Department of Psychology

Oklahoma State University

The department maintains a Psychology Diversified Students Program (PDSP). The first, and most primary goal, is to increase the number of minorities and disabled in the field of psychology. These people can then become a part of a visible group within the profession, serving as role models for future professionals and adding to the numbers of trained professionals available to serve others of similar backgrounds. The second goal is to expose students who are not from underrepresented groups to didactic information on underrepresented groups, to provide them with experience working with underrepresented groups, and to provide them with the experience of working as peers with people from underrepresented groups

This program also oversees retention services for all graduate students in the department of psychology. The PDSP coordinator and student members have developed materials and activities especially suited to psychology graduate student needs. The services generally provided include a buddy system, implemented immediately following the student's acceptance; orientation sessions for new students one week prior to school; assistance with financial aid planning and forms; and assistance with fellowship applications.

In addition to these services, the Psychology Department at Oklahoma State University has recently been authorized by the U.S. Senate to provide programs that facilitate recruitment and training of Native American students for careers in Psychology. This program, American Indians Into Psychology (AIIP), is a joint effort between the Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology Training Programs at OSU aimed at encouraging Native American students to pursue careers in psychology and providing mental health services to under-served Native American communities.