ucla clinical psychology phd program

UCLA College has nation’s top graduate program in clinical psychology, according to U.S. News and World Report

This story was adapted from its original version.

In its annual ranking of the top graduate schools, U.S News and World Report has listed 12 UCLA College and graduate programs among the top 20 in the country. Among them is the College’s clinical psychology program, which was named No. 1. Another 11 College graduate schools and programs are listed among the top 20, demonstrating the quality, reputation and breadth of graduate-level education at the UCLA College.

The U.S. News graduate program rankings are based on experts’ opinions about program excellence and on statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. The data for the rankings come from statistical surveys of more than 2,000 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 20,500 academics and professionals, conducted in fall 2017 and early 2018.

The full list of programs include:

Clinical psychology  (No. 1) Psychology  (No. 3, tied) English  (No. 6, tied) Math  (No. 7, tied) Sociology  (No. 8, tied) History  (No. 9, tied) Economics  (No. 12, tied) Political science  (No. 12, tied) Earth sciences  (No. 13, tied) Chemistry  (No. 15, tied) Physics  (No. 17, tied) ​ Biological sciences  (No. 18, tied)

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Areas of Study

Area emphases include Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Health, Quantitative, and Social Psychology.

The department offers graduate Ph.D. training (there is no separate M.A. program) with area emphases in Behavioral Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive, Developmental, Health, Quantitative, and Social Psychology. The central objective in all these fields is to train researchers dedicated to increasing the body of scientific knowledge upon which the discipline of psychology rests. The program is designed to prepare psychologists to function effectively as researchers, college and university instructors, and professional research psychologists.

• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience  *
• Cognitive Psychology
• Computational Cognition  **
• Developmental Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Learning & Behavior  ***
• Quantitative Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Social and Affective Neuroscience  ****

* Open to students accepted into the Behavioral Neuroscience or Cognitive Areas. ** Open to students accepted into the Cognitive Area. *** Open to students accepted into the Behavioral Neuroscience Area. **** Open to students accepted into the Developmental or Social Areas.  

For a listing of the minors that are offered, please refer to the  Minor Area Course Requirements  in the current  Handbook .

Individualized Minors: Students may  petition  for individualized minors.

Centers & Programs

For a listing of Centers and Programs within the Department of Psychology, please refer to the  Centers and Programs  web page.

The TRUST Lab

Treatment and research for the underserved with stress and trauma.

2021 Information Sessions

The TRUST Lab recently hosted two information sessions for prospective students interested in the UCLA Clinical Psychology graduate program.

Dr. Lauren Ng, Director of the TRUST Lab, hosted an information session for prospective PhD students interested in the UCLA Clinical Psychology graduate program. Topics included common questions in applying, determining program and mentor fit with research, interviewing, and attendee submitted questions. Unfortunately she is unable to reply to individual emails or have individual phone or zoom calls with prospective students, and there is no need to email Dr. Ng to introduce yourself or send her your CV. Slides from the session and the video recording of the Information Session is linked below.

Information Session Slides Link

TRUST Lab Graduate Student Panel for Prospective PhD Students 2021

Current TRUST Lab PhD Students held a Graduate Student panel for prospective students interested in the UCLA Clinical Psychology graduate program hosted by TRUST Lab Postdoctoral Scholar Dr. Caroline Shanholtz. Topics include common questions in applying to graduate school, determining program and mentor fit with research, student experiences interviewing, graduate student life, mentoring style, current research projects, and attendee submitted questions.

Doctoral Internship

APA Accreditation

The UCLA-CAPS doctoral internship in health service psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association. Inquiries regarding the accreditation of our internship training program may be directed to:

APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation 750 First Street, NE • Washington, DC • 20002-4242 Phone: 202-336-5979

The Office of Accreditation’s web address may be accessed here: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation. You may also email the Accreditation Office at [email protected] .

The APA-accredited doctoral internship program in psychology at UCLA's Counseling and Psychological Services invites applications for the 2024-2025 training year.

The deadline for applications is: November 3, 2023

Interviewees will be notified on: December 15, 2023

Interviews will be conducted by video on: January 10 - 12, 2024

The training year duration is: August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025

We welcome and encourage applications from diverse individuals. Our program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. For further information regarding APA accreditation, you may contact the APA Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation by phone at (202) 336-5979 or (202) 336-6123 TDD or at the following website: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation . You may also email the Accreditation Office at [email protected] . We are a member of APPIC, participate in the APPIC Match (Program Code 113511) and adhere to all APPIC Match policies regarding selection and notification.

Application Qualifications & Procedures

Qualifications.

By the start of internship, applicants must be advanced doctoral students who meet all of the following requirements:

Current enrollment in an American Psychological Association-or Canadian Psychological Association-accredited doctoral program in clinical or counseling psychology

• Successful completion of all required coursework and practica prior to start of internship
• Successful completion of doctoral comprehensive exams
• Completion of a minimum of 1000 supervised hours of practicum experience, of which 500 hours are face-to-face intervention hours, by application deadline.
• Verification by the director of training of readiness for internship
• Clearly identified experience conducting intakes, providing crisis assessment and intervention, and providing empirically supported brief therapy
• Three letters of recommendation, at least two from supervisors familiar with recent clinical work. one letter must be authored by a current supervisor.

The deadline for applications is November 3, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

To apply for our Doctoral Internship, applicants should apply via the AAPI Online site . From the APPIC homepage, click on "AAPI Online." Your online application must include the following:

• A completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI) form. The AAPI may be downloaded from http://www.appic.org .
• Submission of cover letter describing qualifications and professional experience compatible with training at UCLA CAPS. Applicants are asked to clearly identify experience conducting intakes, providing crisis assessment and intervention, conducting brief empirically-supported therapy, and to elaborate on training goals specific to CAPS.
• Current curriculum vita
• Official transcripts of all graduate work
• Three letters of recommendation, at least two from supervisors familiar with recent clinical work. One letter must be authored by a current supervisor.

Final acceptance to the UCLA-CAPS doctoral internship training program is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation (i.e. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice fingerprint scans) and credentialing process prior to the commencement of the internship.

UCLA-CAPS adheres to all APPIC internship selection policies. In keeping with these policies, CAPS does not solicit, accept or use ranking-related information from any intern applicant.

Please refer to the APPIC website for the most recent copy of Internship Offers and Acceptances.

For correspondence and inquiries, please email [email protected]

Philosophy of Training

The CAPS training program adheres to a Scholar-Practitioner model. Focusing on the clinical application of scientific findings, a broad array of supervised clinical, outreach and prevention experiences and formal and informal didactic settings promote the acquisition of practice skills and the development of critical thinking.

We regard our doctoral interns as professionals in training, and accordingly the training program is developmental in its focus. We believe that professional development and competency as a newly-practicing psychologist results from cumulative and developmental immersion in broad clinical experience rooted in empirical evidence and supported by skilled professionals serving as supervisors, teachers, and role models. Recognizing that interns begin their internship year at varying developmental levels, an assessment is made of their training needs at the start of the year and expectations are individually tailored. After a year of close supervision, we expect each intern to have developed an increased level of clinical competence and autonomy, heightened professional identity and ethical awareness, and an enhanced understanding of self in preparation for independent functioning as a clinical psychologist.

We train our interns to be generalists, with particular expertise in working with a college population. Over the course of the year, interns provide individual, couple and group psychotherapy, emergency assessment and response, crisis intervention, psychological assessment, and outreach/prevention and consultation to the university community. Interns are encouraged to develop specific expertise with special populations and these interests are taken into account when making assignments; however, such interests are considered as secondary to generalist training.

An appreciation of human diversity is a cornerstone of our training program. Honoring these values, the training program seeks to recruit a range of candidates, including those from diverse backgrounds and with diverse interests. Our highly diverse clinical staff trains interns in the competent provision of services to UCLA's pluralistic student body. The diversity of our staff and our clientele provides interns with an unusual opportunity to gain specific clinical experience and expertise with a broad spectrum of individually and culturally diverse clients across a full range of health and psychopathology. A variety of training experiences complement these clinical experiences, and lead to the acquisition and development of knowledge, awareness and skills related to multiculturally-competent case conceptualization and care.

Over the course of the year, interns are expected to refine their sensitivity and competence in service delivery to students of varied racial, cultural, religious, gender, sexual orientation, physical and age groups. Professional diversity is also valued, as our staff consists of psychologists, clinical social workers and psychiatrists, and trainees from psychology, social work, and psychiatry residency programs.

Intensive supervision is a distinguishing feature of CAPS internship training and encompasses a variety of theoretical frameworks. Interns are frequently asked to reflect on personal issues potentially affecting their professional functioning as therapists, trainers, consultants and colleagues. While we strive to respect interns' privacy rights, the disclosure of personal information pertinent to interns' professional roles in the context of their supervision is routine and expected.

Finally, our training program operates in a context of ongoing reciprocal evaluation and feedback. Such periodic evaluation ensures that interns, as well as supervisory staff, are progressing in their individual and professional development goals.

Goals of the Training Program

The CAPS training program prepares psychology doctoral interns to function as multiculturally-competent and ethical professionals with specific expertise in addressing diverse college or university populations and a clear sense of their early professional identities.

Consistent with this aim, the internship has the following three objectives:

• Facilitation of interns' clinical competence across the full range of professional services for a diverse undergraduate and graduate student clientele
• Promoting interns' ethical behavior and sensitivity to ethical and legal issues
• Fostering interns' professional identity development as psychologists

These objectives are articulated in the program’s focus on the following competencies: research; ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity; professional values, attitudes and behaviors; communication and interpersonal skills; assessment; intervention; supervision; consultation; and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills.

The full-time, twelve-month Doctoral Internship in Psychology provides trainees with the opportunity to receive an intensively supervised experience in delivering a range of multiculturally-aware and competent mental health services to a large public university student body and in providing prevention, outreach and consultation to the campus community. Interns receive training in brief and intermittent individual therapy, group and couple therapy, emergency response, crisis intervention, psychological assessment and diagnosis, consultation, prevention and outreach, and ethical and legal regulations and practices. Training occurs experientially via clinical work, case consultation, and outreach to the campus community, and in a variety of formal and informal didactic settings.

CAPS provides interns with the opportunity to interact with colleagues in other disciplines without the artificial hierarchical constraints present in many other clinical settings. Observing and functioning within the CAPS community of psychologists, clinical social workers and psychiatrists is an invaluable experience in the development of interns' professional identity, integrity and independence. Routine interdisciplinary interaction is present throughout the department via clinical collaboration, case conferences, committees, staff development activities and training activities.

Description of Training Activities

Individual therapy.

Interns provide up to 16-19 service hours per week. CAPS provides empirically supported treatments within a brief treatment setting.

Group Therapy

UCLA-CAPS features one of the largest and most highly-utilized counseling center group programs in the nation. Opportunities include general psychotherapy groups, interpersonal process groups, empirically supported group treatments for a variety of mood and anxiety difficulties, groups for building and enhancing skills in emotional regulation (based on DBT), and several theme-oriented groups targeted to specific populations including eating disorders, bereavement, women, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-students, and writers of theses and dissertations. Our three- to five-session Wellness Skills Groups are structured interventions focusing on various stress management techniques and topics, including cognitive-behavioral approaches, biofeedback, procrastination and test-anxiety.

Interns co-lead therapy groups with licensed staff members, and may have the opportunity to create a group.

Triage Assessment, Emergency and Crisis Evaluation and Intervention

All interns participate in a rotation on the triage assessment team, in which they conduct triage assessments for incoming CAPS clients. As they gain familiarity with CAPS and University and community resources, interns join the staff Urgent Coverage rotation, responding to students presenting with urgent or emergency concerns.

Campus Prevention and Outreach

Serving as consultants, trainers and educators, the CAPS staff participates in many efforts to enhance the quality of student life, and offers services not only in our offices but throughout the campus. Members of the staff lead discussions and make presentations to such groups as residence hall advisors, peer counselors, faculty and academic support service staff. Interns are expected to participate in the department's ongoing projects and encouraged to initiate, design and implement others in which they have particular interest.

Supervision

Interns receive two hours weekly of one-to-one supervision and participate in a weekly two-hour supervision group. All supervision is provided by licensed staff members. Additional supervision is provided weekly for prevention/outreach activities, group psychotherapy and psychological assessment.

Supervision of Graduate Students in Clinical Psychology

All doctoral interns participate in a rotation in which they provide weekly supervision to UCLA Ph.D. students in Clinical Psychology, and are supervised on their supervision within a group format. Supervision sessions are videotaped and reviewed to enhance foundational learning of supervision practices.

Training Seminars

Interns attend a full time, 3 week Summer Orientation Seminar , led by various staff members and local mental health professionals. These seminars orient new interns to services at UCLA-CAPS, clinical procedures, and the campus community and focus on training Interns in the variety of activities they will engage in during the year. These include specialized treatment topics, risk assessment, legal and ethical requirements, emergency management and consultation, CAPS policies and procedures, and designing workshops.

The weekly Training Seminar addresses an array of clinical and professional issues, such as clinical proficiency in the treatment of ethnic minorities, specialized interventions and treatment topics, sport psychology, eating disorders, and mental health law and ethics.

The CBT and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Models seminars are conducted in the summer. Each of these two seminars provides roughly 12 hours of in-depth instruction in CBT and Dynamic theories and interventions including traditional CBT and third wave interventions such as mindfulness, ACT, and DBT, and psychodynamic and contemporary analytic psychotherapy. Additional brief seminars provide instruction in empirically-supported group treatments for anxiety and depression.

Multicultural Seminar. The seminar meetings are held weekly for 4-6 sessions during the summer, with a focus on setting the context, bolstering awareness of group members' identities and opportunities for participation, and collaborating on the syllabus schedule for the year. The seminar meets biweekly through the training year. It uses both a didactic and case consultation format, where topics/themes will be selected via consensus and cases will be presented based on the topics/themes, with a focus on understanding the ways in which culture, power, privilege, oppression, and intersectionality impact our clinical work.

Assessment Seminar . During the internship year, Interns conduct ADHD assessments. The weekly ADHD Psychological Assessment Seminar provides an overview of testing instruments and methods typically applied in these assessments. Interns receive group supervision of assessment cases throughout the year within this weekly seminar.

Staff Meetings and Staff Development. Interns attend bi-monthly staff meetings. Additional meetings are devoted to in-service training for the entire staff.

The stipend for a full-time twelve month appointment is $40,500. Benefits include generous vacation, sick leave, medical coverage and up to 80 professional development hours.

Licensure Hours

The doctoral internship in health service psychology at UCLA-CAPS is a full time (40 hours per week), 12-month internship, from August 1 to July 31 of a given year. Interns utilizing their full vacation and holiday leave and all sick time will have completed 1,768 hours. Successful completion of the internship requires a minimum of 1,768 hours.

UCLA CAPS Training Program Manual

CAPS Training Program Manual

Trainings and Seminar Schedule

Requirements for Satisfactory Progress and Program Completion

To progress satisfactorily, on the mid-year evaluation interns or fellows must receive 90% of scores at or above the level of "consistently demonstrated competency" (score of "3" or greater). Additional training competencies may be specifically identified by the Training Director and the Training Committee for development. A score of "1" on any competency will be a focus of the mid-year evaluation meeting with each intern or fellow and his/her/their supervisors and Training Director, and result in the implementation of a remediation plan developed collaboratively with the intern or fellow, the primary supervisor, and the Training Director.

Successful completion of the internship or fellowship requires a 100% rating of scores at or above the level of "Meets Competency Expectations" (score of "3" or greater) on the end-of-the-year evaluation. In addition to the above, to successfully complete the doctoral internship, interns must complete their 12 month full-year training totaling at least 1768 hours .

Internship Admissions, Support & Initial Placement Data

Internship program tables.

Date Program Tables are updated: 9/1/2023

Program Disclosures

Does the program or institution require students, trainees, and/or staff (faculty) to comply with specific policies or practices related to the institution's affiliation or purpose? Such policies or practices may include, but are not limited to, admissions, hiring, retention policies, and/or requirements for completion that express mission and values. No

Internship Program Admission

Data Program Tables are updated: Yearly

Briefly describe in narrative form important information to assist potential applicants in assessing their likely fit with your program. This description must be consistent with the program's policies on intern selection and practicum and academic preparation requirements.

A number of sources of information are used to assess candidates for the internship, including the written application, letters of recommendation, and a statement of professional goals. Video and in-person interviews are also a part of the application process, and are scheduled by invitation. Approximately one-quarter of applicants are invited to participate in the interview process. We welcome and encourage applications from diverse individuals. Selections are made without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, age, ability, sexual/affectional orientation, or veteran status. At the beginning employment for the internship year, the interns who match with the UCLA CAPS internship must successfully complete a criminal background check, in accordance with UCLA University policy.

Does the program require that applicants have received a minimum number of hours of the following at time of application? If Yes, indicate how many:

Total Direct Contact Intervention Hours Yes Amount: 500

Total Direct Contact Assessment Hours Yes Amount: 40

Describe any other required minimum criteria used to screen applicants:

Applicants for the internship must be doctoral candidates from American Psychological Association-Accredited or Canadian Psychological Association Accredited Clinical Psychology or Counseling Psychology graduate programs. By the start of internship, applicants must be advanced doctoral students who meet all of the following requirements:

Final acceptance to the UCLA-CAPS doctoral internship training program is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background investigation (i.e. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice fingerprint scans) at the commencement of the internship.

Financial and Other Benefit Support for Upcoming Training Year (2024-2025)

Initial post-internship positions (2019-22) (provide an aggregated tally for the preceding 3 cohorts), quick links.

• Treatment Services at CAPS
• Concerned about a Bruin
• Resources regarding COVID-19

John Wooden Center West 221 Westwood Plaza Box 951556 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1556

Phone: (310) 825-0768 After-hours crisis counseling available by phone

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General Catalog

Clinical psychology laboratory.

Program Profile Report: Psychology

Graduate Program

Health psychology major:.

Information on the department applications  (PDF)

In 2007 we established a health psychology major within our Psychology department. The program has 7 core faculty members (see faculty page) and a larger group of affiliated faculty. This program accepted its first students in 2007-2008. Although most of the program components have been in existence for many years as part of the psychology core program that all majors take, or as part of the popular health psychology minor that many have completed since 1983.

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (PDF)

Health Psychology Minor:

The HP minor has been in existence for more than 25 years and is a popular minor in the department. It will continue to be offered as a minor to those in other majors in the department.

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY MINOR REQUIREMENTS (PDF)