Mission Statement & Program FAQs

The mission of the Midwestern State University Graduate Program in Clinical/Counseling Psychology is to provide training of the highest quality in the areas of psychological theory, assessment, and intervention. We have two primary foci. First, we are committed to training the masters level practitioner of clinical and counseling psychology. Second, we train and support students who wish to pursue doctoral training.

That said, all students can expect to become knowledgeable in a variety of theories, principles, and methods of psychology intervention. Graduates will leave the program with the professional skills needed to impact diverse individuals, families, and communities in a manner that is ethical and consistent with the practitioner-scholar model.

The specific courses you would be required to take depend whether you are pursuing the 60-hour or the 63-hour degree (see question five regarding the difference between the two degrees). That being said, the required courses for each degree are listed as follows:

View our program requirements

In addition to didactic coursework in Psychopathology, Individual Psychotherapy, Theories of Counseling, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Group Therapy, and Vocational Assessment and Counseling, students participate in one semester of clinical practicum and two semesters of Internship during which the student provides direct therapy services. These clinical experiences start approximately one year into the program.

The first semester of practicum experience is spent providing services in the Psychology Clinic. This clinic is run by the department and serves not only university students, faculty, and staff, but also serves individuals from the community. Students completing their second and third semesters of Internship provide services at one of a number of off-campus sites (e.g., state hospital, non-profit service providers, battered women’s shelter). 

During all three clinical assignments, students will be supervised by a licensed psychologist at least one hour a week as well as attend group supervision. During the first practicum, supervision may be more frequent and often includes role-plays and review of video. In addition to receiving individual supervision during practicum experiences, students also participate in a weekly three hour clinical staffing or group supervision. Group supervision is conducted by a licensed psychologist and provides students the opportunity to consult on cases and share clinical insights in a group format.

Our faculty espouse a number of clinical orientations. For example, our faculty espouse behavioral/cognitive-behavioral orientations as well as family systems and psychoanalytic orientations.

A checklist of the typical sections and subsections of the thesis proposal is provided below. Occasionally, the unique nature of a particular investigation may merit some deviation from this format. These deviations should be made with the approval of the thesis director.

The Problem

• Introduction
• Background and importance of the study
• Theoretical rationale
• Statement of the problem
• Research questions
• Definition of terms
• Delimitations

Review of Literature

• Historical background
• Previous studies related to the problem
• Studies related to the instruments to be used

Methodology

• Sample selection and subject assignment
• Research design and procedures
• Research hypotheses
• Statistical analyses
  
  

Additional sections of the thesis, but not the thesis proposal, are:

Results

• Presentation of findings
• Findings not related to the hypothesis (if any)

Summary, Conclusion, Discussion & Implications

• Condensed summary of procedures and findings
• Conclusions
• Discussion and implications
• Recommendations for further research
   

A checklist of the typical sections and subsections of the applied research paper is provided below. Occasionally, the unique nature of a particular case may merit some deviation from this format. These deviations should be made with the approval of the graduate advisory chair.

Background Information

• Presenting problem/history of the problem
• Individual/family history
• Medical/Psychological history
• Testing information (if available)

Diagnosis

• Complete DSM-5 diagnosis or diagnoses

Case Formulation

• Diversity (RESPECTFUL or ADDRESSING)
• Life-Span Stages and Typical Issues
• Theory

Treatment Goals

• Based upon the case formulation

Treatment Summary

• Changes across treatment
  • Symptoms
  • Behaviors
  • Skills

Recommendations for the future

• Based upon the case formulation
• Empirically Supported Treatments/Experimentally Based Treatments

This is the most important section of the applied research paper.  Not only are students expected to demonstrate a clear, theoretically based understanding of the client’s symptoms and the mechanisms causing these symptoms, this conceptualization should directly inform the treatment goals and structure both treatment summary and recommendations for the future.

There are several similarities between our program and the MA in Counseling offered through the West College of Education. Both programs prepare students for licensure as a professional counselor (LPC). As such, both programs offer a number of similar core courses.

Although the two programs may be somewhat similar, there are four significant differences between the two programs. First, our MA in Clinical/Counseling Psychology also prepares students for licensure through the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists as a psychological associate (LPA). The LPA license allows its holders to provide a broader range of supervised services than those provided to LPC holders, especially in the areas of testing and assessment. Second, students in our program are required to obtain nine rather than six credit hours of clinical experience. This increased supervised clinical practice is extremely important in the development of clinical competence. Third, our program is significantly smaller. We restrict our total program size to 18.   This small size results in smaller classes, strong student-faculty relationships, and increased clinical supervision. Finally, all of our classes are taught traditionally; there are no online courses in our program.

Tuition and fee information is available each semester at the "Front Portion" of the course catalog. Please be aware that each graduate credit hour is an additional $40 above the statutory rate. The link to the current class schedule is provided below.

View the current class schedule

Yes. All accepted students receive funding for their graduate studies. Currently the rate of funding is $2,000.00 each semester, excluding summer. Students are expected to work approximately 10 hours a week for faculty in order to stay eligible for this funding. Additionally, students are typically awarded a competitive scholarship of $500.00 a semester, excluding summer. Students who tutor or teach for the department (not allowed until the second year) earn more than $2,000 per semester.

Parking information can be found on the MSU Police webpage.