	5 / 5	5	5
2007-2008	12 / 11	11	11
2006-2007	11 / 11	11	11
2005-2006	7 / 7	7	6
2004-2005	11 / 11	11	10
2003-2004	6 / 6	6	5
2002-2003	6 / 6	6	6
2001-2002	16 / 16	16	16
2000-2001	12 / 10	10	9

Licensure

A total of 109 students have graduated from the Counseling Psychology Doctoral program during the period of 1998-2006. Fifty–five of the 109 graduates are known to be licensed, equally a 51% of graduates for that time period.

Accreditation

The Counseling Psychology Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association.

American Psychological Association
Committee on Accreditation
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202)336-5979
www.apa.org

Last updated on June 19, 2008