Rana17

I am a recent graduate with a B.A in Psychology. I am very confused about some things regarding counseling master's degrees and I would really appreciate some help! Please excuse my ignorance in some questions but I am still very new in this area and trying my best to do all the research. *Note: I would really like to specialize in children. So I am looking into doing some sort of child track. 1) I originally planned to do a PsyD but due to some very compelling reasons I will need to move to another state (not sure where exactly yet) in two years time. Since the PsyD program will take at least 5+ years and credits are non-transferable I have decided to do a masters in counseling instead and maybe continue onto a PhD in counseling later if possible. I understand the differences in terms of clinical practice, income, and degree level...but I feel like it's such a silly reason to make such a switch. Is there some sort of solution to this situation that I am not finding? 2) How long does it normally take to finish hours needed to go from a LPC to a LPCC? 3) What do you do in terms of working while at the LPC level, do you only do your hours or are you able to be hired at hospitals/clinics etc to gain some sort of income? 4) You cannot open a private practice when you have the LPC only right? 5) How easy is it to go to another state when you are only an LPC? Can you do the hours needed to become an LPCC in another state? Where/which website are state requirements clearly stated? Because nbcc.org did not list number of hours required in each state. 6) I will remain in Chicago, Illinois for my masters (2 years). I originally planned to apply to Adler, Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and Roosevelt. Then I realized that Northwestern offers a counseling masters as well. Is it really worth the 90K+ tuition in the long run? Keeping in mind the struggle it will take for an average LPC income to cover that after graduation? Are there other schools in Chicago that I am not aware of? 7) If a school doesn't have a child track, is there someway I can specialize in children later? (In Chicago, only offered at Chicago School of Professional Psychology) THANK YOU!!!