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PhD · Clinical Psychology

Clinical Psychology — PhD reading list.

The advanced references a doctoral scholar in Clinical Psychology works from, and what each one is for.

All 22 subjects
7Titles listed
4Worked right through
3–6 yrsProgramme length
12Coursework credits
The subject

Clinical Psychology as a research subject

ScopePsychopathology and assessment, psychotherapy process and outcome research, cognitive and neuropsychological testing, child and adolescent mental health, addiction and community mental health interventions.
Who can registerMPhil Clinical Psychology (RCI-registered), MA or MSc Psychology, MD Psychiatry, MSw or MA Psychiatric Social Work for allied streams.
How you get inEither the fellowship route — CSIR-UGC NET, ICMR, DBT-BET, DST-INSPIRE — straight to interview, or the institute entrance test, half research methodology and half clinical psychology.
CourseworkOne semester, at least 12 credits: research methodology and biostatistics, plus Research and Publication Ethics, before the research phase proper begins.
How this list is used

Reading for Clinical Psychology

Clinical psychology doctoral work in India runs alongside RCI-recognised clinical training, so the reading is half assessment and treatment reference, half research method. DSM-5-TR is the diagnostic manual all case formulations and inclusion criteria are written against, with Kaplan and Sadock kept for the psychiatric and neurobiological background a clinical viva assumes. Groth-Marnat is the assessment reference for test selection, interpretation and report writing, and Lezak the equivalent for neuropsychological batteries when the thesis involves cognitive measures. Barlow supplies the manualised protocols that intervention studies adapt, Judith Beck the CBT technique detail that supervision is built on, and Kazdin the single-case, quasi-experimental and measurement designs that clinical psychology theses actually use.

Titles are tagged core reading — the ones scholars work right through — or reference, the ones they look things up in. Editions are given where the current edition is what you want to buy.

  1. Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatrycore readingRobert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin (eds.) · Wolters Kluwer · 11th edition (2025)The psychiatry reference consulted for disorder-specific background, psychopharmacology and neurobiology in the literature review.
  2. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR)core readingAmerican Psychiatric Association · American Psychiatric Association Publishing · Fifth edition, text revision (2022)The criteria set every inclusion, exclusion and diagnostic statement in the thesis has to be written against.
  3. Handbook of Psychological Assessmentcore readingGary Groth-Marnat, A. Jordan Wright · Wiley · 6th edition (2016)Test selection, interpretation and integrated report writing — the assessment reference for the psychometrics chapter.
  4. Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders: A Step-by-Step Treatment Manualcore readingDavid H. Barlow (ed.) · Guilford Press · 6th edition (2021)The manualised protocols intervention studies adapt from, with session structure detailed enough to describe in a methods section.
  5. Neuropsychological AssessmentreferenceMuriel D. Lezak, Diane B. Howieson, Erin D. Bigler, Daniel Tranel · Oxford University Press · 5th edition (2012)The reference for test batteries, norms and interpretation when the thesis uses cognitive or neuropsychological measures.
  6. Research Design in Clinical PsychologyreferenceAlan E. Kazdin · Cambridge University Press · 5th edition (2021)Single-case, quasi-experimental and measurement designs — the methods text closest to how clinical psychology theses are actually run.
  7. Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and BeyondreferenceJudith S. Beck · Guilford Press · 3rd edition (2020)The technique-level CBT reference used in supervision and when writing up therapy procedure for an intervention study.

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Alongside the subject list

The two lists every scholar also needs

Whatever the subject, the coursework semester is examined on research methodology, biostatistics and publication ethics, and the bench work runs on a handful of protocol volumes. Both lists are kept separately so you are not buying them twice.

Research methodology & biostatistics Laboratory methods & instrumentation Entrance routes Where it is offered
Other PhD subjects

Also on the site

All 22 subjectsAnatomyPhysiologyBiochemistryPharmacologyPathologyMicrobiologyCommunity Medicine and Public HealthBiotechnologyMolecular MedicineBiophysics
Related on the site

Clinical Psychology at postgraduate level

DNB Psychiatry booksMD Psychiatry books

Printing your Clinical Psychology reading?

Send the PDF on WhatsApp — colour Rs 1/page, B&W 50p/page, binding Rs 40. Printed, bound and delivered anywhere in India.

Frequently asked

PhD Clinical Psychology — questions

Which books does a PhD scholar in Clinical Psychology read?

The 7 titles on this page, of which 4 are worked right through and the rest are kept as references. Most scholars own two or three and use the department copy for the others.

Who can register for a PhD in Clinical Psychology?

MPhil Clinical Psychology (RCI-registered), MA or MSc Psychology, MD Psychiatry, MSw or MA Psychiatric Social Work for allied streams.

What does a PhD in Clinical Psychology cover?

Psychopathology and assessment, psychotherapy process and outcome research, cognitive and neuropsychological testing, child and adolescent mental health, addiction and community mental health interventions.

Is the coursework examined?

Yes. One semester of at least 12 credits, assessed before the research phase begins, covering research methodology, biostatistics and Research and Publication Ethics.

Can you print this reading for me?

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