Top fully funded PhD programs in Psychology focused on LGBTQ+ and gender minority mental health

Start here if you’re looking for the best programs in Psych to study LGBTQ+ and gender minority mental health

Interested in getting your PhD in psychology focused on LGBTQ+ and gender minority mental health? Below, we’ll describe top fully-funded psychology programs that have faculty with deep expertise in the field of LGBTQ+ and gender minority mental health.  

When you’re looking for ideal PhD programs, you want to make sure they have faculty and a robust ecosystem working on the topics you want to work on. Hence, this list of programs focuses on high alignment between your area of focus and the faculty working in that area. Many other programs exist in this space, but we’re highlighting our top thirteen.

Most psychology PhD programs (not PsyD) are fully-funded. However, each psychology department at each school has a different flavor and different focus areas. A focus on gender minority mental health generally falls within a “Behavioral” or “Social” “Clinical” or “Counseling” sub-group within the psychology department.

1. Palo Alto University Clinical Psychology

Palo Alto’s Clinical Psychology program is deeply committed to educating well-rounded clinical psychologists capable and competent as both researchers and clinicians.

Professors and Research Focus:

Many faculty in this department work on gender minority mental health.  Professor Kimberly Balsam is the Director of the LGBTQ Area of Emphasis (RISE lab) and Director of the Center for LGBTQ Evidence-Based Applied Research (CLEAR). Her focus is on LGBT psychology, women and gender, same-sex and heterosexual couples and trauma. Professor Liz McConnell supervises students in the Sexual and Gender Identities Clinic within the Gronowski Center and directs the REAL lives lab. Their research focuses on relational and structural influences on the health and wellbeing of intersectionality diverse sexual and gender minority populations using a variety of methodological approaches.

 At Palo Alto University’s Psychology program, you’ll have the option to get your PhD with an emphasis on LGBTW Psychology, with leading edge training and research opportunities.  

2. Yale University Clinical Psychology

Yale University’s Clinical Psychology program is dedicated to research and training in clinical science. The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association (APA). Graduate students in good standing in the Ph.D. program receive tuition and stipend (including summer funding) for up to five years.

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor John Pachankis’s research focuses on identifying the complex reasons that LGBTQ populations experience one of the highest risks for mental health morbidity across all of psychiatric epidemiology.  He directs Yale’s Mental Health Initiative Lab, where his team focuses on applying Yale’s strengths in mental health, LGBTQ studies, and global health to solving this pressing public health challenge.

Many members of Yale’s Psychology faculty are committed to exploring the impact of their work on individual, community, and societal problems. Consequently, faculty and student interests and research often bridge basic science to issues of public policy, providing opportunities for students to develop broad areas of expertise.

3.  University of Montana Clinical Psychology

The Clinical PhD program at The University of Montana was highlighted as a “hidden gem” among training programs, producing exceptionally good outcomes for  students.  The Clinical Psychology PhD training program has been continuously accredited by the APA since 1970. 

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Brian Cochran, Director of Clinical Training, focuses on substance use disorders and mental health issues in LGBTQ+ individuals.  Dr. Cochran is a faculty supervisor for the Clinical Psychology Center. Professor Hillary Powell researches mechanisms of risk and resilience affecting these populations, with a particular emphasis on the intersections of aging and rural identity.

The Clinical Psychology PhD Program at the University of Montana is dedicated to training psychologists in the scientist-practitioner model, and they seek to train psychologists who will actively integrate science and practice throughout their careers. 

4. Teachers College, Columbia University PhD in Counseling Psychology

The Ph.D. Program in Counseling Psychology at Teachers College is dedicated to the preparation of counseling psychologists who facilitate the optimal development of individuals, groups, and organizations that are culturally relevant and psychologically appropriate across the lifespan. PhD students here are fully funded.

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Melanie Brewster researches Psychological correlates of minority stress for marginalized groups in the United States (i.e., queer people, people of color).  She directs the Laboratory for Oppression, Resilience and Empowerment (LORE) and is the Co-Founder of the Sexuality, Women, & Gender Project.  

Teachers College boasts research exposure and opportunities, a commitment to the crucial role of experiential training and self-awareness within psychotherapist preparation, and in-depth infusion of racial-cultural and social justice emphases throughout program components.

5. Loyola University Chicago Social Psychology

The Applied Social Psychology Program at Loyola University Chicago has been offering MA and PhD degrees since 1965 and is APA accredited.  Annually over half of all Psychology students are interested in pursuing applied research in non-academic settings. However, the program still offers rigorous training for students wishing to pursue traditional academic careers as well.  

Professors and Research Focus: 

Professor Will Beischel is focused on new ways of thinking about major life stressors and LGBTQ+ mental health. Professor Robyn Mallet researches aspects of the person and the situation affecting social behavior and currently directs the Behavioral Research on Acceptance and Diversity (BROAD) Lab, where her team currently examines how stigmatized group maintain relationships through social, political, and clinical psychology, sociology, gender and ethnic perspectives.  

Most of Loyola’s students interested in pursuing traditional academic careers have obtained faculty positions in academic institutions.  The program seeks to train professionals who can identify significant problems, design and implement changes intended to alleviate those problems, and empirically evaluate these changes. 

6. Syracuse University Clinical Psychology

Syracuse’s Clinical Psychology program graduate programs combine classroom instruction and advanced seminar participation with innovative faculty research.  The Clinical psychology program is APA accredited and offers fully funded positions for their PhD students. Syracuse is also located in a lower cost of living area, so it’s a great bang for your buck.

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Jillian Scheer researches stigma-related stress (e.g., heterosexism, racism, sexism, cissexism), trauma exposure, hazardous drinking, and PTSD, surrounding sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, with a focus on sexual minority women and transgender/nonbinary people.  She directs the Minority Stress and Trauma Lab.  Her current research projects also include the development and pilot evaluation of an online mentorship program to prevent adversities among trans and gender minority youth. 

Founded in 1870, the university today has an enrollment of more than 22,000 undergraduates and graduate students representing all 50 states, more than 100 countries, and a variety of social and economic backgrounds.

7. Vanderbilt University Clinical Psychological Science

The Clinical Psychological Science Program at Vanderbilt University subscribes to the clinical scientist model of training, with the primary goal of training clinical scientists. The Clinical Science Program is accredited, and part of the outstanding program in Psychological Sciences at Vanderbilt that includes over 60 faculty spanning two departments (the Department of Psychology and the Department of Psychology and Human Development).

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Kirsty A. Clark is examining mental health disparities, especially suicide, impacting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) populations and developing evidence-based interventions to disrupt the course of such disparities.  She also runs the CLARK lab.  The team draws on expertise from economics, sociology, political science, demography, religious studies, divinity studies, medicine, health services research, public health, law and education to advance understandings of how social and policy contexts impact the lives of LGBTQIA+ people.  

The program has sufficient flexibility to allow students to concentrate their training and to develop specialized expertise in given areas that draw on the strengths of our faculty and the opportunities for research and clinical training. Students can focus their training in a number of areas including Psychopathology, Basic emotional processes, Prevention and intervention, and Health Psychology.  

8. University of Virginia Developmental Psychology

The University of Virginia (UVA) Developmental Area, often ranked among a handful of top PhD programs in Developmental Psychology, has research strengths in social and cognitive development from infancy through adulthood. PhD students at UVA are fully funded.

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Charlotte Patterson researches the role of sexual orientation in human development and family lives, particularly the study of child development in lesbian- and gay-parented families. She also directs the Sexual Orientation in the Lifespan Lab.  

Students have the opportunity to work in The Mary D. Ainsworth Psychological Clinic.   A facility sponsored by the Department of Psychology's Clinical Training Program, the Ainsworth Clinic is staffed by clinical faculty members and supervised graduate student therapists. 

9. Boston College Development and Educational Psychology

The Development and Educational Psychology program at Boston College focuses on development and learning in a sociocultural context. PhD students are fully funded. 

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Paul Poteat researches school-based experienes of sexual and gender minority youth. Professor Jim Mahalik is researching contributions of gender socialization and social influence variables as they affect both psychological and physical well-being.  

Areas of program expertise include cognitive and socioemotional development from early childhood through adolescence, family economic and social well-being, educational and community contexts, and social and educational policies. Development and learning are examined across multiple, interactive contexts. Students are invited to join Boston College’s Psychological Humanities and Ethics Research Group, a multidisciplinary community of learners that meets weekly during the academic year to produce scholarship, conference presentations, and shared research opportunities for persons invested in the fundamental questions of human life.

10. University of Wisconsin-Madison Counseling Psychology

The APA-accredited doctoral program in Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is based on the scientist/practitioner model of professional psychology and integrates counseling and psychological theory, scientific inquiry, and supervised practice. PhD students here are fully funded.

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Stephanie Budge founded the Trans CARE Collaborative in 2014—the collaborative is a group of scholars and community advocates who work together to improve research focused on Two-Spirit, transgender, and nonbinary people. Stephanie’s research focuses on improving medical and psychotherapy treatments (and access to care) for Two Spirit, trans, and nonbinary (2STNB) clients.  She is also the Director of the Advancing Health Equity and Diversity (AHEAD) program in the Collaborative Center for Health Equity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

The UW–Madison program places special emphasis on multicultural competence and social justice, integration of research and practice, and preparation for ethical and professional conduct as either a researcher, teacher, or practitioner.  

11. University of Memphis PhD in Counseling Psychology

The University of Memphis Counseling Psychology program is APA-accredited.  They focus on training psychologists in the rapidly changing areas of mental health, emotional and social learning, career development, and decision-making.

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Madeline Brodt’s research focuses on social justice and has a particular passion for disability, gender, LGBTQIA+, and racial justice issues. Her research is focused within three main areas: experiences of sexual violence, disability, and transforming training for psychologists. She created the concept of gendered violence stress and is continuing work in this area. Professor Sara Bridges’s research interests include Coherence Therapy, Constructivist Psychology theory and practice, Humanistic Psychology, Human Sexuality and Sexual Satisfaction. She directs the Constructivist Sexuality Research Lab, focusing on personal constructions of sexuality and the meaning sexuality has for individuals and couples. Professor Suzanne Lease researches masculinity and gender norms, career/work issues with underserved populations, and health behaviors (integrated primary care, health promotion) as they intersect with gender and career. Suzanne leads the Masculinity and Health Research lab, focusing primarily on examining masculinity ideologies, precarious manhood, and connections to a range of attitudes and interpersonal behaviors. 

The University of Memphis Counseling Psychology department has a strong commitment to training professionals to work with diverse populations in urban settings. Training is organized around the scientist-practitioner model of critical thinking and program faculty strive for an equivalent emphasis on developing both clinical understanding and skills and facility with research.

12. University of Massachusetts Boston, PhD in Counseling Psychology

The University  of Massachusetts Boston's PhD in Counseling Psychology prepares doctoral-level professional counseling psychologists for careers as scholars, university faculty, and practitioners. PhD students are fully funded for their training.

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Sharon Horne conducts research on LGBTQ psychological health and international psychology concerns. Her LGBTQ+ Research Team focuses on improving and expanding the lives of LGBT+ individuals through study of issues relevant to LGBTQ+ experience. Within a social justice framework, they explore LGBTQ health and wellness from both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.  Professor Heidi Levitt researches gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender minority stress and cultural identities and the development of guidelines for designing, reporting, and reviewing research using qualitative methods. She codirects the LGBTQ+ Research Team. Professor Meredith Maroney conducts social justice-oriented research on sexual and gender minority individuals, with a particular emphasis on the intersection of Autistic and LGBTQ+ identities. Specifically, her research focuses on understanding minority stress and intersectional stigma, promoting well-being, and intervention development.

 As a PhD student you’ll  work with a variety of research methods and theoretical approaches, receiving guidance from multiple mentors, and understanding how to think about human rights and social justice as they apply to local and transnational contexts. They aim to prepare the next generation of counseling psychology scholars, teachers, and social justice advocates.

13.  Kings College London Department of Psychology School of Mental Health & Psychological Sciences

For over 60 years, the Department of Psychology at Kings College has been at the forefront of research into clinical practice. The department offers a three-year full-time Health Care Professions Council approved and BPS accredited DClinPsy programme from the Psychology Department at King's College London.

Professors and Research Focus:

Professor Kate Rimes researches the psychological impact of stigma/prejudice/discrimination, for example in relation to sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, mental illness and race/ethnicity. She co-leads the KCL LGBT+ mental health research group. She regularly engages in activities that help to disseminate research findings outside of academia. For example, she was a consultant and contributor for the KCL LGBT+ mental health film “Through the Rainbow Lens”. 

Kings College London’s Psychology Department’s research interests span a wide range of mental health disorders and physical health problems, including anxiety disorders, trauma, somatoform disorders, pain, psychosis, depression, antisocial personality, disorders in childhood and adolescence, emotion and personality, and neurodegeneration.

Summary

These universities all have robust and strong research groups focused on understanding and improving the factors that shape gender identity, LGBTQ+ and mental health issues, providing students with the resources to contribute to significant advancements in these fields. 

If you’re interested in applying successfully to these and other PhD programs, take this short quiz to determine your competitiveness and learn how to improve your odds of getting in and fully funded.