Clinical Psychology
Drs. Bridges, Cavell, Quetsch, Ham, Vargas, and Veilleux will review applications for new graduate students to begin Fall 2024. Dr. Judah is not taking students for Fall 2024. We encourage applicants to consider their fit with specific faculty as well as our program's admissions priorities.
The Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Arkansas follows the scientist-practitioner model of training. Our premise is that doctoral training in clinical psychology prepares individuals to be scientifically informed mental health service providers as well as clinically informed researchers. Because many of our graduates will seek applied, direct service positions, we take seriously the role of training competent clinicians. We also actively recruit and intensively train students whose aspire to be clinical scientists and whose research interests match that of the faculty. Academic coursework, clinical practica, and research training are designed to promote the development of competency in both areas. Our goal is to train students who are capable of applying psychological theory, research methodology, and clinical skills to complex clinical problems and diverse populations. The Program is accredited by the American Psychological Association*.
Click here for Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data for our program.
Click here for Department Handbook.
Apply to the Clinical Program >
Generalist approach to clinical training. We recognize that all students require broad clinical training that spans a range
of skills, modalities, settings, and populations. Our curriculum has been carefully designed to provide that broad coverage, but with a strong emphasis
on empirically based approaches to assessment and intervention. We also view students’
experiences in clinical practicum as opportunities to acquire a range of clinical
skills. Clinical faculty closely supervise students in their practicum training,
introducing them to diverse theoretical orientations but adhering consistently to
a standard of empirical grounding. See more about practicum training at our in-house Psychological Clinic by clicking
here.
Focused approach to research training. Research training is typically done in the context of faculty members’ overall program
of research. As such, a mentor-apprentice model guides our decisions about student
recruitment and selection. Once accepted into our program, each student is trained
to be critical consumer of and an effective contributor to the empirical research
literature in clinical psychology. Coursework related to research covers a broad set of methods and issues, but students are directly
involved in conducting focused research projects with their faculty advisor.
Consistent blending of scientist-practitioner training. Experiences and skill development opportunities that prepare students to be scientist-practitioners
begin early in the graduate career. Each semester presents students with a mix of
coursework, practicum involvement, and research requirements that consistently blend
the roles of clinician and scientist. Faculty strongly encourage this integration
and actively model for students an appreciation for the interplay between clinical
practice and research knowledge. As members of practicum teams and research teams,
new students also reap the benefits of working closely with more advanced students
as they conceptualize cases, enhance and refine their assessment skills, design theses
and dissertations, and prepare papers for conference presentations and journal review.
Training in Diversity and Integrated Behavioral Health. Our doctoral clinical training program is a recipient of a federal Graduate Psychology
Education (GPE) grant from United States Department of Health & Human Services (Health
Resource Service Administration), from 2022-2025. This 3-year training grant was designed
to increase the number of behavioral health care providers who work in interprofessional
health care teams to address the mental, behavioral, and substance use needs of residents
in Northwest Arkansas (Click here for more information).
Standards of Accreditation
The doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of Arkansas is consistent
with the Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology. All students in the program are trained to meet competencies for discipline-specific
knowledge as well as profession-wide competencies.
If you are interested in applying to the University of Arkansas’s Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology, click on the Application Information link on the left and follow the information for Clinical Psychology. For more information about the program contact the Director of the Clinical Training Program, Dr. Ana Bridges.
Core Faculty: Ana Bridges, Timothy A. Cavell, Jessica Fugitt, Lindsay Ham, Matt Judah, Ellen Leen-Feldner, Lauren Quetsch, Ivan Vargas, Jennifer C. Veilleux
Adjunct Faculty: Melissa Zielinski
*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: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation