Counseling Psychology (PsyD): FAQs

The practicum training offered at the department’s training clinic, Community Counseling Service (CCS) provides intensive, yet supportive training in psychotherapy. At CCS, students have the opportunity to observe faculty and peers conduct psychotherapy and receive immediate feedback on their work through live supervision. The CCS practicum emphasizes the application of brief, systemic, strengths-based approaches to psychotherapy, which are the theories emphasized in coursework. The program emphasizes multicultural competence including specialized training for students who are conversationally proficient in Spanish. Elective concentrations are available in Health Psychology, Psychological Services for Spanish Speaking Populations, and Child, Adolescent, and Family Therapy. Coursework in consultation and program evaluation provide students with marketable skills.

Yes, the doctoral program in Counseling Psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association. For information about APA accreditation status, contact the APA Commission on Accreditation, c/o Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 2002-4242, phone: 202-336-5979. Our Lady of the Lake University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Our Lady of the Lake University.

Yes, the program meets the academic requirements for licensure as a Psychologist in Texas and most other states.

The program emphasizes brief, systemic, strengths-based approaches to psychotherapy.

Students admitted with a master’s degree generally take four years to complete the coursework followed by one year of internship. Students must successfully defend their dissertation proposal prior to applying for internship and are strongly encouraged to finish their dissertation before leaving for internship.

No, the doctoral program in psychology is a full-time program. Students who need to work while in the program need to be sure that their employer will allow flexibility in scheduling.

Yes. Students are admitted to the PsyD program after obtaining a master's degree in psychology or a closely related discipline. Current master's students who apply for the doctoral program must have their master's degree conferred by the time they begin the program.

Yes, applicants to the PsyD program must take the GRE verbal and quantitative tests and the GRE Psychology Subject Test.

No, the PsyD program is part of the regular University program. For the most part, classes are held M-F during the fall, spring, and summer semesters.

Financial aid is limited. One full-tuition scholarship is offered each year to a student who has the potential to increase diversity in the field. The department offers several Graduate Assistant positions that pay the equivalent of 6 hours of tuition for working 12 hours per week. PsyD students may also be hired as part-time faculty members to teach undergraduate courses. Most PsyD students use student loans to finance a portion of the program.

Both written and oral qualifying exams are required for the PsyD program.

Yes. Students are required to complete a dissertation on a topic related to the practice of counseling psychology.

Students admitted with a master's degree are required to complete at least 1,000 direct service hours (up to 500 direct service practicum hours may be transferred with prior approval). They begin practicum in the spring semester of the first year at the Psychology Department's training clinic, the Community Counseling Service. Students may be placed in off-campus practica in the spring of their second year. Students are expected to engage in 12-20 hours of practica each semester for their second, third, and fourth years.

One year (1,900-2,000 hours) of pre-doctoral internship experience is required. The internship may be completed by working half time over two years. Students must complete their internships in programs that are either APA accredited or that meet the minimum requirements set forth by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists. Placement in predoctoral internships is a highly competitive process. Information about the internship application process can be found at the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers website. 

As licensed psychologists, our graduates work in a variety of mental health settings including community mental health centers, community agencies, university counseling centers, and medical and psychiatric hospitals.

Yes. OLLU offers an elective concentration in Psychological Services for Spanish Speaking Populations (PSSSP). In order to obtain this certificate, students take the following courses: Professional/Technical Spanish, Latino Psychology, Cultural and Language Variables in Interviews and Assessments with Latinos. In addition, students must take one of the following courses: Sociocultural Foundations of Counseling Latinos (taught in Mexico or other Spanish-speaking country) or Counseling Spanish Speaking Immigrants and Refugees. Students must complete a portion of their practica in Spanish language settings. Doctoral students completing this certificate must also supervise a Spanish-speaking team at the Community Counseling Service, the psychology department's training clinic.