Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program Overview

Program Characteristics:

The Indiana University doctoral program in counseling psychology is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. (see APA website or call 202. 336.5979). The program encompasses a variety of theoretical positions, research foci, and intervention strategies, as does the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology in which the program is located. No single approach to the field is either prescribed or encouraged; rather, familiarity with the entire scope of the specialty is required.

Program Philosophy:

The Counseling Psychology Program at Indiana University ascribes to a scientist-practitioner model to doctoral education and training, whereby emphasis is on the development of the professional psychologist in both science (i.e., inquiry and critical thinking) and practice.

" Our implementation of the Scientist-Practitioner model is made evident to our adherence to the counseling psychology tradition that stresses optimal functioning and development of individuals, groups, and families with attention to the context in which people interact.  These contexts include: educational, vocational, community, and societal milieus."

• Creating a climate that promotes open discourse on multicultural issues among faculty and students.
• Promoting students’ and faculty’s continuous self-examination of all forms of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional, as well as encouraging reflection on how cultural values, assumptions, and biases influence their professional work and relationships with other students and faculty.
• Actively recruiting and retaining students and faculty from diverse backgrounds.
• Incorporating multicultural competence as a core program training goal and as an important criterion for evaluating students and faculty.
• Infusing multicultural issues in all aspects of students’ curriculum and training (e.g., courses, counseling, supervision, and research).

We acknowledge the aspirational nature of this statement and commit to identifying and implementing, on a regular basis, specific measures to fulfill the objectives stated herein.

Counseling psychology is concerned with understanding human behavior relative to context (e.g., family, school, work, community) and as informed by the human life cycle. Counseling psychology is an applied speciality and therefore, is concerned with implementing a broad range of interventions designed to facilitate optimal change in people and in the contexts in which they live and work. Populations served by counseling psychologists include individuals who wish to derive maximum benefit from their personal, educational, and vocational pursuits and experiences, achieve greater levels of adaptation in their daily lives or during times of trauma, and improve their relationships with others. In applying psychological knowledge to problems of human development and adjustment, counseling psychologists work in a number of different settings: research, educational, industrial, military/governmental, medical, and mental health.

Counseling psychologists focus primarily on "normal" populations and assume many roles as practitioners. The remedial or rehabilitative role involves helping people who experience distress or trauma in their lives. But in keeping with their traditional focus on mental health versus mental illness, counseling psychologists concern themselves chiefly "with locating and developing personal and social resources and adaptive tendencies so that the individual can be assisted in making more effective use of them" (Thompson & Super, 1964). The preventative role involves a commitment to establishing, maintaining, and improving social conditions that can enhance the quality of human lives. In this role, the counseling psychologist is involved in consultation, advocacy, and/or outreach. This role involves helping persons anticipate, circumvent, and if possible, forestall difficulties that might arise in the future. Thus, counseling psychologists, in their research, teaching, and practice are as much concerned with facilitating normal and optimum development as they are with remedying faulty outcomes; as interested in identifying and cultivating assets and potentials as they are in correcting and overcoming personal and/or environmental deficits. Consistent with this emphasis, counseling psychologists share a common value toward pluralism and social justice.

We urge applicants to investigate the field of counseling psychology prior to making application to this program. Useful questions might include: How is counseling psychology similar to and different from clinical, personnel or educational psychology? How is a Ph.D. in counseling psychology different than a Psy.D. in professional psychology? What functions do persons with the doctorate in counseling psychology typically perform? What academic and theoretical issues are of special interest to counseling psychologists? What is known of the history, current status, and probable future of the field?

The Students:

The Faculty:

Faculty members with primary responsibility for the program in counseling psychology and their major areas of professional interest are listed below:

IUPUI Faculty

D. Keith Morran, Ph.D. - Indiana University
Group counseling and leadership, research on group processes and outcomes exchange of interpersonal feedback in counseling groups, counselor supervision training and research on the application of cognitive- behavioral principles of counselor training

Floyd Robison, Ph.D. - Indiana University
Group counseling, gerontological counseling, family counseling, psychological and social functioning of elderly persons, and the effects of certain procedures on theaputic progress.

Chalmer Thompson, Ph.D. - University of Maryland
Psychology of oppression; ecological applications of racial identity theory to practice, therapeutic change processes related to the resolution of racism/oppression, and moral psychology.

Emeriti Faculty

Thomas C. Froehle, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
Ohio State University
Theories of counseling, counseling ethics and the moral character of psychotherapy, at-risk youth and substance abuse prevention, and the use of technology in counselor training

Robert L. Gibson, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus
Teachers College, Columbia University
Organization and development of counseling programs

DeWayne J. Kurpius, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus
University of North Dakota
Consultation, counseling theory and practice, counselor trainee cognitive mediation, strategic planning theory and research, counseling in business and industry, supervision research and practice

Marianne H. Mitchell, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus
University of Toledo
Group counseling, counselor training, adolescent sexuality, program development, and international studies

In addition to the above faculty members, the program is enriched by members of other programs and departments at Indiana University. They teach, serve on advisory committees and help supervise the research of our students. This advisory group includes faculty from our APA-accredited doctoral program in school psychology, professionals from Counseling and Psychological Services and Adjunct Professors.

Advisory Faculty:

Jack A. Cummings, Ph.D. - University of Georgia
Psychoeducational assessment, applied behavioral analysis

Thomas J. Huberty, Ph.D. - University of Missouri-Columbia
Personality assessment and emotional development

Adjunct Faculty:

Ronald Bebee, Ph.D., University of Indianapolis

Julia Byers, Ph.D., Indiana University

Lisa Hornibrook, Ph.D., Indiana University

Richard Reed, Ed.D., Indiana University

Paul L. Toth, Ph.D., Indiana University

Admissions:

Our admissions procedures are designed to insure a maximum fit between candidates' goals and professional interests and the aims of this particular program. The admission materials which applicants are asked to submit include a completed graduate school application form, one copy of the official transcript(s) from all previous undergraduate and graduate work, an official report of the applicant's Graduate Record Examination, three letters of recommendation from previous instructors, supervisors, or employees, and a statement of the applicant's personal career objectives and work experiences. All materials must be submitted by December 1, and decisions regarding admission are made by March 1. In addition to the written application, the department arranges personal interviews with the most highly qualified applicants.

Successful applicants to our program have outstanding undergraduate and graduate records, GRE composite (Verbal and Quantitative) scores of 1100 or better (with some special exceptions) and have a potential for and interest in research and practice. The program seeks students who possess a personal maturity and strong interpersonal skills, an unusual curiosity about their own and others' functioning, and whose personal and professional goals most clearly coincide with the aims and interests of the program and its faculty. For example, this program seeks individuals whose career objectives include research, teaching, and direct service using intervention modalities that are in keeping with the unique professional identity of the counseling psychologist, (e.g., the assessment of individuals' interests and aptitudes, educational and occupational decisions, maximal functioning in the work setting, marital enhancement, and workshops devoted to such matters as increasing communication skills, the selection of avocational pursuits, and adjustment issues at various stages throughout the life cycle). While an undergraduate major in psychology is desirable, it is not a requirement for admission.

• School of Education Admissions.
• Program Cost

Transfer Credits:

Up to thirty credits of graduate work completed within the last seven years can be transferred toward the doctorate in this program. For the transfer of credit to be considered, a student must have received a grade of B or better in the particular course, and the course must be equivalent in subject matter, scope, depth, and level to a particular course offered in this program. Only those courses that contribute directly, significantly, and substantially to the sound preparation of a counseling psychologist can be considered. All course work for the degree must have been taken within seven years of admission to candidacy. An exception to the rule of recency is evidence that skills or knowledge obtained originally have been refined or updated through more advanced course work in the area or through the student's on-the-job training and/or attendance at appropriate workshops or seminars.

The applicability of previously earned graduate credits to this program is determined by the student's doctoral program advisory committee whose written signatures, as well as that of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, are required before any credit can be added to a student's official record. Even those entering this program with a master's degree in the field of counseling (or one closely related to it) must determine whether those courses which are the foundation of this program have been completed satisfactorily.

Advisement:

Upon matriculation, students are assigned an advisor based on their declared or tentative area of concentration, personal preferences, and faculty load. Students typically meet with their advisor each semester to discuss their progress and make decisions about course selection. In consultation with the advisor, the student selects an advisory committee. The committee oversees the student's progress toward the degree up to admission to candidacy. Students are free to work with any faculty (contingent of faculty availability) and it is possible to change advisors as research interests develop. Ad advising resource checklist is available to serve as a guide for the advising meetings of students and faculty. (See: Advising Resource Checklist)

Internship:

Doctoral students spend their third, fourth, or fifth year in the program at a pre-doctoral internship site where they are expected to gain preliminary professional experience under close supervision with increasing responsibility. The internship may be served in a college counseling center, hospital, industrial setting, social service agency, or a combination of these. Following the successful completion of the major portion of their course work and of their qualifying examinations and upon the recommendation of the Director of Training, students are permitted to apply for a full-time internship. Students are strongly encouraged to apply to sites that are APA accredited.

Facilities:

The graduate program in counseling psychology is housed in the W. W. Wright School of Education. This is a modern facility, offering the latest in technology and computer-based capabilities for instruction, training, and research. The majority of the Counseling Psychology faculty members are located on the fourth floor of the building in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology.

The Center for Human Growth

The Center for Human Growth historically was housed at 803 E. 8th, which was a separate facility until the Fall of 1992. The Center is a practicum site for students in the Counseling/Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Programs. The Center shares state-of-the art facilities with The Institute for Child Study and includes observation rooms, closed-circuit television for instructional use, and a classroom and conference room.

The School of Education:

Several research offices and centers are housed in or are a part of the School of Education, and offer assistantships and job-related training opportunities for graduate students including:

• Social Studies Development Center
• Center for Adolescent and Family Studies
• Center for Human Growth
• Institute for Child Study
• Center for Postsecondary Planning and Research
• Center for Research on Learning and Technology

Indiana University:

The Indiana University campus is one of the most beautiful university campuses in the world with limestone buildings nestled among forests of hardwood and flowering trees. A network of small streams interlaces the campus. The School of Education ranks highly among education schools nationally. The Indiana University Library, which is located in the School of Education building, ranks among the top ten academic libraries in the United States, with over 7.5 million volumes.

The Curriculum:

The program of studies leading to the doctorate in counseling psychology is guided by criteria adopted by the American Psychological Association for accredited programs in professional psychology. The curriculum is based on the scientist-practitioner model and the integration of science and practice.

The course of studies includes: (a) instruction in psychological measurement, statistics, and research design and methodology, (b) course work leading to a knowledge and understanding of the biological, cognitive-affective, social, and individual bases of behavior, (c) introductory and advanced work leading to competence in one or more areas of specialization, and (d) theory and supervised practice with intervention strategies and service delivery systems. While there are specific courses that reflect the program's emphasis on the establishment of sound theoretical foundations, research skills, and practical applications, all of the courses offered in the specialization systematically attend to the cornerstones of counseling psychology: theory, research, and practice. In each course, research that has been conducted in the topic area is ordinarily reviewed, and literature searches as well as abstracting are often conducted as an integral part of the course offering. A required professional seminar covers ethical and professional issues and selected topics relevant to counseling psychology. Students are exposed to a variety of theoretical orientations. The relevance of both theory and research for practice is considered in both the classroom and the practicum site.

A special strength of the department has been the preparation of students for work with a wide variety of clientele. The first practicum, conducted at the Center for Human Growth, is followed by one or more advanced practica. The Center provides our students with an opportunity to have clinical contact with individuals, couples, and families drawn from both the University community and from the community at large. Supervision by faculty and a commitment to providing effective interventions make the practicum experience at the Center unusually worthwhile and provides an excellent foundation.

Finally, although this program is highly structured, students are encouraged to take electives that will provide them with a special knowledge of a particular area of counseling psychology, (e.g., marital and family counseling, career counseling, group work, and multicultural counseling, etc.). While students are not required to choose a particular area of concentration, the faculty encourages them to do so, both to enhance their professional development and chances of employment. In addition, it allows a student to work closely with a particular faculty member whose area of expertness is represented among the various concentration options.

Program of Study:

Most students complete their doctoral program with 100-105 or more semester hours of credit, including internship and dissertation. Although the university requires 90 semester hours of credit for the Ph.D., Counseling Psychology is also guided by criteria set by the American Psychological Association. Furthermore, programs of studies may vary according to a student's interests, course requirements and previous graduate work.

The program of studies for each student is under the direction of the student's Advisory Committee. The committee is of three or four faculty members selected by the student and approved by the department. Each student's program is based upon program requirements and the student's areas of interests. Each program contains the following cluster of work:

I. Major: Counseling Psychology (Minimum: 36 hours)

Courses from related areas of study may be included if their relevance to the major can be demonstrated, and if approval is secured. Six hours of inquiry course work in the major are required, in addition to the inquiry core component.

• G505 Individual Appraisal: Principles and Procedures
• G522 Counseling Techniques (must be taken concurrently with G523)
• G523 Laboratory in Counseling (must be taken concurrently with G522)
• G524 Practicum in Counseling (G522 Counseling Techniques and G523 Laboratory in Counseling, or their equivalent, are pre-requisites for enrollment in G524)
• G532 Introduction to Group Counseling
• G552 Career Counseling - Theory/Practice
• G567 Introduction to Marriage and Family Counseling
• G575 Multicultural Counseling
• G600 Pro-Seminar in Counseling Psychology (This course may be credited toward the substantive core requirement but cannot be double counted in computing total credit hours)
• G622 Advanced Theories of Counseling
• G624 Advanced Practicum in Counseling Psychology
• G645 Psychoeducational Consultation
• G615 Psychopathology and Advanced Diagnosis
• G763 Advanced Practicum in Counseling Supervision
• P591 Cognitive Assessment and Intervention
• P691 Personality Assessment and Intervention

Inquiry Courses in Major:

1. Early Inquiry Experience - G590 Research in Counseling
2. Inquiry Linkage - G685 Seminar in Counseling Research Methods

II. Inquiry Core (Minimum: 15 hours)

This program component emphasizes methodology skills which provide a basis for conducting original research. Students must take at least one 3-credit course that provides an overview of inquiry methods and one 3-credit course related to psychological measurement. In addition, students must take a graduate-level multivariate statistical analysis course (e.g., Y604) and a graduate level qualitative analysis course (e.g., Y611). Other courses, in the inquiry core may be from the areas of statistics, program evaluation, or in ethnographic qualitative, quantitative, or historical research methods. Inquiry core courses ought, generally to precede inquiry courses taken in the major. Inquiry courses taken in the major or minor may not be "double-counted" in the inquiry core. A list of approved inquiry core courses is available from the Office of Graduate Studies.

III. Minor (Minimum: 12 hours)

The minor must have integrity in its own right and must complement the major. The minor field must demonstrate wholeness within itself and contribute to the student's overall doctoral program. Minors are normally formulated within a single program area.

An interdisciplinary minor is also possible. If courses in the minor are from more than one program area, a written description of the minor's underlying theme must be provided along with a rationale for each course's contribution to that theme. Major area courses may not be used in the minor.

IV. Electives or Second Minor (Minimum: 6 hours)

The minimum of 6 elective credit hours is intended to ensure that students have flexibility in their programs from stipulating all of the minimum 90 credit hours of the doctoral program. It is expected that most students will have more than six elective credit hours. Elective courses must be relevant to the student's program of studies. It should also be noted that at least 27 hours in the student's program must come from outside the major.

V. Psychological Foundations (Minimum: 15 hours)

Courses in this area satisfy accreditation requirements of the American Psychological Association. These courses also satisfy psychology licensure requirements in many states. Because these courses are unique requirements in the Counseling Psychology program, they can be double and in some cases, triple counted on the student's program of studies. Following are recommended courses under each of the five clusters in Psychological Foundations.

Cluster 1: HISTORY AND SYSTEMS -3 hrs.
P526 Theory and Method in Educational Psychology

Cluster 2: INDIVIDUAL BASIS OF BEHAVIOR -3 hrs.
P515 Child Development
P516 Adolescent Development
P517 Adult Development and Aging
Psy519 Current Theories of Personality
Psy736 Child Psychopathology

Cluster 3: COGNITIVE-AFFECTIVE BASES OF BEHAVIOR -3 hrs.
P540 Learning and Cognition in Education

Cluster 4: SOCIAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR -3 hrs.
P566 Social Psychology in Education
Psy511 Social Psychology
Soc530 Introduction to Social Psychology
P622 Social development

Cluster 5: BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR -3 hrs.
P624 Brain Research
Psy667 Neuropsychopharmacology
NUR510 Neuro-Psychopharmacology

VI. Dissertation (Total: 15 hours)

Twelve Hours of G799 Doctoral Dissertation is required. In addition, 3 hours of dissertation proposal preparation must be taken. This may be G795, an independent study course, or a departmental seminar specifically for this purpose. The prospective director of the dissertation should play an active role in the supervision of dissertation proposal writing.

VII. Residence

A total of 60 credit hours (including dissertation credits) must be taken at Bloomington or Indianapolis. Ph.D. students must have two consecutive semesters in a single academic year in which 9 hours of program course work (excluding G799) are completed each semester.

Procedural Steps in Doctoral Program:

Appointment of Doctoral Advisory Committee

The advisory committee helps the student plan a program of studies. Once the student matriculates, a Program of Studies form may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Studies, School of Education, Room 4070. Two members of the committee must represent the major field of study, and one member must represent each declared minor. An advisory committee meeting is required, at which time each member of the committee must approve the program of studies. Subsequent approval is then needed by the department chair and the associate dean for graduate studies. A completed program of studies form must be submitted within one year of matriculation.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination is given twice during the academic year (fall and spring). The application form must be obtained from the department (Rm. 4002). The completed form, showing the areas in which the student will be writing and signed by the doctoral advisory committee chairperson, is then filed in the department.

Ordinarily, the written examination is given in the major area (counseling psychology) and the minor area. After all portions of the written qualifying examinations have been taken, an oral examination must be held. The purpose of the oral examination (attended by all members of the doctoral advisory committee and scheduled by the chairperson of the doctoral advisory committee) is to test the student's knowledge and abilities to articulately discuss professional issues. All areas of the student's program of studies are subject to review during the oral examination.

Qualifying Examination Procedures

Nomination to Candidacy

Nomination as a candidate for the doctoral degree is based upon the results of the written and oral qualifying examination, the quality of course work taken at Indiana University, the range and quality of professional experience, and pertinent personal qualifications. The faculty or its representatives have final authority to make those decisions.

Upon satisfactory completion of the oral and written qualifying examination, the nomination to candidacy form provided in the student's file must be completed and signed by the members of the doctoral advisory committee attending the oral examination. Once completed, this form is to be forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies. Official notification will be sent by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies to the student regarding action taken by the doctoral advisory committee. This step must be completed at least eight months prior to defense of the dissertation for Ph.D. candidates. After passing qualifying examinations, the student must enroll each fall and spring semester in either regular course work or dissertation credit until the degree is granted. Ph.D. students must also register in the summer if they plan to graduate during the summer.

Appointment of Doctoral Research Committee

The Research Committee has the responsibility for guiding the student through the dissertation, conducting a final oral defense of the dissertation, and recommending the student for the degree. The committee must be formed at least 6 months prior to the final oral defense but only after admission to candidacy. This process involves completing the nomination of research committee form which provides for a proposed dissertation title and brief prospectus. The prospectus is a one- to two-page document submitted with the nomination of research committee form. The prospectus contains: (1) a clear statement of the questions to be addressed in the study, (2) an outline of the design of the study, (3) the research methods to be used, and (4) a discussion of the contribution of the study. Subsequently, the student is required to submit a more detailed dissertation proposal. This document must be approved by the research committee and department chairperson. Human subjects must be approved at the same time as the research committee is approved and prospectus submitted.

Meeting Dissertation Requirements and Final Examination

The dissertation proposal, including an elaborated statement of purpose, proposed procedures, and defense of the value of the proposed study, should be presented to the chairperson of the research committee. If the proposal is approved, the chairperson will make arrangements for its presentation for approval at a meeting of the research committee. After the proposal has been approved by the committee, the dissertation will be completed under the guidance of the director.

After completion of the course work and the dissertation, a final oral examination covering the dissertation is scheduled. The examination covers the major, cognate, substantive core perspective, and inquiry components of the study. The examination will be conducted by the entire committee in the presence of those members of the faculty who may elect to attend. Upon successful defense of the dissertation, the faculty will recommend awarding of the Ph.D., which is conferred by the University Graduate School after all documentation is completed and submitted.

For Further Information:

• Department of Counseling & Educational Psychology
• On-line Graduate Application
• Student Financial Assistance
• Suggested Readings
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Program Outline Charles Ridley Ph.D.