Graduate School of Professional Psychology's 50th Anniversary

Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence in Professional Psychology

For five decades, the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) at the University of Denver has redefined professional psychology education through innovation, community service, and an unwavering commitment to mental health equity. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we honor a legacy shaped by visionary leadership and bold ideas—while looking ahead to a future rooted in integrative, holistic care that addresses the full mind-body continuum. At the heart of our vision is the belief that true well-being lies at the intersection of behavioral and physical health—and that addressing both is essential to serving individuals and communities.

On this page, explore our rich history, the contributions of our deans, the evolution of our academic programs, our distinctive clinical training model, and the future we’re building—one that challenges convention and champions lasting change.

Countdown to GSPP 50th Anniversary Celebration

Register for 50th Anniversary Celebration

We invite you to an evening of connection, reflection, and celebration as we honor the GSPP’s 50th anniversary. This special event will take place on Thursday, August 7, 2025, and brings together alumni, faculty, and friends from across all of GSPP’s programs and decades.

Come celebrate the legacy we’ve built together—and the future we’re creating. We look forward to raising a glass with you!

Registration link coming soon...

Be a Voice for GSPP’s 50th Celebration

Help us spread the word by reaching out to fellow alumni and former classmates to encourage them to join the celebration. Your outreach can help bring the GSPP community back together as we honor 50 years of impact, growth, and shared achievement.

And be sure your contact information is up to date, so you receive the latest updates about the 50th Anniversary Celebration, along with event details and alumni news.

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Support the GSPP Scholarship Fund

Help shape the future of behavioral health by supporting student scholarships at GSPP. Expanded scholarship funding will allow us to enroll more high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds—and provide them with the resources they need to thrive.

Your support strengthens our learning community and builds a more inclusive, skilled workforce for Colorado and beyond.

Give Now

A Legacy of Service and Community Impact

B&W photo of GSPP student and child playing with puppets

GSPP remains committed to serving the public good while equipping students with hands-on, real-world experience. Our community clinics play a vital role in this mission, offering 16,000+ supervised client sessions annually across GSPP Clinical Services, Forensic Services, and Counseling Services. No other program integrates clinical, forensic, and counseling programs the way GSPP does, creating a unique synergy that benefits both students and the communities they serve.

In addition to our on-site clinics, we partner with leading mental health organizations, ensuring students gain essential experience before graduation. From working with military veterans and disaster survivors to advancing the future of integrated health care, GSPP continues to challenge convention and champion change in mental health.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we honor our rich history, transformative impact, and enduring commitment to shaping the future of professional psychology. Here’s to the next 50 years of innovation, advocacy, and excellence.

Old black and white photo of gspp classroom

student graduation photos of past and present

Support the GSPP Scholarship Fund

New support for student scholarships will expand DU’s ability to enroll diverse classes of high achieving students and support their success. Scholarships are our single most powerful tool for ensuring the ongoing strength of our learning community.

By increasing the number and value of merit-based, need-based, and access-based scholarships for graduate students, we can illuminate a path for deserving, high-achieving, and high-potential students to join a superior workforce pipeline of behavioral health professionals in Colorado and across the world.

Funding will deepen support streams for students with diverse backgrounds and strengths, such as indigenous, Veteran, bilingual, international, low-income, or first-generation circumstances.

Donate to Scholarship

Empowering Communities with Mental Health Services

The Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) is a leading institution in mental health services and training. It operates one of the largest training clinics in the country, providing extensive psychological services, including significant support for Veterans and Medicaid recipients. GSPP's international programs have delivered mental health services in 26 countries over 17 years. Their diverse offerings include PsyD, MAFP, IDP, MASPP, and MASC programs, along with specialized clinics for families, trauma recovery, and performance excellence.

GSPP's comprehensive approach integrates clinical, forensic, and counseling services, making a substantial impact on community and global mental health. The institution's commitment to high-quality, low-cost services and innovative training programs underscores its role as a hub for mental health excellence.

View GSPP Fact Sheet

GSPP Impact report PDF screenshots

165+ Community Partnerships where GSPP PSYD program students receive training and provide services

4.5K+ Clients seen by GSPP clinical services in the last decade, conducting over 250K service hours

$4M+ Benefits Allotted to Veterans through the VA by the Sturm Center in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Veterans Advocacy Project

Stories Through the Decades

professor Maria Vukovich talking to a student on research project

Faculty Excellence & Research Innovation

Faculty lead with purpose—driving research that addresses urgent mental health needs across diverse populations and settings. From advancing trauma-informed care and health equity to optimizing performance and resilience, their work bridges science and practice to create real-world impact. Faculty collaborate across disciplines and sectors, forming partnerships that enhance both community well-being and scholarly discovery. These efforts fuel innovation, enrich student learning, and help shape the future of professional psychology.

a group of students discussing in gspp classroom

Transformative Classroom

The classroom is more than a place—it’s a catalyst for transformation. Face-to-face learning fosters the interpersonal connection, trust, and reflective dialogue essential to developing thoughtful, ethical practitioners. At the same time, our virtual classrooms are intentionally designed to be dynamic, interactive, and deeply engaging. Whether in person or online, faculty create personalized learning environments where students feel seen, challenged, and supported.

mario mejia playing with a kid

Real-World Training & Experience

Hands-on training is central to every GSPP program, ensuring students apply what they learn in meaningful, real-world contexts. In addition to working in our on-campus clinics, students gain valuable experience through diverse practicum placements across Denver and beyond—partnerships built over five decades with leaders in mental health, wellness, and public service. Our APA-accredited Internship Consortium offers advanced doctoral training across five distinct sites, including hospitals, counseling centers, and public safety agencies, with a strong focus on culturally responsive care. Through these immersive experiences, students build clinical competence, deepen cultural awareness, and graduate ready to make an immediate impact in the communities they serve.

3 people discussing, one holding an album, at Rulers program

Social & Emotional Learning

Emotional insight, self-reflection, and relational awareness are core competencies in the development of effective mental health professionals. Within our training model, students are supported in deepening these capacities alongside their clinical and academic work. This integrated approach fosters the ability to remain present, attuned, and ethical in complex therapeutic relationships. By emphasizing both intrapersonal and interpersonal growth, we prepare graduates to navigate the emotional demands of professional practice with clarity and compassion.

coach brian gearity and students in a weight lifting training

Health & Wellness

An integrative understanding of the mind-body connection is central to how we prepare future professionals. Our holistic approach to behavioral health comes to life through programs like Sport and Performance Psychology, Sport Coaching, and the new undergraduate major in Kinesiology and Sport Studies. These offerings bridge psychological theory with physical practice, emphasizing the full spectrum of human functioning—mental, physical, emotional, and social. Through this lens, GSPP is helping to shape a new generation of professionals equipped to support the whole person across diverse contexts.

a phd graduate is hugging her children. other graduates are sitting and clapping

Impact at Every Scale

GSPP-trained professionals are shaping the future of mental health locally, nationally, and globally. As a powerful workforce multiplier, our graduates serve across a wide range of sectors—from clinics, schools, and hospitals to forensic settings, nonprofits, and even professional sports teams and coaching environments. Many continue to make a lasting impact right here in Colorado, strengthening the state’s behavioral health system and expanding access to care. Whether working in Denver neighborhoods or on the global stage, our alumni carry forward GSPP’s commitment to service, equity, and excellence.

History of the Graduate School of Professional Psychology

Fifty years ago, three visionary professors—Nelson Jones, Evelyn Paley, and Joe Dodds—laid the foundation for what would become the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) at the University of Denver. In September 1976, the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program launched as only the third of its kind in the nation, earning APA accreditation in 1979. With a groundbreaking approach that emphasized both scientific rigor and immediate hands-on clinical training, the program set a new standard for professional psychology education.
 

Graduate School of Professional Psychology co-founders

In 1991, Peter Buirski was recruited by DU to lead the School of Professional Psychology (SPP). Under his leadership, the school gained independent graduate status, officially becoming the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) in 1993. As GSPP’s longest-serving dean (1993–2012), Buirski broadened its academic scope, launching master’s programs in Forensic Psychology (1999), International Disaster Psychology: Trauma & Global Mental Health (2005), and Sport & Performance Psychology (2007), further solidifying GSPP’s reputation as a leader in professional psychology education.
 

Peter Bruiski and Ammi Hyde building

Building on this foundation, Shelly Smith-Acuña (Dean 2012–2022) advanced GSPP’s mission by establishing specialty focus areas in military psychology, health/oncology psychology, substance use disorder psychology, and infant/early childhood mental health. She also oversaw the launch of the online Master’s in Sport Coaching (2015), professional certificates in Strength & Conditioning, Fitness Coaching (2018), and Psychology of Coaching (2019), and a minor in Kinesiology & Sport Studies (2021).
 

Shelly Smith-Acuña and photo of playing with kids at children's museum

Today, under the leadership of Dean Torrey Wilson (since 2022), GSPP is evolving into a holistic hub for health and behavioral sciences, integrating mental and physical health disciplines. The school has introduced an undergraduate major in Kinesiology & Sport Studies (2023), a multidisciplinary program exploring the psychological, sociological, historical, and biomechanical aspects of human movement. With an ambitious vision, GSPP is working toward incorporating programs such as physical therapy and speech pathology in the coming years.
 

Torrey Wilson and photo of sport coaching and 50th anniversary logo

Timeline of Excellence

B&W photo of GSPP instructor addressing class of students

 

GSPP students meeting outside for instruction

 

This 2006 video captures the first 30 years of GSPP’s history, with stories straight from the School’s co-founders!
flowers

Register for GSPP 50th Anniversary Celebration

Come celebrate the legacy we’ve built together and the future we’re creating on Thursday, August 7, 2025. We look forward to raising a glass with you!

Registration link coming soon...