An academic core provides the foundation of knowledge in the areas of general and experimental psychology as well as psychotherapy, psychopathology, assessment, professional issues and ethics, and clinical research methods. Clinical training is centered on course work, individual tutorials in research, and clinical experiences supervised by professional models actively engaged in careers in those areas. Students are given increasing responsibility for the content and emphasis of their training by being encouraged to sample a wide variety of training opportunities at the University and in the community. They are encouraged to articulate career objectives early in training, and to contribute to modifications in the program to meet their goals. 

The Psychology Department’s Psychological Services Center serves as the primary practicum training site with additional practicum experiences available at inpatient, outpatient, community, and hospital settings elsewhere in Maine. Core training in the traditional areas of clinical psychology is supplemented with opportunities for innovative approaches to psychotherapy and community involvement; geographic considerations permit special attention to rural problems.