CLU to offer psychology doctorate
Program will be the first in Ventura County

California Lutheran University is launching Ventura County’s first doctoral program in clinical psychology at its Oxnard Center.

Several factors have brought about a greater need in the region for quality programs that prepare students to be licensed clinical psychologists, according to Mindy Puopolo, CLU’s Director of Graduate Programs in Psychology. California’s Mental Health Services Act of 2004 increased funding for county mental health programs to work toward statewide goals for better serving people. The federal Mental Health Parity and Addition Act, which took effect Jan. 1, provides for equal treatment of mental health, alcohol and substance abuse disorders and will provide mental health services and substance abuse coverage to 113 million Americans. Another factor is that military personnel are returning from combat to Ventura County in need of help from licensed mental health professionals.

The new Psy.D. program in Clinical Psychology at CLU has been developed to help address all of these needs in the community. It will start in the fall with 17 students in the first cohort.

The program will integrate theoretical and practical approaches. Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the program will provide students with a broad perspective of psychology and explore the role of research in clinical practice. The curriculum examines major diagnostic categories in depth while also emphasizing research and practical skill development. The program will include three years of practical training, including one year at either the CLU Community Counseling & Parent-Child Study Center in Thousand Oaks or the new center slated to open in Oxnard in March, and a one-year internship.

Each student will work closely with a faculty member and four to seven other students in an ongoing research group.

CLU’s graduate psychology program also offers master’s degrees in counseling psychology and clinical psychology. The School of Education offers doctorates in K-12 and higher education leadership.

For more information on the doctoral program in psychology, call (805) 493-3335.