Welcome to the Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program at the University of Southern Mississippi.

WHY THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI?

• Our APA-accredited doctoral program offers both post-Bachelor's and post-Master's acceptance.
• Training is based on the scientist-practitioner model, with many opportunities for research involvement, especially in applied, empirically-supported interventions.
• Faculty-directed presentation and publication experience prepares graduates with academic interests.
• Students obtain close supervision by program faculty members in assessment and evidence-based intervention approaches as well as specialized training in anger management, motivational interviewing, and parent skills training through our in-house training clinic, the Community Counseling and Assessment Clinic.
• We work closely with a number of external agencies to assist students in gaining clinical experience in a variety of settings (e.g., University Counseling Center, Gulf Coast VA Medical Center, Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources, etc.). Over the past 9 years, our internship match rate has been approximately 89%, with virtually 100% of matched applicants being matched with their top two preferred internship sites.
• Advanced doctoral students complete coursework and a practicum in clinical supervision.
• Doctoral students have the opportunity to gain considerable undergraduate teaching experience which further prepares graduates for careers in academia.
• Research and clinical assistantships are routinely available which include a monthly stipend and tuition waiver.

For more information, please review our Application Brochure.

WHY COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY?

Counseling psychology is a licensed, health-service specialty within the field of applied-professional psychology. As an area of applied-professional psychology, counseling psychology has been shaped by values that give priority to interventions which foster psychological health and adaptive development. While practically speaking, clinical and counseling psychologists both provide psychotherapy, training in counseling psychology has historically been driven by a focus on normative development (more on the similarities and differences between counseling and clinical psychology).

As scientist-practitioners, you will be trained to develop critical thinking skills, objectivity, and a hypothesis-testing approach to human problems which applies science to the practice of psychology. You should expect to be trained to engage in research and to provide psychotherapy, assessment, and supervision. The integration of scientific inquiry and competent practice is achieved through a sequence of courses and supervised practice and research experiences. Courses are developmentally sequenced to provide you with challenges appropriate to your level of training. Both research and practice are emphasized and begin early in the program. Timelines to completion of the program vary, but typical students can expect to spend at least 4 years in residency and 1 year on internship following successful completion of all coursework, research and practicum expectations.

We pride ourselves on offering a challenging and supportive environment from which students are trained to be competent academicians and practitioners. Graduates of our program become licensed psychologists and work in community mental health settings, psychiatric and medical settings, Veterans’ Administration hospitals and in independent practice. Opportunities for mentorship toward careers in academia are available; applications from students with these ambitions are strongly encouraged.