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The clinical psychology doctoral program at American University aims to prepare students for licensure in many states. Graduating from an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited institution with a doctoral degree is often one of the main requirements for licensure in most states, and our program has been fully and continuously accredited by the APA since 1972. However, most states have other requirements for licensure (e.g., predoctoral internship, postdoctoral fellowship, particular scores on the EPPP licensing exam). This disclosure focuses solely on predoctoral courses needed to qualify for licensure as a psychologist. Graduates of AU’s clinical psychology program have successfully obtained licensure in many states.

The Clinical Psychology PhD program is committed to educating students in clinical science with rigorous training in both research and applied clinical work. Our program will provide you with the skills you need for a successful career in academia, research, or clinical practice. Fully accredited by the American Psychological Association Committee on Accreditation since 1972, our doctoral program reflects the scientist-practitioner model of training.
 

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Curriculum
Faculty
Washington, DC
Careers

Excellence in Research and
Clinical Training

The 72-credit PhD program is designed to provide students with a rigorous classroom education, innovative research opportunities, and exciting and diverse clinical experiences. With faculty guidance and mentorship, students complete a master's thesis, a doctoral dissertation, and one tool of research. Students engage in four year-long practicum experiences. In the first year, students learn humanistic and psychodynamic techniques in the American University Counseling Center. In later years, students learn and practice behavioral and cognitive techniques in the department's James J. Gray Psychotherapy Training Clinic and the Clinic for Youth Anxiety & Related Disorders. Additionally, students complete multiple externships in DC area hospitals, mental health centers, and counseling centers and a one-year internship.

This program takes five to six years of full-time study to complete. Part-time study is not available. See all Admission and Course Requirements with course descriptions.

At AU, a mentorship model of training will allow you to work closely with a research supervisor throughout the program. You and this faculty mentor will collaborate on research projects and design your master's thesis and dissertation project. Our faculty members maintain productive research labs and mentor graduate students in research design and methodology. Faculty research interests include affective and motivational processes in depression, anxiety disorders (in children and adults), stress and emotion regulation, parenting, minority mental health, trichotillomania, cognitive assessment and therapy, smoking, borderline personality disorder, drug expectancies, personalization of psychotherapy. Faculty research programs offer a mix of applied and basic research opportunities.

Diverse Opportunities In The Nation's Capital

Home to numerous world-class research and clinical institutions, the DC area offers access to an extraordinary array of professional and intellectual opportunities. The clinical program at AU has fostered connections at a wide range of externship sites including the DC and Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Centers, National Institute of Health, Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, National Children’s Medical Center, private practices, and college counseling centers at nearby universities. Many of our students make lasting connections in the DC area, and are well positioned to find post-doctoral employment in or around the city. There is a rich diversity in DC, so students work with individuals and families from many different backgrounds.

The PhD is your path to career success

At AU, we have a record of placing our clinical psychology PhDs in successful careers at respected institutions. Our students graduate fully prepared for careers in academia, research, and clinical settings. For example, graduates of our program hold tenure-track positions at St. John's University, Williams College, LaFayette College, the University of Cincinnati, and Goucher College.

We are proud of the research and clinical accomplishments of our students and alumni. AU PhDs have conducted research in prominent departments of psychiatry, including Brown University, Ohio State University, and the University of Virginia. Our alumni work in a variety of clinical settings in the DC area and across the country, including Johns Hopkins University, the National Institutes of Health, the New York Presbyterian-University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, Chestnut Health System of Illinois, Children's National Medical Center, and the District of Columbia VA Medical Center.

Crystal Liu with flowers.

News Notes

Congratulations to Crystal Liu on being selected for two grant awards from the American Psychological Foundation: the 2025 Steven O. Walfish Competition for research examining how patient- and therapist-perceived empathy drive symptom change; and the 2025 K. Anders Ericsson Dissertation Research Grant for her dissertation, developing and evaluating a structured, deliberate practice-based, multicultural orientation (MCO-DP) training program."

Congratulations to Dr. Nate Herr, who received the “Spotlight on a Mentor” award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) in recognition of his outstanding work with AU doctoral and masters students. Dr. Herr is pictured here receiving the award from ABCT President Dr. Steven Safren (U. of Miami). Nathaniel Herr

  • Erica Hart receives award from Linda AldooryCongratulations to Dr. Erica Hart, longtime leader or co-leader of our program’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Team, who received the College Dean's Award for Outstanding Contributions to an Inclusive Community for the 2024-2025 academic year, a well-deserved honor! 
  • Allison Tietz.Congratulations to Allison Tietz, who received the Hanna Miriam Sandler Book Award from the AU Department of Mathematics and Statistics for her outstanding work as a student in STAT 627: Statistical Machine Learning.
  • Zoe Laki.Congratulations to Zoë E. Laky, who received a Pre-doctoral Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Fellowship through the National Institute of Mental Health as part of their Graduate Partnership Program. She will be fully funded for up to 5 years to conduct research that explores developmental trajectories of youth psychopathology using machine learning methods.
  • Ramya Ramadurai.Ramya Ramadurai has been selected to receive a 2026 PEO Scholar Award, administered by the PEO International Sisterhood, the award recognizes Ramya for her “scholarly excellence, academic achievement, and worthwhile career goals speak[ing] to [her] ability to make a significant contribution to [her] field.” Congratulations, Ramya!
  • Greighson RoweCongratulations to Greighson Rowe, who received the 2024 DC Psychological Association (DCPA) Student Research Grant in support of her doctoral dissertation project with Dr. Nicole Lorenzo. This research involves understanding the role of parent-teacher relationship quality as a protective factor for Black and Latine children at risk of developing self-regulation difficulties.
  • Nicole Caporino spoke with Vox on how parents should talk about elections with their children.
  • Ramya RamaduraiCongratulations to Ramya Ramadurai, who received the 2024 American Psychological Foundation (APF)/ COGDOP Graduate Research Scholarship in support of her doctoral dissertation project with Dr. Nate Herr. This research involves developing, and then testing in a controlled study with follow-up assessment, a novel single-session emotion regulation intervention tailored to mental health challenges experienced by Black women.
  • Isaac MoralesIsaac Morales has been named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar for the next 4 years. He will collaborate with other future leaders and receive award funds and mentorship.
  • Alice CoyneCongratulations to Dr. Alice Coyne, who received the Norine Johnson Psychotherapy Research Grant from the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy to support the development of a measurement-based precision care system to help therapists personalize their psychotherapy interventions to the unique needs of low-income patients receiving treatment at a community mental health clinic in Buenos Aires. This project is conducted in collaboration with colleagues in Argentina.
  • Alex Long Congratulations to Alexandra Long, who received the annual Distinguished Clinical Scholar Award from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, where Alex completed her predoctoral internship.
  • Crystal LiuCongratulations to Crystal Liu, who received a Student Research Grant from the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy for her research project on "Empathic attunement as a predictor of worry reduction in cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder,” which she is conducting under the supervision of Dr. Alice Coyne.
People in the psychotherapy clinic

Announcement ·

AU’s Gray Psychotherapy Training Clinic Offers Low-Fee Psychotherapy

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Achievements ·

PhD Candidate Isaac Morales Recognized for Health Disparity Work

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Research ·

AI DebunkBot Effectively Persuades People from Believing Conspiracy Theories

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Alum Spotlight

Martha Falkenstein, CAS/PhD '16

Clinical Psychology

I benefitted from being encouraged to pursue my goals — and work/life balance.

Mentored by Dr. David Haaga on treatment development and outcomes for trichotillomania, Martha externed at the DC VA, NIMH Psychiatry Consultation-Liason Service, the Behavior Therapy Center, and Johns Hopkins Medical Center. After a Southwest Consortium Doctoral Internship and post-doc at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, she now serves as Director of Research at the OCD Institute, supported by an NIMH Career Development Award. 

 

Diana Cox, CAS/PhD Candidate

Clinical Psychology

AU’s quality of education prepared me well for the challenges of clinical work

Diana Cox’s research focuses on how experiences of stress affect physical and mental health outcomes, particularly in LGBTQ+ populations. As a member of the Stress and Emotion Lab, she has had the opportunity to design her own research studies and collaborate with other students on lab projects. She refined her clinical skills through externships at the Washington DC VA Medical Center, Neuropsychology Associates of Fairfax, and True North Therapy.