Yaris

As a queer man I enjoyed living in Edgewater, and found myself going out in Rogers Park and Andersonville much more than Boystown. In addition to being much more affordable than Boystown, any of the Far North neighborhoods also tend to be safer (with the exception of northern Rogers Park, near Howard). Apartment People ( https://www.apartmentpeople.com/) is a pretty convenient resource for finding housing. Just for comparison, I paid ~$950 for a 1BR in Edgewater, two blocks from the "gay beach" (Hollywood). Anywhere around Belmont runs at least $1200+ for a decent 1BR. Studios run about $100-200 cheaper in their respective neighborhoods.

For-profit universities (such as Alliant) generally don't have the best reputation. I would suggest seeking out specific faculty in PhD programs that conduct research with LGBTQ populations, as they have their own hands-on experience and expertise with the populations they work with. Also, if you're open to Counseling Psychology, there are numerous faculty that work with LGBTQ populations given the social justice focus that is common in many counseling psych programs.

This is going to differ from one counseling psych program to the next. My program doesn't even permit applications from anyone without a terminal masters in counseling or related field, but I know of other programs that specifically have post-BA and post-MA tracks, and will dedicate a certain number of spots for each track. If the program accepts applications from applicants without a masters, then it's safe to say they are at the very least willing to consider you. Having any pubs will definitely help your case, as there will likely be (some) applicants with masters degrees that don't have any pubs. I would also echo Ppkitty and highlight your group therapy assistant experience, as this is very relevant to the training you will receive in a counseling psych program.

I'm in my last year of a counseling psych program (on internship), and my experience has been that the counseling psych students' research interests are (broadly) more focused on career and multicultural/social justice issues. By comparison, the clinical psych students I've taken classes with tend to be much more focused on psychopathology (as kita mentioned) and neuropsych. That being said, both concentrations are required to take neuropsych and a subset of other core classes. With regard to internship, counseling psych students have traditionally skewed more toward university counseling center settings, but there are so many individual difference factors that come into play when deciding between applying to clinical or counseling, such as pursuing a research mentor who shares similar interests. More info on match stats between clinical and counseling students can be found here: http://www.appic.org/Match/MatchStatistics/ApplicantSurvey2016Part2.aspx. As schizometric mentioned, both clinical and counseling psych lead to the same licensure as a state-licensed clinical psychologist.

It looks like three of us that got into Loyola Chicago's Counseling Psych program all posted on the results board. I know for a fact that only four students were accepted and I would like to get to know this potential cohort so if you're lurking and got in (or were even wait listed) can you shoot me a message? This was a fun interview group, I wish they had more space.

Just got a phone call from my POI at UMass Boston's Clinical program as well. There are 20 slots available on 2/24 and 20 slots available on 2/28 (that's a lot of interviews!). Super excited!

I applied with a Masters in Counseling this time around. My undergraduate experience worked against me in the past because I majored in an unrelated field. So even though I volunteered in psych labs throughout undergrad and spent a year working in a psychology lab post-undergrad, I still didn't have a competitive academic background.

Third time really is the charm... after being rejected the last two cycles I applied, I just received an offer from one of my top choices. So excited!

I'm not the person who posted on the results board, but I also received a call from Boston College's Counseling Psych program today. My POI extended me an interview invite for 2/10 or 2/11. I did not receive any specific information about the interview over the phone, but I believe an admin assistant will be emailing me soon with more info.

I accepted the interview at the first school that extended me an invite, and explained to the second school that I had already accepted another interview on that date. They were very accommodating and I've set up a different date for the second interview. Granted, the first interview was at a higher priority school so I'm not sure if I would have tried to reschedule if it was the other way around.

When I interviewed there were two individual interviews and a group interview, as well as an informal dinner at one of the professor's house with faculty, current students, and applicants. Overall it was a pleasant experience and all of my questions were answered, however my POI brought four students to the interview and only took one.

I applied to/interviewed for College Park's counseling psych program a couple years ago (and didn't get in) but I received a personalized email from the POI in late January and their interviews are typically held in mid-late Feb. Applied again this year and haven't heard back yet, but it's still somewhat early.

I initially planned on using this waiting period to get back to the gym and start being healthy again... then Sporcle happened.

The first thing to know is that states use different terminology for LPC and LPCC. For example, upon graduating from a masters-level counseling program in Georgia you are eligible for APC licensure (Associate Professional Counselor). After practicing for three additional years you are eligible to apply for LPC licensure. In Illinois, however, LPC is the equivalent of Georgia's APC and LCPC is the equivalent of Georgia's LPC, so it can be confusing. Illinois requires two years of supervised practice before you can apply for LCPC licensure. Each year must contain 960 hours of direct face-to-face contact. On a personal note, I am also strongly considering moving to Illinois to practice if my PhD applications go belly-up so I've been in touch with other counselors-in-training in Illinois. Allegedly, the LPC licensure does not allow you to open a private practice, however you are able to work in hospitals, nonprofits, and the like with the licensure. But you are correct when you state that you cannot open a private practice with an LPC in Illinois. In order to transfer your license from one state to the next you need to be aware of the education and practice experience each state requires. You may need to take additional courses or CEUs depending on the state you're applying to be licensed. For example, all licensed counselors in Florida need to have taken a masters-level Human Sexuality course. I have found the following website very useful for research state-level requirements and I hope you do too: http://www.counselor-license.com/ As for the tuition, I would agree with Lisa and not advise spending 90k for a masters-level counseling degree (or PsyD). This is just anecdotal, but the counseling program I am in allows all students to obtain a 20-hour student job that waives tuition and pays a small monthly stipend - so it is possible to earn your Masters in Counseling without going into debt. I'd be happy to tell you more about this program in particular if you decide to branch out to other locations. Finally, I believe your internship experience will allow you to create your own specialization, so to speak. In your case I would apply to sites that predominantly work with children. Most programs will also allow you to take courses in Play Therapy as electives, which will assist you in developing your own child specialization. TL;DR: Check out http://www.counselor-license.com/, it's a wonderful source of information for counselor licensure requirements.

Thank you for the offer! I sent you a message. We're in this together. Best of luck to you! I'm looking forward to the application process and think it will be a great experience regardless of the outcome. I just need to find some ways to keep my anxiety down over the winter holiday...