Counseling Psychology: Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D)
Program Overview
Credits: 73 credits with M.A. degree or 88 credits with B.A. degree
Program Length: 4-5 years Start Date: Fall semester
Instructional Method: Classes are delivered in person on campus, based on APA and NJ Board of Examiners guidelines, the core training domains.
Program Faculty
Daniel Mahoney, EdD
Professor of Psychology, Director of Graduate Counseling Psychology
Email: mahoneyd@felician.edu
Dr. Nouriman Ghahary, Ph.D., LPC
Associate Professor, Graduate Counseling Psychology; Director Clinical Training
Email: ghaharyn@felician.edu
Brendan Guarino, Psy.D.
Assistant Professor of Graduate Psychology
Email: guarinob@felician.edu
Maha Younes, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Graduate Psychology
Email: younesm@felician.edu
Administrative Assistant to the Graduate Psychology Programs
Francesca Gagliano
Email: gaglianof@felician.edu
The Doctor of Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.) Program prepares graduates to become entry-level health service psychologists, as well as license- eligible psychologists in the State of New Jersey. The training model of the Psy.D. Program follows the scholar/practitioner model. Your training will center on developing the skills needed to function as a psychologist and an independent practitioner. In addition, you will develop skills preparing you to be active consumers of the most current research.
Further, you will be able to integrate evidence-based treatments into your skill set as a practitioner.
The Program has been designed and aligned with the Standards of Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA). The Program plans to apply for “Accreditation, On Contingency” status in the 2019-2020 academic year.
Accreditation and Licensure
On April 11, 2021, our Psy.D. Program in Counseling Psychology was granted “accredited, on contingency” status by the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Psychological Association.
The American Psychological Association (APA) grants this accredited status to new programs such as ours which began in 2017. The expiration date of the contingent status is April 11, 2026.
Questions related to the Program’s accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
• Office of the Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979
E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
Additionally, the program is designed to meet the educational requirements for licensure by the New Jersey State Board of Psychological Examiners and will allow graduates to apply for licensure as practicing psychologists in New Jersey.
Mission Statement
The Doctor of Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.) prepares graduate students in the practitioner- scholar model to provide psychological services to diverse communities. The doctoral training integrates the University’s commitment to Franciscan identity, which includes the 9 core values: respect for human dignity, compassion, transformation, solidarity with the poor, justice and peace, reverence, diversity, service and joy. Our mission is to develop new doctoral level trained psychologists who can contribute to the expansion of the practice of psychology and develop professionally relevant knowledge and skills to work effectively with issues of diversity.
Statement on Diversity
Counseling psychology training programs respect and value issues of diversity consistent with American Psychological Association’s (APA) Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct (2002) and the Standards of Accreditation (APA, 2015). The Felician University Counseling Psychology doctoral training program emphasizes the importance of multicultural psychology, the promotion of diversity, and fosters inclusiveness within the society at large. Our program exists within multicultural communities that contain individuals of diverse racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds, national origins, religious, spiritual and political beliefs, physical abilities, ages, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations and physical appearance (CCPTP, 2006). Our community is committed to educating each other on the existence and effects of stereotypes, microaggressions, prejudice and discrimination.
Program Aims and Competencies
The competencies of the Doctor of Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.) Program are developed within the larger context of professional psychology, Standards of Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA), and the vision and mission of Felician University. The educational philosophy of the Psy.D. Program at Felician includes an appreciation for the value and uniqueness of the individual, a belief in the potential for each human being to flourish and achieve integrity and happiness, and an acknowledgment of the strengths of each individual as it relates to treating mental health diagnoses.
The principal aim of the Felician Psy.D. Program is to prepare entry-level health service psychologists. The Profession Wide Competencies (PWCs) of the Psy.D. Program are as follows:
1. To produce graduates who have obtained the necessary skills and abilities needed for providing professional psychological and counseling services.
• Competency 1a: Students will develop proficiency as science informed practitioners in assessments and interventions informed by evidence-based research.
• Competency 1b: Students will be able to assess client outcome data to increase the efficacy of interventions; effectively communicate and interact professionally with clients and peers; understand their limitations as practitioners and seek supervision and consultation to maintain and develop proficiency as an entry-level psychologist.
• Competency 1c: Students will acquire and apply knowledge and skills related to legal, professional, and ethical standards in all professional activities.
2. To develop scholars with the ability to critically analyze scientific research and to conduct psychological research.
• Competency 2a: Students will be able to evaluate and conduct research to contribute to the body of knowledge in health service psychology.
3. To develop entry-level health service providers with knowledge of the fundamental theories and scientific foundations of psychology.
• Competency 3a: Students will acquire and apply knowledge of affective, cognitive, developmental, biological, and social bases of behavior in the ethical practice of health service psychology.
4. To develop graduates who have an appreciation and commitment to lifelong learning and maintaining the best practices of their psychological practice.
• Competency 4a: Students will be consumers of current research and empirical data to inform their professional practice as health service psychologists.
• Competency 4b: Students will maintain continuing education credits to build skills and integrate research and evidence- based treatments into their delivery of psychological services.
5. To develop psychologists who have a commitment to integrate and be informed by social justice concerns, cultural diversity, and uniqueness of each individual and group that they serve.
• Competency 5a: Students will recognize their own attitudes and biases and demonstrate knowledge, awareness, sensitivity, and skills when working with diverse clients including, but not limited to, age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, national origin, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.
• Competency 5b: Students will develop knowledge, awareness, and skills in providing multiculturally sensitive and ethically-sound supervision and consultation.
• Competency 5c: Students will demonstrate an ongoing concern for social justice that can be evidenced by their professional activities.
Training Model
The Program operates from a reflective practitioner- scholar model in preparing graduates who will manifest the highest standards of excellence in academic and clinical settings. Central to this model is the belief that academic scholarship and research are inseparable from professional practice.
Therefore, we provide extensive coursework as well as a broad range of learning opportunities in many areas relevant to the practice of health service psychology. Students follow a developmentally sequenced set of courses that are increasingly complex in content and skill requirements. The Program is also sensitive and responsive to the experiences of entering students and their diverse professional goals, allowing flexibility in tailoring the Program to meet their unique training needs.
Throughout the Program, we emphasize an integration of scientific psychology and professional practice through attention to didactic and experiential learning, synthesizing skill acquisition with efficient use of self, and clarifying personal and professional identities.
To maximize the effectiveness of this integration, the connection of the scientific knowledge base of psychology and professional practice is examined throughout the training. This reflective stance implies the following assumptions:
1. Learning is an ongoing process and, as a result, the student has the responsibility to remain cognizant of issues and trends within the profession;
2. Learning occurs in a rich context that requires a consideration of individual differences and systemic factors; and
3. Professional development is ongoing and often inseparable from personal growth.
Practicum
All students will complete three years of practica experience. Practicum is a crucial component of the curriculum, and successful completion of the practicum is a pre-requisite to applying for the doctoral internship. Current students have secured placements in hospitals, college counseling centers, mental health centers, and out-patient clinics.
Internships
Students are required to complete either a one-year full time or two-year half time doctoral internship placement.
Requirements for Application Review
• Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts.
• Resume.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Personal statement.
• Research/clinical interest statement.
• Statement on diversity.
• Interview with faculty, students and group (after application is completed).
Application Time Frame
1. Priority deadline for applications December 1.
2. Faculty decision in February.
3. Classes start late August.
4. Felician does not guarantee review or consideration for admission if your application is received after April 1.
Degree Requirements
The Doctorate in Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.) consists of 88 credits, of which 15 credits are completed by students through required courses in a Master's program and transferred into the Psy.D. Program and is aligned with the NJ Board of Psychological Examiners requirements to be licensed as a psychologist. Students requesting course transfer with a graduate degree in Counseling Psychology or related field, will have their transcript reviewed to determine which courses best meet the program course requirements. Based on APA guidelines and the NJ Board of Psychological Examiners, the core training domains are:
The breadth of scientific psychology including:
• Biological Aspects of Behavior
• Cognitive Aspects of Behavior
• Affective Aspects of Behavior
• Social Aspects of Behavior
• History and Systems
• Psychological Measurement
• Research Methodology
• Techniques of Data Analysis
Foundations of practice in the program's substantive area including:
• Individual Differences
• Human Development
• Dysfunctional Behavior/Psychopathology
• Professional Standards and Ethics
• Diagnosing or defining problems through assessment and implementing intervention strategies (including empirically supported procedures), including
• exposure to the current body of knowledge in at least the following areas:
• Theories and Methods of Assessment and Diagnosis
• Effective Intervention
• Consultation and Supervision
• Evaluating the Efficacy of Interventions
• Issues of cultural and individual diversity relevant to all of the above.
• Attitudes essential for lifelong learning, scholarly inquiry, and professional problem- solving in the context of an evolving body of scientific and professional knowledge.
Graduation and Retention Policies
See Academic Policies and Procedures within this Felician University Graduate Catalog and the Doctorate in Counseling Psychology Student Handbook.
Program length: 60 months
Program Requirements
PsyD in Counseling:
For Students Admitted with a bachelor’s degree but no Master’s, complete the following courses then progress to the rest of the courses:
Bachelor's Degree Only Admits:
| PSYC-510 | Techniques of Counseling and Appraisal | 3 |
| PSYC-530 | Marital & Family Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC-591 | Child and Adolescent Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC-597 | Multicultural Counseling | 3 |
| PSYC-599 | Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
PsyD Requirements: