California School of Professional Psychology

Defining What Professional Training Could and Should Be!

The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) prepares students for careers as clinical psychologists, marital and family therapists and other mental health professionals. While earning their degree, students work in a wide variety of settings, establishing themselves in the professional community as experienced practitioners. By the time students earn their degrees, they have already developed a network of colleagues and professional affiliations that make them exceptionally attractive to employers as vital contributors to their field.

To understand how well CSPP succeeds at its educational goal, you need only meet one of its recent graduates. Or look at a list of its distinguished alumni -- CSPP has trained half of the licensed psychologists in California.

The vision of CSPP’s founders

The founders of CSPP were inspired by a belief in human problem-solving and the idea that psychology can help people live healthier, fuller lives and overcome both social and developmental problems. Both visionary and practical, they wanted a school that trained students who come out with both a strong grounding in the scientific foundations of psychology and the hands-on skills a practitioner needs.

While other institutions required students to focus on theory, practical application and research sequentially in different years, CSPP faculty designed a curriculum that wove those three topics together throughout each year. The goal was for theoretical understanding, practical application and research to compliment one another. This close coupling of field placement and coursework in the curriculum still makes a CSPP education distinctive.

Innovation: Our hallmark

CSPP started the professional school movement. Its innovations and successes have been duplicated by  schools across the country. CSPP was one of the very first professional schools of psychology to integrate multiculturalism into its entire curriculum.

CSPP remains an innovator, developing new programs such as the post-doctoral master of science program in clinical psychopharmacology and the clinical psychology PsyD program in Hong Kong. 

CSPP continues to have many imitators; it also continues to define what training for professional psychologists could and should be.

Alliant International University also prepares students for careers in organizational psychology - to find out more Click here.