Building success

“By taking a firm life sciences footing, Psychology at Dalhousie attempts to convey the mysteries of behavioural expression as they are amenable to scientific analysis.”

— John Fentress, Chair, Department of Psychology, 1978

Psychology has been an integral part of the academic community at Dalhousie since Herbert Leslie Phillips began teaching in the Department of Philosophy in 1913. Shortly thereafter, psychology was recognized as a separate field, with the hiring of a chair in psychology, in 1923.

Over the ensuing decades, psychology at Dalhousie became largely synonymous with behavioral science, with a particular focus on the areas of cognition, neuroscience, physiological psychology and perception. In the 1960s and 70s, while maintaining its strong basic and theoretical foundations, the department also contributed to a growing understanding of the link between psychology and human health, as reflected in the founding of Dalhousie’s Research Unit in Applied Psychology which united the Departments of Psychology, Medicine, Otolaryngology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry in the training of health professionals.

Nonetheless, despite a growing interest in the field of clinical psychology and a growing demand for service providers in this area, no doctoral level training in clinical psychology was available in Nova Scotia. As a result, many promising students left the Maritimes to pursue training in other parts of Canada and the U.S. In the late 1970s, a report was commissioned by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission to review the state of psychology education in the Maritimes. This review culminated in the release of the Ferguson Report in 1978, which recommended that a PhD program in clinical psychology be established in the Maritime Provinces and which recognized that Dalhousie would be the most appropriate home for such a program.

George Ferguson’s recommendations prompted a spirited debate regarding the relationship between clinical psychology and the more established psychological traditions within Dalhousie’s Department of Psychology at the time. Out of this debate, the department affirmed a commitment to a scientifically grounded approach to clinical work, in keeping with the Boulder Model. A clinical review committee was established under the leadership of the chair at the time, John Fentress. The foundations for the program were established over the course of a decade, through the collaborative efforts of faculty members (including Vin Lolordo, Susan Bryson, Ray Klein and Jim Clark), community psychologists (including Chris Bilsworth, Gerry Gordon and Wayne MacDonald), and cooperating universities. The collaborative relationships forged during these early years continue to be a cornerstone of the program today.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Dalhousie’s Clinical Psychology PhD program. Developed as a cooperative enterprise between Acadia, Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent, and Saint Mary's universities and housed at Dalhousie, the Clinical Psychology PhD has graduated more than 60 students who have gone on to make significant contributions to both clinical science and clinical practice.

Dr. Pat McGrath was hired as the program’s first coordinator, in June 1989 and the first students were enrolled shortly thereafter. Dr. McGrath set a high standard both for students and incoming faculty, exemplifying high standards in both scientific endeavor and clinical practice.

Over the years, the leadership of the program has been shared by a number of skilled clinical psychologists, including Mick Sullivan, Penny Corkum and Sherry Stewart, with the support and assistance of D’Arcy Santor, Dan Waschbusch, Christine Chambers and Isabel Fearon. While the title given to the program’s leader has changed since that time (from coordinator to director of training), the quality of leadership has continued to be exemplary.

Of course, no review of the history of the program would be complete without mention of the contribution of Beatrice (Bea) Hanisch, clinical program secretary. Bea has been an integral part of the program since its founding and has, in many ways, been the face and voice of the program to students, faculty and community members alike. In 2003, in recognition of Bea's substantial contributions to the program, the Beatrice Award was established. It is awarded annually to the clinical psychology doctoral student who is nominated by the other clinical students as showing the best citizenship over the previous year.

Since its founding, the aim of the Clinical Psychology PhD program has been to produce professionals who are thoroughly grounded in both the science of psychology and the methods of clinical practice. Graduate training in psychology at Dalhousie has always been grounded on a research apprenticeship model, a model which owes its success in large part to the scientific excellence of the department’s faculty, which has included and continues to include some of the most innovative and productive researchers in the field of psychology and neuroscience.  This research apprenticeship model continues to be a primary pillar of the clinical training program at Dalhousie. As a result, our students consistently set a high standard for both research and knowledge translation. The program has sought to extend this apprenticeship model to the teaching of clinical skills, as well. Both the program and its students have benefited from the close involvement of many skilled clinicians within the larger community who have trained and mentored our students over the years.

The program continues to have vital ties with the IWK Health Centre, The QEII Health Centre, the East Coast Forensic Hospital, The Nova Scotia Hospital, the Canadian Forces Hospital at Stadacona and the Halifax Regional School Board, where our students complete advanced training in areas as diverse as operational stress in military personnel, developmental assessment of preschool children, neuropsych rehab and the treatment of young offenders. As a result, while our students are highly productive in their research endeavors, they are also highly accomplished with regard to clinical skills, as evidenced by their success in obtaining places in highly competitive residency programs across Canada and the United States. 

The 65 students who have now graduated from the program have moved on to positions in clinics, health centres, and faculties from Halifax to Hong Kong. Their work is a reflection of the vitality and diversity of the field of clinical psychology itself.  We are pleased to say that many of our graduating students have also, in due course, returned to the Dalhousie fold, as instructors, supervisors, and faculty members.

Dr. Isabel Fearon is an assistant professor, the field placement coordinator and associate director of training with the Department of Psychology's Clinical Psychology Program.