Counseling Psychology

The Counseling Psychology doctoral program offers graduate education and training designed to produce professionally competent psychologists who can facilitate improved personal and interpersonal functioning across the life span. It adheres to the broadly based scientist/practitioner model articulated at the Boulder Conference in 1949. The program at WVU follows an elaboration of this model called by Hoshmand & Polinghorne (1992) the “Practitioner-Scholar Model” in which the authors state that “psychological science as a human practice and psychological practice as a human science inform each other” and they emphasize the importance of “the development of reflective skills” in the practice of psychology.

Counseling psychology as a psychological specialty facilitates personal and interpersonal functioning across the life span with a focus on emotional, social, vocational, educational, health-related, developmental, and organizational concerns. Through the integration of theory, research, and practice, and with a sensitivity to multicultural issues, this specialty encompasses a broad range of practices that help people improve their well-being, alleviate distress and maladjustment, resolve crises, and increase their ability to live more highly functioning lives. Counseling psychology is unique in its attention both to normal developmental issues and to problems associated with physical, emotional, and mental disorders.

Accreditation

The program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association to provide doctoral level training in Counseling Psychology.