Clinical Psychology: PhD Program, San Diego Campus

Training & Practica

During three years of the program, clinical doctoral students participate in required professional training, gaining experience in a variety of mental health agencies and organizations. This professional training offers students practical exposure to a variety of settings, clients, approaches to treatment, and theoretical orientations. CSPP students enrolled in this program have the opportunity to choose from a broad variety of field placements - to see examples, please visit the Community Services & Placements page in the San Diego campus section of this website. Students involved in special emphasis areas within the program generally have at least one placement experience with a setting and population appropriate to their areas of concentration.

Practicum training, during the second year, contributes to the development of basic clinical skills in psychological evaluation and therapy that lay the groundwork for more advanced training in the third year. The practicum experience consists of 1000-hours of formal training in the following types of services: crisis intervention, objective/psychoeducational testing, substance abuse counseling, school counseling, short-term psychotherapy, and intake assessments.

After establishing basic clinical skills in the practicum setting, students are well prepared for advanced clinical training in a half-time internship, 1100-hours, during the third year. Currently, there are over 50 local internship-training sites in a variety of different settings and populations that includes training in individual, group, and family psychotherapy, psychological assessment, patient education, and vocational testing.

Two Internship Plans Offered

During the fifth year, students have the option of fulfilling internship requirements through one of two plans. In Plan A, students complete a full-time, APA-accredited internship, whereas in Plan B, students complete another half-time local internship. Although both plans provide a high-quality, sequential and cumulative learning experience, students are encouraged to pursue an APA-accredited internship. Historically, students pursuing placements at APA sites have been successful.