Department of psychology

Graduate Program
Adult Psychopathology

About the Adult Psychopathology Program

The study of psychopathology, or mental disorder, is a central and growing focus for clinical psychologists. Many of the faculty members in the Psychology Department at Kent State are engaged in research, teaching, and/or clinical practice related to adult psychopathology. 
The adult psychopathology program at Kent State University is comprised of faculty and students with active programs of research.  The labs in the adult psychopathology program undertake rigorous research to better understand the etiology, course, and treatment of emotional disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and schizophrenia.  This theory-guided research utilizes experimental, treatment development, and field research methodologies to shed light on mental disorders.  A large proportion of the research undertaken is conducted in patient populations. 

Research Training in Adult Psychopathology

Psychopathology research is broadly defined as investigation into the nature and origins of mental disorders, and into the factors that affect the course and outcome of these disorders. The training for the specialization in adult psychopathology involves engagement in research, in collaboration with a faculty mentor, on a topic related to adult psychopathology. During the course of graduate training, a student in this specialty area works toward identifying and developing a particular research interest area of his/her own within the general area of the mentor's expertise. Students typically conduct both their master's thesis and doctoral dissertation in their identified area of interest.

Graduate Coursework in Adult Psychopathology

All students in the clinical program take classes related to adult psychopathology and receive training in adult assessment and treatment as part of the core program. Students may elect to pursue advanced training in adult psychopathology by choosing it as a specialty. The adult psychopathology specialty area is defined primarily as a research focus area, complemented by related coursework and clinical training experiences. Students complete all departmental and clinical core course requirements, as well as the clinical program's requisite number of clinical and experimental elective credits. We recommend that students in the adult psychology program take the course Theories of Personality, and either Physiological Psychology or Cognitive Neuropsychology, as part of the departmental core. Students also are required to choose at least three of their electives from courses directly related to their particular research focus within adult psychopathology (e.g., seminars on schizophrenia, borderline psychopathology, aggression, neuropsychology, metacognition, cognitive behavior therapy, and/or psychopharmacology, depending on the student's specific research focus). A student's choice of core courses and electives is made in consultation with the faculty mentor. Students also may choose to have some of their elective requirements waived so that they can involve themselves in additional research projects.  

Clinical Experiences related to Adult Psychopathology

Students in this specialty area complete their practicum requirements by taking the general practicum in their second year, and selecting an adult advanced or specialty practicum in their third year. It is recommended that students choose a third-year specialty practicum related to their research focus, if one is available. In addition, students may request that they be assigned cases related to their area of interest when it is possible and feasible for the Clinic to do this. Students also complete at least one year of the required field placement in an adult assessment and/or treatment setting.

Current Adult Psychopathology Graduate Students

Students in the Adult Psychopathology Program come to Kent State University from outstanding undergraduate institutions, graduate programs, and post-baccalaureate research positions, including, among others: DePaul University; Emory University; Georgia State University; Kenyon College; McGill University; Portland VAMC; Queen's University; St. Johns College; SUNY-Binghamton; SUNY-Stony Brook; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto); University of Florida; University of Oregon; University of Minnesota; University of Toronto; University of Wisconsin at Madison; Yale University

Clinical Internship Positions

Adult psychopathology students have obtained excellent clinical internships. Recent sites have included:  Harvard Medical School; Yale University School of Medicine; San Francisco VAMC; Albuquerque Consortium; University of Maryland School of Medicine; UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute

Recent Adult Psychopathology Ph.D.’s

Students completing the adult psychopathology program have successfully obtained postdoctoral fellowships and/or gone on to academic, medical, research, and/or clinical positions. Here’s what some of our recent grads are doing now:  Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University; Psychologist, Minneapolis VAMC; Psychologist, Portland, Oregon. Post-docs: University of Southern California, UCLA, University of Maryland, Yale University School of Medicine, University of Wyoming, San Francisco VAMC.

Faculty with Related Interests

• Dr. John Akamatsu (Assessment) is involved in work on gender and minority issues in depression.
• Dr. E. Thomas Dowd (Clinical) studies cognitive psychotherapy and hypnotherapy.
• Dr. John Graham (Assessment) studies the assessment of personality and psychopathology using the MMPI instruments.
• Dr. John Gunstad (Assessment) studies neurocognitive functioning, particularly as it relates to medical conditions.
• Dr. Richard Hirschman (Clinical) works in the areas of sexual aggression and psychological defense mechanisms.
• Dr. Stevan Hobfoll (Clinical Health) studies stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, coping, and preventive and therapeutic interventions.
• Dr. Dan Neal (Clinical Health) studies alcohol use and abuse in college students.
• Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett (Child Clinical) studies the development of anxiety and anxiety related disorders in African Americans.
• Dr. John Updegraff (Social-Health) studies cognitive and emotional processes that underlie health, well-being, and adaptation to stress.