SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WPRI) — Bryant University’s School of Health and Behavioral Sciences (SHBS) will house the school’s first doctoral program.

In a campus-wide email, President Ross Gittell announced the upcoming Doctor of Clinical Psychology degree, saying, “This degree represents Bryant at its best – addressing challenges with bold and strategic solutions.”

“There is a severe mental health crisis not only in the nation but in Rhode Island, in Southern New England, and the pandemic accelerated that,” explained SHBS Associate Director Joe Trunzo.

He told 12 News students enrolled in the program will receive high-quality classroom instruction that ultimately prepares them for clinical placements where mental health services are most needed across Rhode Island.

In 2021, the National Alliance on Mental Illness identified 178,000 adults in Rhode Island as having a mental health condition. Of those adults, 61,000 of those who needed mental health care were not able to receive it.

Bryant’s new program five-year program hopes to boost the number of licensed psychologists in the state, which was hovering between 411 and 590 doctors in 2022 , according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Students will be able to choose between concentrations in health psychology or child and adolescent psychology. Applications open in September 2024, and the university plans to welcome its first cohort of Psy.D. candidates in September 2025.

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