Clinical Psychology

therapist with patient

The Clinical Psychology Program at Duke University is a Ph.D. program for students seeking excellence in academic, scientific, and clinical training.

This program is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS). Our program has a strong history of training based on the scientist/practitioner (Boulder) model and more recently has adopted a clinical science model of training in which the science of psychology and its clinical application are mutually interdependent and mutually evolving.

The Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology at Duke University has been accredited by the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation since 1948.

Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:

Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
Telephone: (202) 336-5979   Email: apaaccred@apa.org  Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation

Questions about the Duke clinical program itself should be directed to Director of Clinical Training - Moria Smoski, PhD, moria.smoski@duke.edu, (919) 684-6717

 

 

Additional Information

Applicants: Please see our Departmental Application FAQ.

Our program follows a mentorship model in which students are admitted to work with specific faculty members for their research training. 

 

The Clinical Psychology Program at Duke University is a Ph.D. program for students seeking excellence in academic, scientific, and clinical training. This program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and by the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS). Our program has a strong history of scientist practitioner (Boulder) model and more recently has adopted a clinical science model of training in which the science of psychology and its clinical application are mutually interdependent and mutually evolving. That is, our program is designed to train clinical scientists who are capable of functioning successfully in academic, research, clinical, and community settings. Within this multifaceted training framework, we seek to develop students who are interested in careers in which the science of psychology is applied to address public health issues related to mental and physical diseases both nationally and internationally. The program is not appropriate for students interested solely in clinical practice and not in research. Rather, we strive for excellence in both the science and practice of clinical psychology.

At Duke, graduate training in clinical psychology emphasizes three domains of knowledge: adult clinical, child clinical, and health psychology. The expertise of the faculty, drawn from the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Duke University Medical Center, extends to a large number of interdisciplinary problems involving human behavioral and physical adaptation in its varying social contexts. Duke University’s Clinical Psychology Program is annually ranked among the top clinical psychology programs in the United States. Duke’s doctoral program in Clinical Psychology is a member of The Academy of Psychological Clinical Science, which is a coalition of doctoral training programs that share a common goal of producing and applying scientific knowledge to the understanding, assessment, and amelioration of human problems.

Specific interests include intervention and prevention methods across the life course for such phenomena as aggression and antisocial behavior, depression, personality disorders, eating disorders and obesity, substance abuse, HIVAIDS, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain. Our faculty also study behavioral cardiology, behavioral medicine, global mental health, reducing disparities in minority mental and physical health services, assessment and intervention in pediatric psychology, and gene-environment interaction.

Clinical program faculty are also actively involved in University Institutes, including the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS), Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), and Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI).

Each year the Department admits 2-5 clinical graduate students, which will result in approximately 25 students being advised by our faculty at one time. As of August, 2023, our faculty advise a total of 23 students receiving clinical training, (8 males and 15 females, 6 of whom are from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups).

In accordance with American Psychological Association requirements, a more complete description of the clinical program's goals, clinical training resources, and special requirements can be found in the on-line Clinical Graduate Student Handbook.

 

The Duke Psychology Clinic has been providing psychological services to the Triangle community for over twenty years and is committed to working with adults who are seeking services for a range of psychological and adjustment difficulties. As part of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, the Clinic functions as a training center for the Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. Psychotherapy is provided by advanced graduate students who are supervised by experienced clinicians. With our commitment to training and intensive supervision, the Clinic is dedicated to providing high-quality care to our clients.

Services

The Duke Psychology Clinic offers short- and long-term individual psychotherapy for adults seeking treatment for a range of psychological difficulties. The Clinic treats a wide-range of presenting concerns, including depression, anxiety, inattentiveness/hyperactivity, self-esteem, eating concerns, relationship difficulties, adjustment, and coping with stressors. In addition, the Clinic has a long-standing reputation in the community for effectively assisting individuals who have experienced traumatic events. Therapeutic work is individually-focused and clinicians work with their supervisors to tailor treatment to the needs of each client. The treatment approach utilized integrates principles from a range of evidence-based treatments in order to best address the client’s presenting concerns, including cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and interpersonal approaches.

We offer:

  • Respected community reputation in the treatment of mental health concerns

  • Affordable session fees

  • Convenient location and flexible hours

  • Assessment to further tailor treatment

  • Availability of long-term treatment 
  • Enthusiastic therapists receiving supervision from experienced clinicians

Obtaining Services

Services are available to individuals throughout the community. Those seeking services or who would like to make a referral should begin by calling a Clinic Coordinator, (919) 660-5771. Because the Clinic is a training center, utmost care is taken to ensure we can provide appropriate services; clients in crisis or in need of a higher level of care are typically referred to a more suitable clinic.

Location

The Clinic is located in Suite 312 of the Psychology/Sociology building on Duke's West Campus.

Hours

During the academic year, clinic hours are 9a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays. Hours are slightly abbreviated during the summer months.

Staff

Timothy Strauman, Ph.D.
Director, Duke Psychology Clinic
Professor, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
Licensed Psychologist

David Rabiner, Ph.D.
Research Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Licensed Psychologist & Supervisor

Moria Smoski, Ph.D.
Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Licensed Psychologist

Rachel Guetta
Graduate Student, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Clinic Coordinator

Current Practicum Supervisors

  • David Rabiner 
  • Melanie Bonner 
  • Sarah Cook 
  • Geraldine Dawson 
  • Christian Mauro 
  • Rhonda Merwin 
  • Zach Rosenthal
  • Moria Smoski
  • Tamara Somers
  • Rebecca Shelby 
  • Julia Woodward
  • Nancy Zucker
  • Naomi Davis 
  • John Mitchell 
  • Julia Schacter  
  • Sarah O’Rourke 
  • Kyla Blalock 
  • Nicole Heilbron 
  • David Goldston 
  • Jill Howard  
  • Adrienne Inscoe
  • Ashley Hill
Practicum descriptions

Internships:

  • Alpert Medical School of Brown University
  • Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital
  • Cambridge Hospital, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
  • Central Regional Hospital, Butner, NC
  • Children’s Hospital, Boston, Harvard University, Boston, MA
  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
  • Children's Hospital at Stanford / Children's Health Council
  • Clarke Institute (Center for Addiction and Mental Health), Toronto, Ontario
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
  • Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
  • Emory, Atlanta, GA
  • Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
  • McLean Hospital, Harvard University, Belmont, MA
  • Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston Consortium), Charleston, SC
  • Miami/Dade County Department of Human Services, Miami, FL
  • Miami Veterans Administration Health Care System, Miami, FL
  • Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
  • MUSC/Charleston Consortium Internship
  • Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH
  • New York Univesity/Bellevue Hospital
  • North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Administration Medical Center, Gainesville, FL
  • Rush University Medical Center
  • University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ
  • University of California-Los Angeles
  • University of California-San Diego/Veterans Affairs, San Diego, CA
  • University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
  • University of Colorado Health Center, Boulder, CO
  • University of Florida Health Science Center, Gainesville, FL
  • University of Kansas Medical School
  • University of Michigan/Rackham Institute
  • University of Mississippi Medical/VA Jackson
  • University of New Mexico Health Science Center
  • University of North Carolina Medical School, Chapel Hill, NC
  • University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychiatry
  • University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston
  • University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
  • University of Wisconsin Medical Center, Madison, WI
  • Veterans Administration Medical Center, Durham, NC
  • Veterans Administration Maryland Health Care System/Univ. of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
  • Veterans Administration Medical Center, Northport, NY
  • Veterans Administration Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
  • Veterans Administration Medical Center, Salem, VA
  • Veterans Administration Puget Sound-American Lake, Tacoma, WA
  • Virginia Treatment Center for Children, Virginia Commonwealth Univ., Richmond, VA
  • Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

NOTE: Our program has made the GRE General Test optional for admission to the fall 2024 class. You may submit scores if you have them, and they will be considered by the admissions committee. Applications without GRE scores will be given equal consideration. 

Each year we receive between 350 and 400 completed applications for admission to our clinical psychology program. A variety of bases for admission are utilized, although some common themes emerge. In our search for qualified graduate students, we look for the potential to conduct original research, to engage in scholarship, to work effectively with others, including future clients, and to have an impact on the broader field of clinical psychology. We seek applicants who are interested both in research and in clinical practice. It is important for applicants to consider and to articulate potential matches with the research interests of one or more potential faculty mentors. While an undergraduate integrative psychology major is not required, most of our students were psychology majors, and most had post-baccalaureate research experience in psychology prior to application. Every year about 20 applicants are contacted for virtual interviews with our faculty. Interviews are required for clinical applicants. Interviews take place in late January - early February with invitations extended a few weeks prior to interviews.

All students accepted into the program are guaranteed five years of stipend support, as well as full tuition. Stipends may be based on fellowships, research or teaching assistant positions, or, for more senior students, their own external research support.

Students and faculty in the Clinical Psychology Program established the Anti-Racism Community (ARC) in July 2020 as a response to the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the rampant police brutality at subsequent nationwide protests, and the preceding 401-year legacy of anti-Black racism in the United States. The mission of the ARC is to:

  • Establish an anti-racist culture in all activities conducted by students, faculty, and staff
  • Acknowledge the impact of centuries of systemic and individual racism at the national, statewide, and university levels, and
  • Take all possible corrective action to eliminate these effects on our program

ARC members meet monthly to provide general updates and make requests for assistance in completing tasks. Currently, members of the ARC are organized into three Pillars. Members are welcome to join one or more Pillar based on their interests. Each Pillar meets separately to coordinate and work on their specific goals and actions. The goals of the three Pillars are to

Pillar 1: Enhance recruitment and retention of BIPOC faculty, students, and staff that reflect national demographics

Pillar 2: Ensure all academic activities reflect anti-racism as a core value of the program

Pillar 3: Elevate multicultural awareness as a core competency of clinical training and professional development for all faculty, students, and staff

The ARC is an action-oriented community. Below are a few of the actions taken by the ARC since its inception:

  • Creation of the Clinical Science Anti-Racism Series, a set of presentations and discussions on the ways clinical practice, research, and professional issues is informed by anti-racist approaches
  • Launch an annual Virtual Office Hours program, an opportunity for individuals underrepresented in psychology to receive individualized feedback on their applications to PhD programs in psychology
  • Hosted a weekly writing group for faculty, post-docs, and graduate students, especially those from underrepresented communities and those looking to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within our department
  • Establishment of Peer Multicultural Consultation Team, a monthly meeting during which students seek culturally-informed perspectives from other students on diverse patients
  • Evaluation of all P&N undergraduate syllabi for content that supports inclusion, reduction of "hidden curriculum" elements, and anti-racist principles. Provided feedback to the P&N Faculty with resources for improving DEI principles in syllabi