20 Best Psychology Grad Programs In Bakersfield, CA (2026 Updated) – Save Our Schools March
20 Best Psychology Graduate Programs in Bakersfield, CA (2024 Update)
Choosing the right psychology graduate program is an important decision that requires careful consideration of your career goals, interests, location preferences, and financial situation.
As the job market for psychologists continues to grow faster than average, a master‘s or doctoral degree in psychology can provide rewarding career opportunities in counseling, research, teaching, and more.
Bakersfield, located in the heart of Central California, offers several excellent graduate-level psychology programs to choose from through its universities and dedicated counseling/training institutes.
This expert guide provides insights into the 20 best psychology graduate programs in Bakersfield, CA so you can make an informed decision.
1. California State University Bakersfield – Master of Arts in Psychology
California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) offers a Master of Arts in Psychology with specializations in counseling psychology or behavioral psychology. The program focuses on developing students‘ skills in scientific research, data analysis, and the ethical application of psychological principles.
Highlights:
- 30-36 credit master‘s program
- 8 psychology faculty with diverse expertise
- Hands-on research opportunities
- Available assistantships, grants, scholarships
- Solid track record of students placed in Ph.D. programs
With small classes led by PhD-level instructors, students receive close mentoring and preparation for doctoral programs or psychology careers. Practicum placements provide clinical experience. As a public university, CSUB offers an affordable in-state tuition rate.
2. Bakersfield Pacific Graduate Institute – Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
Bakersfield Pacific Graduate Institute offers a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology integrating academic study and clinical training to prepare students for counseling licensure.
Highlights:
- 60 credit MA program
- Dual specializations available: LPCC & PPS
- 225-hour practicum + 550 clinical hours
- Experiential training model
- Small class sizes
This program immerses students in experiential learning focused on personal and professional growth. With an 8:1 student-faculty ratio, students receive highly personalized guidance tailored to their specific career objectives.
3. National University Bakersfield – Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
National University offers a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology through its Bakersfield campus, providing the academic foundation for LPCC licensure in California.
Highlights:
- 90 quarter unit program
- Optional specialization: Forensic Psychology
- Meets California LPCC license requirements
- 100% online coursework options
- Flexible 4-week classes, 6 start dates per year
With open enrollment and accelerated course formats, this program accommodates working professionals. Students appreciate National University‘s academic rigor combined with strong student support resources.
4. Sage Psychological Services – Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Sage Psychological Services offers a practitioner-focused Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) program emphasizing advanced clinical training and specialized tracks to prepare students for psychology careers.
Highlights:
- 5-year full-time doctoral program
- Optional forensic psychology concentration
- 1,500+ hours of supervised clinical placement
- Small cohort model (8 students per year)
- Strong focus on evidence-based practices
Developed and taught by practicing, licensed psychologists, Sage‘s PsyD program provides intensive skill-building and mentoring. With Sage‘s staff psychologists, students access training across multiple mental health settings.
5. Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital – Psychology Internship
Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital offers doctoral and postdoctoral psychology internship placements providing supervised clinical experience within its acute psychiatric hospital.
Highlights
- 1,900 hour internship (full-time one year)
- Rotations across specialty units
- 4 core seminars on ethics, diagnoses, therapy models, psychopharmacology
- Diverse patient population
- Stipend provided
With specialty units spanning addictions, geriatrics, and more, this APA-accredited internship enables trainees to develop assessment, therapy, and consultation skills across a spectrum of diagnoses and acuity levels.
6. Cognitive Behavior Institute of Bakersfield – Professional Clinical Counselor Internship
The Cognitive Behavior Institute of Bakersfield provides a Professional Clinical Counselor internship program to prepare registrants for LPCC licensure in California through supervised clinical placement.
Highlights:
- Meets BBS supervision requirements
- 1,750 hours of supervised experience
- Training in CBT, DBT, mindfulness therapies
- May be combined with masters or doctoral program
- Supportive learning environment
Offering flexible placement options tailored to each student‘s needs, CBIB builds real-world counseling skills guided by seasoned LPCC supervisors. This PCC internship helps students transition smoothly into private practice.
7. Kern County Superintendent of Schools – School Psychology Internship
The Kern County Superintendent of Schools provides a supervised School Psychology Internship to prepare students for state credentialing while gaining applied experience in Kern County‘s K-12 school districts.
Highlights:
- Aligned with NASP standards
- 1,200 hour school-based internship
- Exposure to Special Education assessments/IEPs
- Builds cultural competency skills
- Stipend provided
With a strengths-based approach focused on supporting student development, this internship enables trainees to translate academic knowledge into practical skills critical for school psychologists.
8. Hope Counseling Center – MFT Trainee Internship
Hope Counseling Center offers a Marriage and Family Therapist Registered Internship providing clinical training toward MFT licensure under supervision by seasoned MFT licensed therapists.
Highlights:
- Affordable training
- Meets BBS requirements
- General and speciality training placements
- Private practice development guidance
- 1,300 hours required for licensure
Through exposure to Hope‘s family counseling services and specialty areas like play therapy, trainees gain wider competencies while accruing supervised hours cost-effectively.
9. Healthy Balance Counseling – Psychology Predoctoral Internship
Healthy Balance Counseling provides applied psychology training through its predoctoral psychology internship tailored to doctoral students preparing for licensure.
Highlights:
- 1,500-2,000 hour placements
- Supervision under licensed psychologists
- Specialist trauma counseling focus
- EMDR, Brainspotting, and somatic therapy modalities
- Customizable internship structure
With trauma-informed care as its specialty, Healthy Balance builds competency in evidence-based interventions for PTSD/trauma while accumulating supervised licensure hours.
10. Bright Futures Therapy – Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee Placement
Bright Futures Therapy provides a Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee placement for students pursuing an MFT graduate degree and subsequent licensure.
Highlights:
- BBS-approved site
- General and niche speciality placements
- 1,300 hours needed for MFT licensure
- Flexible scheduling options
- Experiential learning focus
Through exposure to Bright Futures‘ diverse counseling settings, trainees build wide-ranging competencies under supervision by licensed MFT professionals while logging hours required by California‘s MFT licensing board.
11. Bakersfield Center for Cognitive Therapy – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certificate
The Bakersfield Center for Cognitive Therapy offers a post-graduate level Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certificate program delivering specialized CBT skills training applicable to clinical practice.
Highlights:
- Post-master‘s certificate
- 160 hours of expert CBT instruction
- Small group format, experiential learning
- Develops CBT therapist specialty
- Credential boosts employability
Taught by practicing, licensed experts in CBT modalities, this certificate distinguishes clinicians through advanced, evidence-based CBT competency coveted by employers.
12. Bakersfield Family Medical Center – Clinical Psychology Fellowship
Bakersfield Family Medical Center sponsors a specialized Clinical Psychology Fellowship grounded in a primary care setting emphasizing integration of mental and physical healthcare.
Highlights:
- Post-doctoral 1-year placement
- Focuses on psychology in integrated care
- Rotations across BFMC‘s multidisciplinary teams
- Builds specialist skill set
- Stipend provided
This applied immersion trains post-doctoral fellows in the evolving primary care/behavioral health models defining 21st century medicine to equip psychology practice crossing medical landscapes.
13. Bright House Wellness Center – Postgraduate MFT Internship
The Bright House Wellness Center offers a postgraduate level Marriage and Family Therapist Registered Internship tailored to MFT graduate degree holders pursuing licensure.
Highlights:
- Post-master‘s clinical placement
- Fulfills MFT license requirements
- General and niche specialty rotations
- Private practice launch guidance
- Humane education focus
With specialty exposure options from art therapy to human-animal interactions, Bright House trains MFT registrants in unique modalities not typically covered in MFT graduate programs alone.
14. Sage Neuroscience Center – Clinical Psychology Internship
The Sage Neuroscience Center provides a clinical psychology internship focused on advanced training in brain-based and body-oriented approaches for trauma, mental health disorders, and personal growth.
Highlights:
- Post-doctoral placement
- Specializes in neurobiology of psychology
- Somatic therapy modalities
- Trauma and attachment disorders focus
- Cutting-edge techniques
This leading-edge internship builds expertise in emerging areas of clinical psychology translating neuroscience into practical psychotherapy application.
15. Real Healing Psychological Services – Psychological Assessment Internship
Real Healing Psychological Services offers a psychological assessment focused predoctoral internship to refine psychological testing and evaluation skills applicable across settings.
Highlights:
- Assessment instrumentation training
- All ages, diverse populations
- Report writing skill building
- Feedback-informed assessment
- Specialist tester role preparation
Supervised by Ph.D. licensed clinical psychologists, this niche internship transforms academic understanding of psychological appraisal into real-world assessment proficiency.
16. Childhood Trauma Institute of the Central Valley – Community Mental Health Placement
The Childhood Trauma Institute of the Central Valley provides community mental health clinical placements emphasizing trauma-informed care within school and social service settings.
Highlights:
- School/community site-based placement
- Multicultural specialization
- Childhood trauma counseling focus
- Assessment and group therapy training
- Stipend eligibility in Title 1 school districts
Centered on addressing the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACES) through culturally-informed interventions, this placement produces psychology graduates equipped to support vulnerable student populations.
17. Positive Change Counseling Center – MFT and PCC Internships
Positive Change Counseling Center offers clinical placements for MFT and PCC trainees pursuing licensure through supervised practice integrated with specialized training in solution-focused modalities.
Highlights:
- MFT and PCC internship tracks
- Specializes in SFBT approach
- 1,300 hours (MFT) or 3,000 hours (PCC)
- Childhood trauma treatment emphasis
- Experiential learning model
Positive Change builds competency applying solution-focused brief therapy techniques through immersion in child and family counseling settings aimed at resolving complex childhood trauma impacts.
18. Bakersfield Institute of Behavioral Medicine – Clinical Mental Health Counselor Placement
The Bakersfield Institute of Behavioral Medicine provides a supervised professional placement for clinical mental health counseling students preparing for licensure as an LPCC.
Highlights:
- Aligns with BBS LPCC requirements
- 1,750+ hours of supervised clinical experience
- Mental health knowledge to application
- Coaching for private practice success
- Specialist positions also available
With seasoned LPCC practitioners overseeing professional development in both general and niche settings, this placement produces license-ready counseling graduates equipped to open their own clinics.
19. Center for Human Services – Social Work Internship
The Center for Human Services offers accredited social work placements across its slate of youth, family, and community programs serving vulnerable Central Valley populations to build pre-licensure supervised hours for MSW candidates.
Highlights:
- School/community internship sites
- Bilingual Spanish options
- Training in program design/leadership
- Specialist child therapist program
- Aligns with CSWE standards
Obtaining experience in real-world service settings, social work interns develop practical skills in systemic interventions, cross-sector collaboration, resource integration, and leading constructive systemic changes empowering youth.
20. Higher Path Counseling Services – Addiction Counseling Internship
Higher Path Counseling provides addiction counseling-focused clinical training placements bridging theory with applied practice under California certified addiction counselors preparing students for certification.
Highlights:
- Specialist addiction counseling
- 250-280 hours training
- Group therapy exposure
- Familiarity with court systems
- Ethical practice emphasis
Obtaining competency applying evidence-based addiction psychology through experiential learning, this targeted placement produces certified graduates meeting California‘s professional addiction counselor qualification.
