The UCI Clinical Psychology area follows the clinical science model. Students gain a solid foundation in research methods and data analysis as a foundation that supports learning as well as creating empirically-supported principles of assessment and intervention. The area provides students with an appreciation of the reciprocal relations between research and practice.<br><br>The UCI Clinical area is uniquely embedded within the School of Social Ecology, which emphasizes an integrative, biopsychosocial perspective on community, mental health, and physical health. Students approach clinical problems with an awareness of the complex interaction of biological, social, and community factors that influence how people interact with the environment around them.<br><br>Research is the central component of the Clinical area. Each student works closely with a primary faculty research mentor. Clinical area faculty and students conduct research on a wide range of topics, with work ranging from basic laboratory studies to problems in applied clinical and community settings. Students are encouraged to present research at professional conferences and to publish their work in professional journals. Clinical area students are required to complete an empirical doctoral dissertation that makes a unique contribution to knowledge in their area of specialization.<br><br>Clinical Psychology at UCI is intended to be a five or six-year area, which includes a full-time one-year clinical internship. Pre-internship clinical training includes a minimum of two years (six academic quarters) of part-time placements in clinical settings. These clinical practica provide students with opportunities to apply the skills and knowledge that they have acquired in the classroom to real-world problems and diverse populations. Practicum placements will draw upon the rich clinical training opportunities in the greater Orange County area.