Psychology CV Template and Examples (2026)

A psychology CV template with a doctoral and a master’s sample CV, two blank fillable templates, a section-by-section guide and a verb bank.

What is in the pack

• A doctoral sample CV: a full PsyD applicant in year three with two clinical practica, a dissertation in progress, and a complete assessment battery list. Eight to twelve bullets per practicum, twenty-plus instruments categorized by domain, and a dissertation entry with five detailed bullets.
• A master's sample CV: a CACREP-accredited MA applicant applying to doctoral programs, including bilingual practice and a research trajectory. Shorter, with the same structural choices.
• Two blank fillable templates, doctoral and master's, matching the samples section for section, opening in Word, Google Docs, or Pages.
• A section-by-section guide covering header, education, clinical practica, assessment experience, instruments administered, dissertation, presentations, research, specialized training, employment, affiliations, languages, and honors, with what to include, what to leave out, and the level of detail that separates a strong CV from a thin one.
• A verb bank with dozens of precise verbs organized by clinical, assessment, research, supervision, teaching, and administrative categories, plus the verbs to stop using (worked with, helped, assisted with, participated in, utilized) and what replaces each.
• A CV versus resume section on length, structure, tone, and when to submit which. Ten common pitfalls with weak and strong bullet pairs: site-description bullets instead of activity bullets, inflated instrument lists, padded affiliations, vague dates. A final pass checklist, and three documented use cases for starting from scratch, fixing a thin CV, and transitioning between stages.

Who it is for

PsyD and PhD applicants in clinical, counseling, school, or rehabilitation psychology. Master's-level applicants applying to doctoral programs. CACREP MA and MS counseling students preparing application materials. Practicum and internship applicants writing field-specific CVs. Doctoral candidates updating for the APPIC cycle. Anyone moving between stages. Career counselors and Directors of Clinical Training who want a structured resource to hand students.

Why it exists

A psychology CV is not a resume. Different structure, different section order, different level of detail, different verbs. A generic career-services template produces a document that reads as a resume in CV clothing: too short, too vague, no instrument list, no supervisor credentials, no visible trajectory of training. Admissions committees and training directors read fast and they notice.

21 pages across four files. A combined guide as PDF and as editable Word, plus two separate blank fillable Word templates, one doctoral and one master's, with the structural conventions already built in and bracketed placeholders ready for your information.

Why it is built this way

Most psychology CV templates are a single blank shell with no sample and no guidance on expected detail. This has both samples and both templates, plus the guide explaining what each section is doing.

How detailed should my bullets be is the question applicants ask more than any other, and it is only answerable by showing a populated CV rather than an empty one.

Every bullet starts with a verb, and the weakest CVs default to three of them. The verb bank is built so you can run a find-and-replace pass and upgrade the whole document in one sitting.

The ten pitfalls are all fixable errors that show up in real submissions, each paired with the replacement rather than just the diagnosis.

Format

21 page combined guide as PDF, the same guide as editable Microsoft Word (.docx), and two standalone blank templates as .docx files, doctoral and master's. US Letter (8.5 x 11) and A4 (8.3 x 11.7) both included. Works on Mac, Windows, iPad, Google Docs, and Pages. Lifetime access, unlimited prints.

Updated 2026

Reflects current conventions for psychology CV structure: DSM-5-TR diagnostic vocabulary, current WAIS-IV and WIAT-4 instrument naming, MMPI-3 replacing MMPI-2-RF at many sites, current APA, ACA, AAMFT, and AAPA affiliation conventions, current CACREP program references, current PsychArmor and VA National Center for PTSD training references, and the expected length range of two to six pages at master's level and five to twelve at doctoral.

How to use it

Starting from scratch: open the blank template for your stage, replace the placeholders, and use the matching sample as your reference for detail per entry. Current CV feels thin: compare it section by section against the sample at your stage and note what is missing, what is underdeveloped, and what is weighted wrong. At a stage transition: use the next-stage sample as the target structure and populate toward it. Before submitting: run the verb pass, the ten-pitfall check, and the final checklist.

Instant digital download. No physical product ships. Message us if anything does not work.

Common questions

How long should a psychology CV be?

Longer than a resume. The guide in this pack works to a range of two to six pages at the master's level and five to twelve pages at the doctoral level. The two samples show what that length looks like in practice.

What is the difference between a CV and a resume in psychology?

A resume is a one or two page summary aimed at a job. A psychology CV is the full record of your training: every practicum and what you did there, the instruments you have administered, research, presentations and supervisors. Committees and training directors expect the CV format, and a resume stretched to fit it reads as thin.

What should a clinical psychology CV include?

Education, clinical practica, assessment experience, instruments administered, dissertation or thesis, research, presentations, specialized training, employment, affiliations, languages and honors. The guide covers each section with what to include and what to leave out.

Can I use it for APPIC internship applications?

Yes. The CV is one of the required uploads in the AAPI, and the doctoral sample is written for a third-year applicant with two practica and a dissertation in progress, which is where most people are when they apply.