PhD in Counseling Psychology

Welcome to the Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology program!

The University of Georgia’s Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology program provides doctoral-level training and education to prepare our graduates for a career as health service psychologists. The program’s training mission reflects our commitment to multiculturalism and social justice training excellence that prepares health service psychologists to deliver state-of-the-science and culturally-contextualized services in a variety of research and practice settings to meet the needs of diverse cultural and linguistic communities in Georgia and across the nation.

Our program follows a scientist-practitioner model of training that emphasizes important tenets of Counseling Psychology:

• A focus on identifying and building from a strengths perspective in working with all individuals
• An assessment of the person-environment fit and the interaction between the two
• An emphasis on prevention and brief interventions using a developmental perspective (career and human development)
• The integration of theory, research, and practice
• A focus on and respect for individual and cultural diversity, with an emphasis on social justice

We are committed to training and preparing students to assume emerging diverse roles and responsibilities that will advance a multicultural/social justice agenda in health care. The program prepares students for entry positions in a variety of settings including academia, medical schools, and community mental health clinics. The program also prepares students for licensure through rigorous didactic and experiential training. The Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Georgia is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association . Upon graduation, you will be license-eligible as a psychologist in all states.

Highlights

• Leads to license eligibility as a psychologist in all states
• Innovative training in Health Psychology, Supervision, and Advanced Assessment
• Participate in our Preparing Future Faculty program
• Continuously APA accredited since 1984
• Faculty are national leaders in the field

Accreditation Information

The Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology program at the University of Georgia is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the APA Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-336-5979 / Email APA

• Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data (PDF)

Curriculum

The Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology will help you develop advanced competency in both research and clinical practice. Our program prepares graduates to pursue careers as health service psychologists in teaching, research, and/or the provision of health services guided by an integrated biopsychosocial model of care.

Our program emphasizes a strengths-based approach to understanding human and social experiences that can help prevent and/or solve the biopsychosocial problems of individuals, couples, families, groups, and organizations.

Coursework focuses on the core discipline of psychology and the applied discipline of counseling psychology. The Ph.D. program includes:

• Supervised clinical training in psychotherapy by licensed psychologists
• Training in psychological assessment
• Training in multiculturalism/social justice and the biopsychosocial framework
• Both a publishable paper project and a dissertation
• A one-year internship

Clinical Training

You will enroll in didactic and/or practical courses during your first year to prepare for advanced clinical work. Your clinical training involves:

• Training in consultation and individual/group psychotherapy
• Psychological assessment training
• Clinical training modalities such as couples and family therapy at the Center for Counseling and Personal Evaluation (CCPE) , the Juvenile Counseling and Assessment Program (JCAP), or health psychology community-based practicums

Your third/fourth year of training can focus on advanced supervision or additional practicums toward a specialization in Health Psychology, Supervision, Assessment, and Teaching (Preparing Future Faculty). The final year consists of internship training at an APA-accredited site.

Research Design and Analyses

Scientist-practitioner training will involve the following activities:

• At least two quantitative methodology and analysis courses
• Being an active member of a research team
• Two projects, a publishable paper, and a dissertation

Multiculturalism and Social Justice

The Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology program is committed to excellence in multicultural and social justice training. We:

• Endorse the American Psychological Association’s “Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists”
• Offer two graduate courses in multicultural psychology
• Infuse multicultural principles and research findings into all training experiences
• Make efforts to provide you with diverse clientele in your supervised training
• Promote faculty research, training, and service projects with a diverse and multicultural focus

As a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology student, you may choose from among several areas of concentration:

• Supervision
• Clinical Health Psychology
• Teaching (Preparing Future Faculty)
• Assessment

Your core psychology studies include:

• Multiculturalism/social justice
• History and systems of psychology
• Social psychology
• Fundamentals of behavioral neuroscience
• Cognitive psychology, basic learning processes, or foundations of cognition for education
• Biopsychosocial framework of psychology
• Assessment
• Supervision
• Ethics
• Career development

Beyond these core requirements, your studies will vary year by year to match your growing expertise.

Additional information and disclosures regarding state licensure for professional practice in this field can be found at the UGA Licensure Disclosure Portal .

Downloads

• Student Handbook (PDF)

How to Apply

Part 1: Apply to the University of Georgia

The Graduate School handles admission for all graduate programs at the University of Georgia, including those in the College of Education. The Graduate School website contains important details about the application process, orientation, and many other useful links to guide you through the process of attending UGA at the graduate level.

Start A Graduate School Application

Part 2: Apply to the Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology

Our program requires that an applicant has completed a master’s degree. Competitive candidates for admissions usually have the following general qualifications: relevant professional work experiences in counseling or a related area, research experience and interest, and defined clinical and research interests that match both with the program’s goals and scientist-practitioner model of training and with faculty areas of expertise.

Deferment Policy: Due to the high demand of our programs, we will not defer admission from one year to sometime in the future. Anyone who is admitted to any program in our department and decides not to attend will be asked to reapply to that program if they seek admission at a later date. Applicants who are initially denied admission can reapply for the next year.

To apply, submit the following:

• Graduate School application
• Send GRE scores to Graduate Admissions via ETS; ETS code for UGA is 5813. No departmental code is required.
• TOEFL or IELTS applicants from non-English speaking country only
• Unofficial transcripts in native language and English (for international applicants; official transcripts required if admitted)
• Statement of purpose
• Resume
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Counseling Psychology Supplemental Application (PDF)

Deadline To Apply

December 1

Log Into Existing Application

Useful Links

• Student Handbooks