AllyPsy1114

Yeah I am in the same boat. I actually just posted about me moving from the counseling field to psychology. Of course they want you to stay in the field but I dont think i would benefit much from it for my own goals IMO.

Hi All, I am interested in applying for Clinical or Counseling Psychology Phd program for Fall 2019. I currently have a MA in rehab counseling w/ a concentration in Substance Abuse and Psychiatric disabilities and have state licensure (LGPC). I have done 4 presentations : 3 posters (2 at national conferences, 1 local) , 1 discussion based presentation at national conference4 years of research experience ( undergrad RA, senior thesis, 2.5 years as an RA at a well known hospital doing medical related research) currently an clinical research assistant in a clinical neurobehavioral lab focusing on alcohol related research in addition to doing different assessments working under psychiatrists and psychologists. Will be here for a 1.5 years by the time I apply so total research experience will be 5.5-6 yearsTA experience for a couple Introductory to Psychology coursesVA clinical experienceUniversity counseling center experiencePrevious experience as a Manager at a non profit providing services to individuals with disabilitiesCertified Phlebotomy Technician ( I had to draw participants blood for some studies) I do not have any publications yet but interested in submitting the senior thesis by the time I apply and possibly turn one of the posters into a paper. And the other study I worked on at the hospital will take forever to be a publication since we collaborated with another company. One or two current studies will be finishing up within a year or two and the other studies really just started. I am trying to figure out what will make me competitive enough to get into these programs. This is my second time applying. The first time I applied to only a few counseling psych programs and got an interview and waitlisted. I am interested in taking the GRE general again since they were really low and Psych GRE because my undergrad GPA wasn't that high (3.2) my last 60 credits ( 3.6). My grad GPA is a 3.7 and a 4.0 since I took classes at two different schools. What are some things that I can do to make me more competitive before I apply again? GRE aspiring scores? My research interests include examining addiction, alcohol/substance use disorders/ prevention in ethnic minorities and career development of college students of multicultural backgrounds. Overall I am interested in being in academia as a professor that does research and that is well versed in doing assessments.