The Respecialization in Clinical Psychology post-doctoral certificate consists of online and in-person seminars and sessions, independent study, and collaborative support from faculty and the entire Fielding community. Find out more about the following aspects of the degree process:
- New Student Orientation
- Courses (Knowledge Area Assessments)
- Psychological Assessment Labs
- Clinical Practicum
- Pre-Internship Evaluation
- Clinical Internship
New Student Orientation (NSO)
You start the program by participating in our orientation process, which is made up of an online orientation and a face-to-face orientation. Both parts of the NSO must be successfully completed in order to become a fully matriculated students.
NSO-Online:
You begin with a set of online activities giving you an overview of our program requirements, library resources, and online learning environment. The activities include an overview of the professional conduct expected of you, and how you will be assessed.
NSO-Santa Barbara (NSO-SB):
After successfully completing the NSO-Online, you are invited to a 4-day orientation in Santa Barbara, CA. You work with faculty and advanced students, primarily in a small group format to familiarize you with our learning model and to help you develop a personalized and sequenced plan of studies called a Learning Plan. Your Learning Plan serves as a blueprint of your individual graduate studies specifically in relation to the program's requirements and your academic background, prior professional training, and special interests.
Courses (Knowledge Area Assessments)
You demonstrate competence by completing coursework in specific areas of knowledge, that we call Knowledge Areas (KA). The KA courses make up the academic knowledge foundations component of the program.
You complete 6 core knowledge areas, plus one additional elective. The curriculum allows a variety of elective options, attention to contemporary topics, and integration of the residential sessions with other important parts of the curriculum.
Your KA coursework can be completed individually or with a small group of other students. You arrange an individual assessment in a tutorial model with a faculty member. Small group assessments are usually completed through a combination of online and in-person activities. You may choose individual or different types of group seminars for each of your required courses. All courses involve independent study and demonstration of your competence in the subject area.
Psychological Assessment Labs
You achieve hands-on skills development in the administration and interpretation of psychological assessment instruments through Psychological Assessment Labs available at national sessions, clinical sessions, and in regional clusters. You gain experience and develop your skills in:
- Psychodiagnosis
- Evaluation of clinical problems
- Intelligence testing
- Personality assessment
- Projective assessment
- Cultural sensitivity
- Clinical interviewing
- Report writing
Clinical Practicum
Your clinical practicum is an intensive, formally-supervised training in the provision of direct psychological services, typically begun during your second year in the program. You develop pre-internship level competencies to enable you to apply to a high-quality, competitive internship.
Your primary practicum supervisor is a licensed, doctoral level psychologist. Your faculty advisor and the Director of Practicum Training work with you to locate appropriate clinical practicum placements.
Pre-Internship Evaluation
Before applying for clinical internship, you must successfully complete an evaluation of your scholarship and your readiness for your internship. Your pre-internship evaluation includes written and clinical materials evaluated by two faculty readers, and an oral presentation of those materials to demonstrate your ability to present a clinical case to an audience of mental health professionals.
Clinical Internship
Your clinical internship consists of a planned, integrated sequence of clinical and educational experiences. Your internship provides sufficient training and supervision so that you can perform responsibly as a clinical psychologist after you have completed the program. You complete your internship as a 1-year, full-time experience or in 2 consecutive years, half-time.
All students apply to internship sites that are approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) or comparable sites.
All students are required to apply for internships through APPIC Match. Those who are not geographically mobile must apply to at least seven APA, APPIC or CPA sites that are within 100 (driving) miles of their place of residence and for which they are eligible.