SUNITI KUKREJA, Ph.D. Former Student from Thailand  

I came to PAU from Thailand in search of a doctoral program that could provide me with the relevant skills and training to be a successful clinical psychologist. International students have the additional stress of adjusting to a new country along with the rigors of a Ph.D. program. My fellow classmates and PAU faculty/staff have been wonderful and extremely supportive in helping me adjust to life in the US. My experiences with the program have fulfilled all my expectations. I have received extensive clinical experiences in multiple settings as well as specialized training in Health Psychology track. Emphasis on cultural sensitivity embedded in our program provides me with the knowledge and skills that I can apply in my future career internationally.

TSUNG-HSING LIU Ph.D. Student from Taiwan  

The courses I have taken were demanding and rewarding. I have learned to think and organize systematically not only on research but also on doing psychotherapy. In addition, the professors here are knowledgeable and approachable. They are willing to share their experiences and give practical suggestions. Staff members are very helpful to international students. I am still on my half way to finish the Ph.D. degree, and I believe I will be fully equipped to become a psychologist when I graduate from PGSP.

BRIGITTE KHOURY, Ph.D. Former Student from Lebanon and President of the Lebanese Psychological Association  

At PAU, there were faculty members who offered me their expertise and knowledge without limit. Their diverse backgrounds and various research interests provided a wide range of opportunities in different areas of psychology. In addition, the PAU student body’s various ethnicities and nationalities allowed for a rich exchange among students, an educational experience deeper than that which can be found in books alone. Their differences in culture, values, tradition, even language, became my support system and my family away from home.

One of PAU’s main attractions is its close relationship to Stanford University and the Palo Alto VA, both of which facilitate training and research opportunities. Another benefit is the San Francisco Bay Area—a physical, cultural, and ethnic environment that makes it an even more rewarding educational experience.

After graduation, I obtained my license from the California Board of Psychology and returned to Beirut, where I joined the Department of Psychiatry at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, a leading academic institution in the Middle East.

PGSP’s practitioner-scientist model program helped my career immensely. Not only did I acquire the necessary theoretical knowledge and clinical skills but also the basis of scientific research for a career as a practitioner as well as an academician in a university setting. In time, because I found it important to share that knowledge with other colleagues in Lebanon, I established the Lebanese Psychological Association to promote the field of psychology and organize its practice.