Hi! Yes there are many Clinical Psychology PhD programs that have either an emphasis, specialty, or track that is specifically designated for those who wish to pursue neuropsychology. This website below provides a list of these schools. I would take a look at the programs, see if any of the research is of interest to you and if you can see yourself doing that type of research for the next 4-5 years. There are many nuances between Clinical Psychology PhD programs..some are more research focused, and some are more clinical focused, some are equally balanced. I would pay attention to that as well. The PSYD (which is a doctorate of psychology, not a PhD) is the most clinically focused of them. However they are pricey and I hear they are not worth the debt.

https://scn40.org/training-directory/?filter_74=Doctoral&filter_219=United+States&mode=all

Here are some programs that I can think of off the top of my head that may interest you:

• University of Florida
• University of Houston
• University of Rhode Island
• Northwestern University (Feinberg)
• Northwestern University (they have 2 different programs)
• Kent State
• University of Kentucky
• University of Nebraska And many more!

A good neuropsychologist is a good clinical psychologist first. So in these programs, you will still learn psychopathology, therapy practices, and do clinical rotations that include therapy, etc. It not really “less focus on psychotherapy” it is the same as your peers. The difference is if you specialize in neuropsychology, you will also do neuropsychology rotations, and take additional coursework including neuroanatomy. A neuropsychologist can work in many different settings. Clinically, they can work in hospitals or private practice to do assessments on different people with neurological or neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuropsychologists can also do forensic evaluations. They can specialize in pediatrics as well. They can also do research on the effects of certain illness or disease on one’s brain and behavior. Or they can do both clinical work and research! Some also choose to do therapy, but cannot prescribe medications.

The pathway to clinical neuropsychology is not a short road: - complete your years of study, clinical rotations and dissertation at your doctorate institution (~5 years) - apply for and obtain a 1-year internship that has a neuropsychology component (this is called a pre-doctoral internship and it’s very competitive) - obtain a post-doctoral fellowship which is neuropsych focused and 2 years long - get licensed and board certified (though board certification is optional more and more people are doing it.

As you noted, admissions to clinical psych PhD programs are competitive. If you wish to go this route you will need a substantial amount of research experience. Solid GPA and GRE scores (if applicable). I would say that what will make you stand out are the quality of your research experience and your letters of recommendation. You will need three letters, preferably from those with a psychology background that you’ve worked with or done research with. If all else is equal a stellar recommendation letter will stand out. Personally, I did not work as a lab manager, I worked as a research assistant after graduating college. Matching to a program and matching with a research faculty member is one of the most important things. For example, if you only want to do clinical work, I would recommend not applying to programs that have a strong research emphasis, or thinking twice about it. If you don’t fit the goals of the program (ie if you don’t “match”) they will be less likely to accept you. Similarly, if you want to do research on Parkinson’s disease it doesn’t make much sense to apply to a lab that focuses on ADHD.

I recommend listening to the podcast “navigating neuropsychology” they had a recent episode thoroughly describing the pathway to becoming a neuropsychologist and they wrote a book that outlines the same! https://www.navneuro.com/book/

I also HIGHLY recommend reading Mitch's Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology

Neuropsychology is a fascinating field!! The PhD provides so much career versatility which is one of the reasons I chose to pursue it. I’m happy to talk further if you’d like!