PhD in Counseling Psychology vs PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision
There are some key differences between a Counseling
Psychology and Counselor Education and Supervision degree. These
programs are not the same!
OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM DIFFERENCES
A PhD program in Counseling Psychology does not usually require a Masters degree, which is similar to the admission requirements at most Clinical Psychology programs. Yet, programs that are titled Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) will require a Masters degree (i.e., Professional Counseling, Clinical Mental Health, Marriage and Family, Social Work, etc.). The Counselor Education and Supervision program differs from the general Counseling Psychology degree in that CES program is under a different accrediting body and does not offer students options for licensure. Furthermore, the Counselor Education and Supervision degree does not emphasize research to the same extent as Counseling Psychology. The good news for students is that Counselor Education and Supervision programs are not as strict to get into like Clinical or Counseling Psychology.
DIFFERENT ACCREDITING BODIES
First, Counseling Psychology PhD programs are usually accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), while Counselor Education and Supervision programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). In the world of psychology, APA accreditation is important. This applies to PhD programs, since APA does not accredit Masters or Bachelors degrees.
On the other hand, CACREP accredits counseling programs (i.e., counseling education and supervision, professional counseling, clinical mental health programs, marriage and family, school counseling, community counseling, and addiction counseling programs). Unlike the APA, CACREP accredits both Masters and Doctoral level programs. Another stark difference between the APA and CACREP is that CACREP tends to accredit hybrid and online programs on both the Masters and Doctoral level; yet, there are fewer online CACREP accredited doctoral programs. CACREP accredits many on-campus and online programs on the Masters level. All other accredited programs are usually campus based on the doctoral level. In Counseling Psychology, hybrid or online programs are very rare. **This blog does not seek to point students towards any particular university, program of study, or learning format. The information covered here merely illustrates the differences between the programs and accrediting bodies.**
LICENSURE
The Counseling Psychology program follows the sequence of a counseling psychologist. With the Counselor Education and Supervision degree, the goal is to become an educator (university setting) and supervisor (clinical setting) in the field of counseling; many Counselor Educators and Supervisors teach and supervise M.A. level students. Counselor Education and Supervision PhD students are not seeking to become psychologists. This Counselor Education and Supervision option is attractive for students that want to teach but do not want to go through a rigorous 5 or 6 year process of coursework.
Beyond the Masters level licensure, the CES programs do not offer additional licensure options. In general, CES students take somewhat similar coursework as those students in a Counseling Psychology program, but the latter take more coursework in psychological testing, research, statistics, and internship.
Psychology works the opposite of Counseling when it comes to licensure. Counseling licenses students on the Masters level but not on the doctoral level. Psychology programs do not license on the Masters level but do license on the doctoral level. Students must determine if their goal is to become a psychologist or a counselor educator and supervisor. The track for CES is often less rigorous and therefore attractive for students not interested in lengthy training. The CES programs are often only 3 years. Counseling Psychology programs tend to be longer (4 years or longer). Some CES programs will require 63-80 credit hours (sometimes more, depends on program), while a Counseling Psychology program may require around 113 credit hours.
STIPENDS AND TRAINING OFFERINGS/DURATION
Counseling Psychology programs usually elect to offer their students stipends. The amount will vary by university. Counselor Education and Supervision programs may or may not offer stipends because the training is shorter and less rigorous (depends on program).
Students undergo internship in CES programs, but the amount of hours required for the internship is far less than what is required in a Counseling Psychology program. Similarly, CES programs do offer some research courses, but these courses are not as extensive as Counseling or Clinical Psychology research courses.
The purpose of the CES degree does not include being a researcher in a lab; thus, research is outlined in the curriculum but does not encompass every sequence of the program. This is a good option for students that do not want to go into research but who have a desire to teach and supervise Masters level counseling students.
ACCEPTANCE RATES
GOOD NEWS! The CES programs are not nearly as challenging to gain admission to as the Clinical and Counseling Psychology programs (depends on university). Most Clinical and Counseling PhD programs are difficult to get into because they let in a small number of applicants. For instance, a school that receives between 150-200 applicants may only admit 6 of those who applied in Clinical and Counseling Psychology. In contrast, CES programs tend to bring in more students. The caveat is that it does depend on the program (private school, state school, etc.). Some programs are more competitive than others, but there are far more CES programs that students can gain entry into than there are Clinical or Counseling Psychology because of the number of students admitted.
I will include here a cheat sheet that shows the main differences between the Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education and Supervision programs:
*COUNSELOR EDUCATION AND SUPERVISION PROGRAMS:
-requires M.A. degree (equivalent of 2 post-bachelor years) for admission
-some universities require GRE, others do not
-accredited by CACREP organization
-admit more students per year than Clinical or Counseling Psychology (APA based programs)
-degree usually takes 3 years
-do not emphasize research to the same extent as Clinical or Counseling Psychology (APA based programs)
-usually offers courses in group therapy, counseling theories, psychopathology, assessment, career counseling, family therapy, teaching, supervision, statistics, etc.
-do not offer licensure on the Doctoral level, but students who want to become a licensed therapist (professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, and marriage and family licensure is common) can obtain a M.A. degree in two years, which will give them a license and the degree needed to apply for the CES PhD programs.
- most programs offer concentrations
-programs may or may not provide stipends
*COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAMS:
-does not require M.A. degree for admission
-usually requires the GRE for admission
-accredited by the APA
-requires more research than CES degree
-degree usually takes at least 4 years or longer
-admit less students than the CES degree. Rate of admitted students is "slightly" higher than Clinical Psychology programs, but averages at 30% for most universities.
-coursework may include cognitive and affective basis of behavior, physiological basis of behavior, history and systems, multivariate statistics, psychological measurement, cognitive and personality assessment, etc.
-licensure is offered only on the Doctoral level
-most programs offer concentrations
-programs will usually offer stipends; amount varies by university.
**Here are links to check out APA accredited programs in Clinical Psychology:
http://apps.apa.org/accredsearch/
**Here are links to check out CACREP accredited programs in Counselor Education and Supervision:
http://www.cacrep.org/directory/?state=&dl=D&pt_id=& keywords=&submitthis=&sortby=organization&view=all#searchresults
OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM DIFFERENCES
A PhD program in Counseling Psychology does not usually require a Masters degree, which is similar to the admission requirements at most Clinical Psychology programs. Yet, programs that are titled Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) will require a Masters degree (i.e., Professional Counseling, Clinical Mental Health, Marriage and Family, Social Work, etc.). The Counselor Education and Supervision program differs from the general Counseling Psychology degree in that CES program is under a different accrediting body and does not offer students options for licensure. Furthermore, the Counselor Education and Supervision degree does not emphasize research to the same extent as Counseling Psychology. The good news for students is that Counselor Education and Supervision programs are not as strict to get into like Clinical or Counseling Psychology.
DIFFERENT ACCREDITING BODIES
First, Counseling Psychology PhD programs are usually accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), while Counselor Education and Supervision programs are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). In the world of psychology, APA accreditation is important. This applies to PhD programs, since APA does not accredit Masters or Bachelors degrees.
On the other hand, CACREP accredits counseling programs (i.e., counseling education and supervision, professional counseling, clinical mental health programs, marriage and family, school counseling, community counseling, and addiction counseling programs). Unlike the APA, CACREP accredits both Masters and Doctoral level programs. Another stark difference between the APA and CACREP is that CACREP tends to accredit hybrid and online programs on both the Masters and Doctoral level; yet, there are fewer online CACREP accredited doctoral programs. CACREP accredits many on-campus and online programs on the Masters level. All other accredited programs are usually campus based on the doctoral level. In Counseling Psychology, hybrid or online programs are very rare. **This blog does not seek to point students towards any particular university, program of study, or learning format. The information covered here merely illustrates the differences between the programs and accrediting bodies.**
LICENSURE
The Counseling Psychology program follows the sequence of a counseling psychologist. With the Counselor Education and Supervision degree, the goal is to become an educator (university setting) and supervisor (clinical setting) in the field of counseling; many Counselor Educators and Supervisors teach and supervise M.A. level students. Counselor Education and Supervision PhD students are not seeking to become psychologists. This Counselor Education and Supervision option is attractive for students that want to teach but do not want to go through a rigorous 5 or 6 year process of coursework.
Beyond the Masters level licensure, the CES programs do not offer additional licensure options. In general, CES students take somewhat similar coursework as those students in a Counseling Psychology program, but the latter take more coursework in psychological testing, research, statistics, and internship.
Psychology works the opposite of Counseling when it comes to licensure. Counseling licenses students on the Masters level but not on the doctoral level. Psychology programs do not license on the Masters level but do license on the doctoral level. Students must determine if their goal is to become a psychologist or a counselor educator and supervisor. The track for CES is often less rigorous and therefore attractive for students not interested in lengthy training. The CES programs are often only 3 years. Counseling Psychology programs tend to be longer (4 years or longer). Some CES programs will require 63-80 credit hours (sometimes more, depends on program), while a Counseling Psychology program may require around 113 credit hours.
STIPENDS AND TRAINING OFFERINGS/DURATION
Counseling Psychology programs usually elect to offer their students stipends. The amount will vary by university. Counselor Education and Supervision programs may or may not offer stipends because the training is shorter and less rigorous (depends on program).
Students undergo internship in CES programs, but the amount of hours required for the internship is far less than what is required in a Counseling Psychology program. Similarly, CES programs do offer some research courses, but these courses are not as extensive as Counseling or Clinical Psychology research courses.
The purpose of the CES degree does not include being a researcher in a lab; thus, research is outlined in the curriculum but does not encompass every sequence of the program. This is a good option for students that do not want to go into research but who have a desire to teach and supervise Masters level counseling students.
ACCEPTANCE RATES
GOOD NEWS! The CES programs are not nearly as challenging to gain admission to as the Clinical and Counseling Psychology programs (depends on university). Most Clinical and Counseling PhD programs are difficult to get into because they let in a small number of applicants. For instance, a school that receives between 150-200 applicants may only admit 6 of those who applied in Clinical and Counseling Psychology. In contrast, CES programs tend to bring in more students. The caveat is that it does depend on the program (private school, state school, etc.). Some programs are more competitive than others, but there are far more CES programs that students can gain entry into than there are Clinical or Counseling Psychology because of the number of students admitted.
I will include here a cheat sheet that shows the main differences between the Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education and Supervision programs:
*COUNSELOR EDUCATION AND SUPERVISION PROGRAMS:
-requires M.A. degree (equivalent of 2 post-bachelor years) for admission
-some universities require GRE, others do not
-accredited by CACREP organization
-admit more students per year than Clinical or Counseling Psychology (APA based programs)
-degree usually takes 3 years
-do not emphasize research to the same extent as Clinical or Counseling Psychology (APA based programs)
-usually offers courses in group therapy, counseling theories, psychopathology, assessment, career counseling, family therapy, teaching, supervision, statistics, etc.
-do not offer licensure on the Doctoral level, but students who want to become a licensed therapist (professional counselor, licensed clinical social worker, and marriage and family licensure is common) can obtain a M.A. degree in two years, which will give them a license and the degree needed to apply for the CES PhD programs.
- most programs offer concentrations
-programs may or may not provide stipends
*COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAMS:
-does not require M.A. degree for admission
-usually requires the GRE for admission
-accredited by the APA
-requires more research than CES degree
-degree usually takes at least 4 years or longer
-admit less students than the CES degree. Rate of admitted students is "slightly" higher than Clinical Psychology programs, but averages at 30% for most universities.
-coursework may include cognitive and affective basis of behavior, physiological basis of behavior, history and systems, multivariate statistics, psychological measurement, cognitive and personality assessment, etc.
-licensure is offered only on the Doctoral level
-most programs offer concentrations
-programs will usually offer stipends; amount varies by university.
**Here are links to check out APA accredited programs in Clinical Psychology:
http://apps.apa.org/accredsearch/
**Here are links to check out CACREP accredited programs in Counselor Education and Supervision:
http://www.cacrep.org/directory/?state=&dl=D&pt_id=& keywords=&submitthis=&sortby=organization&view=all#searchresults
