About MSPP

From the President

Welcome to the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

Thank you for your interest in the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. Ours is a school that is committed to excellence in applied clinical psychology and we have been doing this since 1974.

MSPP educates mental health professionals to deliver care to the community by integrating rigorous academic instruction with intensively supervised field training. This “integrative model” of instruction runs through all of our courses of instruction, creating an exciting, relevant, learning environment. Our commitment to training culturally competent professionals is exemplified in our Lucero Latino Mental Health Program and is part of our educational culture and instructional programs.

Upon your arrival at MSPP, you become immersed in the art and science of clinical work in your area of concentration. Field placements in schools, hospitals, mental health centers, businesses and court clinics provide opportunities to work with students, patients, and clients under the close supervision of experienced educators, psychologists, and other mental health professionals. Classroom instruction presents the theoretical ground and a forum to assimilate knowledge gained from the field with that of the professional literature. Success in each of our practice areas demands that a great deal of time be spent in self-reflection and personal growth. Since our graduates bring only themselves as the ‘instruments of change’ to the conference room, classroom and consulting room, MSPP creates an environment of safety, support and challenge that encourages personal and professional development in our students.

The Doctoral program in Professional Psychology offers students the skills to work effectively as psychotherapists; consultants to health care, courts and businesses; and teachers in many areas of professional psychology. Our School Psychology graduates bring mental health services to children in schools and advocacy for the amelioration of the emotional barriers to learning. Counseling Psychology graduates work as Licensed Mental Health Counselors in clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation programs and private practices specializing in substance abuse treatment, community mental health service and spiritual care.  Our Masters in Forensic Psychology addresses the need for psychological training in an emergent area at the intersection between law and psychology.  Graduates are eligible to be Licensed Mental Health Counselors and work in settings such as court clinics, secured forensic units, correctional facilities, child advocacy centers, and forensic assessment and treatment facilities.  If a student is interested in working in a business setting, our Masters in Organizational Psychology prepares students to care for the human side of business by examining systems, leadership styles, change management and group dynamics among other critical skill building areas. With more than 75% of mental health medicines in this country prescribed by primary care physicians and pediatricians who have interest and sensitivity to mental illness, but little training, post-graduate education in Clinical Psychopharmacology allows MSPP graduates to partner with medical practitioners to bring sophisticated medical and psychological care to children and adults. Each year, our Continuing Education programs provide state of the art training for established professionals and Certificate programs in Professional Executive Coaching, Geropsychology and Health Psychology for those who wish to enter these exciting fields.

An education at MSPP is life changing and will prepare you for the challenging, but infinitely rewarding career of mental health care. MSPP’s supervisors, teachers, administrators and staff are generous, available, stimulating, welcoming and excited to be part of your professional development. Our faculty members also work as psychotherapists, program administrators, forensic and health experts, school psychologists, coaches and clinical researchers. Many are leaders in the field and we have psychoanalytic, family, systems, feminist, developmental, humanistic and cognitive-behavioral theorists working with our administrative staff to create a rich and stimulating learning environment.

A hallmark of our school is its eagerness to adapt to changes in professional practice and community needs. We have specialization programs in Health Psychology and Forensic Psychology and our Latino Mental Health Program trains language and culturally competent providers for this population. Our commitment to the greater neighborhood has invited us to initiate programs in communities of color and in our local area. Each year, MSPP students contribute more than 180,000 hours of mental health services to the community. MSPP is a well-established program of instruction that will continue to evolve and advance while you study with us.

The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology is approved for training by the American Psychological Association and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and is creating a school program according to the guidelines of the National Association of School Psychologists.

We welcome your interest, ideas, energy and the opportunity to work with you to create your future. Thank you for your interest in us.

Nicholas A. Covino, PsyD
President

Updated 12/12/07