The PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium is a practitioner-scholar program intended for those seeking careers devoted to the direct delivery of clinical psychological services. The program provides a generalist education in clinical psychology, emphasizing evidenced-based practice. The priority we assign to evidence-based practice is matched by our commitment to promote students’ broad and general understanding of science and to foster students’ ability to critically evaluate scientific theories, methods, and conclusions.
Students are provided a series of academic and applied experiences via coursework and practicum placements that build upon each other over the four-year training period. The goal of these didactics and experiential training are to prepare students for a doctoral clinical internship and a career in clinical psychology. The PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium requires a minimum of four full-time academic years in residence plus a 2000-hour, program-approved external, APA-accredited doctoral internship in clinical psychology. All four academic training years prior to the 5th year internship occur in the PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium at Palo Alto University from which the PsyD is granted.
Program competencies of the PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium includes the nine Health Service Psychology Profession-wide Competencies outlined in the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service psychology approved by the American Psychological Association in 2015. These areas include:
Degree Requirements
The PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium program requires a minimum of four full years in residence plus a program-approved external, doctoral internship in clinical psychology. The program integrates academic coursework, supervised clinical training, and research experience at every stage of the student’s progress toward the ultimate goal of a doctorate degree. All students develop a thorough understanding of the broad body of knowledge that comprises scientific psychology. They also acquire and must demonstrate skills that can be applied to a variety of clinical problems through a graded curriculum, clinical practica and other clinical, research and professional experiences in each year of study. Students must complete 2,000 hours of doctoral clinical training and a dissertation project prior to graduating. Each cohort of Consortium students enroll together in the same prescribed program of didactic coursework over most of the first three years of the program. In the third and fourth year, a limited number of elective seminar options are available. The fourth year consists of clinical practicum training, the internship application process, and the undertaking and completion of a PsyD dissertation project. Upon advancement to candidacy, students are required to enroll in a total of thirty units of dissertation credit in the fourth year, and continue to register for three units of dissertation credit hours every quarter until the dissertation is completed. (Additional tuition and fees required, reference the dissertation handbook.) During the fifth year of the Consortium program, students participate in an external, program-approved doctoral clinical internship.
Competency Evaluations
In addition to other outcome evaluation methods administered throughout the program such as course grades and practicum evaluations, a comprehensive examination will be administered during the first, second and third year of the program. The purpose of these examinations is to assess each student's: 1. Knowledge of specific areas of clinical psychology 2. Ability to integrate course content regarding research, theory, and application 3. Ability to conceptualize, integrate and present clinical casework The primary goal of the comprehensive exam sequence is to verify students’ integration of academic and applied instruction, and to judge their qualifications for internship application.
Curriculum
Year 1
| CLIN700 | Learning Psychotherapy: An Integrated Approach I | 3 |
| CLIN702 | Learning Psychotherapy: An Integrated Approach III | 3 |
| CLIN707 | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Mood Disorders | 3 |
| CLIN755 | Professional Development Seminar I | 1 |
| CLIN756 | Professional Development Seminar II | 1 |
| ETHC700 | Foundations of Ethics & Professional Psychological Practice | 3 |
| ETHC702 | Critical Issues in Clinical Psychology | 3 |
| PATH700 | Psychopathology Across Life Span:Child & Adolescent | 3 |
| PATH701 | Psychopathology Life Span: Middle Yrs & Older Adults | 3 |
| PSYS700 | Foundations of Psy.Sci.I: Social Aspects of Behavior | 3 |
| PSYS706 | Lifespan Development | 3 |
| PSYS710 | Biological Bases of Behavior | 3 |
| PSYS720 | Foundations of Psyc Sci II: Cognitive Bases of Behavior | 2.5 |
| PSYS722 | Foundtations of Psyc Sci II: Affectve Base of Behavior | 2.5 |
| STAT700 | Psychometrics | 3 |
| STAT704 | Statistics & Research Methods I | 4.5 |
| STAT706 | Statistics & Research Methods II | 4.5 |
Year 2
| ASMT700 | Psychological Assessment I: Intellectual Assessment | 5 |
| ASMT701 | Psychological Asmt II: Personality & Psychopathology | 4 |
| CLDV700 | Culture & Diversity in Practice | 3 |
| CLIN710 | Nature & Treatment of Anxiety Disorders | 3 |
| CLIN711 | Psychological Treatment for Substance Use Disorders | 3 |
| CLIN715 | Brief Psychodynamic Psychotherapy | 3 |
| ETHC703 | Advanced Professional Issues: Clinical Emergencies Crises | 3 |
| PSYS707 | History & Systems | 3 |
Students must complete one:
| ASMT702 | Psychological Assessment III: Integrated Test Batteries Adult | 4 |
| CLIN723 | Psych Asmt III: Integrated Test Batteries Child & Adolescent | 4 |
Year 3
| CLIN727 | Applied Health Psychology | 3 |
| CLIN736 | Supervision & Consultation | 3 |
| DISS701 | Dissertation Preparation I | 1 |
| DISS702 | Dissertation Preparation II | 1 |
| DISS712 | Dissertation Preparation III | 1 |
| INTR700 | Intro to Internship Prep | 1 |
| PSYS719 | Psychopharmacology for Psychologist | 3 |
Elective Options (9 units required)
| CLIN656 | Spanish for Clinicians | 4.5 |
| CLIN718 | Behavioral Medicine | 3 |
| CLIN722 | Dialectical Behavior Therapy | 3 |
| CLIN726 | Couples & Family Therapy | 3 |
| CLIN728 | Child/Adolescent III: Child Psychotherapy | 3 |
| CLIN730 | Women's Mental Health | 3 |
| PSYS740 | Technology & Mental Health for Children & Adolescents | 1.5 |
| PSYS741 | Evidence-Based Digital Intervention to Reduce Health Disparities | 1.5 |
| CLIN745 | Clinical Perspectives on Trauma Psychology | 3 |
| CLIN750 | Acceptance and Commitment Therapy | 3 |
| CLIN761 | Psychodynamic Therapy II | 3 |
| CLIN765 | LGBTQ Issues in Psychology | 3 |
| CLIN838 | LGBTQ Issues in Psychotherapy | 3 |
Year 4
Beginning in the fourth year of the program, students’ schedules may vary based on dissertation status, preparedness for internship application, etc. The courses listed below are those anticipated for a student in good standing and on track to complete all program requirements within the five-year timeline.
INTR701: Highly encouraged, but not required; taken during the year student applies to internship.
STAT710: Optional.
Year 5
Internship enrollment may start in the summer quarter prior to the fifth year, depending on the internship start date. All students must complete a total of 12 Internship Units.
Summary Units
| Course Area |
Credit Hours |
| Coursework |
92 |
| Electives |
9 |
| Dissertation Research |
32 |
| Clinical Practicum |
27 |
| Internship |
12 |
| Minimum Units Required for Graduation |
172 |