Graduate Programs Adler School of Professional Psychology

Programs of Study

The Adler School of Professional Psychology is the oldest independent school of psychology in North America. Founded in 1952, the school continues the work of Alfred Adler (1870-1937), the first community psychologist, by educating socially responsible professionals, by providing holistic service to individuals and communities, and by promoting social justice. The school offers campus based, hybrid model, and online classes to accommodate both recent college graduates and working professionals. The school includes a home campus in the Chicago Loop and a growing campus in downtown Vancouver. The school offers a doctoral program in clinical psychology and several masters programs in behavioral sciences and services. Students come from all over the world to study in a collaborative atmosphere among accomplished faculty members who are leaders in their field.

The Adler School earned the US President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in 2010. The school also received the 2007 American Psychological Association Board of Educational Affairs Award for Innovative Practices in Graduate Education in Psychology. This is a significant and prestigious recognition of the school's commitment to educating and training socially responsible psychologists through innovative programs that combine service learning, in the form of the Community Service Practicum, and coursework that enables Adler School graduates to address a broad range of social issues that impact the clients they serve.

Adler has 2 Institutes for Social Change -- the Institute on Social Exclusion and the Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice. They both seek to advance the school's vision of a more socially just society through research, outreach, and public awareness. The institutes work to create new alliances and tools in support of equal justice and opportunity. The Institute on Social Exclusion launched the first-ever Mental Health Impact Assessment (MHIA). It's an innovative tool that assesses how proposed legislation, policies, and programs in transportation, employment, housing, education, and other non-health areas may affect a vulnerable community's collective mental health.

The Adler School also offers 2 specialized centers. The LGBTQ Mental Health and Inclusion Center consolidates existing strengths and identifies new opportunities to prepare graduates to deliver accessible and relevant health services to LGBTQ individuals. The center's work has led to the development of new coursework. Longer-term goals include certificate and ultimately degree programs. It is also poised to become a resource on LGBTQ health services and health through an emerging advocacy and research agenda. In addition, the Adler School has established the Adler Child-Guidance Center (ACGC) to help care-providers meet the challenges and responsibilities of child-guidance. Based on the importance of raising children who are responsible, cooperative, and respectful of self and others, the ACGC emphasizes democratic leadership, encouragement, and reliance upon respectful, non-oppressive, non-coercive methods of teaching discipline. The center offers many free of charge parent and care-giver education programs to targeted agencies, and offers a variety of workshops for parents, care-givers, teachers, child-care workers, and others.

Degree Programs

The Adler School of Professional Psychology offers the following degree programs:

The Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology program follows a scholar-practitioner based training model. This program prepares graduates to conduct clinical interviews and psychological testing, create treatment plans, consult and collaborate with physicians and other professionals, and provide multiple forms of therapy to alleviate mental illness, behavioral problems, and emotional distress. The Adler School has received national recognition for also preparing students for socially responsible clinical practice with a focus on the broader social and systemic factors of human dysfunction. Upon completing foundational course work, students have opportunities to be placed in internships at prestigious clinics, hospitals, mental health centers, and government agencies. Adler School also offers a variety of concentrations and tracks including child and adolescent psychology, military clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and trauma. The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA), located at 750 First Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242; phone: 202-336-5510; Web site: http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation.

The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology degree program offers students a solid foundation in the theories and methods of clinical mental health counseling. Graduates are well prepared for a wide variety of mental health positions in public and private sector human service organizations. Traditional graduate degree curriculum is coupled with a unique emphasis on socially responsible practice as students complete practicum experiences through our vast network of community partners across a variety of specialized settings. Full-time and part-time options are available. Courses are offered in a combination of weekday, evening, weekend, online, and blended formats. Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for licensing as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the State of Illinois, the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) examination in the State of Illinois with additional supervised training, or sit for the National Counselor Examination (NCE) prior to graduation. Licensure requirements in some states may vary from those required by the Adler School; all students should plan their curriculum accordingly.

The Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling program prepares entry-level counselors to specialize in working with couples and families. Students complete course work and practicum experiences focused on the understanding and integration of individual lifestyle dynamics with marital and family systems. Graduates have theoretical understanding of individual marital and family systems, including developmental issues and major variations, assessment skills in lifestyle and systemic diagnosis, and intervention skills based on major models of marital and family therapy, with the theory and methods of individual psychology as the foundations.

The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy program combines the theories and techniques of individual psychology with education and clinical training. The program, approved by the American Art Therapy Association, requires 65 credit hours of courses, as well as 700 hours of clinical practicum experience under at least partial supervision of a registered art therapist (ATR). The program provides students with the academic and pre-degree clinical experiences required to apply for registration as art therapists, as well as sit for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) examination in the state of Illinois.

The Master of Arts in Counseling and Organizational Psychology program combines the theories and skills of counseling psychology with organizational theory, design, and development to prepare graduates for positions in business and industry, especially in organizational psychology and the related areas of talent management, team building, performance enhancement, executive coaching, organizational development, training, and employee assistance. This one-of-a-kind program prepares graduates to sit for state-level licensure as master's-level counselors. Graduates are trained to assess and provide intervention in organizational settings at the individual level (personal selection, leadership development, executive coaching, career assessment, and counseling), work group level (team assessment, team issue resolution, and team building), and organizational level (talent audits, needs analysis, strategic planning, and organizational design and development).

The Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling degree is designed to prepare students to become certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs). Rehabilitation counselors work with individuals who have mental, emotional, or physical handicaps, helping them to lead self-sufficient lives. Counselors determine the training and support their clients need to deal with the effects of their conditions. Rehabilitation counselors are employed by publicly funded agencies, schools, and medical facilities. Counselors evaluate clients and arrange for rehabilitation programs that may include medical care, psychological counseling, occupational therapy, and job placement.

The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in forensic psychology program prepares graduates for a highly specialized career that integrates knowledge of human behavior with active participation in the criminal justice system. Specialized course work exposes students to the predominant theories and techniques of forensic evaluation, including the determination of a defendant's competency to stand trial, determination of sanity at the time of an offense, and determination of qualification for the death penalty in the event of a conviction for a capital crime. Students also develop comprehensive understanding of the techniques associated with the forensic practitioner's involvement in criminal investigations, including activities such as forensic hypnosis, offender and geographic profiling, and the ongoing review of police interview and witness identification procedures. Students are introduced to such specialized topics as the psychological effects of incarceration, jury selection, the evaluation of sexually dangerous persons, and the psychosocial development of the criminal personality type.

More Degree Programs

The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in sport and health psychology program prepares graduates to address individual and systemic issues that affect sport performance and health. These areas overlap in the types of interventions used to produce positive changes (goal-setting and self-monitoring to improve consistency of practice or to lose weight). Sport and health goals also include the influence of various social and community factors (coaches, family members, culture, and access to facilities). This unique program provides training and understanding of assessment, intervention, and analysis of systems that will allow graduates to work within communities, schools, and professional organizations to address the diverse needs of people with varying ages, health issues, and athletic accomplishments.

The Master of Arts in Police Psychology program is designed for field officers, supervisory personnel, command members, and those interested in careers in law enforcement. The program blends numerous areas within the discipline of psychology with pragmatic applications to patrol, operational, and managerial concerns that arise daily in the field of law enforcement. This degree is not designed to teach students to conduct therapy or engage in psychological testing. There are no clinical hours required or practicums to complete. Rather, the program teaches students the practical applications of psychology in the field of law enforcement. Core professors and adjunct faculty members all have extensive experience in clinical psychology and/or law enforcement. Students should reside in the local Chicagoland area.

The Master of Arts in Criminology program, offered completely online, prepares practitioners to examine the causes and consequences of criminal behavior; to understand the intricacies and challenges of modern-day criminal justice systems; and to apply theoretical skills to address those challenges. Graduates complete their studies ready to develop intervention and prevention strategies that are practical, effective, socially responsible, and sustainable.

The Adler School offers a 100% online Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology. Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology is one of the fastest growing psychology specialties. Professionals in this field apply methods of psychology to issues of critical relevance to business and industry, including talent management, coaching, leadership development, program evaluation, training, organizational change, team building, and work-life balance. Many I/O psychology professionals also work as consultants addressing organizational challenges such as change management, workplace diversity, and employee development and engagement. The Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology program is designed to meet the guidelines for education and training provided by The Society of Industrial & Organizational Psychology (SIOP) with a unique emphasis on socially responsible practice. This online program can be completed in 5 semesters or 20 months and provides students with education and training in both theory and practice. Through a required business practicum in their communities, students have opportunities to gain experience and practical skills to succeed in this expanding field.

The Master of Arts in Emergency Management Leadership program is designed to equip students with the knowledge needed to help individuals and communities prepare, respond, and recover from natural and man-made emergencies. Students in this program will receive training in the complex social, emotional, psychological, and political dynamics of disasters. Students will also receive guidance on how to provide hands-on service to those needing immediate support. This program is offered in an online, hybrid format. Students can complete the program within 2 years. The Adler School is poised to offer this program beginning fall 2013, pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The Master of Arts in Psychology: Specialization in Military Psychology is offered in a 100% online format and is designed to equip students with the knowledge needed to help military personnel with stress, fatigue, and the psychological trauma suffered as a result of military operations. Students in this program will be taught how to apply basic psychological principles of military psychology to the interpersonal, managerial, and organizational dimensions of military and supporting civilian environments. Students can complete this program within 2 years. The Adler School is poised to offer this program beginning fall 2013, pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration: Urban Mental Health Concentration program learn to integrate concepts of social change and social justice into public service, particularly through consultation with those communities and people most affected by policy. The Urban Mental Health Concentration equips students with the unique skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to work across disciplinary and professional boundaries to develop and implement public policies that promote mental health in urban populations. This program is offered in a flexible evening/weekend format. The Adler School is poised to offer this program beginning fall 2013, pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The Adler School's Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration: Human Rights Advocacy Concentration integrates concepts of social change and social justice into public service, particularly through consultation with those communities and with people most affected by policy. Under the Human Rights Advocacy Concentration, students will examine the theoretical foundations and critical issues of advocacy planning and strategies for action. This program is offered in the evening and on weekends. The Adler School is poised to offer this program beginning fall 2013, pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Research Facilities

The Sol and Elaine Mosak Library provides resources and services to foster the educational and intellectual inquiry of students and faculty members. In addition to its major holdings in Adlerian-oriented materials, the library contains a wide variety of materials in mental health and related disciplines. The library has a collection of more than 12,000 volumes, subscribes to more than 150 professional journals, and has an extensive collection of more than 1100 audiotapes and videotapes.

The library's CD-ROM indexes facilitate research by extending its reach to the larger research community. Through interlibrary loans, cooperative agreements with local libraries, and membership in ILLINET, OCLC, and NLM-Docline, students have computer access to learning materials from all over the country.

Financial Aid

The Adler School is approved by the US Department of Education to participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program and Federal Work-Study Program. The school offers a number of scholarships to students based on financial need, academic achievement, service to the community, and availability of funds.

Cost of Study

Tuition on the Chicago campus for 2012-13 is $1040 per credit hour for MA programs and $1,160 per credit hour for the doctoral program. Tuition costs for each year vary depending on whether the student enrolls full-time or part-time. Full-time students enroll for 8 or more credit hours per term for MA students and 10 or more credit hours per term for doctoral students. Courses are offered during fall, spring, and summer semesters.

Living and Housing Costs

The school does not provide housing, but assists students in securing off-campus housing. Students typically live in apartments in the Chicago area. Living expenses vary considerably according to standard of living, housing, and transportation.

Student Groups

Adler School's commitment to social responsibility draws students from all over the world to study in a collaborative atmosphere with accomplished faculty members. The school attracts both recent college graduates and working professionals and offers significant cultural diversity by attracting the best students in the world. The Adler Student Association represents many different countries and encourages students to celebrate their heritage through on- and off-campus learning activities.

Location

Conveniently located in downtown Chicago, Illinois and Vancouver, British Columbia, both campuses are easily accessible by public transportation and provide students with a culturally diverse learning environment as well as hundreds of opportunities for clinical training across the United States and Canada. Online degree options are also available.

The School

Founded in 1952 by Rudolf Dreikurs, MD, the Adler School is committed to continuing the work of Alfred Adler, the first community psychologist. In addition to preparing individuals for the general practice of clinical psychology, Adler School also offers a community service practicum. Available in the first-year curriculum, this unique practicum allows students to get involved in community organizing, volunteer projects, political initiatives, advocacy, and public policy analysis.

The Adler Institutes for Social Change advance social justice for underserved and disadvantaged communities through applied research, community outreach, and public awareness initiatives. There are also 2 other institutes on campus: the Institute on Social Exclusion and the Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice.

Applying

All applicants must have at least bachelor's degrees from accredited colleges or universities. Applicants to the master's programs should ideally have GPAs of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) and each have at least 12 credits of course work in psychology. Applicants to the doctoral program preferably each have a GPA of 3.25 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) and at least 18 credits of course work in psychology. Applications are accepted for the fall and winter terms on a rolling basis. The priority deadline for the PsyD program is February 15. Applicants are strongly encouraged to begin the preliminary application process at least 3 months before they plan to begin taking classes.

Correspondence and Information

Adler School of Professional Psychology

Admissions Office

17 North Deaborn Street

Chicago, Illinois 60602

United States

Phone: 312-662-4100

Fax: 312-662-4099

E-mail: admissions@adler.edu

Web site: http://www.adler.edu

The Faculty

With an average class size of fewer than 12 students, faculty mentorship plays a very important role in the learning process at the Adler School. Faculty members are licensed professionals who combine clinical practice with their instructional duties. Many hold or have held leadership positions in professional organizations, and most present workshops and seminars throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, and other countries. Adler School faculty members have a broad range of interest and specializations offering students a variety of expertise in the field of psychology.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Doctor of Psychology/Certificate (Psy D/Certificate)
  Doctor of Psychology/Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy (Psy D/MACAT)
  Doctor of Psychology/Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (Psy D/MACP)
  Doctor of Psychology/Master of Arts in Substance Abuse Counseling (Psy D/MASAC)
  Doctor of Psychology/Master of Marriage and Family Counseling (Psy D/MAMFC)
• Clinical Neuropsychology Certificate
• Gerontological Counseling Master of Arts (MA)
• Community Psychology Master of Arts (MA)
• Marriage And Family Counseling Master of Arts (MA)
• Police Psychology Master of Arts (MA)
• Clinical Psychology Doctor of Psychology (Psy D)
• Counseling Psychology Master of Arts (MA)
• Art Therapy Master of Arts (MA)
• Marriage And Family Therapy Certificate
• Sport And Health Psychology Master of Arts (MA)
• Organizational Psychology Master of Arts (MA)
• Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate
• Advanced Adlerian Psychotherapy Certificate
• Forensic Psychology Master of Arts (MA)
• Rehabilitation Counseling Master of Arts (MA)
• Counseling And Organizational Psychology Master of Arts (MA)
• Criminology Master of Arts (MA)
• Emergency Management Leadership Master of Arts (MA)
• Military Psychology Master of Arts (MA)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Not reported
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? Yes
• Evening/weekend programs available? Yes
• Distance learning programs available? Yes
• Terminal master's degree available? Yes

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Alternate accepted and oral exam, practicum
• Doctoral Degrees Required and clinical exam, internship, oral exam, practicum, written qualifying exam
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• AppliedNot Reported
• AcceptedNot Reported
• Acceptance RateNot Reported
• EnrolledNot Reported
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic $50
• Application Fee - International $50
• Electronic applications accepted? Yes
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Yes
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline February 15th December 1st Yes
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's Degrees12 semester hours in psychology, minimum GPA of 3.0
• Doctoral's Degrees18 semester hours in psychology, minimum GPA of 3.25
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced Degreesappropriate master's or doctoral degree
• International DegreesTOEFL required, 550 paper based, TOEFL iBT

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *Not Reported
• Out-of-state tuition *Not Reported
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitFAFSA
• Application deadlines for financial awardsMay 15
• Types of financial support availableTuition Waivers, Career or Field-Related Internships, Federal Work-Study, Financial Support for Part-time Students, Scholarship and/or loans

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students830
• Female Percentage77%
• Male Percentage23%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students830
• Part-time Percentage17%
• Full-time Percentage83%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / LatinoNot Reported
• Black / African AmericanNot Reported
• White / CaucasianNot Reported
• American Indian / Alaskan NativeNot Reported
• AsianNot Reported
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific IslanderNot Reported
• Two or more racesNot Reported
• UnknownNot Reported

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty101
• Full-time Percentage40%
• Part-time Percentage60%
• Female Percentage49%
• Male Percentage51%