Institute for the Psychological Sciences

The Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS or the Institute) is a graduate school of psychology and an integral part of Divine Mercy University (DMU). The Institute was founded in 1999 with the mission of basing the scientific study of psychology on a Catholic understanding of the person, marriage, and the family, as well as being an international center for scholarship and professional training. Maintaining the highest academic standards, it seeks to educate new generations of psychologists and mental health professionals, as well as open new areas of research for psychological theories that explore the relationship between psychology and the Catholic-Christian understanding of the human person.

The program offers a Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree in Clinical Psychology.

The IPS was founded in 1999 by a group of mental health professionals and academicians who perceived a need for a proper understanding of the relationship between psychology and its philosophical foundations. The Institute's first and current campus is located in the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia. The campus is located 1 mile from the Pentagon, Ronald Reagan National Airport, 2 miles from Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington House, and 3 miles from Capitol Hill. In 2014, the Institute opened The IPS Center for Psychological Services, which provides integrated psychotherapy as well as psychological assessments to clients from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Due to the Institute's close proximity to the nation's capital, students have historically had opportunities to train at: the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Children's National Medical Center, St. Elizabeths Hospital, the D.C. Superior Court, the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, as well as other institutions in the area. In 2016, the Institute was became of part of Divine Mercy University, which houses the Institute for the Psychological Sciences and the School of Counseling. Throughout its history, members of the Institute have been active at the international level, by participating in various professional and educational activities, in countries such as the United Kingdom (Oxford University), Italy, Iraq, and the Holy See.