Psy.D. Program Delivery

Distributed Learning Model
The Psy.D. program uses a distributed learning model to provide academic training in clinical psychology. The distributed learning model includes the integration of on the ground (face-to-face) and online courses. During the first three years, learners attend monthly day-long meetings on a Saturday (Professional Development Seminars) with faculty, colleagues, and other professional psychologists and attend six week-long biannual Academic Meetings in either Brattleboro, VT or Cincinnati, OH. In the first year, learners also attend courses on seven Sundays following their Professional Developmental Seminars, plus an additional weekend in July. The program presents courses in an organized manner, with each semester and year building upon prior learning experiences.  In addition to courses, learners engage in  supervised clinical training experiences (see Practicum and Internship), as well as completing a Clinical Review and Dissertation. The program uses three types of delivery models:

Classroom courses:  These courses are held on campus on weekends and during the six required week-long biannual Academic Meetings in Brattleboro and Cincinnati. These include required courses such Professional Development Seminars, Clinical Psychology & System Theory, Group Psychotherapy, Foundational Clinical Skills, Dissertation Proposal Development, and Cultural Influences on the Self. In addition, there are electives, such as Mindfulness in Clinical Practice, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Sex Therapy, Special Topics in Clinical Psychology, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

Online courses: These courses can be accessed 24/7 and have structured "units" that need to be completed within time frames specified in the syllabus. These courses include full-featured communication resources, allowing for both synchronous and asynchronous interaction between and among learners and faculty. Online courses typically include all of the content and material included in on the ground courses, such as all course requirements as defined in the syllabus, live and/or recorded presentations, links to readings in the Gary Library, exams, threaded discussions, faculty office hours, etc.

Hybrid or blended courses: These typically begin at an Academic Meeting and continue online during the term. These courses include required courses such as Individual Psychotherapy, Cognitive Assessment, Cognitive Assessment Laboratory and Personality Assessment. For example, the Cognitive Assessment course has three days of face-to-face class meetings during the Academic Meeting, three Sunday daylong class meetings during the winter term (following Professional Development Seminars) and an online component during the term. While most of the fall term and winter term courses have an initial face-to-face meeting at the Academic Meeting, hybrid courses have a minimum of one full day of face-to-face contact.

For further information contact us at:  admissions.psyd@myunion.edu or 800.336.6794 ext. 8408 or 802.254.0152 ext. 8408.