Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
The Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
 
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  Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology 2021-2023 About the School History and Current Developments  

History and Current Developments

Forty-five years ago, the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, became the first professional school located within a major research university to offer the doctor of psychology degree. We remain one of only a very few Psy.D. professional schools at a public institution with the infrastructure and scholastic dynamism to qualify among the Association of American Universities' 62 leading universities in the United States and Canada.

Instruction began with two specialties: clinical and school psychology and the addition of an organizational Psy.D. specialty in 1988. The clinical psychology degree does not adhere to a single model for training all students. It aims to provide the student with a solid foundation in clinical work, including the basic areas of psychology, within which much of clinical practice is grounded. Didactic training in basic psychological principles is coupled with practical, graduated instruction in a range of assessment and intervention modes. While advancing through the training program, the student has the opportunity to specialize in intervention modes oriented around several of the most widely accepted theoretical positions, and within particular problem areas of clinical treatment.

The doctor of psychology (Psy.D.) program in school psychology was evaluated by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education Certification (NASDTEC) and was granted program approval in 1979 for school psychologist certification as well as director of student personnel services certification. The school psychology program prepares doctoral-level psychologists for professional practice with children and youth in schools and other community settings. We emphasize integration of scientific knowledge with innovation in the delivery of psychological services to individuals, families, groups, and organizations.

In 2018 the school began offering its first master of applied psychology (M.A.P.) program. The 42-credit M.A.P. offers instruction in foundation knowledge of the scientific basis of psychology and education and training in applied areas of psychology. The program embraces the mission of the school by offering instruction that has an emphasis on civic and global citizenship, social justice, and cultural diversity. This course of study provides students with knowledge needed to understand individual and collective behaviors; develop quantitative and qualitative statistical analysis and research design skills needed to analyze the corresponding physical and environmental contributors to human behavior; and an understanding of the analysis and treatment of behavior problems and disorders. The M.A.P. degree will prepare students with the requisite theoretical knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills needed to successfully participate in employment or scholastic activities.

As a unit of Rutgers, GSAPP is accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges, and its school and clinical psychology programs are fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA conducted site visits for the clinical Psy.D. and school Psy.D. programs in 1977, 1982, 1987, 1993, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2014 (school psychology) and 2017 (clinical psychology) for accreditation renewal. Each time, reaccreditation of both the clinical and school programs was approved. The GSAPP Psy.D. programs are also recognized by the New Jersey Board of Psychological Examiners, the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, and the National Register.

GSAPP was described in 1993 as "the very best school for the Psy.D. degree" and "the standard of quality against which other Psy.D. programs should be measured" in a report prepared by nationally prominent professional and academic senior psychologists from around the country. The report was prepared as part of an external review of GSAPP, which the university requires all units to undertake. These observations were reaffirmed in 1999 when GSAPP was honored with the Outstanding Training Program Award bestowed by the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy (AABT), now the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT).

The GSAPP faculty recognizes the impact of evolving health care delivery systems and other social and professional changes in the practice of professional psychology and continuously reviews its training goals and curricula. The combination of full-time core faculty and part-time faculty, who are professionals working in the community, enables GSAPP to offer both rigorous theoretical courses based on current research and practice-oriented courses that build upon this scholarly foundation. Currently, there are 17 full-time scholarly/instructional faculty; three full-time research/psychological service program faculty; six visiting faculty-practitioners who spend one full day per week at the school teaching, supervising, and serving on academic and administrative committees; and 13 contributing faculty-practicing psychologists who each teach one course. There are also 15 joint-appointment faculty from other Rutgers departments, centers, bureaus, and institutes, and from Rutgers' Robert Wood Johnson Medical School who actively teach and supervise. Students have access to relevant full-time faculty from all of these units for individual study, dissertation committees, and other training activities. A large number of psychologists, listed in this catalog, serve as practicum placement supervisors and supervisors for GSAPP's onsite psychological clinic.

The GSAPP faculty participated in the pivotal 1978 Virginia Beach Conference on the training of professional psychologists, which enunciated the principle that professional training is best accomplished in a university setting.

GSAPP enrolls approximately 185 Psy.D. students in its two programs: clinical Psy.D., and school Psy.D. Students are also represented on most major school committees. The goals and activities of these student groups are more fully described in the section on Student Groups at GSAPP. There is also a Student Alliance (SA) in which all students come together to participate in the life of the school.

For almost two decades, GSAPP's students and faculty have explored, promoted, and celebrated diversity within the school's community. GSAPP currently supports the following diversity groups: Asian Student's Association (ASA), Black Graduate Student and Allies (BGSA), Committee on Diversity, the Hispanic Organization of Professional Psychology Students (HOPPS), the Jewish Student Alliance (JSA), National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), Psychoanalytic Community at Rutgers (PCAR), and the Queer Student Association (QSA).

The dean's Multicultural Alumni Advisory Council first convened in 1995 to examine ways in which alumni can work with individual students and with student groups at GSAPP, with attention given to developing sensitivity toward the domains of race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, and sexual orientation. In 1995, the dean established a schoolwide Committee on Diversity, with representatives selected from the student body, staff, faculty, and administration.

With approximately 1,200 graduates, the GSAPP Alumni Organization has been a firmly established presence since 1992, with its own bylaws and officers. Regional alumni play an active role in annual mentoring activities designed to ease the journey from academics to professional practice. Our alumni are currently practicing throughout the United States and across the globe.
 
For additional information, contact RU-info at 848-445-info (4636) or colonelhenry.rutgers.edu.
Comments and corrections to: One Stop Student Services Center.

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