For more information about the Psychology department, please click here.

Objectives of the Program

Clinical health psychology focuses on the interaction between psychological, physiological, and environmental factors as they influence health and well-being. This emphasis includes focus on:

1. the development of effective disease prevention behavioral interventions for individuals and populations at high risk for medical problems; and
2. the development of strategies to help individuals who are already ill to manage their disease and to increase their ability to collaborate with medical professionals and improve their coping skills.

A clinical health psychologist combines expertise in research on health psychology with training in clinical psychology. Students in this program are trained to work within the community to use clinical psychological skills and techniques to diagnose and treat mental health conditions, promote health and prevent illness, apply behavioral interventions in the treatment of illness, and improve the health care system. In addition to course work, students acquire expertise in research by completing both a master's thesis and doctoral dissertation. They demonstrate competence in clinical assessment and intervention through several applied practicum experiences, successful passage of the Comprehensive Clinical Competency Examination and successfully completing a pre-doctoral psychology internship. Students can complete the program in five years and have up to eight years to complete the program according to Graduate School Policies and Procedures.

Financial Information

The University of Colorado Denver administers various forms of financial aid for graduate students: fellowships, scholarships and a number of awards from outside agencies. See the Office of Financial Aid for further information. Additionally, the psychology department offers teaching assistantships each year in such courses as introductory psychology, statistics, research methods and human development. Although we do not guarantee TA positions, we have been able to offer positions to our interested students.

Contingent upon the availability of grant money, faculty may also offer part-time research assistantships to qualified students. The typical RA position involves data collection and analysis, library research, etc. Some computer and statistical skills are usually required. RA positions are less available than TA positions, and they may arise on very short notice.

In-state tuition waivers and additional stipend monies may be available for doctoral students. We do guarantee to pay a full stipend, usually in the form of an assistantship, plus tuition for the first year. We will make every effort to do so for four years.

Note: Neither teaching nor research assistantships confer in-state tuition status.

These degree requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.

Graduate Education Policies and Procedures apply to this program.

Program Requirements

1. Students must complete a minimum of 84 PSYC credit hours.
2. Students must complete all credits at the graduate 6000-level and above.

3. Students must earn a minimum grade of B (3.0) in all courses that apply to the degree and must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to program requirements.

4. Students must complete all credit hours with CU Denver faculty.

Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations

1. Courses are three units unless otherwise noted. 84 units are taken: 48 coursework, 19 clinical practicum, 3 thesis, 5 dissertation and three internship (one unit in each of the three semesters of internship year).
2. Some courses are offered in alternating years or every other year so when they are taken depends on if a student entered the program in an even or odd numbered year. 
3. Two electives are taken; the program offers a number of electives including: Group Interventions in Health Psychology, Cardiovascular Health and Psychopharmacology among others. Outside elective(s) are unlikely to be approved but can be requested of the Program Director.
4. The program can be completed in five years but six years is the mean, median and mode for completion of programs of this sort. The university allows up to eight years to complete the program, according to Graduate Education Policies and Procedures.
5. Students must successfully complete their doctoral dissertation proposal prior to applying for their internship and are strongly encouraged to defend their dissertation prior to beginning their internship.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete all of the following required courses:		48
PSYC 7144	Advanced Cognition and Emotion
PSYC 7205	Advanced Developmental Psychology
PSYC 7220	Advanced Biological Bases of Behavior
PSYC 7262	Health Psychology I
PSYC 7350	Psychotherapy I
PSYC 7360	Psychotherapy II
PSYC 7410	Assessment I: Personality
PSYC 7420	Assessment I: Intellectual and Cognitive Assessment
PSYC 7500	Advanced Psychopathology
PSYC 7700	Clinical Research Methods
PSYC 7710	Multivariate Statistics
PSYC 7713	Advanced Statistics
PSYC 7730	Ethics and Professional Issues in Psychology
PSYC 8100	Clinical Behavioral Medicine
PSYC 8205	Social, Cultural, and Individual Dynamics of Behavior
PSYC 8262	Health Psychology II
Complete six elective credits from the following:		6
PSYC 7400	Child Assessment
PSYC 7490	Topics in Health Psychology Summer Lecture Series
PSYC 7520	Experimental Psychopathology
PSYC 7830	Clinical Interviewing
PSYC 8501	Primary Care Psychology
PSYC 8505	Existential and Spiritual Issues in Clinical Health Psychology
PSYC 8502	Cardiovascular Health Psychology
PSYC 8503	Group Interventions in Health Psychology
PSYC 8504	Advanced Psychopharmacology
Complete a Master's Thesis		3
Master's Thesis
Complete Clinical Practica		19
Clinical Practica
Complete a Dissertation		5
Dissertation
Complete Internship		3
Clinical Internship
Total Hours		84

¹

History can now be fulfilled by an undergraduate course taken previously, an undergraduate course taken while in the program, or the graduate course. Students must complete their history of psychology requirement before they can apply for their doctoral internship because it is an APA requirement.

 Master's Thesis

The program has a provision for achieving a master's degree en route to obtaining the PhD. In addition to completing department required teacher training, a master's degree is required for students to independently teach a course. During their time in the program, students' funding will likely require them to independently teach a course. Students must complete a master's thesis, an empirical research project that makes a significant contribution to the field. Although the thesis must address the student's own original question, the use of archival data and pilot studies is encouraged for this project.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete the following		3
PSYC 6950	Master's Thesis

Clinical Practica

A minimum of 500 face-to-face intervention and assessment hours and 1200 total practicum hours [face-to-face intervention and assessment hours, plus supervision, plus support hours as defined by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC)] are expected in preparation for application to pre-doctoral internships. Approximately 50% of required practica are typically conducted in medical settings. Sites for practica training, include the department's own Psychology Clinic and external facilities such as outpatient diabetes clinics, cancer clinics, OB/GYN, HIV/AIDS, end-stage renal disease, pain, and cardiovascular clinics, and in-patient psychiatric facilities. Students are able to select practica based on their personal and professional interests. All field placements are approved in advance by the Coordinator of Clinical Training.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete the following clinical practica hours:		19
PSYC 7910	Clinical Practicum
PSYC 7911	Clinical Practicum II
PSYC 8910	Advanced Clinical Practicum

¹

A total of 11 credit hours of PSYC 7910 Clinical Practicum are required.

²

Students should enroll in two credit hours during year two (fall, spring, and summer semesters). A total of six credit hours of PSYC 7911 Clinical Practicum II are required.

³

Students should enroll in one credit hour during year four (fall and spring semesters only). A total of 2 credit hours of PSYC 8910 Advanced Clinical Practicum are required.

Demonstration of Clinical Competency

During the first semester of their third year in the program students must demonstrate their clinical competency by completing the Comprehensive Clinical Competency Examination (CCCE). The CCCE is designed to facilitate student demonstration of clinical competence at the developmental level of readiness for application to clinical internship. This evaluation is designed to assess the developmentally appropriate broad and general clinical competencies in clinical psychology, and does not necessarily evaluate clinical health psychology competencies per se. The CCCE comprises three sequential components conducted in phases:

1. Applied clinical diagnosis and assessment planning for a standardized patient.
2. Case conceptualization and treatment planning for a standardized patient.
3. Intervention therapy session with a standardized patient and oral defense with a faculty committee.

Dissertation

Students must complete a dissertation that involves original empirical work and is distinct from other research projects and publications. The dissertation proposal must be completed and defended prior to making application for the pre-doctoral internship. Students must have a dissertation committee composed of four members of the graduate faculty. When the dissertation is completed to the satisfaction of the primary advisor, the student must orally defend the dissertation to the committee.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete and successfully defend a dissertation.		5
PSYC 8990	Doctoral Dissertation

Internship

Students must complete a 12-month, full-time pre-doctoral APA-accredited clinical internship. This internship is required of all clinical psychologists and is the capstone of clinical training in the doctoral program.  

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one credit in each of the three semesters of internship year.		3
PSYC 8938	Pre-Doctoral Internship

To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.