Program Orientation
The APA and PCSAS Accredited Clinical Psychology Training program at Ohio State University is designed to prepare research-oriented, clinical scientist model psychologists to be tomorrow's leading investigators of clinical phenomena. We envision that our graduates will find research, teaching, and other scholarly job placements in Departments of Psychology at universities, colleges, or medical schools (e.g., Departments of Psychiatry).
The overarching goal and objective of the clinical training program is to develop clinical research scientists. Students will acquire and demonstrate knowledge of psychological theories and research in psychopathology, psychological assessment, and psychological interventions. Finally, students will acquire and demonstrate knowledge of skills necessary to perform ethically and professionally in the practice of clinical psychology.
Students receive didactic preparation in four primary areas:
- Clinical psychology, including assessment, psychopathology, and empirically based interventions.
- Research methodology, including statistics, research design, and psychometric theory;
- Core areas of psychology, including psychobiology, cognitive psychology, individual differences, and social psychology;
- Specialty training with emphasis on psychopathology, health psychology, or neuropsychology.
The core features and time allotments of the program are devoted to scholarly and scientific matters, including both didactic and experiential components. Students become skilled in conceptual analysis, research design, data analysis, scholarly writing, teaching, and oral research and clinical presentations. Indeed, under the guidance of Program faculty, students begin conducting research during their first academic term.
Student Admissions, Outcomes and Other Data
Accreditation
PCSAS – Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System
The Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at the Ohio State University was accredited in 2015 by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) and we are very proud to be one of the first 30 programs to be accredited in this system. PCSAS was created to promote science-centered education and training in clinical psychology, to increase the quality and quantity of clinical scientists contributing to the advancement of public health, and to enhance the scientific knowledge base for mental and behavioral health care. The clinical psychology program at OSU is very committed to these goals and is proud to be a member of the PCSAS Founder’s Circle.
APA CoA – American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation
The Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at the Ohio State University has been accredited by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation since 1948. The APA CoA can be contacted here:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Telephone: 202-336-5979
Program of Study
The training program is most easily described by outlining the curriculum in years 1 through 4 and describing markers to be achieved during each period. The program is designed to be completed in six years, with five years in residence and the final year spent at an APA-approved internship. The sequence is as follows:
- 1st year: Core curriculum and first year project
- 2nd year: Core curriculum, begin clinical training, and M. S. completion
- 3rd year: Candidacy Exam completion
- 4th & 5th years: Advanced practica and research experiences, including Dissertation completion
- 6th year: Internship
In the first two years of the program, didactic core course coverage is intense and clinical training begins. The first year includes the majority of the core curriculum and the first year research project which is presented to students and faculty in May. In the second year, the core curriculum is typically completed, breadth requirement courses in biological, cognitive-affective, and social bases of behavior are taken, clinical experience in the Psychological Services Center begins, and Master’s theses are completed. It is also at this time that a formal recommendation is made regarding receipt of a terminal Masters or proceeding into the remainder of the program. When the Generals Qualifying Exam is completed in the third year, a student is admitted to Ph.D. candidacy. From this time on, activities are individualized for one’s career goals. In the 3rd, 4th, and sometimes 5th year, area breath requirements are completed, students concentrating in quantitative psychology complete their 5 statistic classes, and PSC Specialty clinics or off-site practica are taken, and additional research and dissertation work is completed. The final year consists of completing an off-campus APA-accredited internship.
Areas of Emphasis
The research/training foci of our program reflect the broader field, with students typically focusing onpsychopathology, health psychology, or neuropsychology (including its etiology, assessment, treatment, and prevention).
Current faculty research interests include anxiety disorders, depression, aggression and antisocial behavior, developmental psychology, early onset bipolar disorder, the role of attentional systems in emotion regulation and dysregulation across the lifespan, cognitive therapy, behavior therapy, personality disorders, self-regulation, older adulthood and sexuality. Health psychology emphases include chronic illness, cardiovascular disorders, pulmonary disorders, stress & coping, psychoneuroimmunology, neuropsychology, and the influence of health behaviors (e.g., exercise, diet, smoking, treatment compliance) on health trajectories among both healthy individuals and those with chronic illness.
Facilities and Financial Support
Student offices are near faculty offices and laboratories. Research space includes rooms for data collection for observational and coding studies, and computer, audio/video, and psychophysiological equipment. Core faculty and graduate student offices are housed in the new Psychology Building that opened in January 2006.
Clinical (practica) training is an important component of the program. The primary site for practica training is the Department's Psychological Services Center (PSC). The PSC is the Department's outpatient clinic for adults and seeking psychological assessment and psychotherapy. Rooms for individual, family, or group therapy for adults are available and equipped with audio/visual equipment.
The PSC is housed in the Psychology Building along with the core faculty and student offices and has the state of the art audio-visual recording system for use in practica and research. In addition, the PSC specialty clinics for third year and above students are housed here. These include an Anxiety and Stress Disorders clinic, Cognitive Therapy for Depression clinic, Dialectical Behavior Therapy clinic, and Mindfulness clinic. Advanced clinical experiences are also available for third year and above students at Nationwide Children's Hospital with pediatric patients, the Nisonger Center with developmentally disabled patients, and the Ohio State University College of Medicine with psychiatric and medical patients. Other placements in the metropolitan area are also available for advanced students, please see the student handbook under Clinical Training for further information.
All students receive complete financial support throughout their first five years of graduate study, including a monthly stipend and tuition and fee waivers. University Fellowships are available on a competitive basis, and are matched with departmental teaching assistantships and/or faculty research grant assistantships.
Current monthly stipends are $2364. Students admitted as University Fellows can find stipend information here: https://gradsch.osu.edu/facultystaff-resources/fellowship-guidelines/d-1-graduateschool-fellowship-stipends-graduate
Licensure Preparation
Ohio State academic programs are designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure and certification and state licensing board contact information at https://odee.osu.edu/students/state-authorization#licensure.
Applicant Selection
Desirable preparation for the program includes: an undergraduate major in psychology or comparable evidence of mastering foundational principles of psychological science; coursework in basic science and math; competitive GPA and GRE scores; research experience; and strong letters of recommendation. Applicants should clearly indicate their interests in a particular specialty and describe their specific research and career interests in clinical psychology.
The OSU program is not a “one size fits all” environment. Students with primary interests in clinical practice are not likely to find the program's emphases consistent with their professional goals. Indeed, our mission is to provide a program for students who aim for careers as clinical scientists. We hope you find the Ohio State program in Clinical Psychology both challenging and rewarding in meeting your goals.
Core Faculty
- Barbara L. Andersen
- Jennifer S. Cheavens
- Jasmeet P. Hayes
- Scott M. Hayes
- Ruchika Shaurya Prakash
- Joshua Smyth
- Daniel R. Strunk
- Michael W. Vasey
Joint Faculty
- Lisa M. Christian
- Jay Fournier
- Janice Kiecolt-Glaser
- Anthony King
- Theodore Wagener
Director of Clinical Training
Jennifer S. Cheavens, Ph.D.
Email:cheavens.1@osu.edu
Phone: 614-247-6733
