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Doctor of Psychology

PsyD Program

March 4, 2024

A counselor’s impact inspires Ji Su Park to pursue a doctorate

Since entering Chaminade’s Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program in 2021, Ji Su Park’s hair has grayed, her blood pressure has ticked up and her daily breakfast now consists of a serving of natto, the traditional Japanese food that is believed to have cardiovascular and cholesterol benefits because of its composition of whole soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis, a potent blood-clot dissolving protein.

“My husband is very supportive, but he is concerned about my health and level of stress,” says Park, who hopes to earn her PsyD degree by 2026. “Yet, he has never told me that I can’t do this.”

For the 31-year-old Australian-raised Korean native, there’s nothing that she can’t do. However, Park’s education journey has been a bumpy one. When her parents decided to move back to Korea when she was a teenager, Park lost all her friends—never easy as a high schooler—and was unaccustomed to the Korean education system. She could converse OK in Korean but the curriculum was foreign and difficult.

“I did really poorly,” Park says. “I knew after high school, I needed to move, and I decided on Hawaii because of its multicultural population.”

Dr. Sean Scanlan, director of Chaminade’s Psy.D. program, explains a concept to one of his students.
Dr. Sean Scanlan, director of Chaminade’s Psy.D. program, explains a concept to one of his students.

She first enrolled in an Associate’s program at Kapiolani Community College (KCC) then later transferred to the University of Hawaii–Manoa, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She would return to KCC, landing an administrative job in the Counseling Office with LaVache Scanlan. The experience marked an inflection point for Park who witnessed the transformative difference a counselor can make in a college student’s life.

“The counselors were so impactful,” Park says. “I wanted to be able to do that, and to have that much positive influence over a student’s academic experience.”

Ultimately, she was faced with a decision: apply to Hawaii Pacific University’s or Chaminade’s Master of Science in Counseling Psychology? Park chose the latter, citing the University’s close-knit campus feel that she sensed while visiting Kalaepohaku. She especially appreciated the school’s service orientation toward the community, the core values foundation that are inherent in a Marianist education and the sensitivity toward Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island cultures.

Transitioning, though, from an undergraduate education to a graduate level has its challenges, namely the required discipline and time. Park possesses the discipline, but time is more difficult since she was juggling, at that time, three part-time jobs. She also sought more hands-on experience to put her knowledge in practice. After completing her master’s, Park decided to slow down. Well, kind of.

“Now I just have two part-time jobs,” says Park with a wry smile. “I never feel like I don’t have down time. I’ve never felt that my life wasn’t balanced. I still feel I have a lot of a social life.”

Formerly hosted by Argosy University, which abruptly closed its doors and permanently suspended classes and programs in March 2019, Chaminade and the Hawaii School of Professional Psychology decided to collaborate in an effort to salvage Argosy’s PsyD program. One of only two programs of its kind in Hawaii, the PsyD is a five-year track that culminates in a professional doctorate in psychology degree preparing graduates for practice in psychotherapy and psychological testing.

“We’ve graduate 80 students in the PsyD program since we started,” says, Sean Scanlan, Ph.D., Director of the Hawaiʻi School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu and Associate Professor. “A little over half are working in Hawaii, working in a variety of settings from community health centers, health and education agencies and institutions to forensic settings and private practice.”

Now in its fifth year, Chaminade’s program is the only American Psychological Association-accredited PsyD Program in Hawaii. Designed to prepare students for both contemporary and emerging roles in the practice of professional psychology, the program offers a five-year generalist program that supports the development of core competencies in psychological assessment, intervention, science, practice, foundations, and professional issues and roles. Training is provided so that students have the opportunity to be practitioner-scholars who are skilled in local and contextual investigation and problem solving.

“Ji Su is special because she is already licensed and working in the mental health field,” Scanlan says. “All her practicum reports have been excellent, indicating that she’s performing excellent clinical skills (i.e. clinical psychological assessments and clinical psychotherapy) in the field.”

Park is grateful for the unwavering support she receives both within and beyond the classroom.

“I do interact with faculty in the PsyD program in terms of receiving academic support, assistance in professional development and growth, and gaining knowledge and insight through their experiences and supervisions,” Park says. “Outside of our program, I receive a lot of support from offices like Financial Aid and the Counseling Center, where they are responsive to my needs to ensure my academic journey is supported by meeting other needs outside of the classroom. It’s a truly supportive community.”

Posted by: University Communications & Marketing Filed Under: Alumni, Behavioral Sciences, Diversity and Inclusion, Homepage Tagged With: Doctor of Psychology, Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology, Psychology

Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation Supports Chaminade Psy.D. Students

August 21, 2019

Chaminade University of Honolulu recently received nearly $480,000 from the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation to provide scholarships to students of the Chaminade Psy.D. program, formerly housed at Argosy University.

Group picture receiving check from Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation to provide scholarships to students

When Argosy closed its doors mid-semester in March 2019, Chaminade was quick to act. Within weeks, the university acquired the Hawaii School of Professional Psychology (HSPP) doctor of psychology program and hired all of the full-time Psy.D. staff and faculty members.

Chaminade was determined to provide the students with a seamless transition and allow them to continue their spring classes. The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation gift provided student scholarships for Psy.D. students to help with spring semester tuition at Chaminade, as they had already paid their spring semester tuition to Argosy.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation,” says Dr. Sean Scanlan, director of the Psy.D. program at Chaminade University of Honolulu. “This generous gift helped ease the financial burden on students who had already experienced a tumultuous first part of the year when Argosy University suddenly closed.”

The five-year doctor of clinical psychology program is the only program of its kind in Hawaii. Last year, students volunteered over 12,000 hours of direct services through clinical practicums to people in the community. The program’s closure would have meant that there would be no accredited Psy.D. program within 2,400 miles of Hawaii, severely impacting Hawaii’s mental health services. The move to acquire the program by Chaminade—and the support of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation—eliminated this potential crisis and allowed students to continue providing care to their patients.

“This program fulfills such an important need in our community,” says Tertia Freas, executive director for the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation. “It is our honor to support these incredible students in their journey to bring much-needed mental health services to Hawaii.”

Chaminade received permission from both accrediting bodies—the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the American Psychological Association (APA)—to provide a teach-out, ensuring enrolled students can complete their degrees. The university recently received approval for the program from WSCUC, allowing Chaminade to continue the program into the future.

“We are excited to bring the Psy.D. program to Chaminade. It is a perfect fit for the academic programs we already provide and consistent with our mission to provide service to the community,” says Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University of Honolulu. “Over the past 30 years, HSPP, as the only clinical psychology program in the state, has educated and trained hundreds of psychologists who have provided countless mental health services to Hawaii.”

Posted by: University Communications & Marketing Filed Under: Behavioral Sciences, Featured Story, Institutional Tagged With: Doctor of Psychology, Gift

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