Emphasis Areas
Students in the clinical doctoral program may elect one of three emphasis areas including the Family/child and Couple Clinical Psychology (FACE) emphasis, the Clinical Health, or Multicultural Community-Clinical Psychology emphasis areas. Students can also choose not to elect an emphasis area and be part of the Multi-interest option instead. All students receive a general education in clinical psychology.
CLINICAL HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY EMPHASIS
The Clinical Health Psychology emphasis in Los Angeles offers cutting-edge education and training in the 21st century mind-body approach to health care while giving students thorough preparation for clinical and community practice. Students in the Clinical Health Psychology emphasis cultivate innovative knowledge and skills for service in a variety of clinical settings, including medical centers and working in primary care. They learn highly practical interventions that promote mental and physical health, prevent illness, and restore functioning.
Students in the Clinical Health Psychology emphasis are prepared for a variety of opportunities in the rapidly evolving psychological and physical health care systems. While some of our graduates practice traditional clinical psychology, others serve as valued members of teams of professionals dedicated to promoting the mind-body health of individuals, families, and communities in our multicultural society.
Family/Child and Couple Clinical Psychology Emphasis
Our goal in the Family/child and Couple Clinical Psychology Emphasis (FACE) is to
introduce graduate students to the theory, research, and clinical practice of family
and couple psychology. This is accomplished through coursework in which students learn
about families, couples, adults, and children from diverse backgrounds. Students are
taught to work with families, couples, and individuals from a systemic perspective.
Skills are developed in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of relationship systems.
Students meet with their FACE academic advisor to determine which other advanced clinical
electives and seminars best fit into their plan of study so their career goals are
met. Creating a niche entails taking courses as well as networking in the community.
The FACE emphasis area assists students in developing their professional identity
through coursework, lectures, networking opportunities, and also offers a half time
internship working with families at the Ronald McDonald House.
Multicultural Community-Clinical Psychology Emphasis
The Multicultural Community-Clinical Psychology (MCCP) reflects the state-of-the-art in training philosophy, curriculum, and applied experiences relevant to training clinical psychologists with special competence in multicultural and community psychology. The mission of the multicultural training is to nurture the development of clinical psychologists who will work to understand, prevent, and reduce psychological and community distress, as well as enhance the psychological well-being of historically underserved, stigmatized, and oppressed groups. In doing this, special attention is paid to the cultural and sociopolitical context of the individuals, families, and communities we serve.
MCCP students learn alternative theories and strategies for intervention with communities, institutional systems and specific multicultural groups. Faculty focus on training clinical psychologists who are critical thinkers about the etiology of psychological distress and who can conceptualize multiple pathways to healing individuals, families, and communities. MCCP students participate in professional field training experiences that emphasize clinical services to multicultural and under- or inadequately-served populations.
Multi-Interest Option
Some students and faculty decide to participate in the multi-interest option instead of selecting a specific emphasis area. The multi-interest option focuses on providing a solid base in the field of clinical psychology as well as flexibility for students who are interested in multiple aspects of the field. Faculty in the multi-interest option specialize in a wide variety of clinical and research specialties, including child abuse and trauma, geropsychology, child development, and children with autism.