FeelGoodDoGood

Sounds fascinating, although I don't know much. I would recommend asking in the Education forum as they might have better answers about policy rather than counseling/psychological services or teaching psychology in higher ed.

Thanks!! It was really nice and a weight off my shoulders. I will send good vibes your way so that you'll get good offers!

@artsy16 I got an offer from my top choice, so I'm pretty stoked. Still going to another one next weekend just to gain some clarity, but I think my decision is made. I totally agree. The interviews are exhausting! I'm an introvert so the whole day feels like I'm out of my element, but I think I do alright at interviews. Good luck on your next two!!!

Yay the counseling psych thread is resurrected! How is everyone fairing? @A_psych I pm'd you.

@FacelessMage--Purdue. :-)

@artsy16 I think it's more typical to hear next week anyway. I was super surprised to hear from one school this early because I think all the rest of my schools notify in January. Good luck!

I got my first interview invite! I was really surprised this early in the game. Good luck to everyone! Keep the Counseling Psych page going strong.

I suppose it depends on what you're wanting to do with your degree. If your goal is to a licensed masters level counselor in a higher education setting/counseling center, I would suggest going for a school that is CACREP accredited. Like the poster mentioned before, if you were going for a counseling psychology PhD program with connections/research in college student mental health/well-being/anything else related to college students, you'd want to have it APA accredited. If you're just wanting to work somewhere in student affairs (career center, advising, residence life), then I wouldn't think you would need it to have either designation (just a regular student affairs program). What is it that you're wanting to do? I might have ideas depending on what you're thinking.

Why Counseling Psych? -Counseling psych feels like my theoretical home. I went to an undergrad institution with a clinical science doctoral program, and I worked with many of the doctoral students in a mental illness research lab. They were very well-intentioned on giving me advice about graduate school, but often looked down on counseling psych. I decided to take some time off and did A LOT of reading on my own in addition to soul-searching and talking to a career counselor. I genuinely like counseling psychology because I like looking at individuals from a humanistic, strength-based, and holistic perspective. I also am generally not interested in very severe disorders. It's just not my cup of tea. My research interests (esp. vocational psychology/career development) are also represented very well in most counseling psych programs. Generally, it seems like there's less of divide between counseling and clinical these days, but personally I think counseling psych fits me very well for these reasons. What do you want to do with your degree after graduation? -Well, I'm currently getting my masters degree in counseling psychology right now, but I hope to continue with a PhD so that I can mainly teach, do research, and mentor/advise students. Many students in my current masters program are becoming clinicians, but I haven't really felt the pull to do that, which is why I am pursuing a doctorate. I would like to be in academia and doing a lot with career development and vocational issues. Research interests? So glad you asked! I am broadly interested in vocational psychology, but more narrowly interested in factors that are related to meaningful academic and vocational experiences. Particularly my masters thesis focuses on work volition in students with chronic illness. This is my favorite area, and I'm hoping to continue it in a doctoral program. I really am interested in exploring more about health and illness affect individual's experience of their employment and their career trajectories. I also like looking at how other barriers affect career decision-making. Some day I'd like to look into post-traumatic stress and calling, but that will be another time. Schools you're applying to? I am applying to a wide swath of schools that I feel are a good fit for my research interests. I won't go into specifics here. :-) What are you doing during this app cycle? Current finishing up my masters degree! I am doing practicum, thesis, classes, and other research. Right now, it's crazy...but I actually enjoy it most days!

Woot! First counseling psychology person in the thread. This is an interesting thread, thanks OP!

Hi Meen521! Let me just say I was in a very similar position when I graduated. Throughout my undergraduate, I prepared for a PhD program (and felt very pressured to achieve it right away). Long story short, I sat down to write my personal statements my senior year and I still had many questions about myself and what it was that I was even passionate about. I didn’t want to go to a PhD program that wasn’t a good fit for my career goals, so I decided to take a gap year. I should probably mention that this decision originally made me feel like a failure (which is a totally unhealthy way of looking at it, but that’s the mindset I was in). When I started getting questions from everyone about my plans post-graduation it wasn’t fun to have to grapple with my lack of plans! Not to mention not having the same support of friends while in college made things really hard. During my gap year I kept doing research (which I figured would be helpful any direction I went) as well as another job to help ends meet. As for what you should start with career wise—it’s a tough market. Find something that seems halfway decent and seems plausible for your career goals…it doesn’t have to be crazy awesome. For example, I was doing higher education program evaluation research. This is definitely NOT my dream job, but it paid me and helped me develop quantitative skills. It’s counterintuitive, but sometimes you have to figure out want to do by figuring out what you DON’T want to do. Even when I worked retail for a brief period this year, I gained valuable data and learned about myself. The trick is to take something from every job you have (even if the job is totally crappy!) So throughout my gap year, I explored many different directions I was interested in (public health, education, English, psychology, counseling, social work). I read about these professions, talked to professionals, took career assessments, talked to graduate students, shadowed, got personal therapy—the works. I talked to a career professional in my school’s career office, and she told me that most people switch job/careers 5-6 times throughout their life…which seems like it would be even more for millennials. Even if you start to do one career, you’re not chained to it for life. For example, if you did do something with cognitive psychology, there’s probably a number of directions you could take it besides academia. The point is, go crazy exploring things. Try things out. Volunteer. Talk to people whose careers seem cool. Remember what got you interested in psychology in the first place (this one was key for me). Don’t look at your lack of solid plans as a failure—look at it as an opportunity. ALSO—I don’t see my gap year as a smashing success—I made A LOT of mistakes…but it’s OK that I made mistakes. I also learned a lot about myself, and I’m entering a great program in the fall. Feel free to PM if you want to talk more in depth. FGDG

I echo everything that psych21 is saying. Nice to see some counseling psychology folks on the board.

Hi there! A little background about me--I was just admitted to a masters in counseling psychology that has good opportunities for research (ability to do a thesis, accessible professors, graduate assistantships), AND it is a funded program (You can private message me for the name). They do exist! As far as Counseling vs. Counseling Psychology--you really just want a program that will give you opportunities to do research (and that will vary greatly by program). When I was originally researching programs to apply to I made a list and then inquired about research opportunities from current students and faculty. Normally they were helpful and honest about opportunities in their program. A masters in counseling or counseling psychology will not hinder your ability to get into a counseling psych PhD program. In fact, it may even help. I recommend getting the Insider's Guide to Clinical and Counseling programs--you can see which doctoral programs prefer students with a masters and then also which programs prefer students with just a bachelor's degree. Feel free to PM me for more questions!

It's not exactly a "psychology and religion" program per se, but I stumbled across Ball State's Counseling Psychology program (PhD and masters) and they have a few professors looking at eastern religion and mental health. It might not be exactly what you're looking for, but I encourage you to check out their program. It seems legit.

Yes. This. Also, I forgot to mention that I got into my top choice program, which is a great fit. I wouldn't had known that though if I didn't test the waters and determine what I actually wanted to do!

Hi Soflostudent, Let me start by first saying, I was in a similar position (with different interests) last year. I was in my senior year, and although I had prepared significantly and always knew I wanted to go to grad school, I was disillusioned. I sat down to write personal statements for schools, and just felt as though I couldn't accurately discern what it was that I wanted to do. SO--I took time off, got a research position (one that would set me up nicely for graduate school), and soul-searched. I saw a career counselor at my school, took personality tests, read books about careers, researched my options. Just to give you an idea I was thinking about English, Public Health, and Education...it was a rocky time of discernment. I also talked to SEVERAL people in various fields that I was interested in, oh and the kicker, I stopped reading the negativity on message boards. Being out of school, with less responsibilities also helped. So my advice, like Mr. Bugles', is to go back to the root of your interest in psychology. What got you amped up about it in the first place? Also, definitely research different fields, talk to professionals and professors in other departments. I made a list of what I wanted in a potential career as far as day to day responsibilities. Another thing--don't think of picking a career as a life-long sentence. So many people have a career that evolves over their lifetime. Maybe you want to first try dietetics and then go into some kind of health psychology--something like that. It definitely helped me when one of my research mentors told me that she finally figured out what she wanted to do 15 years AFTER her doctorate. So take the pressure off yourself and explore a little bit! I would recommend contacting someone in the dietetics dept at your school and just asking these questions!!

Hi ChasingMavericks, It's great to have met someone with similar interests. I feel like I am always having to explain myself to people who don't know what I want to do! That said, I think you could definitely find a niche for yourself with public health and psychology. Especially in the area of mental health promotion....that seems to be kind of a hot topic on campuses at the moment as more and more students are presenting with mental health issues. I definitely know what you're saying about wanting to jump around a bit...I think it will be awhile for me to settle down on one specific area. Also, I think a psy.d would be a good fit for you (rather than ed psych). The areas I mentioned (ed. psych, social, developmental) tend toward more research (understatement), and if that's not your cup of tea, then grad school will be a major pain. I don't know if you know about this website, but "Positions in College Counseling" is a great website for seeing what's available in counseling and career centers-- http://www2.kumc.edu/people/llong/picc/list.asp --Sometimes my strategy is to see what's out there in terms of jobs and see what training is required. There are also some great groups on linkedin that I'm a part of. Also, I forgot to ask--is there any clinical training required for your dual masters? Great talking to you, feel free to message me anytime!!

Congrats on the acceptance! Are you excited about the offer?? I just accepted an offer at my top choice masters program, and I'm stoked.

Hi ChasingMavericks! I think you and I have very similar interests! I will tell you a little about my experience, and then ask some more questions to get more information. This year I am post-baccalaureate research assistant in higher education working in institutional research. I really like it because I've gotten very savvy at data analysis and report writing...it's also shown me a great deal about how programmatic decisions are made in higher ed. I've loved this position, but similar to you, I like approaching things from a psychological standpoint. Next year I will be attending a master program in clinical-counseling psychology where hopefully I'll pan out my interests a little more. There is a faculty member I hope to work for who does research on career development/student populations/academic success, but I'm also hoping to gain research/clinical experience in other areas as well. I thought by doing a masters I will have a firm foundation in psychology while also developing ideas about how (and what) I would like to pursue a doctorate. Ultimately I believe I will try for a doctorate in counseling psychology where I'll continue these interests. Many counseling psychologists work in career centers, campus counseling centers, and other areas of student affairs. For me personally, I like counseling psych because it tends to have a more holistic and developmental focus (although this can vary by program). I'm not sure of your current interests in psychology and public health--but, I will say that higher education seems to be a good place for many psychologists. Off the top of my head, I can think of my current supervisor who is a social psychologist. She got her degree in applied social psychology and now works in institutional research and assessment and has easy access to other areas in the university such as teaching intro courses and supervising students. Another person who comes to mind is the dean of our our particular school (first year programs) who is a developmental psychology and made her way into higher ed. Also one of my letter writers got his degree in experimental psychology and has had tremendous success both in the psychology department as well in other areas in student affairs. This isn't even mentioning the many psychologists I know working in career services/student health services (particularly the counseling center). There is a possibility that I will start my masters program (which has a significant clinical aspects) and I will determine that I don't want to pursue a doctorate with clinical components (such as clinical OR counseling doctoral programs). In that case, I believe I will go for a degree in educational psychology where I can focus on higher education from a psychological standpoint. From what I've noticed ed psych programs tend to be quite varied--there are some that focus on more on childhood development/learning/teaching etc., while there are some that more focused on college and adult learning (which is more of what I'm interested in). Two programs that I'm looking into are University of Minnesota--Psychological foundations of education and then also Urbana Campaign--QUERIES (which stands for something about quantitative methods, evaluation, etc. etc. etc.). To answer your main question of "is there a combination of higher education and psychology" --I WISH, but I do not know for sure (and if you find out, tell me! ). What I do know is that you can approach successfully from several different angles. I guess my question for you, is what are you hoping to do in higher education (and student affairs)--Are you hoping to do program evaluation type research, work directly mentoring and advising students/staff, work in a counseling/career center, do administrative higher ed work? What strikes your fancy? A combination of all of them? Also, what are your current interests that have led your to the masters in psychology/public health? That might be a better starting point to see how you could segue into a doctoral program that is a great fit. -FGDG