Program Aims, Values and Commitment to Diversity

The Doctor of Psychology degree (PsyD) is designed to train and develop Health Service Psychologists to meet the mental and behavioral health challenges that our communities experience and will continue to face in the future.

Program Aims

In line with the Missouri State University public affairs mission, this program seeks to develop Health Service Psychologists who are ethical leaders, demonstrate cultural competence and humility, and are active in the community.

The program places an emphasis on professional practice, with graduates trained in evidence-based practice and scientific inquiry and evaluation.

Focal aspects of the program that support these aims include:

Attention to community need

• Address the variety of needs present within the community through the development of local Health Service Psychologists via didactic, clinical, and research experiences.
• Support awareness of systems of oppression and barriers to mental health services within local communities that differentially impact the wellbeing of community members.
• Identify and develop evidence-based practices to support clients' full and authentic experience of their personal and community values.

Dedication to professionalism in public affairs

• Align the program curriculum and embedded experiences with the Missouri State University public affairs mission.
• Develop practitioners who are prepared to practice ethical leadership, cultural competence and humility, and community engagement.

Development of effective practitioners

• Ongoing reflection on the influence of one's background and personal context in professional behavior and discourse.
• Awareness of the dynamic nature of circumstances, both present and historic, that impact all parties in the therapeutic relationship.
• Commitment to the continuous development of one's professional identity, theoretical orientation, and ethical application of procedure.
• Utilization of evidence-based practices to meet the individual needs of clients and to disseminate important clinical discoveries to the broader psychological community.

Core program values

• Community wellbeing and social responsibility
• Excellence in evidence-based clinical practice
• Active scientific inquiry and critical thinking
• Personal and professional development