DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PSYCHOLOGY
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
PhD In Psychology - Clinical Psychology
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PROMOTE HUMAN FLOURISHING AND MENTAL WELLNESS IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES.
As a graduate of Doctor of Psychology – Clinical Psychology you are eligible to apply for the California License of Psychology, the highest mental health license granted by the state of California. Our 4-year full-time program empowers you with the necessary skills and knowledge to work as a whole person mental health professional in clinical psychology.
The PhD program’s mission is to train professionals who will provide traditional and innovative mind-body-spirit informed mental health services to a variety of communities. Our specific focus on mind-body spirituality sets us apart from other Clinical PhD programs.
The program can be completed fully online* and incorporates face-to-face synchronous components.
In this program you will:
- Integrate mind-body spirituality with the scientific discipline of psychology
- Train with our world-class holistically focused faculty and staff, as well as our student community
- Gain invaluable and highly impactful expertise in delivering both traditional and spiritually sensitive mental health services
- Prepare to serve diverse communities in key roles such as licensed psychologist, practitioner-scholar, program administrator, consultants, coach educator
- Develop skills for effectiveness in leadership and entrepreneurship
- Enrich your clinical education with an optional specialized coursework in Integral, Transpersonal and Positive psychology.
Attention to mind-body spirituality and the whole person is woven through every course.
This program qualifies you to apply for Psychology Licensure in the state of California and may also be accepted in the following states: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA CO, CT, DE, DC, HI, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OR, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.
If you are planning on applying for psychology licensure in a state other than California, please check with the licensing body of that state for updated information.
Degree Requirements
The PhD in Psychology – Clinical Licensure requires 116 units, as follows:
- Core Curriculum Clinical Psychology Concentration (28 units)
- Psychology Required Courses for the Clinical Psychology Concentration (66 units)
- Dissertation Sequence Clinical Psychology Concentration (22 units)
In addition to completing the above 116 units of coursework, this degree requires students to complete the following:
- 500 hours of practicum
- 1500 hours of internship
Coursework (116 units)
Core Curriculum Clinical Psychology Concentration (28 units)
- Scholarly Writing for Psychology I (4 units)
- Foundations in Whole Person Psychology (4 units)
- Consciousness Studies for Psychology (4 units)
- Counseling & Communications Skills (4 units)
- Spiritual Education (Several options available) (4 units)
- Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (4 units)
- Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (4 units)
Concentration Electives for Clinical Psychology (66 units)
- Human Sexuality: Clinical Considerations (4 units)
- Ethics & Law in Psychology (4 units)
- Family Violence, Partner Abuse, and Child Abuse: Assess & Intervention (4 units)
- Aging, Long-term Care, Grief and Suicide Risk Assessment (4 units)
- Psychopharmacology (4 units)
- Substance Abuse: Assessment, Intervention, and Treatment (4 units)
- Diagnosis in Clinical Psychology (4 units)
- Multiculturalism and Diversity in Counseling (4 units)
- Objective Personality Testing & Assessment (4 units)
- Intellectual Testing & Assessment (4 units)
- Projective Testing & Integrative Assessment (4 units)
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (4 units)
- Existential Humanistic Psychotherapy (4 units)
- Evidence-Based Psychotherapy (4 units)
- Dynamic Group Therapy: Theory and Practice (4 units)
- Family Therapy: Assessment and Intervention (4 units)
- Pre-Practicum Seminar (1 unit)
- Practicum Consultation Group (1 unit)
Dissertation Sequence Clinical Psychology Concentration (22 units)
- Dissertation Topic Research (5 units)
- Dissertation Methodology Review (5 units)
- Dissertation I (6 units)
- Dissertation II (6 units)
Program Learning Outcomes
PLO 1: Examine people as ever evolving, multidimensional beings on a developmental journey toward wholeness, which encompasses the domains of mind, body, and spirit.
PLO 2: Apply multidisciplinary research, theory and praxis to aspects of psychology and/or psychotherapy.
PLO 3: Utilize holistic thought to psychology and/or psychotherapy in a way that includes consciousness and spirituality.
PLO 4: Evaluate and test elements of theory and/or application of psychological knowledge to human wellbeing.
PLO 5: Develop a personal framework for “self-as-healer” and/or “self-as-scholar” underscoring the notion that ongoing self-development is positively correlated with professional aptitude.
Admissions
When you reach out for more information or to apply, you’ll immediately be connecting with one of the leaders in your field of study. Although today these individuals are distinguished professors, once upon a time they were in your shoes and they haven’t forgotten what it is like and what you need.
They are passionate about their area of study, and want to do everything they can to mentor the next generation of experts and leaders to rise up, and exceed what even they have accomplished. As true leaders they know that is the best way of ensuring that their their area of study continues to significantly advance. They want you to succeed succeed beyond your expectations and do everything they can to ensure that – right from the start.
During the application process these leaders will work hard to understand where you’re at and give you their best advice, even if that means not joining their program. All of our faculty and staff are devoted to what is best for you, and the profession they serve.
CIHS is a relatively small family of people who are having an outsized impact on the world. We involve everyone who could possibly be needed to ensure that it’s as easy as possible to join us, and that you thrive with us right from the start.
The admissions team is always ready and overjoyed to help you. The core team consists of the senior Professor for the program that we’ve just mentioned, also known as the Program Director, and the Dean of Admissions. The extended team includes the Provost (the most senior academic leader at the university) and key administrative members of her team such as the Registrar, the Dean of Student Assessments and Outcomes, and the Dean of Student Success.
The program may be completed in person or 100% at a distance.
International students from all countries are welcome in person or online.
In person classes are held at our campus in beautiful Encinitas California.
U.S. Based distance students must reside in one of the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, HI, ID, IL, IN, KY, ME, MI, MS, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA.
You can apply and be admitted to the program 4 times a year, at the start of each quarter.
We recommend beginning your application as soon as possible if you want to join the next start date.
Just click the button below for more information, or to begin the process…
Why CIHS?
- Fully accredited by WSCUC & non-profit serving students since 1992
- Unique, highly customizable degree programs
- Well known, proven leaders in the fields we specialize in
- World-class faculty and research programs
- Year round enrollment with frequent and convenient start dates
- Ability to complete your program in person, 100% online, or a hybrid between the two
- 10 week classes so you can start and finish faster
- Flexible class hours for working professionals
- Holistic & integral approaches
- Welcoming and inclusive environment
- Small class size with personalized attention
- Exceptional student support services
- Access to CIHS’s Science of Consciousness and Subtle Energy Research Laboratories, and one of the largest Faraday cages in the region.
- Extensive networking and career preparation opportunities
- Diverse faculty and industry professionals from a variety of fields
- Located in the beautiful beach city of Encinitas in northern San Diego, 95 miles south of Los Angeles
The most important benefit of attending CIHS does comes down to our focus on what we do.
We are the only fully accredited consciousness-based university in the U.S.
It’s what we’ve been exclusively focused on since our founding in 1992.
Since the beginning we’ve been a magnet for the top faculty, researchers, and students in the space.
If you want to advance the future of media technology, and have an outsized impact on the world with it, you go to the MIT Media Lab.
If you want to advance the understanding and applications of consciousness, and have an outsized impact on the world with it, you come to CIHS.
There truly is no other fully accredited institution dedicated to it like we are.
Faculty
DR. ARTHUR SUN
“CIHS is the best graduate school. I love the emphasis on scientific rigor and spirituality, and the integration of personal growth in each class. The professors are amazing and the administration is committed to the success and growth of each student. CIHS is an integral school that encourages multiple perspectives. If you want to grow not just academically but personally and spiritually, as well, come check out CIHS.”
CHRIS ORREY
“Receiving higher education from an institute such as CIHS was the most transformative journey of my life. Academic rigor paired with spiritual awakening, psychological healing, and professional development put me through the wringer. I had never felt more complete, whole, and connected to the higher truths that I had never known I already knew. At the same time, my entire worldview was shaken and flipped upside down. I have come to see life, existence, and the perception of the physical world in an entirely new way. I have come to understand, witness and meet the force of nature that underlies human consciousness, that is to the extent of my own pscyho-spiritual evolution.”
FRANCESCA PARETTA
“CIHS has provided me with opportunities to understand psychology in a grounded scientific way, simultaneously exploring life, healing, and consciousness. CIHS is an ideal setting for those who are motivated to contribute to the evolution and progression of academic engagement, experiential learning, and research, and an equally supportive environment for healing practitioners seeking to deepen their skills and add to their credentials, where a multitude of perspectives are accepted and integrated, from wisdom traditions, to clinical understandings, to transpersonal awareness and beyond.”
MICHAEL SCOTT
“CIHS has been an incredible experience so far, both academically and personally. I have found a “home” here where I can study consciousness and subtle energy in ways I couldn’t at previous graduate institutions. The students, faculty, and administration are amazing and have such diverse backgrounds and interests. I can’t wait to see how the school continues to evolve and grow!.”
LAUREN HICKEY
“I am so pleased with my recent PhD from CIHS. Nowhere else could I have achieved such a blended education of psychology, spirituality, and consciousness. The instructors were all well qualified and knowledgeable and assignments were reasonable. CIHS gave me the confidence I needed to expand my private practice. I also have now begun running international retreats. I feel well prepared to present myself as an expert in the field.”