Healing Division Ph.D. Program
Emphasis
This emphasis is designed to train students who have a particular interest in conducting research and working clinically with people who have experienced trauma.
Program Details
All Ph.D. students participate in a clinical practicum at the Veterans Health and Trauma Center. This typically happens in the 3rd or 4th year of training. This training rotation, which is approximately 16 hours per week, focuses on the delivery of individual and group therapy to trauma survivors. Students get experience learning and delivering evidence-based therapies for PTSD and other trauma-related disorders, including Cognitive Processing Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Students are supervised by clinic supervisors and faculty (Erin Fowler, M.A., Tim Doenges, Ph.D., and Heather Littleton, Ph.D.).
From 2020 to 2023, Ph.D. students will also be involved in the Institute's partnership with UCHealth, in development and delivery of trauma-informed behavioral health services to patients with physical injuries, reporting to the UCHealth emergency department. Third- or fourth-year Ph.D. students will provide consultation/liaison services within the hospital and brief therapies on an outpatient basis after patients are discharged. Patients needing longer-term care will be referred to the Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic, where students will work with them long-term. Students will also gain experience with assessment and program evaluation through this program. They will primarily be supervised by Tim Doenges, Ph.D., Project Director and Kristi Samuelson, Ph.D., Principal Investigator.
Accreditation
The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs is an APA accredited program that is built on the Boulder Scientist/Practitioner Model. The program has been accredited since 2007 and has full accreditation through 2029. A curricular focus in Trauma Psychology was approved in 2014.
Application Due Date: For current application deadlines, visit the Application FAQ Page.
For more information, visit the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology - Trauma page.
The Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience is pleased to support this program with financial, research, and other infrastructure support for students and faculty.
The Veterans Health and Trauma Clinic, the mental health clinic under the auspices of the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, will serve as the primary clinical training site for students in the Ph.D. program.
Information
If you have additional questions about the Ph.D. program, click the link below.