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Department of Psychology
College of Liberal Arts


 

The Department of Psychology at Jackson State University is a unit of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program Goals and Objectives

The mission of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Jackson State University (JSU) is supported by the following goals and objectives:

Goal #1: To produce graduates who are skilled in the science, theory and practice of psychology.

Objective #1: Students will acquire knowledge of psychology as a scientific discipline.

Objective #2: Students will acquire knowledge of and skills to conduct and evaluate empirical research in professional psychology.

Objective #3: Students will have an entry level competence in assessment and treatment approaches supported by theory and empirical practice.

Goal #2: Students will increase awareness, knowledge, and skills in multiculturalism in professional psychology.

Objective #1: To increase the number of clinical psychologist who are knowledge about the impact of multiculturalism in professional psychology.

Objective #2: To educate trainees about multicultural specific training related to the psychology of African Americans.

Goal #3: To produce graduates who have the requisite knowledge and skills to conduct their work in accordance with ethical, legal, and professional standards in their practice and research.

Objective #1: To increase the number of graduates who display ethical, legal, and professional behavior in their practice and research.

Goal #4: To produce students that will engage in clinical and research experiences involving the diverse psychological health and service needs of ethnic minority populations.

Objective #1: To increase the number of students capable of planning and conducting research that includes multiculturalism.

Objective #2: To increase the number of students capable geof providing psychological services to ethnic minority populations.

 

 

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

More about us
By the time JSU officially gained university status from Mississippi’s state legislature in 1979, the Department of Psychology’s primary focus on research made its move to the School of Liberal Arts a natural transition. Then, Dr. Janet St. Lawrence, a faculty member and clinical psychologist at JSU, began to investigate HIV and STD issues in vulnerable populations during the advent of the AIDS epidemic. Out of this work with those in drug treatment, people contending with incarceration, or people from other at-risk groups, came the genesis of the Community Health Program (CHP). This program became the foremost research division within the Psychology Department and works to provide community service while training students and conducting original studies, which gain national attention. Additionally, during this time period, Dr. Cynthia Ford designed a course to teach psychology from an afro-centric perspective. This type of enhancement to the curriculum highlights JSU’s focus on both cultural and individual diversity and remains a popular elective in the discipline.

LEARN BY DOING

The mission of the Undergraduate Major in the Psychology Department is to expose students to the breadth and depths of the various fields of psychology. Students are encouraged and taught to think critically about psychological issues and to understand the value of empirical investigation. The department seeks to foster each student’s appreciation for the field of psychology and its applications to individual and social problems. The department is dedicated to high standards of original inquiry and personal growth. Students are taught that sound research and scholarship serve to expand knowledge and improve the quality of peoples’ lives. Our program provides students with the education needed to enter a variety of careers or to pursue graduate work in psychology or related fields.

“Challenging Minds, Changing Lives.”

APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE

After years of preparing undergraduates to pursue advanced research degrees, JSU began to develop its own plan for graduate study. Spearheading this movement was a working group whose goal was to design a program in clinical psychology that would provide multicultural training. The idea behind such multiculturalism is that the most effective clinical psychologists are those who have separated themselves from their personal biases and that this can only occur through in depth understanding of other cultures. In 1995, program was launched with a charter class of five students. APA accreditation then followed in 2001, and the first dissertation defense occurred in 2002. The concept of multicultural training remains a primary mission and requires the program actively to support those from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds while ensuring that even the most traditional of graduate students becomes immersed in as many different environments as possible. This occurs most directly through practica, externships, and field research experience with underserved people; in the area of Jackson, this most often means rural and African-American populations.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Psychology majors have a plethora of career options after studying:

Psychiatrist Industrial-Organizational Psychologist Neuropsychologist Clinical Psychologist
Engineering Psychologist Counseling Psychologist Forensic Psychologist School Psychologist
  Correctional Psychologist Sport Psychologist  

PERSONNEL

READY TO JOIN?

For more information, please contact us at (601) 979-2371.  We look forward to meeting with you and seeing how our program can help you achieve your goals.

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY 

Location

College of Liberal Arts Building-2nd Floor
1325 J. R. Lynch Street
P.O. Box 17550
Jackson, MS 39217-0350

Contact

(601) 979-2371