Are you accepting students into your lab for the 2012-13 academic year?
I may be accepting an applicant this year. I often get applications from folks interested broadly in depressive symptoms, NSSI, or suicidality. My main interests are in interpersonal models of psychopathology; thus, potential students are best matched to me if they are interested in specifically in peer relationships as they pertain to depression or self-injury. I also am always interested in folks who would like to focus on peer influence and health risk behaviors. Please review ongoing projects to get a very clear sense of our current work.

What kind of graduate students do you typically accept?
Students who generally are interested in child or adolescent peer relationships would be a good match for my lab, particularly if interested in one of my main programs of research. However, sometimes quite interesting and productive collaborations have resulted from the integration of new theories and methods in a graduate student's area of expertise that offers a complement to type of research typically conducted in my lab. Ideally, students initially will be interested in gaining experience with ongoing research to help develop expertise in relevant literature and methods. Over the course of graduate training, students naturally are expected to develop novel research hypotheses that can help to establish skills as an independent scholar. Students in lab typically have substantial opportunities for presentation and publication of research findings.

Any suggestions for improving my application?
Like most doctoral programs in psychology, graduate applicants typically are selected based on their academic record, research experience, and demonstrated potential for a successful career as an independent researcher. To the extent possible, it always is good to emphasize relevant experience, enthusiasm for your chosen area of study, and some capacity for developing novel, creative, and impactful hypotheses that can advance developmental psychopatholigy science and the prevention or treatment of psychopathology among youth.

For some general advice regarding the graduate application procedure, download "Mitch's Uncensored Grad School Advice." The most recent version of this document includes tips on interviewing (previously a separate document called, "I Just Got an Interview for a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, What Do I Do?").

Two other terrific documents written by my graduate students also may be of use. For excellent advice on when to apply/how to get post baccalaureate experiences, see "Before You Apply" written by Casey Calhoun. ), For a student’s view on the application process, see "Tips on Applying to Graduate School" written by Sophie Choukas-Bradley.

Many people ask for information on how to choose a graduate program.
These documents may prove useful:
Likelihood of Successfully Obtaining an APA-Accredited Predoctoral Internship, by Accredited Doctoral Program
How Difficult Is It to Gain Admission Into Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs?