Vision, Mission, Values, and Profile

Vision

Mercer University’s Department of Clinical Psychology will be a nationally recognized leader in evidence-based training in integrated healthcare.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Clinical Psychology is to prepare psychologists as integrated healthcare practitioners who contribute to and apply scientific knowledge of human behavior to benefit individuals, systems, and society.

Core Values

We endorse and promote the core values of the College of Health Professions and the ethical principles of psychologists, including beneficence and nonmaleficence, fidelity and responsibility, integrity, justice, and respect for individual’s rights and dignity.

Profile of a Graduate

The Mercer University Doctor of Psychology graduate will demonstrate:

• foundational knowledge of the core domains of the science of psychology, including affective, biological, cognitive, developmental, and social aspects of behavior, and history and systems of the discipline.
• understanding of psychological science, the research methodology involved in generating knowledge, and the scientific foundations of the practice of psychology.
• knowledge, relational skills, and technical skills involved in evidence-based assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and consultation.
• the ability to impart knowledge and skills to trainees and to colleagues along with the ability to assess the acquisition of such knowledge and skills.
• understanding of research and clinical practice within a context of ethical and professional attitudes, values, and standards that include self-reflection, self-assessment, and self-care.
• understanding of dimensions of diversity that impact personal and professional interactions with diverse individuals, groups, and communities.
• understanding of the perspectives of other healthcare disciplines and an ability to collaborate effectively in interprofessional activities to promote individual, institutional, and/or systems level change.

Program Aims

To this end, we aim to produce:

1. Graduates with broad and general training in the science of psychology grounded in the biopsychosocial model. This aim reflects discipline-specific knowledge of history and systems of psychology, basic content areas in scientific psychology, research and quantitative methods, and advanced integrative knowledge in scientific psychology.
   1. Competency: Substantial discipline specific knowledge of affective, biological, cognitive, developmental, and social aspects of behavior
   2. Competency: Substantial knowledge of history and systems of psychology
   3. Competency: Substantial understanding and competence in advanced integrative knowledge of affective, biological, cognitive, developmental, and social aspects of behavior
   4. Competency: Substantial understanding and competence in research methods
   5. Competency: Substantial understanding and competence in quantitative methods
   6. Competency: Substantial understanding and competence in psychometrics
2. Graduates who understand that the competent practice of psychology occurs in broad contexts that encompass diverse cultures, ethical/legal standards, and professional attitudes and values. This aim reflects profession-wide competencies.
   1. Competency: Research – Demonstrate the integration of science and practice in health service psychology
   2. Competency: Ethical and legal standards – Demonstrate ethical and legal standards in increasingly complex situations with a greater degree of independence across levels of training following the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, as well as relevant laws and regulations
   3. Competency: Individual and cultural diversity – Demonstrate sensitivity to human diversity and the ability to deliver high quality services to a diverse population
   4. Competency: Professional values and attitudes – Demonstrate profession values and attitudes in increasingly complex situations with a greater degree of independence across levels of training
   5. Competency: Communication and interpersonal skills – Demonstrate communication and interpersonal skills in increasingly complex situations with a greater degree of independence across levels of training
   6. Competency: Assessment – Demonstrate evidence-based assessment with a greater degree of independence across levels of training
   7. Competency: Intervention – Demonstrate evidence-based intervention with a greater degree of independence across levels of training
   8. Competency: Supervision – Demonstrate knowledge of supervision models and practices
   9. Competency: Consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills – Demonstrate knowledge and respect for the roles and perspectives of other professions