Prospective Ph.D. Students

Will you be accepting a new Ph.D. student?

I will review applications for a new Ph.D. student for the 2025 admission cycle (fall 2026 matriculation) in the department of Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development in the Counseling Psychology specialization.

How do I know if I am a "good fit" for LEAF?

LEAF's mission is to expand access to mental health care for families by addressing the needs of youth and their caregivers together.

So, you are a good fit with our lab if you are interested in applied clinical intervention work and dissemination and implementation research.

Ask yourself whether our lab mission speaks to you!

Developing, testing, and implementing brief, low-intensity interventions (e.g., single session interventions, digital programs) to address the mental health needs of caregivers, youth, and the broader families
Leveraging advanced technology (e.g., human-computer interaction, AI) to improve the usability, personalization, and uptake of interventions
Partnering with individuals and communities with lived experience to co-create meaningful and responsive change
Helping redesign systems of care to expand the real-world reach of evidence-based mental health tools
Addressing disparities by creating scalable interventions for historically underserved groups (e.g., families facing financial insecurity, racial/ethnic minority families)

How will I be funded?

PhD students at Boston University receive five years of support, which includes full tuition remission, fully covered student fees, and a 12-month service stipend.

Are there GPA & GRE requirements?

No! There aren't any minimum GPA or GRE requirements. I view applicants holistically, considering their interests, experiences, skills, and fit with the lab’s mission, which is much more important than test scores or grade cutoffs.

I don't have research experience in SSIs, digital interventions, or community based work. Can I still apply to your lab?

Absolutely! The availability of these specific research experiences is not equitably distributed across training settings, and I recognize that many applicants may not have had the chance to engage in this kind of work yet. What matters most is that your interests align with our lab’s mission—expanding access to mental health care for families through innovative, scalable, and equitable interventions.

I am looking for students who demonstrate the core research skills needed to thrive in a rigorous doctoral program (e.g., critical thinking, curiosity, persistence, clear writing). If you bring these skills, along with genuine enthusiasm for our mission, my lab can help you build expertise in single-session interventions, digital health, and community-partnered research during your training!

What should I include in my personal statement?

Your personal statement is a chance to help me understand your research interests, career goals, and why you believe LEAF is the right fit for you. I encourage you to:

Describe your long-term goals and how they align with our lab’s mission of expanding access to mental health care for families.
Highlight past experiences (research, clinical, applied, or personal) that shaped your interests and prepared you for doctoral training.
Share the research skills you’ve developed (e.g., writing, data analysis, independent project work, teamwork) and how they will help you thrive in a rigorous PhD program.
Reflect on how you hope to grow during graduate school, both as a researcher and as a clinician.

Most importantly, your statement should make clear why you want to pursue doctoral training in Counseling Psychology and how joining the LEAF Lab would help you achieve your goals.

Do I need clinical experience to apply?

Nope! Prior clinical experience is not required to apply to LEAF or to the Counseling Psychology Program at BU. Because our PhD program provides rigorous clinical training as part of the curriculum, you will gain the clinical experiences you need during graduate school.

What if I am more interested in Clinical Training?

Because our work is highly applied, we believe that research and clinical training are inseparable. Clinical experiences inform the research questions we ask, while research ensures that the care we provide is grounded in evidence. Students in our lab receive rigorous training in both intervention research and clinical practice, with the goal of preparing them for careers where these skill sets inform and strengthen one another.

Counseling Psychology PhD programs are research-oriented by design. For this reason, applicants who are primarily interested in clinical practice without an interest in research may not find our lab to be the best fit.

We are especially well-suited for students seeking careers that integrate clinical expertise, intervention science, and dissemination/implementation research to create scalable impact.

Can I reach out to you with additional questions?

Absolutely! The best email to reach me is jensung@bu.edu