Going Beyond Clinical and Counseling Psychology
When considering doctoral education, undergraduate and master's level students tend to think only about Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology as options. I would encourage students to look at all of the specialties that psychology offers before assuming that Clinical or Counseling Psychology would be the way to go. Recall that Clinical Psychology on average will take 5 or 6 years to complete all doctoral level coursework, practicum experiences, and pre-doctoral internship. In some cases, it could be a student's 7th year before they get to pre-doctoral internship depending on the time spent to finish one's dissertation and specialization pre-requisites and research requirements. Furthermore, a student that is looking to specialize in Neuropsychology, for instance, is looking at 2 years of post-doctoral internship instead of the usual 1 year.
Another important factor to consider when thinking about Clinical Psychology programs is accreditation. APA accreditation matters for the program, pre-doctoral internship, and post-doctoral internship(s). When it comes to Neuropsychology, a student is faced with the additional challenge of considering post-doctoral programs that meet the Houston Conference Guidelines. With this specialty, in particular, students are often expected to complete Board Certification from the ABPP in Neuropsychology, which can be challenging considering that a student's doctoral training, pre-doctoral internship, post-doctoral internships will be scrutinized to see if they meet requirements to even be considered for Board Certification. Upon approval of an applicant being eligible for pursuing Board Certification, an oral exam and written exam are required in the appropriate specialty.
I am encouraging students to look outside the boundaries of Clinical and Counseling Psychology because the journey is a long one. Many students will not see the salary that they are anticipating for a number of years. While students can expect some stipends from their university through either teaching assistantships or research assistantships, most of these stipends are not enough to make a good living. Also, pre-doctoral programs like the Veterans Administration only pay about 20,000 a year, while a higher paying pre-doctoral internship would be at the Federal Bureau of Prisons at 52,000 a year. Students should really consider other options in psychology if they are unsure that they are able or willing to invest the number of years required to train in psychology, especially since there will be low upfront payout from obtaining this education.
Psychology has so many different specializations like Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Media Psychology, Educational Psychology, Behavior Analysis, Psychophysiology, Counselor Education and Supervision, etc. While I love Clinical Psychology, I found that I must give equal attention on my site to other areas of psychology because many prospective students are not aware of the investment that they will be made by going into Clinical and Counseling Psychology. Not to mention, that most students have responsibilities and needs that may not make doing 7+ years of low pay and training feasible. I encourage all students to do their research on the fields of interest, talk to your family and friends about how realistic the specified track would be for you, trust your instincts, and research a track that meets your financial ability, work demand, and courseload, and salary expectations.
Sites to visit:
http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2004/04/accreditation.aspx
http://societyforpsychotherapy.org/career-considerations-for-clinical-psychology-psy-d-students/
http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/crsppp.aspx
https://www.nanonline.org/docs/Student%20Committee/07%20Postdoctoral%20Fellowship%20Guidelines.pdf
Another important factor to consider when thinking about Clinical Psychology programs is accreditation. APA accreditation matters for the program, pre-doctoral internship, and post-doctoral internship(s). When it comes to Neuropsychology, a student is faced with the additional challenge of considering post-doctoral programs that meet the Houston Conference Guidelines. With this specialty, in particular, students are often expected to complete Board Certification from the ABPP in Neuropsychology, which can be challenging considering that a student's doctoral training, pre-doctoral internship, post-doctoral internships will be scrutinized to see if they meet requirements to even be considered for Board Certification. Upon approval of an applicant being eligible for pursuing Board Certification, an oral exam and written exam are required in the appropriate specialty.
I am encouraging students to look outside the boundaries of Clinical and Counseling Psychology because the journey is a long one. Many students will not see the salary that they are anticipating for a number of years. While students can expect some stipends from their university through either teaching assistantships or research assistantships, most of these stipends are not enough to make a good living. Also, pre-doctoral programs like the Veterans Administration only pay about 20,000 a year, while a higher paying pre-doctoral internship would be at the Federal Bureau of Prisons at 52,000 a year. Students should really consider other options in psychology if they are unsure that they are able or willing to invest the number of years required to train in psychology, especially since there will be low upfront payout from obtaining this education.
Psychology has so many different specializations like Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Media Psychology, Educational Psychology, Behavior Analysis, Psychophysiology, Counselor Education and Supervision, etc. While I love Clinical Psychology, I found that I must give equal attention on my site to other areas of psychology because many prospective students are not aware of the investment that they will be made by going into Clinical and Counseling Psychology. Not to mention, that most students have responsibilities and needs that may not make doing 7+ years of low pay and training feasible. I encourage all students to do their research on the fields of interest, talk to your family and friends about how realistic the specified track would be for you, trust your instincts, and research a track that meets your financial ability, work demand, and courseload, and salary expectations.
Sites to visit:
http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2004/04/accreditation.aspx
http://societyforpsychotherapy.org/career-considerations-for-clinical-psychology-psy-d-students/
http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/crsppp.aspx
https://www.nanonline.org/docs/Student%20Committee/07%20Postdoctoral%20Fellowship%20Guidelines.pdf
