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Our program is designed to train students
to practice in a highly professional manner that is informed
by the science of clinical psychology. Students are trained
to apply analytic, problem-solving skills of scientific
thinking to their clinical practice. Although the faculty
represents a variety of clinical orientations, an emerging
emphasis in empirically supported treatments is present
throughout the curriculum. This means that students are
trained to utilize intervention techniques, which have
empirical support for their effectiveness.
Consistent with the rich and influential
account of the Psy.D. training model advanced by the National
Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology
(NCSPP), the goal of the DPCP is to produce 'local clinical
scientists.' In their influential text, The Scientific
Practice of Professional Psychology , Trierweiler
and Stricker (1998) explain that professional psychologists
are:
"critical investigators of local (as
opposed to universal) realities who are knowledgeable of
research, scholarship, personal experience and scientific
methodology. They also are able to develop plausible, communicable
formulations for understanding essentially local phenomena
using theory, general world knowledge including scientific
research, and, most importantly, their own abilities as
skeptical scientific observers." (pg. 6).
It is important for students to recognize
that the adoption of a Psy.D. rather than a Ph.D. training
model at Regent does not mean a devaluing of the scientific
identity characteristic of professional psychology. Instead,
the goal is to develop those research, critical thinking,
conceptualization, problem-solving and other scientific
skills that are particularly pertinent to clinical practice.
DPCP graduates are to be 'field scientists' whose practice
is grounded in scientific psychology and whose approaches
to practice reflect scientific attitudes.
In contrast to pure practitioner
programs, the Regent program is committed to training
local clinical scientists who are "practitioner-scholars." As
an institution, Regent University is committed to training
professionals who are prepared to develop as leaders
in their professional contexts. Consequently, our program
is designed to produce students who are well equipped
to emerge as leaders in health, mental health and other
practice settings. This is accomplished through a carefully
planned sequence of course work, clinical practica, and
adjunctive training experiences. Students are also afforded
other opportunities, such as participation on faculty
research teams and exposure to a range of preeminent
scholars through the program's colloquium series. All
of these program components are designed to cultivate
a life-long commitment to ongoing learning and professional
scholarship, which is particularly relevant to practice
and professional service.
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