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Adult Division

Adult Division

Director: Kiara Timpano, Ph.D.,
Associate Director: Amy Weisman de Mamani, Ph.D.
Faculty: Aaron Heller, Ph.D.,  Sierra Bainter, Ph.D. , and Debra Lieberman, Ph.D.,  

 

The Adult Division offers training leading to the Ph.D. degree with a track specific focus in Adult Clinical Psychology.  This track is built on a scientist-practitioner model, with a greater emphasis on the clinical science component.  Students typically receive financial support and full tuition remission through the Ph.D.

Major Areas of Study

Adult Clinical

Evolution Cognition and Behavior
Adult Clinical Track ecb program
This track of the clinical program aims to train psychologists who are academically and clinically prepared to work as researchers, teachers, mentors, and clinicians in either academic settings or applied settings such as psychiatric hospitals. The philosophy is based on the premise that research training and clinical training should be interwoven, such that development of each facilitates the further development of the other. The philosophy also is based on the premise that a sound conceptualization of normal behavior fosters better understanding of problem behavior. Thus, we place a stronger emphasis than do some clinical programs on the continuity between personality-social psychology on the one hand and psychopathology and clinical science on the other (more information Adult Clinical). The Evolution, Cognition, and Behavior area of study focuses on training students to conduct psychological research that emphasizes evolutionary approaches to one or more of the traditional domains of psychology (e.g., social, personality, cognitive, developmental). Students complete core psychology coursework, required departmental courses in statistics and research methods, and additional courses in biology and research methods. All students in the ECB track sub-specialize in statistics and research methods. Our intent is that students develop a sufficient base of research training and publications to compete successfully for jobs in academia, government, and the private sector after the Ph.D. is awarded.

Research Themes

Adult Division students have a variety of research opportunities. Much of this research revolves around five themes:

  • Cognitive and affective vulnerabilities in affective disorders: Drs. Timpano,& Heller
  • Psychosocial predictors of the course of serious psychological disorders and ways to foster better adaptation to these disorders: Dr. Weisman de Mamani
  • Basic processes of personality, affect, mood, and self-regulation: Dr. Heller
  • Interpersonal processes: Dr. Weisman de Mamani
  • Biological bases of affect, personality, and social behavior: Drs. Timpano, & Heller
  • Evolutionary analyses of human experience:  Dr. Lieberman 

 

Find a listing of our Faculty and Research Interests here

Adult Division Facilities and Training

Most student research and clinical training takes place on the Coral Gables campus.  Other aspects of training occur at the university's Medical campus in downtown Miami.  The Department of Psychology's building incorporates faculty and graduate student offices, classrooms, laboratories and research rooms, and the department's Psychological Services Center. This facility incorporates clinical research laboratories (with one-way viewing panels and recording equipment) as well as comfortable rooms for therapy.  The department has an extensive computer laboratory that is available to graduate students, with both Macintosh and PC platforms, suitable peripherals, and access to mainframe and Internet resources.