Child Clinical

Child Clinical Overview | Research | Course Work | Clinical Training | Accreditation | Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data

Goals of Program. Our goal is to help advance the field of clinical psychology, both by the research we do and the students we train. Our goal to transform the field is reflected in five emphases:

An emphasis on clinical science. We believe that the practice of clinical psychology requires a stronger scientific/research foundation. Our program is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science, a coalition of doctoral training programs that share a common goal of producing and applying scientific knowledge to the assessment, understanding, and amelioration of human problems.

An emphasis on clinical child psychology. Children and families have been underserved populations. The field both needs a stronger knowledge base regarding developmental psychopathology and needs to develop and implement more effective assessment and intervention techniques for children and families from diverse backgrounds. Accredited by APA in clinical psychology since 1964, the University of Denver program is one of the few in the country that primarily focuses on providing training in clinical child psychology. Almost all of our clinical faculty, rather than just one or two, have special interests in children and families.

An emphasis on the social system. Children and adolescents are viewed as a member of a number of important social systems (e.g., family, school, community). We do research on such systems, and students learn to work with married couples, parents, the family, and community systems relevant to children (e.g., schools). Furthermore, students receive training in adult psychopathology and adult psychotherapy and have opportunities to do clinical work with adult clients.

An emphasis on developmental cognitive neuroscience. Our program is one of the very few programs in the world that offers graduate training in clinical child neuropsychology. All students in our program receive at least a year of such training. Many clinical students are also part of the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience program in which they receive much more extensive training in clinical child neuropsychology and can pursue careers in this specialty.

An emerging emphasis on diversity, community based programs and social change. All students are trained to be sensitive to individual differences and cultural diversity in approaching research and clinical issues. Both research and clinical opportunities exist for working with diverse populations (see faculty's descriptions of their work and Multicultural Pioneer on student page). We are also exploring ways in which our research and clinical work can have a broader impact on different groups of people and social systems. We encourage our graduates to embrace leadership roles in public service and public policy, as well as in research, teaching, and clinical practice.

Training opportunities are offered in the context of a junior colleague model, in which students learn to carry out clinical science and practice with increasing degrees of independence and responsibility. We envision a diverse array of professional careers for our students. What is most important to us is that our graduates make a difference and join us in helping transform the field. We believe that applicants primarily interested in careers in private or independent practice will find other programs to be a better match for their interests.

Child Clinical Overview | Research | Course Work | Clinical Training | Accreditation | Student Admissions, Outcomes and Other Data

Core Faculty

Ann Chu
Anne DePrince
Wyndol C. Furman
Omar Gudino
Benjamin L. Hankin
Jill Holm-Denoma
Howard J. Markman
Bruce F. Pennington
Stephen R. Shirk
 

Other Faculty

Daniel McIntosh
Sarah E. Watamura

Research Faculty

Galena Kline Rhoades
Scott Stanley

Clinics and
Research Labs

Center for Marital
and Family Studies
Howard Markman, Ph.D. and Scott Stanley, Ph.D.,
Co-Directors | 303.871.3062

Child Health & Development Lab
Sarah E. Watamura,Ph.D.,
Director
303.871.7774

Clinic for Child & Family Psychology
Stephen R. Shirk, Ph.D.,
Director
303.871.3306

Developmental Neuropsychology Lab
Bruce F. Pennington, Ph.D., Director
303.871.4403

Emotion and Coping Lab
Daniel McIntosh, Ph.D.,
303.871.3712

The GEM Study
Benjamin L. Hankin,
Ph.D., Director

The Relationship Center
Wyndol Furman, Ph.D., Director
303.871.3806

Traumatic Stress Studies Lab
Anne P. DePrince, Ph.D.,
Director
303.871.7407