Experiential Learning

Small Classes

Small class sizes are a hallmark of a Cal Lutheran education. Entering class sizes of 15 students per year for the PsyD and MS Clinical Programs, or 30 per year for each of the MS Counseling cohorts, allow for personal contact and thoughtful discussion with professors and classmates.

Hands-On Training at Counseling Centers

Another major point of differentiation for Cal Lutheran’s Graduate School of Psychology is the presence of highly active, university-run counseling centers which serve the public.

We operate two training clinics located in Oxnard and Westlake Village, staffed by our second-year PsyD and M.S. in Counseling (MFT) students. Here, we offer extensive counseling services at low fees to underserved communities, with more than 15,000 appointments scheduled every year.

Each trainee receives extensive supervision from experienced licensed clinicians. Our 21 licensed clinical supervisors include psychologists, MFTs, and socialworkers representing a wide range of theoretical orientations including cognitive behavioral, family systems, humanistic, and psychodynamic approaches. New facilities, state-of-the-art digital audiovisual equipment, and observation rooms provide a rich clinical training setting. Students also learn Titanium Schedule, the leader in counseling center electronic medical record keeping.

Required of PsyD students and optional for MFT students is the completion of externships in diverse settings such as university counseling centers, community mental health clinics, hospital systems, residential facilities, correctiona facilities, schools, and specialized facilities for domestic violence, addictions and eating disorders. Your training is tailored to your interests.

Research Activities

Our faculty members are deeply aware that psychology is a science that requires students to develop critical and analytic skills along with the skills to relate in an effective manner. Critical thinking, research methods, and statistical skills are sharpened through course assignments, but also through student projects and involvement as research assistants. All doctoral students
complete a dissertation that is designed to lay a foundation for future participation in psychological research. MS in Clinical Psychology students complete quantitative theses that set the stage for employment or entry into a doctoral program. MS in Counseling Psychology students do not have required theses, but are encouraged to join faculty research programs. Faculty are actively involved in research and we encourage you to visit the faculty page at our website to learn about their varied interests.