How to Apply to Clinical Psychology PhD Programs

Notes from an aspiring psychologist

By Cait Townsend

Collage by Austin Hughes

I want to become a psychologist. Indeed, I write this as I apply to clinical psychology doctoral programs. Even after completing my first year in the terminal clinical psychology master’s program at Teachers College, Columbia University, the competition of a clinical psychology PhD application round is daunting to me. In this piece, I hope to provide some guidance for those in a similar position.

A bit about me: I hail from Nashville, Tennessee, but I was internationally adopted from Hunan, China. I studied psychology and sociology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for three years before I began at Teachers College in the fall of 2023. My primary research interests are evaluating and improving child and parent interaction therapy treatments as well as studying how psychopathology can be transmitted intergenerationally via genetics, social interactions, cultural upbringing, and physical environment. If we can implement mental health awareness and tools within the home, children and families everywhere, and therefore society and our future, can be significantly improved. 

I also have a passion for education, and I love to teach others. I have been a tutor and mentor since middle school, and I can’t imagine my life without this role in it. I plan to be a professor one day and continue to help shape young minds who share similar passions in the field of psychology. Clinically, I hope to work with children and families who are jointly dealing with an acute loss or trauma and any comorbid mood or anxiety disorder that a child or adolescent may be experiencing. Given my passion for empirically based and psychometrically backed interventions, a clinical psychology PhD program seems best for me. 

I ultimately chose not to apply to PsyD programs because I don’t have the financial resources to stay within a program that long. Most clinical psychology PhD programs are fully funded, whereas very few PsyD programs are. Additionally, I am passionate about research and the mutual benefits that science and practice may gain from one another. PsyD programs are typically more focused on clinical practice and involve less research work. 

In researching a graduate program, seeking a breadth of knowledge of theories relevant to clinical practice is essential for aspiring psychologists like me. No single therapeutic approach is suitable for every client, and it’s essential to tailor treatment styles to individual needs. For example, someone with anxiety might benefit most from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), while a child with autism might respond better to applied behavior analysis (ABA). Even within the same diagnosis, one person might thrive with CBT, while another may find greater benefit from rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). 

Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies are particularly fascinating because they often get to the root of why psychological symptoms develop. I’ve made sure that I’m applying to programs that offer psychoanalytic classes in their curricula; the best place to locate this information is usually in the school’s course catalog. At the same time, I’m eager to learn about other approaches as well.

Summer and Fall: Choosing Where and How to Apply 

One of the first pieces of advice I can offer is to dig deep and truly get to know yourself. Ask yourself some hard questions. 

• What are you looking for in a program? What types of clinical populations do you want to work with? What age students do you want to educate? How clinical or research-oriented do you want a school to be? 

• Do you have five to seven years to dedicate to this degree? It takes most people three cycles to get in, and most people are 26 when they start—are you prepared for that? 

• What are your financials like? Can you afford applications? (The average application costs $50–100, and most people apply to 10–15 schools in a cycle.) Can you manage money well enough to make a living on a minimal graduate stipend? 

• What would you do if you were rejected by every program this cycle? 

• Why are you really applying to these types of programs? 

I am not saying you should talk yourself out of applying—just that I wish I had asked myself these questions earlier. It will help you as you decide what professors you want to work with, what schools you want to apply to, and what your academic statements should look like.

After deciding to apply, you need to determine who will provide your letters of recommendation. Almost all clinical psychology PhD programs require three letters of recommendation. A very kind professor at Teachers College advised me to ask my letter writers around mid-September or early October at the latest (depending on application due dates). She also suggested that I ask one letter writer who could speak on behalf of my personality; I asked my middle and high school youth minister whom I worked with as a youth intern the summer of 2023 because he could discuss my personality as well as my ability to work with children and adolescents—the population that I want to work with in research and clinically. The other two letters should come from professors or people with PhDs who can speak on behalf of your research abilities. If you are in a graduate school–level research lab, note that some principal investigators (PIs) are very strict on a one-year policy: They will only write you a letter if you have been in the lab for at least one whole year by the time that you request the letter. If you don’t know two people who can write positive letters on behalf of your research experience (I didn’t), try to find someone who can write one on behalf of your clinical expertise or experience with vulnerable and distressed populations. If you can’t do that either, try to find someone who can discuss your professionalism and work ethic.   

Next, decide who you will work with and where. It is a good idea to figure this out around the same time that you are speaking with your letter writers, so that you can send them your list and get their feedback. Identifying a professor to work with is of the utmost importance when applying to a school. Here, the most critical thing is that your research interests align with theirs. (Make sure they are not retired or “emeritus,” which means they’re not accepting PhD students anymore.) Taking you in as a PhD student is a significant time and energy commitment for a professor, so it’s a risk for them as well. You can usually find information about professors on the faculty websites of clinical psychology programs. Typically, when I look up a new professor, I pay close attention to the clinical faculty and search hard for their lab website. Lab websites can offer a plethora of information regarding current and future research interests, publications, and studies. This knowledge can help you shape your statements or intro emails (if you decide to send them) to make you more competitive and appealing to the professor. 

Another thing I pay attention to is how professors and programs orient themselves within theoretical frameworks. Review a school’s psychology course catalog to determine if the school offers the types of theory courses you are interested in. The Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology is another way to find this information. This book contains a wealth of material, including average GRE scores, research vs. clinical orientations, and the percentage of psychology faculty that subscribe to a particular therapy or modality. It honestly saved my life the first time I applied to clinical psychology PhD programs when I was fresh out of the University of Tennessee, and it has helped me significantly again this cycle. For instance, at Teachers College, 25% of faculty align with psychodynamic/psychoanalytic orientations, 12.5% subscribe to family systems/systems, and 12.5% subscribe to existential/phenomenological/humanistic orientations. Notably, 37.5% of Teachers College faculty subscribe to cognitive/emotion-regulation/interpersonal-short term orientations. The book states that across APA-accredited clinical psychology programs, around 65% of clinical faculty endorse cognitive/cognitive-behavioral orientations and only 16% adhere to psychodynamic/psychoanalytic methods. Information like this is essential when deciding where to apply, so you can ensure that you learn about the modalities you may want to use later in practice.

What are you looking for in a program? What types of clinical populations do you want to work with? What age students do you want to educate? How clinical or research-oriented do you want a school to be? 

From Winter to Spring: The Waiting Game—and the Result

I submitted all of my applications, even though I broke the bank to do so. I ended up applying to twelve programs: nine clinical psychology PhD programs, two counseling psychology PhD programs, and one clinical-counseling psychology PhD program. I flew to interview with two programs in person, and I interviewed with two others online. I was terrified, but mostly, I was incredibly grateful and honored to have the opportunity to talk with professors and learn more about these programs.

In the end, I was not offered a position. 

The world didn’t end, and I am still very much the brave, strong, intelligent woman I was before. 

All the same, I was hurt for a while.

One school informed me that due to the federal government defunding programs, the professor was not able to take on a student like it was initially thought. Another professor told me that they simply no longer had enough funds to support numerous students and could only accept three out of their originally planned eight students. The other two programs and professors I interviewed with simply chose other students. 

After the results began coming in, and things were not looking in my favor, I began applying to jobs and churned out applications like a machine. I gave myself some time to grieve this life that I was hoping and planning for, but I knew that more work had to be done and that I wasn’t finished yet. I believe that in the span of one week, I submitted 28 job applications to places that didn’t require a cover letter or letters of recommendation (as I didn’t have the emotional or mental bandwidth to submit those at the time).

Now, I write as a behavioral health specialist at a children’s hospital in Colorado. My life isn’t looking like I thought it would at this point in time, and it was greatly disappointing and frightening at first, but I have confidence that I am where I need to be. Honestly, I love my job. I love the new friends I’ve been making, and I love living on my own for the first time in my life. 

If becoming a clinical psychologist were easy, everyone would do it. But the job isn’t for the faint of heart, and if you want it, you have to keep trying and prove yourself over and over. Many people have asked me if I intend to apply to PhD programs again in the future. As of right now, I do plan to do so. I love clinical work. I adore research. I am passionate about education and teaching future generations. I have to get back on the horse eventually to achieve my dreams.

However, I am taking some time to settle into my new life and get comfortable, confident, and even more competitive for the next time I choose to apply. Not only do I want a break, but I know I deserve and need one, too. 

My final piece of advice for those embarking on an application cycle is to remain flexible and self-aware—qualities that clinicians work to instill in their clients every day—and to keep your sanity and love for yourself through this process. It’s not easy, but it’s possible with hard work and commitment.

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Published September 2025