Graduate Studies

Counseling Program Research and Clinical Training

Research Training

Research training in counseling psychology starts early in the program and continues throughout its duration.  As a student in the program, you will fulfill a sequence of statistics and methodology courses that will give your research activities a solid foundation. With the support of your faculty mentors and advisers, you will complete a first-year project that you will present at the beginning of your second year.

Much of your research activity will occur in faculty-led laboratory teams. Because most teams include individuals at various levels of training and competencies, you will have the opportunity to learn from fellow students, and as you become more advanced, you will supervise and assist newer students.

The Program-wide research meeting, held two to three times per semester, is a forum for brainstorming new ideas, refining ideas in progress, and practicing presentation of research findings. Graduates of the program are expected to present their research at national conferences and have at least three empirical articles accepted for publication prior to graduation. Evaluations of student progress reflects these expectations.

Clinical Training

In keeping with its scientist-practitioner orientation, the Program in Counseling Psychology concentrates on the training of research scholars and also gives focused attention to developing clinical skills. Through coursework and practicum experiences, and guided by intensive supervision, you will develop a framework and the requisite skills for success during your internship year and throughout your career.

Clinical training in the Counseling Program prepares students to be effective professionals with a wide variety of clients and client systems and implements evidence-based models of effectiveness. An ongoing and unique focus of the University of Notre Dame's Counseling Psychology Program has been the provision of services to underserved populations. In every clinical endeavor we support:

  • Multicultural understanding of the client and the therapeutic relationship
  • Implementation and/or adaptation of empirically-supported interventions
  • The use of designs and methodologies that provide empirical support for the effectiveness of the treatments provided.

Sequence of Training

During training, you will develop high quality clinical skill. This dedication to quality begins with Clinical Skills and Interventions, a course you will take during your first year and which is a prerequisite to the practicum. The course will train you in fundamental counseling skills and introduce you to clinically relevant topics.

The initial practicum experience takes place at the University Counseling Center during your second year of training. This practicum entails provision of supervised work with individual clients, videotaping of all client sessions, videotape review by the supervisor, and participation in clinical teams and professional development and training seminars.

During your third year in the program, you will take a placement at a community agency that coordinates with your area of interest. There you will hone your existing skills and acquire skills in new areas. The availability of faculty supervision allows for specialized practica and placement in nontraditional settings.

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