Overview of Psy.D. Program
Program Chair: Barry F. Perlmutter, Ph.D.
Department Chair: Glenn Gamst, Ph.D.
Psy.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology: Clinical-Community Psy.D. programs train practitioners who are oriented toward understanding and working with a combination of individuals and their multiple environments. The Clinical-Community model focuses on the interaction of people with their families, institutions, and communities. Clinical-Community psychologists recognize the symbiotic impact people and their environments have on each other and the need to understand and work with both halves of this equation when designing programs and providing mental health services.
This model is best understood by thinking of clinical psychologists as providing intervention services, and community psychologists as focusing on prevention. Clinical psychologists primarily utilize a medical model of identifying and treating illnesses, while community psychologists take more of a public health perspective, seeking ways of intervening in systems to keep problems from developing, or to minimize their impact. Clinical psychologists thus operate more from a curative model, whereas community psychologists are more interested in prevention.
Students training to become clinical-community psychologists combine these perspectives. Training includes a wide range of courses and clinical practicum experiences, but with a continual focus on understanding personal and societal issues often at the root of mental health problems. A clinical psychologist would work with a depressed person, whereas a community psychologist would attempt to identify community needs and develop programs to minimize the incidence of depression. A clinical psychologist would work with a victim of domestic violence, whereas a community psychologist would seek to develop programs within the community to educate people, and to combat domestic violence. A clinical-community psychologist would evaluate the need for programs within a community, seek to develop meaningful opportunities, and then work clinically with patients, victims, their loved ones, and their communities.
Research and clinical training for clinical-community psychologists: The descriptions above of typical Ph.D. and Psy.D. programs for training clinical psychologists discussed the relative importance of research training for students in each program. Ph.D. graduates are often engaged in research in a large portion of their professional activities, whereas Psy.D. graduates are involved almost entirely in providing clinical services. The Psy.D. in clinical-community psychology offers a combination of these perspectives, with graduates being trained to evaluate (research) community needs, and to provide a wide range of clinical services once those needs are established.
The Psy.D. Clinical-Community Psychology Program at University of La Verne is relatively small, with 18-20 students expected to enter each fall. The program takes five years to complete, and includes 120 semester hours of study. Most 120-unit programs advertise a minimum of four years to completion, whereas our program is designed to be completed in five years. We believe that five years is realistic, and we expect the large majority of our students to graduate within 5 or 5 1/2 years of beginning the program. Our program operates on a cohort model, meaning that students entered the program take most of their courses with the same group of 18-20 students. The program emphasizes cooperation rather than competition between cohort members. Grades are awarded, and not everyone receives an 'A' in every class, but students are encouraged to work and to study with each other.
Further Information: The clinical-community program at University of La Verne welcomes inquiries and applications from interested potential students. Application forms are available for download on this website, or by mail from the program. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact the Program Chair, Dr. Barry Perlmutter, at bperlmutter@ulv.edu, or by phone at (909) 593-3511, ext. 4413. You can also click on the appropriate links within this website, and information and an application will be sent to you.