In general the field of clinical psychology is concerned with those individual differences in behavior and subjective experience that are viewed as problems, either for psychological/social reasons or due to associations with physical disease.

The unifying theme of the Clinical Psychology Program is a focus on research concerning these clinical problems. More specifically, the program has general interrelated research and clinical emphases in developmental psychopathology, adult psychopathology, and health psychology areas.

The field of psychopathology in general concerns itself with understanding the causes, development, pathologies, and prevention/treatment of problem behaviors and experiences. Developmental psychopathology especially emphasizes study of the antecedents and development of psychopathology, often in childhood. Adult psychopathology focuses on the study of psychopathologies with clinical onset in adulthood. Health psychology is the study of psychological causes and consequences of physical disease.

Additional training in developmental or health psychology is also available for Clinical Psychology Program applicants who desire to document further background in these areas by simultaneously completing requirements of both the Clinical Psychology Program and the Developmental or Health Psychology Programs in the joint Clinical/Developmental or Clinical/Health Programs.

Integrated research and clinical training is offered through ongoing research programs and specialty clinical externships in the following specific areas with relevant faculty:

Addictions, Alcoholism, Smoking: Causes, Development, Pathology, and Treatment

Caggiula, Donny, Perkins, Sayette, Shiffman

Antisocial Behavior: Causes, Development, Pathology, and Prevention/Treatment

Brownell, Campbell, Manuck, Shaw

Behavior Genetics: Schizophrenia, Cognitive Processes, Personality, Cardiovascular

Manuck, Pogue-Geile

Cardiovascular Disease: Psychological Predictors and Consequences

Kamarck, Manuck, Matthews

Eating Disorders, Obesity: Pathology, Treatment

Marcus

Emotion Processes: Automated Analysis of Facial Expression, Depression, Addictions

Cohn, Sayette

Family Processes and Child Development: Antisocial Behavior, Depression, Early Child Care and Later Adjustment

Brownell, Campbell, Cohn, K. Jennings, Shaw

Mood Disorders: Causes, Development, and Treatment

Brownell, Campbell, Cohn, K. Jennings, Shaw

Psychoneuroimmunology: Psychological Effects on Immune Function

Caggiula, Manuck, Marsland

Schizophrenia: Causes and Pathology

Pogue-Geile