Why MSPP?

Our Integrative Model

MSPP distinguishes itself by its integrative model of professional training.

Students are immersed in the field beginning in Year 1 and closely supervised, two hours per week, by field professionals.

“MSPP students are not merely in a classroom and at a field site at the same time. Experiential education at our program is so much more. We work from within- at the intersection of theory, skill and self- with input from teachers, advisors, supervisors and from emerging self-awareness on the part of the student. Professional expertise grows as individuals grow and as they evolve an understanding of how to meet the human needs in an increasingly diverse and complex world.”

—Alan Dodge Beck, PhD
Dean of the Doctoral Program

Our Full-Service Field Placement Office

All students work 1/1 with our professional field placement office to secure a practicum/internship from more than 200 field sites. MSPP’s relationship with field sites and commitment to providing high quality training and supervision is mission-critical.

“The MSPP Field Placement Office, the computerized field site directory, and the faculty advisor are all key resources to help students in their search for practica and internships. The Field Placement Office develops new sites, monitors and assesses the field placement program, and helps students in all phases of their search for field placements.”

—Randi Dorn, EdD, ABPP
Co-Director of Field Training

Our Practitioner Faculty

The MSPP faculty are not only teaching courses, but also practicing psychology.

“Whether I’m teaching my family therapy class or my supervision class, I can always draw from very fresh stories from my own practice, as opposed to other colleges where faculty may be desperately trying to remember what they did while they were interns 20 years ago.”

—Jodie Kliman, PhD
MSPP Faculty

Our Attention to Personal and Professional Growth

Every student has an advisor. The advisor can serve as a professional mentor and as a resource for curriculum and program consultation.

Faculty and staff are committed to student success. 93% of students who begin an MSPP program matriculate through graduation.

The Dean of Students Office provides a wealth of services to students, whether it is bringing students and staff together at the bi-monthly community time, meeting 1/1 with students experiencing personal difficulties or connecting students with low-cost psychotherapists.

The Director of Career Services is a resource for graduates and students in their preparation for employment. Services offered include career advising, resume and CV review, and networking assistance.

All students have access to free Continuing Education courses. These courses allow students to test their interests in a range of topics including Peace Psychology, Spirituality, Geropsychology and Business Psychology. These programs also allow for networking opportunities with seasoned professionals.

“One of the first things that attracted me to MSPP was the close-knit family and community, yet professional, feeling among the students, faculty and support staff. These close relationships cultivated within the school translate into a meaningful experience for myself, both within the school and beyond. To know that I am in a safe and supported space to get to know myself well and how that plays into who I am becoming as a psychologist is priceless.”

—Annie Robertson
MSPP Student

Our Commitment to Social Responsibility

MSPP is committed to educating language and culturally competent providers to meet a diverse society’s changing mental health needs.

Each summer, students from the Lucero Latino Mental Health Training Program travel to Costa Rica and Ecuador to experience an intensive immersion in Spanish language and culture. These students return to Boston better prepared to meet the needs of underserved Latino populations.

Recently, MSPP has had the opportunity to fund student-led immersion programs to Baton Rouge, LA to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina. These trips have not only left impressions on our students and their capability as trauma-related practitioners, but also on the populations they have assisted.

“MSPP is uniquely dedicated to serving the underserved. Both the Brenner Center and the Cynthia Lucero Latino Mental Health Training Program are committed in obvious ways to developing clinicians to be prepared to work in public mental health. MSPP is also active in governmental lobbying for more resources for those most in need of mental health services in the commonwealth of Massachusetts and constantly strives to help its students see the value in giving back to the community. There is an enormous need for mental health clinicians in all areas of public health and MSPP considers it part of our mission to address that need through passion and commitment to the communities we ultimately serve.”

–Gretchen Nash, MA
Director of Multicultural Affairs

Updated 12/23/08