Doctor of Psychology in Psychodynamic Psychology

Professional Licensure Requirements

The PsyD program meets the academic standards for a doctoral degree in psychology as required by the California Board of Psychology.  Graduates who, after successful completion of their doctoral degree program, intend to use the title of “psychologist” or “clinical psychologist” can only do so in California after becoming licensed by the California Board of Psychology, which has additional requirements for licensure. For more information about the path to licensure in California upon graduation from the PsyD, including coursework in specific topic areas, continuing professional education, and supervised experience hours, visit the California Board of Psychology.

While enrolled in the doctoral program, students with recognized licensure may choose to concurrently begin to accumulate hours of supervised professional experience toward psychology licensure. Interested students should contact the California Board of Psychology with questions. SCU’s Registrar will provide requested documentation to support application and registration with the Board of Psychology as a Psychological Associate. This allows the student to evidence that their supervised professional experience hours accrued while the student was concurrently and appropriately enrolled in a qualifying doctoral program.

SCU has not made a determination that the PsyD curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification as a “psychologist” or “clinical psychologist” for any state other than California.

FAQs

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a modality of psychotherapy grounded in psychoanalytic theory, also called depth psychology, which entails the study of conscious and unconscious mental processes. It is part of the “family” of psychological models in which thoughts, feelings, and actions are explained in terms of a person’s past experiences and motivational forces, some of which may be unconscious.

All psychodynamic treatment modalities share the goal to alleviate human suffering through bringing awareness to thoughts, memories, feelings, motivational and dynamic forces within the client’s mind.

The primary focus of psychodynamic psychotherapy is to reveal the unconscious content as it relates to formative and at times traumatic experiences within the client’s mind (psyche) from the earliest moments of life. The goal is promoting insight and alleviating inner conflict (psychic tension) between a person’s needs, desires, morality, and the demands of society and reality.

Psychodynamic therapy, at times called psychoanalytic psychotherapy, is similar to psychoanalysis as a treatment form and is based on the same foundational principles.

When psychoanalysis is narrowly defined as a treatment method, it refers to Sigmund Freud’s model of psychotherapy. This practice requires a fairly intensive process that prescribes multiple sessions per week with the analyst and client, conducted over a long time span. The goal of psychoanalysis is deep, structural change of the psyche.

In contrast, psychodynamic psychotherapy is more broadly defined and frequently refers to a briefer treatment modality that may not employ multiple sessions per week. It is based on the same theoretical principles as psychoanalysis, but borrows from many schools of psychoanalysis, and may involve techniques from a variety of sources rather than just one set of interventions. In addition, the process of contemporary psychodynamic therapy may be more interactive than traditional psychoanalysis, and the therapist and client may focus on addressing and resolving a specific problem rather than aiming at structural change.

The short answer is no. Our PsyD does not limit graduates’ chosen clinical practice, and graduates must practice consistent with their professional licensure and training.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy takes a developmental approach to mental health and healing. A client’s current suffering is explored in the context of their entire life history and circumstances. Early experiences in childhood, especially intense and traumatic experiences, are considered particularly formative. This approach lends itself to working with very young children in play therapy, as well as in talk therapy with older children, adolescents, adults, parents, couples, and groups.

By examining both the impact of unconscious thoughts, feelings, motivations, and actions, and developing the skills for building and using a strong therapeutic relationship, PsyD graduates are able to assist individuals from diverse backgrounds and across all age groups.

Traditional psychoanalysis was based on the experiences and definitions of well-being established by middle-class White Europeans more than a century ago. Times have changed, and contemporary psychodynamic psychotherapy acknowledges and appreciates diversity in human relations. From a historical perspective, psychoanalytic theorists broke the taboo of sexuality and began to address how sexuality is a powerful motivational force in the human psyche, yet their theorizing was limited by the mores of the time and their own experiences. Psychoanalytic thinking has evolved, and continues to contribute to understanding about gender as it has come to recognize the complexities and multiplicities of sexualities.

Psychoanalysis is involved in a reckoning project with its own history of ethnocentricity in its theoretical body. As contemporary psychodynamic approaches are focused on individual, subjective, and interpersonal experience, they are particularly suited to examine and honor human experiences in different cultural contexts.

Entering doctoral students must possess a master’s degree that qualifies them for licensure as a mental health professional. In the prior Reiss-Davis Graduate School Doctor of Psychology program, nearly 80% of students were already licensed at the time of their enrollment (LCSW, LEP, LMFT, LPCC), and the remaining were license-eligible through their master’s degree. It is anticipated that the same will be true for SCU’s PsyD program, that at least 80% of students will already be licensed at the time of enrollment and that all are license-eligible. As a result, many of the doctoral students choose to retain their existing licensure and not pursue further licensure in psychology.

A second group of PsyD students indicates an intention to become licensed as clinical psychologists in the State of California. Such licensure is governed by the California Board of Psychology, and further details can be found in our discussion of pathways to licensure. The PsyD fulfills the educational requirements established by the Board of Psychology. In addition, students may concurrently choose to complete internship hours in the latter half of the PsyD program; they work toward completing their Doctoral Project while accruing supervised professional hours towards their licensure in psychology. In California, these hours are managed independently between interested candidates and the Board of Psychology; the PsyD program does not require an internship. This program meets the educational requirements for psychology licensure in California, but there are many other requirements with which students should familiarize themselves, if interested, by contacting the California Board of Psychology.

SCU faculty and staff assist students in familiarizing themselves with the state’s licensing requirements in psychology so they can should they choose concurrently register with the California Board of Psychology as a Psychological Associate.

Blended education combines the best of face-to-face and online learning. Each course consists of monthly weekend meetings (all-day Saturday or Sunday) led by the school’s faculty. These classes are conducted as seminars, with plenty of opportunity for interaction and community-building with peers.

In addition, the blended format includes weekly learning activities, consisting of readings, discussion boards, video presentations, and written assignments all of which students can conveniently access in an online course web site. While assignments have weekly submission deadlines, students can complete the majority of the online activities at their own pace and at times that fit with their work and family commitments. There are no required synchronous meetings during the weeks when learning activities are conducted online.

Class sizes can range from 5-15 students.

The Reiss-Davis Doctor of Psychology program embraces the practitioner-scholar model. All faculty members are clinically trained and usually maintain a psychotherapy practice, while also being involved in education, administration, and publishing. They bring the experiences of their professional life into the classroom. Classes are held in a seminar style, offering ample opportunity for all students to benefit from interactions and discussions with their peers and the instructor. Students are also expected to have access to a work setting in which they can explore the application of psychodynamic conceptualizations and techniques.

If you use an email account, maintain a Facebook or other social media account, search the internet, or watch videos on YouTube, you will easily be able to maneuver through the course pages in the learning management system. Courses are built to be navigated easily and intuitively. You need not have any technology training, and in fact you will be provided with an overview session during Orientation prior to starting your first term. The application process also includes simple readiness screening, and support is available.

SCU is institutionally accredited, and the Reiss-Davis Doctor of Psychology program is approved under this institutional accreditation. Southern California University of Health Sciences is accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 500, Alameda, CA 94501. Phone: (510) 748-9001.

The Board of Psychology does not accredit doctoral programs. Rather, it establishes criteria for licensure as a clinical psychologist.

As an accredited institution of higher education in the State of California, SCU’s PsyD is recognized by the Board as fulfilling the academic requirements for licensure as a clinical psychologist. There are other requirements for licensure in addition to meeting the academic requirements; interested students should contact the California Board of Psychology.

American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation is optional for Psychology programs. SCU’s Doctor of Psychology program is a professional program, intended for licensed and license-eligible mental health professionals who already have master’s degrees. Thus, SCU is able to offer the PsyD degree as a flexible professional program to licensed and license-eligible master’s degree students.
No. The PsyD does not require students to complete an internship as part of the doctoral program. Students work on a Doctoral Project as part of the curriculum. Interested students may concurrently work to arrange for up to 1500 pre-doctoral hours to be used toward the State of California Board of Psychology requirement of supervised clinical experience toward psychology licensure, but this is not required to complete SCU’s program. Interested students should contact the California Board of Psychology.
Yes. SCU offers two forms of financial assistance: scholarships that reduce the total cost of tuition and access to federal loans.

The Scholarships page offers additional information about available financial aid and the application process.

Yes. The SCU admissions team invites prospective students to visit campus. Connect with an Admissions Advisor to schedule a time.

Prospective students who are unable to visit campus may instead join faculty and staff for a virtual Information Session or individual consultation.

No. The Graduate Record Exam is not required for admission.

No.

Consistent with SCU’s policy, the Doctor of Psychology program allows students to transfer up to 75% of required credits completed prior to matriculation on a case-by-case basis. Doctoral-level credits may be accepted for transfer if earned from another institution of higher education accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, the courses requested for credit review must support the PsyD program and fulfill learning objectives that are similar to an existing course as determined by the Program Director or a faculty designee.

To request consideration of transfer credit as part of the application process, please inform your Admissions Advisor of your intention.