Students start their clinical training during the spring semester of their first year with a course in interviewing skills and an adult assessment practicum. Beginning in the fall semester of their second year, students will participate in an 11-month, 10hr per week practicum training program within the Clinical Program's Psychological Services Center (PSC). The PSC serves BU students, staff, and faculty as a general outpatient mental health service center, on campus, that provides clinical graduate students with training in structured diagnostic interviewing; symptom-focused, empirically-based psychotherapy; and psychological and cognitive assessment primarily for intellectual and academic problems. Third year clinical placements extend into the broader clinical community and are opportunities to strengthen burgeoning skills and pursue areas of clinical interest (e.g. working with specific populations, treatment modalities, etc.) These placements are two full days of clinical training. Students take a four credit clinical practicum course in the fall of their third year in conjunction with their practicum training. Some students opt for additional clinical experiences after the third year. We encourage students to seek out opportunities specific to their interests and needs. However, as a program, we reserve the right to approve all outside clinical (and research) experiences. This is largely to ensure your protection so that you are gaining quality experiences in a learning environment, and that you are not at risk for any liability issues.

Most students conclude their clinical training with an APA approved internship during their fifth year. All students are expected to seek an APA internship. All research and general qualifying exams and coursework must be passed including making up all incompletes before the internship process can begin. BU graduates have done internships across the country and students are encouraged to look for internships that best meet their interests and training needs, regardless of location. Under new regulations adopted by the state of Massachusetts, individuals with Doctorate degrees in psychology may no longer be eligible for licensure in the state of Massachusetts without completing an APA internship or an internship program that at present meets all criteria to obtain APA approval. Thus, the principle purpose of this policy (seeking an APA internship regardless of location) is to protect the student who has put years of time into a program from having that effort partially nullified by precluding independent clinical activity. A secondary reason has to do with the necessity of the program to continue to produce students who attend APA internships for its continuing accreditation. APA approval does not preclude a two year part-time internship and many of these exist around the country for those unable to matriculate in a full time program.