Clinical Science Overview

The Clinical Science Program was established in 1968, has been continuously accredited by the American Psychological Association since 1975, and was accredited by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System in 2011. We offer integrated experiences in applied and basic research, practica in assessment and intervention, and coursework that emphasizes the interdependence of theory, research, and practice.

Our overall goal is to train clinical researchers who produce, apply, and disseminate scientific knowledge. We train clinical scientists who keep abreast of current theory and research and contribute to the knowledge base in clinical psychology. With a focus on both science and practice, our program’s overarching curricular theme is to integrate the two. The integrative theme is also reflected in collaborative, translational research in which faculty and students apply basic psychological theories and empirical findings to real-world clinical problems such as depression, anxiety, child maltreatment and trauma, aggression, and couples’ distress in cancer patients.  Our program’s training model is consistent with the vision of the Delaware Project.  Specifically, we train students to emphasize continuity across a spectrum of research activities concerned with (a) basic mechanisms of psychopathology and behavior change, (b) intervention generation and refinement, (c) intervention efficacy and effectiveness, and (d) implementation and dissemination. To learn more about the research interests of individual faculty, visit the Research Projects webpage and review​ individual faculty profiles​.​

Our faculty research mentors are Mary Dozier, Philip Gable​, ​Adele Hayes, Julie Hubbard, Roger Kobak, J-P Laurenceau, Naomi Sadeh​, and Jeffrey Spielberg ​ (view their webpages by clicking on their names). Ryan Beveridge and Franssy ​Zablah offer state of the art training in the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments in the community at the Center for Training, Evaluation, and Community Collaboration; C-TECC). Faculty members maintain visible and well-funded research programs. Much of this work is interdisciplinary, including collaborative projects with scholars in medical schools, universities, educational systems, and community agencies in the surrounding area. Members of the clinical faculty have been active in national, state, and local organizations concerned with advancing psychological knowledge; have played leadership roles in national organizations (e.g., the Academy for Clinical Psychological Science, the Delaware Project); and serve on many journal editorial boards, grant review study sections at the National Institute of Mental Health, and national task forces.

The Clinical Science Program offers external research and clinical training opportunities through affiliations with community mental health centers and medical centers in the surrounding areas. All provide training in evidence-based practice. Our faculty members also have research collaborations with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Anxiety Treatment and Research, the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, the State of Delaware Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Head Start Centers, A. I. duPont Hospital for Children, a network of social service agencies in Philadelphia, and area schools. These sites provide unique opportunities to apply clinical science to diverse problems and populations in community settings.

​Further community collaboration is offered to students through C-TECC.  C-TECC is an innovative program established at the University of Delaware to advance clinical science in academic, public, and community settings.  In partnership with multiple community agencies and organizations, C-TECC conducts research and evaluation, trains mental health providers in evidence-based practices, and builds capacity in mental health care systems.  A principal C-TECC mission is training the next generation of mental health professionals. Post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate students learn to build productive working relationships with diverse community partners. Through collaboration with these partners, C-TECC faculty, professionals, and students work to apply scientific methods to the analysis and solution of challenges facing mental health services. 

The Clinical Science Program holds diversity, equity, and inclusion as important values. We view diversity broadly, including but not limited to an individual's race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, abilities, beliefs, and culture, as well as how those identities may intersect. We define equity and inclusion as the promotion of equal treatment and access to opportunity for all individuals, in an environment of respect, collaboration, and fairness. These values guide our clinical training, which places the welfare of individual clients as the primary consideration for service provision, and our research, which strives to produce new knowledge that is sensitive to individual differences. Diversity in our faculty, student body, and staff as well as appreciation of diversity in our research and clinical work represent important priorities that contribute to the strength of the program. Moreover, we support recruiting and retaining members of historically underrepresented groups, including but not limited to those who identify as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander, as well as those from first-generation college backgrounds. We strive to promote the principles of equity and inclusion within our department and beyond through graduate training, clinical work, research, and teaching, as well as through open and productive dialogue.

​J-P Laurenceau

Naomi Sadeh​​

Jeff​rey Spielberg​

Adele Hayes​

The University of Delaware's program is accredited by PCSAS (Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System) and by the APA (Committee on Accreditation, American Psychological Association). 

We are committed to training clinical scientists who can ease the burden of mental illness and promote well-being in society through research, treatment development, and service delivery.  Our training opportunities emphasize continuity and interdependence across laboratory, clinical, and community contexts. Innovative training initiatives that break down traditional silos across the broad spectrum of clinical science require flexible pedagogy and implementation. 

The tenets and expectations of PCSAS are highly consistent with our training goals and methods, and we plan to maintain PCSAS accreditation indefinitely. Our clinical science training program is also due for re-accreditation by APA in 2021. We plan to maintain APA accreditation until programs accredited by PCSAS are given the same access to internship and licensure opportunities as are programs accredited by APA.​

For questions regarding our accreditation, please contact the following for PCSAS and APA respectively:

Alan G. Kraut, Executive Director
Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)
1800 Massachusetts Ave NW · Suite 402 ·
WASHINGTON, DC 20036-1218 USA
Phone: (301) 455-8046  / Email: AKraut@PCSAS.org
www.pcsas.org

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation​

For questions about the program not covered on the web site, please contact the Director:

Roger Kobak​, rkobak@udel.edu​​