Counseling Psychology & Psychological Clinical Science
The Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology at Colorado State University has full accreditation from the American Psychological Association. (Commission on Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE, Washington DC 20002-424 ,(202) 336-5979)
The Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology at Colorado State University is based upon a scientist-practitioner model of training. As such, the goal of the program is to produce students who are capable of advancing psychology as a science and who are proficient in the use of a variety of counseling and clinical techniques. In meeting this goal, students must demonstrate excellence in three basic areas:
Psychological Theory
Fundamental to being a counseling psychologist is a broad knowledge of the theoretical basis of psychology. Breadth of knowledge in general psychology is developed largely through the core curriculum which includes topics such as human learning and memory, animal learning, personality, social psychology, measurement, history of psychology, physiological psychology, developmental psychology, neuropsychology, and statistics. The core curriculum provides a conceptual foundation of research, scholarship, and the developmental of skills in assessment and intervention.
Research
Students are expected to become intelligent consumers and contributors. To meet this end, students take courses in both basic and advanced statistical and methodological concepts. Research involvement is required at both the master’s and doctoral levels and encouraged throughout the program. Students are encouraged to join faculty in ongoing research endeavors. Faculty have a wide range of both applied and theoretical interests.
Assessment & Intervention
Training begins during the first year of the program and continues throughout, culminating in a year’s internship. Required course work in personality theory, developmental theory, testing, psychopathology, and counseling/psychotherapy theory provide the foundation for a conceptual understanding of problems, life circumstances, and intervention strategies. Additionally, students are expected to develop an area of specialization. For example, a student might choose a child specialty and include courses in child assessment, child interventions, and school consultation; a student might select an adult emphasis and prepare for a career in a university counseling center, or a student might seek experience in family therapy or in medical settings.
Skill development through practicum placements begins with interviewing/prepracticum courses in the first year and continues with placements in the University Counseling center the second year and in the Psychological Services Center the third year. In the second year, practicum students work with clients with educational, vocational, and/or developmental problems. As students progress, clients needing short-term psychotherapy may be seen. Clients seen in the third-year practicum are typical of persons seen in a community mental health center. Students begin treating adults, children, and families with various psychological problems during their third-year practicum. Advanced practica are selected based on each student’s interests and professional goals. Advanced practica in community settings are encouraged. After completion of academic requirements and the intensive practicum training, doctoral students are required to complete a one-year internship which is consistent with the student’s professional goals.
The program is marked by an emphasis on human development as a constant, underlying process. It is also marked by an awareness of and a concern for the human condition. Students are expected to be responsive to the problems and characteristics of groups that are not adequately served by the present systems: people of color, the economically disadvantaged, physically and socially isolated groups, etc. While seminars dealing with specific issues are offered, the program includes appropriate and relevant content pertaining to under served populations in every course and practicum. Advanced practica which include supervised practice with these groups are encouraged. Awareness and knowledge of multicultural issues is a necessity in our changing society, particularly for those interested in careers in counseling psychology.
Residency
The program requires the equivalent of four full-time academic years of graduate study and the completion of an internship prior to the awarding of the doctoral degree. At least two of the academic training years within the program must be at CSU, and these must be in full-time residence at CSU. An exception to the four years occurs when students request credit to be transferred or waived for coursework from a previous institution. However, students who transfer or waive credit are still required to meet the minimum of 3 full-time academic years of graduate study in the program.
We only accept applications for the Fall semester.
Application due date is December 1st.
The Counseling program has suspended use of the GRE in admissions decisions.
Note for the Fall 2025 application cycle:
Unfortunately, the Department of Psychology’s Clinical/Counseling Ph.D. program will not be accepting any students for fall 2025 admission. We understand the time it takes to apply for a Ph.D. program and so this decision came with careful consideration and with great difficulty. Our program is currently undergoing a transition from a Counseling Psychology training model to a Clinical Science training model. As a result, we will not be accepting new students into the Counseling Psychology and Clinical Science Program for the 2025-2026 academic year. We kindly ask prospective applicants not to submit applications for the upcoming academic cycle. If you have an application in process, please do not complete it or pay any associated fees. If you have already submitted the application, and paid the application fee, please contact Ginger Lacy-Gill for information about refunding your application fee.
Substance Use Disorder Identification and Treatment (SUDIT) Certificate
Students in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program are eligible to complete a certificate in Substance Use Disorder Identification and Treatment (SUDIT). Students who earn the SUDIT certificate learn the most effective and ethical ways to identify and treat substance use disorders. The SUDIT certificate is beneficial for anyone who plans to work in private practice as they will be certified to effectively treat all substance use disorders, a skill not traditionally taught in most counseling psychology doctoral programs. The SUDIT certificate is also important for anyone who plans to pursue a career as a substance use researcher as this certificate emphasizes one’s expertise in the field.
What Course are Required?
The certificate consists of four courses that can be completed at any point within the 10 years that students are granted to complete their counseling psychology degree.
- Two classes are offered during Fall semesters:
- PSY726: Neuropharmacology
- PSY724: Motivational Interviewing
- Two classes are offered during Spring semesters:
- PSY613: Advanced Addiction Counseling
- PSY710: Advanced Addiction Treatment
Students who are interested in the SUDIT certificate who have already completed one or more of the required courses will be given retroactive credit for these courses after they apply for and are accepted into the certificate track.
How To Apply
- Talk with your faculty advisor to determine if the SUDIT certificate is an appropriate fit for your career goals.
- Complete the application for the certificate on the Graduate School website
- You will be required to submit:
- A statement of purpose
- Your CV or résumé
- Two recommendations
- Pay $60 to submit your application or talk with Dr. Brad Conner or Dr. Mark Prince to see if this fee can be covered/waived.
- You will be required to submit:
Please reach out to Dr. Brad Conner or Dr. Mark Prince if you have additional questions about the SUDIT certificate.
We have a number of internal and external practicum experiences that offer the potential to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds:
At Colorado State University
The Psychological Services Center
The Psychological Services Center (PSC) is a community mental health agency affiliated with the Psychology Department of Colorado State University (CSU). The PSC offers therapy and psychological evaluation services for children, adolescents, adults, couples and families to members of the Fort Collins community. The PSC offers a sliding scale of fees that is based on income and the number of individuals dependent on that income. The PSC typically serves clients who are underrepresented in most clinical settings, including those living below the federal poverty line and who are self-report racial and ethnic minority status.
In Fort Collins and Northern Colorado
Child, Adolescent and Young Adult Connections (CAYAC):
CAYAC serves all individuals from the community including those medically underserved covered by Medicaid and CHP+. Medicaid and CHP+ recipients, who qualify due to living at or below the federal poverty line. Additionally, of those reporting demographic information and receiving Medicaid or CHP+ (approximately 64% or recipients report this information in Colorado), 33% self-report minority race or ethnicity.
Platte Valley Youth Services Center
Platte Valley serves detained residents from rural counties (e.g., Logan, Morgan, Yuma, Adams). The majority of committed residents are from families living at or below the federal poverty line and who are disproportionately of racial and ethnic minority status. There are additional opportunities to work with groups at risk of discrimination, particularly in this kind of correctional facility, including sexual and gender minorities. All residents are considered vulnerable population.
Salud Family Health Centers
Salud is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) operating 13 clinic locations and a mobile unit across Colorado. They provide medical and behavioral health care to low-income, medically underserved populations, migrant and seasonal farmworker populations in Colorado.
Synapse Counseling LLC
Synapse typically serves un- or underinsured individuals, and provide bilingual (Spanish) services.
UCHealth Mountain Crest Behavioral Health Center
Mountain Crest offers mental health assessments and treatment programs for adolescents, adults, senior citizens, and families. Inpatient and outpatient programs are available. Mountain Crest services individuals with private pay insurance, Medicaid and Medicare, and who are uninsured.
In Denver and the Surrounding Area
National Jewish Health
This is a national program, families fly from all over the country. This often provides the opportunity to work with a diverse family compositions (grandparents raising grandchildren; blended families; single parents with support from aunt, etc.) and individuals from rural and urban communities.
University of Colorado –Department of Family Medicine
Practicum therapists work with patients who suffer medical disabilities or have limited abilities due to multiple chronic conditions. A significant proportion of patients self-identify as having an ethnic or racial minority origin and come from have low income. The clinic also serves other vulnerable patients who identify as immigrants, sexual and gender minorities, and individuals belonging to multiple minority groups. Age range of those served is from 0-90+.
University of Colorado Hospital – Neuropsychology Clinic
A high percentage of patients in this clinic are elderly. Many patients have a disability.
VA Medical Center- Denver
The VA serves veterans who are vulnerable at multiple levels, including many who are individuals from diverse and marginalized backgrounds, including those self-reporting minority ethnic and racial origin, low income, underinsured, and individuals who have been disabled as a result of their service.
What is CDSA?
The Counseling/Clinical Doctoral Student Association (CDSA) is an independent student organization dedicated to cultivating a learning environment that is collaborative, supportive, respectful and professional for all Counseling/Clinical doctoral student at CSU.
Aims:
- Foster a sense of community and social support in the program
- Advocate for students needs and address concerns within the program and department
- Organize professional development events/seminars
- Facilitate collaboration among students in clinical and research endeavors
Membership:
All CSU Counseling/Clinical doctoral student are automatically a member of CDSA. No formal application or interview is required to obtain membership status.
Leadership:
President: Naomi McFarland
Vice President: Vanessa Stallsmith & Cassandra Richardson
Secretary: Brenna Carter
Events Coordinator: Claire Pince
Beginning Student Representative: Tenzin Nyima
Advanced Student Representative: Trudy Tompkins
Psychology Department Student Representative: Lefty Hetelekides
CDSA leadership must be comprised of active CSU graduate students in the counseling/clinical psychology doctoral program. Leadership positions are established for the academic year at the beginning of each Fall semester.
During the past seven years 100 percent of the students in the Counseling students were successful on obtaining paid, APPIC member, APA accredited. In a recent survey, the Counseling Program rated among the top ten programs in the United States for APPIC matches.
After completion of academic requirements and the intensive practicum training, doctoral students are required to complete a one-year internship which is consistent with the student’s professional goals. A complete listing of available internships can be found at http://www.appic.org/. The following constitutes a listing of internship placements for students from CSU’s Counseling Psychology Program:
20-21 Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, MN
20-21 Allina Health – Mental Health & Addiction Services, Fridley, MN
20-21 Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO
20-21 Phoenix VA Health Care System, Phoenix, AZ
20-21 University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
20-21 Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI (two students matched here)
20-21 Sharp Healthcare, San Diego, CA
20-21 University of Texas at Dallas Student Counseling Center
19-20 University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
19-20 Missouri Health Sciences Psychology Consortium, Columbia, MO
19-20 Washington State University, Pullman, WA
19-20 Colorado Mental Health Institute, Pueblo, CO
19-20 SUNY Stony Brook – Counseling Center, Stony Brook, NY (two students matched here)
18-19 VA Boston Healthcare System, Geropsychology, Boston, MA
18-19 Colorado Psychology Internship Consortium (CO-PIC), Denver, CO
18-19 University of Washington, Behavioral Medicine/Neuropsychology, Seattle, WA
17-18 North Florida/South Georgia VA Health System, Geropsychology, Gainesville, FL
17-18 Wellspan Behavioral Health York, PA
17-18 Community Reach Center Commerce City, Commerce City, CO
16-17 Atascadero State Hospital, California Department of State Hospitals, San Francisco, CA
16-17 West Virginia University, Charleston, West Virginia, VA
16-17 University of Missouri, Counseling Center, Columbia, MI
16-17 Southwest Consortium/NMVAHCS, Albuquerque, NM
16-17 University of Colorado School of Medicine, Primary Care Internship, Denver, CO
15-16 The Ohio State University, Counseling Center, Columbus, OH
14-15 Casa Pacifica in Camarillo, CA
14-15 University of Illinois-Chicago Counseling Center in Chicago, IL
14-15 University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe Myers Institute, NE
14-15 University of South Carolina Counseling Center in Columbia, SC
14-15 Community Reach Center in Commerce City, CO
14-15 Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute in Salt Lake City, UT
13-14 Aurora Mental Health Center, Aurora, CO
13-14 Emory University Counseling Center, Atlanta, GA
13-14 University of California-Davis, CA
13-14 UNC-Chapel Hill Counseling Center, NC
The Student Admissions, Outcomes, and other data PDF document is located here.
The Counseling Psychology Program at Colorado State University is accredited by the American Psychological Association.
The following states accept APA accredited doctoral programs as meeting the educational requirements for licensure in that state: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming.
The following states require additional education and experience in addition to graduation from an APA accredited program to meet the educational requirements for licensure in that state: Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
Questions related to the program’s accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
