Clinical graduate psychology training program receives accreditation

The Research and Clinical Training Program Stream has received accreditation by the Canadian Psychological Association.

The RCT Program stream provides graduate doctoral training in clinical psychology, and is made possible by a partnership between McMaster University Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, and St.Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.

The RCT program stream focuses on scientific inquiry and is aimed at training professional scientist-practitioners in applied areas of psychology, while providing students with the necessary clinical knowledge to become professional providers of psychological services.

The program stream offers courses in research methods and statistics, psychopathology, psychological assessment, psychological intervention, personality, and ethics. Additionally, students are engaged in supervised clinical practica and in their final year, complete a full-year pre-doctoral residency.

Accreditation is an important milestone in the development of this program stream as it signals to others that the governance, curriculum, procedures, course content, and practica opportunities meet Canadian Psychological Association standards. As a result, internship placements, licensure and registration processes, and job searches are facilitated for students from accredited programs.

While many people put in many hours working on the accreditation, special thanks are due to Sheryl Green who led the accreditation effort and the graduate student team who helped put the application together: Alina Protopopescu, Arela Agako, and Jenna Boyd, and the RCT Executive Committee.

Geoffrey Hall, Director, RCT Program Stream, and Margaret MacKinnon, RCT Director of Clinical Training