The philosophy of the Psy.D. program is to prepare students to become competent clinical psychologists based on the Practitioner-Scholar model. In line with this training model, the program focuses on the professional growth and self-awareness of the students as well as the development of cultural sensitivity in the provision of clinical services.
The resolutions of the 1973 Vail Conference advocated for the development of a professional training model determined by the skills program graduates would need to function effectively in the particular roles they have chosen. The Practitioner-Scholar model is best suited for training psychologists whose primary roles will be in direct professional practice, which is the focus of the Albizu Psy.D. program. The model endeavors to produce clinical psychologists who bring a scientific approach to the multiple roles they function as professionals.
The doctorate in clinical psychology program provides students with the opportunity to address issues of cultural and individual diversity, work with a wide range of client populations, and practice in multiple settings and a variety of professional roles, such as a clinician, administrator, supervisor, and consultant. Students are encouraged to consider the best research evidence integrated with clinical competencies and skills to promote positive therapeutic outcomes.
Alumni from this program can be employed in a variety of fields, such as private practice, hospital settings, consulting, family therapy, group therapy, and program administration.
The goals for research training in programs adhering to the Practitioner-Scholar model are to help students develop:
- Sufficient basic skills to be able to design and execute competent outcomes in professional and, in some cases, academic contexts with the support of adequately trained consultants
- A basic understanding of and respect for the scientific basis of the discipline
- Sufficient methodological knowledge to enable them to be effective consumers of scientific knowledge
Program Details
Credits
96 / 7 Clinical Practicum
Academic Level
Doctorate
Time it takes to complete
5 Years
Request Information
Program Director:
Dra. Minoshka Liquet
787-838-7272 ext. 7142
[email protected]
Carr. 64 Esquina Calle #3
Urb. Industrial, 00680, Puerto Rico
Program Highlights
- Alumni from this program qualify to obtain APA and/or APPIC internships, as well as a license in both Puerto Rico and the United States.
- Students in this program can work on research projects and take combined courses with other programs in the institution.
- Students at this program have the opportunity of clinical practice experiences at a variety of settings such as schools, psychiatric hospitals, community mental health centers, multidisciplinary health centers, nursing homes, children foster homes, our own university clinic, other universities’ clinics, and community-based interventions.
In Focus
- The doctorate in clinical psychology program is offered in an in-person, hybrid, and online modality. It also includes lectures and clinical practicums.
- Students in this program have the opportunity to acquire supervised clinical experiences with supervisors trained in therapies and evidence-based interventions such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, Psychological First Aid, Trauma-focused CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Behavioral Activation and Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy. They have the opportunity to enroll in elective courses covering areas such as health psychology, Neurosciences, Autism, neuropsychological assessment, family therapy, Psychotic Disorders, and art techniques in psychotherapy, among others.
- The members of our faculty have specialized training in a variety of innovative psychotherapeutic approaches and up-to-date assessment and testing methods, have professional publications, and have presented at international conferences.
Applying for this program?
Have completed a Bachelor's degree in accredited University (minimum GPA 3.25)
- Complete admission application
- Official credit transcript of the institution where you studied
- EXADEP OR GRE OF 5 years or less
- Two letters of recommendation
- Negative Certificate of Criminal Background
- Original Health Certificate
- Hepatitis-B Vaccination Test
- Certificate of Vaccination of the Department of Health (PVAC-3-green sheet / applies to children under 21)
- International students must present the evaluation of their academic credentials certified by a duly authorized agency
- The applicants whose concentration at the bacholrs degree level is not in psychology must approve 15 credits (5 courses of 3 credits each) in psychology in order to qualify for an evaluation of admission to the selected graduate program.
- A completed and signed application form accompanied by the appropriate fee prior to the established deadline dates.
- Official transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) institutions attended, showing that the following conditions have been met:
- Previous academic work must include courses in statistics, research methods, developmental psychology, and abnormal psychology. This coursework requirement will be waived with a score of 600 or higher on the Graduate Record Examination, Psychology Test.
- The transcripts should include any degree received.
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is required.
- Applicants enrolled in an institution of higher education outside the United States whose standards of training are substantially equivalent to the standards of training of those institutions in the United States will also be considered.
- Official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken in the past five years.
- Three letters of recommendation from current or past professional contacts.
- A current curriculum vitae summarizing the applicant’s credentials.
- A personal statement describing the applicant’s professional goals and academic objectives.
After all the required documentation is received and an interview completed by the Office of Admissions, academic program advisors reach out to successful candidates with program direction and advisement.
This Program is Accredited, on contingency by the American Psychological Association (APA)
The Psy.D Clinical Program at Mayagüez University Center (MUC) is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) with an "accredited, on contingency" status, valid through 2029. This accreditation ensures that the program meets rigorous standards established by the APA.
All students graduating from the program will earn their degrees from an APA-accredited program, fully recognized by the APA.
*Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Albizu University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000) www.msche.org. The MSCHE is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Albizu University is accredited by MSCHE since 1974.
Click on the following link to find our Statement of Accreditation: https://www.msche.org/institution/0608/
Additional information may be obtained by contacting MSCHE at:
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2680
Phone: 267-284-5000
www.msche.org
Puerto Rico Council on Education’s (CEPR, by its Spanish acronym) Board of Postsecondary Institutions
Albizu University’s Mayaguez University Center have a renovation license issued by CEPR
Additional information may be obtained at:
Board of Postsecondary Institutions
Physical Address: San José St., Corner San Francisco St., Old San Juan
Postal Address: PO Box 9023271
San Juan PR 00902-3271
Phone: (787) 722-2121
Fax : (787) 641-2573
Web: https://agencias.pr.gov/agencias/cepr/inicio/Pages/default.aspx
The University has established the following requisites for the awarding of the doctoral degree:
- No more than two grades of “C” in elective courses
- Completion of a minimum of three years of full-time residency in the program
- Satisfactory completion of 96 credits
- Satisfactory completion of at least 1,184 hours of practicum, conducted through Albizu practicum, with no more than one (1) NP, W, or AW in any practicum
- Satisfactory completion of the Clinical Examination with no more than two (2) NPs
- Satisfactory completion of all seminars, with no more than one (1) NP, W, or AW in any seminar
- Satisfactory completion of all course laboratories, with no more than one (1) NP, W, or AW in any laboratory
- Satisfactory completion and approval of a doctoral dissertation, with no more than one (1) NP in the dissertation, whether consecutive or not; for all dissertations, candidates must obtain written approval from the Research Training Program for having met the standards for research design prior to collecting data; for dissertations with human participants, candidates must obtain written approval from the Institutional Review Board for ethical practice in research involving human subjects prior to collecting data (please see the Dissertation Manual and IRB Procedures Manual).
- Fulfillment of all institutional obligations
- Good standing in the program, i.e., no disciplinary action pending or academic or practicum probation; in the case of a student readmitted after an Academic Dismissal, if he or she once again fails or drops (whether by a Withdrawal or an Administrative Withdrawal) the course, laboratory, practice, seminar, or degree exam for which the Academic Dismissal was originally granted, then he or she will be dismissed from the program without the possibility of applying for admission to the same program again
- Satisfactory completion of the Clinical Examination (PSYD-605) with no more than two (2) NPs
- Satisfactory completion of a 2,000-hour pre-doctoral internship in clinical psychology on a full-time basis (40 hours per week) during a one-year period or part-time (20 hours per week) during a two-year period in a facility approved by the program
- Recommendation from the program faculty for the doctoral degree; students seeking the degree must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the faculty, the professional, ethical, and personal attributes described in the current General Policies and Disciplinary Procedures Manual.
Applying for this program?
