Introduction
The counseling psychology PhD program at Auburn University provides training in the scientist-practitioner model for health service psychology, within a social justice framework. You will gain competence in both the research and practice of counseling psychology. Preparation in clinical practice includes psychotherapy and psychological assessment, with an emphasis on working with adult clients. You will also receive training in multiculturalism and social justice.
You can also pursue training related to teaching. Professional development and peer support are available through our Association of Counseling Psychology Students (ACOPS).
Psychotherapy Training
Students receive training in individual and group psychotherapy in developmental steps, as outlined below. Our psychotherapy training focuses on adult clients.
In year 1, students take coursework that introduces them to:
- the counseling psychology profession
- ethics
- counseling theories
- working with diverse clients
- group counseling
- diagnosis
- empirically-supported treatments
- basic helping skills
In Year 2, all students complete two semesters of Beginning Practicum at one of two university counseling centers: Auburn University Student Counseling and Psychological Services (SCPS) or Columbus State University (CSU). Beginning practicum focuses on individual counseling skills. Most students also conduct group counseling and outreach. The structure of the beginning practicum experience includes several supervision formats to help students develop as therapists.
Students receive:
- weekly individual supervision from a counseling center staff member or intern
- bi-weekly small group supervision with a counseling staff member
- weekly group supervision from the Beginning Practicum instructor (typically a core counseling psychology faculty member)
In Year 3, students complete two semesters of Advanced Practicum. Students apply for and accept practicum placements that fit with their clinical interests and career goals. Sites are located in the Auburn-Opelika area, as well as surrounding communities such as Atlanta and Columbus, GA.
Sites include:
- community mental health centers
- group practices
- correctional facilities
- university counseling centers
- behavioral health hospitals
- Veterans Administration hospitals
Students typically complete more counseling training through an Externship placement. Externship sites are the same as those used for Advanced Practicum. This allows students to gain additional experience before internship applications. Students engaged in externship receive weekly individual supervision from their on-site supervisor and participate in small group supervision with their Externship instructor.
Students also receive training on how to provide supervision in Year 4. They take a course in Counseling Supervision that teaches them to supervise clinical work. They also gain supervising experience by working with a masters or doctoral student who is learning how to provide therapy. Student supervisors receive group supervision-of-supervision from the Counseling Supervision course instructor.
A 12-month full-time pre-doctoral internship is required by all APA-accredited counseling psychology doctoral programs. Students can complete this internship in their fifth year (after applying and matching during their fourth year). The internship almost always requires re-location away from Auburn.
Our students have completed internships at:
- university counseling centers
- federal correctional facilities
- medical centers
- Veterans Administration hospitals
- consortiums
- community mental health centers
- military bases
Research Training
Training in research is an essential part of our counseling psychology program. We offer several methods of training.
Students enroll in Colloquium in Counseling Psychology I-IV in their first and second years in the program. These seminar format courses include training and experience on topics related to conducting research.
Students also select a research lab in which to be involved each semester. This is typically the doctoral advisor’s research lab but can be altered based on students’ expressed preferences and needs. Students attend weekly lab meetings. They can get involved in research projects being conducted by the faculty supervisor and/or advanced students. Students can also transition toward leading their own research project over the first two years.
For Colloquium I–IV, all students will:
- complete an IRB protocol
- submit a conference presentation
- co-author a journal manuscript
The courses within students’ first three years in the program further prepare them for conducting research.
- Students take two courses in statistics. They have the option to take additional courses that cover more advanced statistical procedures.
- Professional Seminar in Counseling Psychology includes a focus on being a responsible consumer of research and on psychotherapy process and outcome.
The culminating research training experience is the doctoral dissertation.
- Students work with their advisor to develop a written dissertation proposal.
- The student’s dissertation committee approves the proposal.
- The student completes the data-based research project outlined in the dissertation proposal.
- The student reports the study results in the final written dissertation.
- The student presents the results of their study to their dissertation committee for final approval.
The dissertation is how our students demonstrate their ability to conduct independent research. Starting with our 2020 cohort, we have used a "manuscript-style dissertation" format. Through the dissertation process, students will create a conceptual (i.e., theoretical) manuscript and an empirical (i.e., data-based) manuscript in a format that can submitted to a peer-review journal for publication.
Research Labs
Explore the research labs directed by Counseling Psychology faculty members.
Assessment Training
Our program offers several avenues for training in psychological assessment.
We have several courses that develop students’ assessment skills.
- Students learn the DSM-5 diagnostic system in Advanced Assessment & Diagnosis
- Students are exposed to the assessment development process in Advanced Measurement Theory
- In Appraisal in Counseling & Psychology, students learn how to administer, score, and interpret common personality assessments. Students also learn how to write integrative reports.
- In Intellectual Assessment of Adults, students learn how to administer, score, and interpret intellectual assessments.
Students can seek practicum opportunities to further their training.
Examples of assessment opportunities include:
- attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific learning disorder assessments
- substance use disorder evaluations
- intelligence testing
- bariatric pre-surgical evaluations
- diagnostic clarification evaluations
- personality testing
- vocational assessments
Assessment settings include:
- university counseling centers
- private practices
- juvenile and adult correctional facilities
- hospitals
Multicultural Opportunities
Students and faculty in our program are committed to multiculturalism and social justice. Our program includes formal and informal opportunities for work related to culture and equity. Several student-led initiatives have originated from our program.
Counseling Diverse Populations is taken in the first year of the program. It encourages engagement with faculty, peers, and others around topics of identity and intersectionality that will affect their lives as people, therapists, and professionals.
Multicultural and social justice perspectives are integrated in courses throughout our counseling psychology program. Two examples include:
- Advanced Assessment and Diagnosis course weaves a health disparities perspective throughout the semester. This helps students understand the racial, economic, and other disparities surrounding mental health.
- Counseling Supervision emphasizes multicultural supervision and training. This helps students work with diverse supervisees and supports culturally sensitive care for clients.
Students are also engaged on-campus and in the community with regard to social justice. For example, students hold membership and leadership positions in organizations such as:
- Black Graduate and Professional Students Association (BGPSA)
- Black Women in Mental Health
- Brother Let’s Talk
- Together We Can: an opportunity for fellowship and relationship-building between local law enforcement and the community
- Diversity Campus Experience (DiCE): a program for highly qualified students from underrepresented groups interested in graduate education
Graduate assistantships also offer the opportunity to engage in diversity work. Our students have held assistantships with:
- Office of Inclusion & Diversity
- Office of Women’s Initiatives
- Community and Civic Engagement Initiative
- Women’s Studies program
Teaching assistantships often involve teaching undergraduate courses focused on diversity topics (see Teaching Opportunities).
Students have a variety of opportunities to work with different cultural populations in their clinical work. Each clinical site offers a unique population and aspects of work.
After two semesters of practicum at Auburn University Student Counseling Services (SCS), students have the option to see clients in settings such as:
- other university counseling centers on diverse campuses
- hospitals
- VA clinics
- community mental health centers
- correctional facilities
- private practices
Teaching Opportunities
There are several avenues to gain teaching experience during our doctoral program.
Some of our students hold a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA). This is a paid opportunity to teach one or more undergraduate courses in our department as an instructor of record. Some of our GTAs teach a popular class called Living and Communicating in a Diverse Society (COUN 2000), a core undergraduate course focused on developing cultural competence and diversity appreciation.
Other examples of courses our students have taught include:
- Career Orientation Exploration
- Career Success
- Emotional Intelligence
- Introduction to Counseling & Psychotherapy
- Introduction to LGBTQ Studies
- Introduction to Prevention & Mental Health Promotion
Graduate assistant positions in other units on campus sometimes include teaching responsibilities.
Many of our students elect to take a Teaching Practicum course. They work with a faculty mentor who is teaching a master’s or doctoral-level course. Students pair with the faculty mentor in an apprentice-style training experience for a course of interest.
Teaching practicum students have the opportunity to take part in (as appropriate to the course):
- course development
- syllabus writing
- lecture and activity planning
- assignment development
- grading
The teaching practicum student also prepares and leads one or two class periods during the semester. Teaching practicum allows students to gain experience in graduate-level teaching in a way that is typically not available to instructors-in-training.
Students can apply to teach a First Year Seminar (FYS) course after completing 18 graduate semester hours in our discipline. This is a paid experience outside the formal graduate assistantship. Some FYS courses are available to all first-year undergraduate students, with a focus on:
- study strategies
- writing and presentation skills
- test-taking strategies
- career opportunities
Other courses tailor to students in a learning community of 19 students with similar academic interests. These courses explore issues related to a specific theme through discussion, activities, reading, writing, teamwork, and community service.
Our students can serve as instructor of record for these courses. This offers an opportunity to influence the early academic experience of undergraduate students.
