Hello!
My name is Lydia Shontz. I am this year’s Graduate Student Outreach Coordinator for Washburn University’s Clinical Psychology Master’s Program. I am contacting you today to inform you of our Graduate Program Open House event on Friday, October 21st, 2022, from 2 - 5pm on our campus in Topeka, KS. This event will also be available via Zoom for those who cannot attend in-person.
Undergraduate students are often unaware about the career opportunities available to them as a master’s level clinical psychologist. We would be honored if you could let students and faculty in your department know about our upcoming free information session about our master's in clinical psychology program at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. To learn more, plese see the attached flyer. We would greatly appreciate it if you would post our flyer in your department and/or share this email with your faculty and students.
During this event, students will hear from the Chair of the Psychology Department, Dr. Cindy Turk, as well as our Director of Clinical Training, Dr. Dave Provorse. Student will have the opportunity to tour our facilities and speak with current graduate students of various levels in the program. They will also learn about career opportunities in psychology at the master’s level, as well as how to use a master’s program as preparation for a doctoral program.
About Washburn’s Clinical Psychology Program
Upon completion of the program, graduates can immediately apply for a temporary license as an LMLP (licensed master’s level psychologist) in Kansas. This license allows graduates to secure employment as a therapist within an organization like a community mental health center right away. While most of our students work as therapists after graduation, about 20% of graduating students go on to a doctoral program each year. These students tell us that our master’s program provided them with excellent preparation for doctoral work. Students can also visit our website washburn.edu/psychology for further information and to apply. Students may also set up individual campus visits if they are considering our program.
Reasons for Students to Consider Washburn’s Clinical Psychology Program
1. Hands-On Training in the Psychology Services Clinic
2. Unlike most master's programs, our students begin providing therapy to clients in our on-campus training clinic during their 2nd semester of training. Training clinics like ours are more typical of doctoral training rather than master’s level training. Through our clinic, our students receive clinical supervision from the same faculty who teach their courses, creating a seamless connection between what is learned in coursework and clinical training experiences.
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4. Applied Experience
5. You will have a large number of internship sites to choose from for your off-campus clinical training. We guarantee you an internship.
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7. Academic Excellence
The Washburn Clinical Psychology Program is a rigorous program that emphasizes training students in the empirically supported treatments highly valued by employers. Our graduate classes are small (10 – 12 students) so that you can get highly personalized feedback as you develop your knowledge base and clinical skills.
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9. Funding
The psychology department is able to provide financial support for some students. Teaching assistantships with associated annual stipends of approximately $3,000 are awarded to four outstanding incoming students. Outstanding returning students are eligible for similar stipends and research assistant positions. We offer funding for supervised research projects and associated conference travel. We facilitate students obtaining employment at various mental health facilities in the area that allow our graduate students to work a flexible schedule.
10. The Topeka Community
11. As the capital city of KS, Topeka is in the center of the United States and the heart of the Midwest. You’ll find the best in Midwestern hospitality with the vibrant atmosphere of a city on the rise. Topeka offers top-rated attractions, including a thriving arts community, diverse outdoor adventures, numerous historic and architectural attractions and unique shopping and dining options. Topeka is a short drive from Lawrence and Kansas City.
Thank you so much for your time. Please do not hesitate to email me at lydia.shontz@washburn.edu with any questions, or if you would like me to send you a reminder email closer to the event date.
Thank you,
Lydia Shontz, B.A. (she/they)
Graduate Student | Outreach Coordinator
Clinical Psychology Masters Program
Washburn University
1700 SW College Ave.
Topeka, KS 66621
