Overview of our Graduate Clinical Psychology Experience
The clinical psychology doctoral program experience at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) is like no other. The work you produce during your program can have a profound influence in the field and on your future. Our psychology programs offer rich and varied opportunities to engage in research, as well as provide a sense of community and engagement with your cohort, faculty, and academic support team. With a PhD or PsyD in clinical psychology, you’ll be helping advance the science of mental health and helping the communities you'll be serving.
Research Labs
Our research labs offered at many of our campus locations provide a forum to participate in and perform experimental tasks that aim to make new discoveries and advances in psychology. In your research, you’ll partner with faculty and may have the opportunity to be hired as a research assistant. Research projects may result in the opportunity for publication and poster presentation of your work at national and local conferences.
Research Area Examples
- PTSD
- Mobile mental health research
- Mindfulness
- Integrated health
- Forensics
- Neuropsychology
- Violence, abuse, and trauma
Dissertations
Our clinical psychology doctoral programs at CSPP offer you an opportunity to conduct scientific research on a topic that supports your professional academic and career goals. You’ll receive expert mentorship from faculty who care about your research interests. A small sampling of recent dissertation topics includes:
Recent Dissertations
- The Disability Paradox: Religious and Spiritual Well-Being, Quality of Life, and Depression Among Adults with Physical Disabilities
– Roya Nouri, Ph.D. - Psychologists' Attitudes About Online Therapy and Covid-19
– Brian Raines, PsyD - Metacognition and self-reported treatment outcomes in veterans with PTSD: A correlational study
– Francisco Rojas, PsyD - Personality and Demographic Predictors of Attitudes Towards the Police
– Adam J Lopez, PsyD - Barriers to Care: Military Mothers with Postpartum Depression vs Non-Military Mothers with Postpartum Depression
– Tracina L. Schrader, MA, Psy. D. - Mental Health Care Providers’ Conceptualization of Intimate Partner Violence Based on The Sexual Orientation of The Couple, Gender of The Perpetrator, and Type of Aggression: A Replication off Dudley Et Al (2008)
– Grace L. Abear, PsyD - Is Cognitive Training an Option? Understanding the Feasibility of Cognitive Training with Individuals Living with Schizophrenia
– Andre Pierre Longino, Ph.D., LMFT - Helping the Helpers: A Self-Help Training for Identifying And Addressing Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Self-Care In Mental Health Professionals.
– Christine Chan, PsyD - Postpartum Emotional Expression and Quality of Life in First Time Mothers
– Adi Soffer, PsyD - Masculinity, Perpetrator Gender, and Factors Affecting Disclosures of Unwanted Sexual Contact Among Men
– Sydney Ray, PsyD - Analysis of Ongoing Trauma Experiences of Israeli Adults Exposed to Missile Attacks
– Melody Hakimian, PsyD - Mental Health Literacy as a Predictor of Help-Seeking Intentions within Military Families
– Claudia Perez, PsyD - Positive Identity Formation Amongst Middle Eastern American Youth: Overcoming Barriers to Identity Formation Due to Socioenvironmental and Psychosocial Distress
– Brian Broomand, PsyD - Punk Rock as a Component to The Humanistic Approach to Psychotherapy
– Irene Merring, Psy.D., - Retrospective Accounts of Nonconsensual Nonsexual Touch of Female-Bodied Latina/x/e and African-American/Black Individuals: A Phenomenological Study
– Ami-Ray Camarena, PsyD - Narratives from Mexican-American Millennial Women: A Qualitative Study Exploring Enculturation, Identity, and Adhering or Aiming to Adhere to a Vegan or Vegetarian Diet
– Goldie Barajas, PsyD - Influence of Attachment Styles on Coping Strategies Utilized by School Teachers Pre-COVID and Lockdown
– Hannah Greeley, PsyD - Clinical Considerations When Working with Women Veterans in Couple Therapy
– Greysi Vizcardo Solis, Psy.D. - Risk of Relapse with Social Media Usage Within the First 12 Months of Sobriety
– Barek Sharif, PsyD - Personality and Demographic Predictors of Attitudes Towards the Police
– Adam J Lopez, PsyD - Imposter Phenomenon, Insecure Attachment Style, and Mental Health in Software Engineers: An Examination of the Moderating Effect of Self-esteem
– Alyse Ginter, PsyD - Positive Identity Formation Amongst Middle Eastern American Youth: Overcoming Barriers to Identity Formation Due to Socioenvironmental and Psychosocial Distress
– Brian Broomand, PsyD - The Influence of Outcome Expectancies on the Effectiveness of Biofeedback for Chronic Pain and Anxiety: Harnessing the Mind-Body Solution
– Katherine Goodman Huzella, PhD - Positive Role Models and the Effects of Stereotype Threat Amongst Ethnic Minorities
– Monique Turner, PhD - The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Interventions in the Hmong Youth Communities
– Scarlett Yang, Psy.D. - Creating a Book Intervention for Second-Generation Asian and Latinx Adolescents, Targeting the Parent-Child Acculturation Gap
– Arriane Munar; PsyD - Narrative Therapy Practices in Medical Settings: Applications for End-of-Life Psychological Care
– Danna E.W. Kober, PsyD
Student Publications and Presentations
CSPP doctoral students are encouraged to present at local and national conferences throughout their program with the intention of publishing new knowledge to support the mental health profession.
Our clinical psychology students presented over 40 poster presentations at the 2023 APA Convention this year in addition to numerous students being published.
Here are some recent examples:
Recent Student Publications
- Preserving the Etchings of the Mind: Aging, Dementia, and Hearing Loss. Savory Words Publishing.
Jaime A.B. Wilson, Ph.D., ABN, ABPP, MSCP, Alumnus
CSPP Clinical Psychology Ph.D. - San Diego - Exploring cultural risk factors for suicide in Asian American, European American, and Hispanic American adolescents. Current Psychology.
Brandon Yip, Psy.D., J.D. Alumnus; Lisa Liu, Ph.D., Associate Professor; Stacy Bemis (Kim), Psy.D., Alumnus
CSPP Clinical Psychology Psy.D. - Los Angeles - Psychotherapy experiences of U.S. adults with physical disabilities: Recommendations for affirmative practice. The Counseling Psychologist.
KJ Conner, Ph.D., Asst. VP of Academic Administration; Veronica Acosta, Alumna; Roya Nouri, Alumna; Milena Tyler Von Wrangel, Student; Elizabeth Gramillo, Alumna
CSPP Clinical Psychology Ph.D. - Los Angeles - Rest and Care: Asian Pacific American Feminists’ Resistance to Productivity Culture. Selected by the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Board of Convention Affairs to be one of the Feature Stage talks at the APA Convention 2023!
Dr. Ya-Shu Liang (right), Fresno Clinical Psy.D. Program; Dr. Angela B. Kim (left), San Diego CFT Program
Poster Presentation Examples
- Deconstructing the Pathology of BDSM: the Therapeutic Potential of BDSM-Specific Skill Sets
Alan Smith and Joey Sheung-LA Clinical PhD students - Relationship Enhancement and Desensitization Behaviors in Sexual Grooming
Katherine Metcalf* - Negative Outcomes of Child-Child Sexual Interactions in Clinical and Online Samples
Katerine Metcalf*
*won outstanding poster for Division 6 at the APA 2023 Conference
Practicum
CSPP has developed relationships with hundreds of Practicum sites that provide you with invaluable opportunities to receive real-world experience in an environment relevant to your studies and goals. Your field experiences will include varying populations, age groups, and numerous evidence-based treatment modalities. This gives you extensive practical exposure and continual opportunities to apply research and theory in real-world situations.
Our practicum sites provide you with foundational and graded training in a variety of settings, including psychiatric hospitals, prisons and juvenile detention centers, university counseling centers, child and family facilities, and more.
Electives
Students have the opportunity to choose from a variety of electives that meet their academic and research interests.
Electives
CSPP offers a variety of electives; below is a sample you may find over the course of your program:
- Interventions with Veterans and Military Members
- Mindfulness Approaches to Health Psychology
- LGBT Health Disparities
- Clinical Aspects of Dream Interpretation
- Narrative Family Therapy
- Introduction to Clinical Forensic Psychology
- Introduction to Buddhist Psychotherapy
- Clinical Case Consultation II: Buddhist Psychotherapy
- Advanced Clinical Elective: Group Psychotherapy Training and Supervision
- Advanced Clinical Elective: Integrated Approach to Sex, Intimacy and Relation
- Advanced Clinical Elective: The Psychology of Social Class and Classism
- Advanced Seminar: Medical Family Therapy
- Advanced Seminar: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression
- Advanced Seminar: Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy
- Clinical Elective Practice Seminars: Dissociation in Clinical Practice
- Clinical Elective: Advanced Study in Transgender Issues
- Clinical Elective: Advanced Study of Bisexual Issues
- Clinical Elective: Clinical Rehabilitation Psychology and Assessment
- Clinical Elective: Foundations of LGBT Mental Health
- Clinical Elective: LGBT Affirmative Psychotherapy
- Clinical Elective: LGBTQ Kink, BDSM, and Other Sexualities
- Clinical Elective-Practice Seminars: ADHD: Neurodevelopment, Assessment, and Treatment
- Clinical Elective-Practice Seminars: Clinical Interventions with Children
- Clinical Elective-Practice Seminars: Disability Psychology
- Clinical Elective-Practice Seminars: Immigration and Mental Health
- Clinical Elective-Practice Seminars: LGBTQ-Affirmative Subst. Abuse Treatment
- Clinical Elective-Practice Seminars: Loss Grief and Bereavement
- Cultural Seminar: LGBTQ Couples and Families
- General Elective: Sociocultural Diversity-Intersectionality of Identities
- Individual and Family Life Cycle
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression
Alliant encourages an inclusive community that supports student health and wellness along with professional development through a variety of student clubs and organizations. The process for starting a student club or organization varies by campus but are highly encouraged at all of our campus locations.
Here is a sampling of some of our clubs, professional development, and affinity groups you can include in your academic experience at Alliant.
Health and Wellness Clubs
- Running Club
- Hiking Club
- Art Club
- Garden Club
- Talking Circles-Social Justice Issues
Professional Development and Affinity GroupsÂ
- Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander Forum
- Assessment Club
- Blacks of the African Diaspora Affinity Group
- Disability Resource Group
- Interactive Arts Club
- Interfaith Group
- LGBTQIA+ Resource Group
- Parenting Resource Group
- Students for Clinical Neuropsychology
- FIG-Global Ambassador Club - www.fresnoglobal.com - global leadership and training opportunities
- FAN Club-The Forensic and Neuropsychology Club
- Advocacy Club
Ask a current student about Alliant or meet one of our student ambassadors
I appreciate all the practicum training at Alliant as it shaped my career and helped me grow as a clinician. I find the courses and the professors left an everlasting impact on my life and shaped my career to be a better clinician and serve the community.
My advisors and instructors were supportive and instructive, ensuring I possessed the knowledge to be confident in my work. The supervisors diligently worked with me to help shape my professional development. The many relationships I formed have positively impacted my academic career and will be cherished long after I complete my degree.
My experience at Alliant prepared me to be able to work well with a diverse population of individuals. At Alliant, diversity and differences are always welcome, which aided me in my clinical work while in the PsyD program and to this day in my current practice. I am so grateful for the courses, workshops, practicum, and internships that fostered a space of cultural humility and social justice teachings.