The Clinical Science Program at U.C. Berkeley is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science, which is a coalition of doctoral training programs that share a common goal of producing and applying scientific knowledge to the assessment, understanding, and amelioration of human problems. Membership in the Academy is granted only after a thorough peer review process. Its membership in the Academy indicates that the Clinical Science Program at U.C. Berkeley is committed to excellence in scientific training, and to using clinical science as the foundation for designing, implementing, and evaluating assessment and intervention procedures.

The following excerpt from the Academy's mission statement and the subsequent principles written by our faculty capture our program philosophy:

Clinical science is a psychological science directed at the assessment, understanding, and amelioration of human problems in behavior, affect, cognition, or health, and at the application of knowledge to such problems in ways consistent with scientific evidence. The emphasis on the term "science" underscores a commitment to empirical approaches to advancing knowledge.

Principles that Guide the Clinical Science Program

1) Discovery in clinical science requires exposure to clinical and community phenomena.

2) Translational research is essential and requires moving from discovery to application (in assessment, treatment, and prevention) and back to discovery.

3) Breadth of understanding is needed across domains and levels of the phenomenon (from genetic, biological, psychological, developmental, social, cultural, and societal).

4) Depth of training is needed in an integration of theory, research, and application around a particular problem that can generalize to other problems and modes of intervention.

5) Discovery and application are enhanced in a training context of diversity (in theoretical perspectives, clinical and social problems, and faculty/student background).

Students are enrolled in a coordinated set of seminars, individual research opportunities, teaching activities and supervised clinical experiences, many of which take place in our own Psychology Clinic. The training prepares students for future roles as researchers and teachers in university and medical settings, and as leaders in the provision of human services through community agencies. The Clinical Science Program, a Clinical Psychology Program that adheres to a clinical science model, has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1948. (Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE. Washington, DC 20002-4242. Telephone: 202-336-5979)

Scholarship, Research and Clinical Training: Goals and Objectives

The training prepares students for future roles as researchers and teachers in university and medical settings, and as leaders in the provision of human services through community agencies. The program’s goals and objectives are as follows:

Goal I: Competence in scholarship

Objective: Students should demonstrate competence in scholarship related to the: (1) breadth of scientific psychology; (2) scientific, methodological, and theoretical foundations of assessment; and (3) diagnosis, etiology, and treatment of psychopathology.

Goal II: Competence in research

Objective: Students should demonstrate competence in: (1) designing research; (2) conducting research; (3) disseminating research; and (4) conducting research ethically.

Goal III: Competence in clinical practice

Objective: Students should demonstrate competence in: (1) conducting psychological assessments; (2) delivering interventions; (3) utilizing and providing supervision; (4) providing consultation; and (5) conducting clinical practice ethically.

Accreditation

The Clinical Science Program, a doctoral program in Clinical Science, accredited as a program in clinical psychology, has been accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1948. (Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE. Washington, DC 20002-4242. Telephone: 202-336-5979)