I only want to go to Duquesne.

[ela]

Duq1980 - love to hear your other thoughts when you have time!

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[DuqStudent]

I'm also coming to this thread very late, having stumbled upon it in a Google search.

I'm also a Ph.D. Clinical Psychology student at Duquesne. I want to very clearly dispel the claims that "erg" has been disseminating on this thread: the program at Duquesne lasts a grand total (including the masters) of 6-7 years. In fact, it is a matter of policy (stated in the department manual) that students must finish within 7 years and will be dismissed (barring extenuating circumstances) if they have not completed all requirements at this time. Since most Ph.D. Clinical programs last 5-6 years, this is well within a normal range.

It is true that in the past (as "Duq1980" mentions), dissertations used to take much longer, but that hasn't been true for the last 10 years. There were many factors that contributed to that, but ever since the program was accredited by the APA in 2001, there has been a policy that the dissertation can only take 1-2 years, and the structure of the dissertation process has been streamlined.

Regarding the general dilemma you're facing (where to apply other than Duquesne if you want to be a clinician while keeping a hand in theory), I'm afraid it's a real problem that shouldn't be quickly dismissed. It is true that there are other programs (at the Ph.D. and Masters level, both in psychology and social work) that provide some kind of training in human science psychology, but Duquesne is unique in that it is the only APA-accredited, Ph.D. Clinical psych program that ONLY does human science psychology.

I also had a background in philosophy (Continental philosophy of religion), and Duquesne was the only psychology program to which I applied (I applied to nine other programs, all of which were philosophy or religion). If I hadn't been able to get into Duquesne, I wouldn't have entered the field of psychology at all (I would have gone to a Religion Ph.D. program and gone the academic route). This is a decision I stand by: I know that I wouldn't have been happy in another psychology program.

If you want more information about the program, check out the student pages on the website and email students. Or contact the administrative assistant and have an email sent out to the students in the department. Contact professors directly if you think you might want to work with them. Arrange a personal visit before you apply. Read articles by students and faculty (check out Janus Head for a journal edited by a Duq alum who publishes a lot of work by people at Duq. His name is Brent Dean Robbins, and he's a professor at Point Park University, also in Pittsburgh, and a department that is currently moving in a human science direction, as well).

And if you really think you'd only be happy in the field of psychology at Duquesne, maybe apply to Continental philosophy programs in addition. And since all of those programs (as well as the program at Duquesne) are incredibly competitive, you may also want to choose some MSW programs as backups. MSWs get good clinical training, and you're finished in only two years, at which point you could enter analytic training, as you've mentioned you might want to do. It's true that you might be bored academically in most MSW programs, but you would get a solid clinical foundation, and then you're free to practice and develop your theoretical interests in whatever direction you see fit.

 

[rachelw]

Hi,
If it's not too late, I'd like to share my experience as a student/almost graduate of Duquesne's Clinical program.

Re: The length of dissertation. It used to be the case that people spent enormous amounts of time doing grandiose theoretical dissertations. They have recently done alot of work to get people out of the program more quickly. I started in 2005 and will be finishing in December of this year. I am the second to last of those in my cohort. The person after me is likely to be done soon as well. Research is not built into the program (or at least it wasn't during my time there) in the same that it is in other programs, so that may contribute to longer time to graduate. Overall, I don't think it is common for a person to take longer than 6-7 years to graduate. This is consistent with what they claim on their website.

Re: Quality of clinical supervision. I think this is a definite area of strength for the program. I went on to do an internship at the University of Texas Health Science Center and am now in a postdoc at the Menninger Clinic. I think the group of student clinicians and professors I worked with at Duquesne compares very favorably with any of the people I've met in those institutions.

I have other thoughts, but have to go.

Nice to hear from someone graduating from Duquesne. I'd also love to hear your other thoughts!

What's the APA-matching rate for Duquesne? Are Duquesne graduates viewed favorably by the employers during job seeking? How many of your cohort (or grad students you know) entered with a master's degree? Did you (and your peers) enjoy your experience at Duquesne?

I imagine that I'd enjoy it tremendously since I really like their human science/phenomenological approach. My undergrad was anthropology and my grad degree was in literature. I am now planning to get another master's in counseling psych, in preparation for PhD, possibly in Counseling Education. Duquesne is also the ONLY Clinical Psychology program I am interested in. Knowing how competitive it is to get in, I would also love to hear how I can better prepare myself as a candidate. (E.g. how important is clinical experience? Research experience? What kind of research - lab/experimental kind or qualitative?)

I'm also curious whether there's much communication between the PhD in Clinical Psychology and the PhD in Counselor Education programs at Duquesne. Does the humanistic orientation from your department "spill over" to the Counselor Ed department?

Thanks!!

 

[Zebra F701]

Another little known program that places a heavy emphasis on philosophy of mind and community psychology:
U of West Georgia
PhD in Consciousness and Society

Thing is, and this is why I didn't end up applying,
It doesn't prepare you for licensure. But, if you want to practice as a MA level clinician and or teach and do research... it might be a good program for you.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

What's the APA-matching rate for Duquesne?
How many of your cohort (or grad students you know) entered with a master's degree?

This is available in their Educational Outcome Data, which is an APA requirement. They also list attrition rates, internship match rates, licensure rates, etc. There should be a link somewhere on their website with this information. Sometimes it is listed in their student/program handbook.

 

[nika751]

If you really want to go to a school I would still make sure you apply to more than one program. Also make sure you go to the interview (as I am sure you were planning to) at your top choice. I thought I knew what my top choice was and when I interviewed there it went down very quickly. There were things I had not known about the program. I found out that while thier goals and mine seemed similiar from the website, that the website did not convey exactly how intensive they were on one theory. I am still considering the school, but it is not my top choice anymore. Really liking a program is great, but make sure you leave yourself options.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

If you really want to go to a school I would still make sure you apply to more than one program. Also make sure you go to the interview (as I am sure you were planning to) at your top choice. I thought I knew what my top choice was and when I interviewed there it went down very quickly. There were things I had not known about the program. I found out that while thier goals and mine seemed similiar from the website, that the website did not convey exactly how intensive they were on one theory. I am still considering the school, but it is not my top choice anymore. Really liking a program is great, but make sure you leave yourself options.

Excellent advice. Even top applicants have great difficulty securing admissions offers if they apply to only a small number of sites. And, as nika mentioned, people's initial ranks will often times shift around after interviews, given that websites can be rather poor and describing the actual atmosphere and opportunities available at a site.

 

[678886]

So, would you recommend an lcsw with later training should I want more depth?

Also, isn't the length of time not THAT bad since Duquesne's program is said to be MA/PhD?
It seems like the first two years would be laying the groundwork for students like myself who are looking to go into a doctoral program straight from undergrad. no?

Since no one seems to have addressed this: pretty much all clinical psych programs in the US are MA/PhD, the MA is earned en passant.