‘A promise to Tennessee’: APSU graduates inaugural class from state’s first, only accredited PsyD program
By: Seth Riker August 28, 2025
Dr. Tyler Tims, at center, is hooded by Dr. Nicole Knickmeyer, at left, and Dr. Valerie Leake during a commencement ceremony hosted Aug. 8 in the Dunn Center. Tims is among the first graduates from Austin Peay State University’s PsyD program.
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Across Tennessee, the demand for advanced mental healthcare far outpaces the availability of providers. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 93 of 95 Tennessee counties are designated as mental health professional shortage areas. For individuals in crisis, this means long waits, long drives, and in some cases, going without care entirely.
In 2020, Austin Peay State University’s Department of Psychological Science and Counseling decided they could do more to address the crisis. They began the long process of establishing Tennessee’s first and only accredited Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in counseling psychology program.
“We knew our community was really struggling to get access to the highest level of trained mental healthcare,” said Dr. Nicole Knickmeyer, department chair. “So, we started getting resources in place to educate the practitioners Tennessee needed.”
While the department already trains ٱ’s-𱹱 clinicians, those with a PsyD are licensed to conduct and interpret full psychological assessments. Understandably, building a program that can produce this level of expertise was no small task.
Dr. Valerie Leake, program director, was instrumental in guiding the multi-year development, ensuring the curriculum, clinical partnerships, and accreditation standards aligned with the profession’s highest expectations.
In Fall 2024, the program hosted a site visit from the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Commission on Accreditation. The review included interviews with students, faculty, university leadership, and community partners. The result was “accredited on contingency” status which granted the program all the rights and privileges of accreditation while it gathers outcome data from graduates.
“We are granted all the rights and privileges of an accredited program,” Leake said, adding that forthcoming graduate destination data will fulfill outstanding APA requirements. “It has taken a lot of time, patience and dedication to get us here … mostly for our students.”
Among the program’s first two graduates is U.S. Army veteran Tyler Tims, now Dr. Tyler Tims, who also earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees with the department.
“Being one of the very first people to go through the PsyD program has been challenging but rewarding,” Tims said. “At the start, we were either providing supervision to ٱ’s-𱹱 students or direct client contact. We were able to immerse ourselves in the experience right away and build those skills.”
From their very first semester, PsyD students provide direct client services and supervise ٱ’s-𱹱 trainees. This intensive model depends on a strong, sustainable network of area practitioners who offer clinical supervision and contribute to delivering the care the region urgently needs.
“By training more advanced clinicians in our region, we’re not only meeting today’s mental-health needs, we’re also building the foundation for tomorrow’s growth,” Leake said. “Every new professional who enters the field creates another potential site where PsyD students can gain real-world experience through practicums and internships.”
These parallel gaps, for both student trainees and professional networks, illustrate the complexity in addressing Tennessee’s mental healthcare shortages. Multiple layers of support are needed, and campus leaders are committed to doing their part.
“We couldn’t have done this without the support of Austin Peay’s administration,” Knickmeyer said. “Their belief in the importance of training advanced mental health practitioners has been instrumental in helping us reach this point. Earning accreditation is not only a validation of our vision, it’s a promise to Tennessee families who deserve greater access to care.”
Reflecting on his own work, Tims expressed gratitude for the faculty’s mentorship and collaborative spirit.
“Everyone has something different to bring to the table, and learning from all of them collectively has helped shape me into the psychologist that ’m becoming,” he said. “’m very thankful for that.”
For more information on Austin Peay’s accredited PsyD program, visit the Department of Psychological Science and Counseling website.