Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program Receives Full Accreditation

UNCW’s clinical psychology doctoral program has received full accreditation by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (CoA). The Commission recognized the quality of training provided by the program and its compliance with the Standards of Accreditation.

The clinical psychology Ph.D. program provides education and training in psychological science and practice that prepares individuals for licensure as doctoral level psychologists in health-service fields. Training focuses on the biological, psychological, behavioral and social influences in the assessment and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

"I am incredibly proud of the dedication and excellence that led to our general clinical psychology Ph.D. program’s full 10-year APA accreditation,” said Dr. Graciela Espinosa- Hernández, chair and professor in the Department of Psychology. “Special thanks to Dr. Sally MacKain and the core clinical faculty for their tireless commitment to training the next generation of clinical psychologists in North Carolina."

The CoA noted the Ph.D. program’s rigorous scientist-practitioner model, highly-qualified faculty researchers, and the General Psychotherapy and Assessment Clinic (GPAC), which serves as an on-campus practicum training site for students, in addition to eight community-based sites.

“We are especially proud of our students. The program has a 100% placement rate at highly competitive APA accredited internships, and all graduates have been immediately employed and received or are working toward licensure. They are already busy addressing acute health care needs of our communities,” said Dr. Sally MacKain, professor of psychology and Director of Clinical Training. “Now that our program is fully accredited by APA, we expect that applications will increase from 100 per year to twice that, over the next several years. Having an APA-accredited clinical psychology Ph.D. program at UNCW adds to its prestige and status, and we are grateful for the strong support we have received.”

The program’s next full review will be in 2034.